Guayaquilis not likely, nor recommended, to be the first stop for first-time visitors to Ecuador. Those who do come here should already be comfortable with finding their way around Ecuadorian towns. The main square is Parque Seminario [also Parque Simon Bolivar] and the main avenue is 9 de Octubre. The Malecon Simon Bolivar runs all the way along the riverside.

The tourist office [04-568764], Pedro Icaza 203, is open Monday to Friday and gives out useable city maps and brochures. There are also unreliable booths at the airport and on the waterfront on the corner of the Malecon and Avenida Olmedo.

The city’s biggest fiesta takes place around July 25, a combination of Bolivar’s birthday and the founding of the city. The city then explodes in a riot of concerts, parades, beauty pageants, fireworks, and considerable hilarity and falling-down-drunkenness. Guayaquilenos aren’t shy of a party, and you’ll also find big celebrations for Carnaval, Easter Week, Christmas and New Year, and around October 9-12 for the Dia de la Raza and the city’s independence day.

|Article contributed by Dominic Hamilton|||