An Expat that likes to visit Guayaquil, Ecuador

jimsantosblog.com/ Once again, Rita and I have defied the odds, and managed to visit Guayaquil without a major crime event. We are constantly warned by expats and some Ecuadorians alike that it is a very dangerous city, with a whole list of “nevers” – never take a cab, never walk more than a block or two, never take a local bus, etc.

But I have to confess – we like going to Guayaquil!

I don’t want to pretend like it is a completely safe city, or that you shouldn’t take reasonable precautions. It is, after all a city of about 3.5 million people, with almost 2.7 million in the metropolitan area. That puts it around the size of Chicago, and means it would be the third or fourth largest city in the US. Much larger than say Philadelphia, DC, Detroit or Baltimore. Would you wander around any of those US cities without a care in the world? Of course not, and we don’t go to Guayaquil and act naive either.

But to stay away from Guayaquil out of fear is doing yourself (and Ecuadorians) a big disservice. Sure, there are some very poor areas, and most of those you would be foolish to venture into, but there are many great things about the city as well. The Malecon has a riverwalk that is a great place to visit, with restaurants, shops, parks and playgrounds. There’s the Iguana Park (pictured above), where you can stroll around among 50 or more lizards, and several modern malls. There are also many great medical facilities and doctors in Guayaquil, and of course plenty of great dining options. Read Full Blog post

ARE YOU THINKING OF MOVING TO ECUADOR – THIS IS ONE BOOK YOU SHOULD READ