That is not the solution

Guayaquil, the second biggest city in Ecuador. The place where inequalities are most obvious. New white walls of the Las Peñas quarter try to hide reality. Poor, dirty houses. Mr Nebot is trying to create an irrealistic oasis poverty-free, crime-free, dirt-free, ... That is not the solution. Conceling dirtiness, poverty and crime does not make them disappear. I was even told off twice for taking my shoes off by a nice policeman. I wonder if there is nothing else they can be work for, apart of telling off hot and tired tourists.

Some outrageous photos:

Green Gold

The province of El Oro, next to the Peruvian border, is known as the 'Green Gold'. You guess why? It is the absolutely covered with banana tree plantations. The photo is blurred, I took it from the coach.



The remaining land is used as huge pools for camarones (prawns) called camaroneras. This activity seems to be responsible of the disappearance of manglares.

The coast is also far more dangerous, or at least this is the impression, as nothing bad happened to us at all. Machala is the main port in Ecuador, and as all portcities is has that mixture of cosmpolitanism, wealth and insecurity.

It´s nice to be back in the coast, after a month in the highlands. Especially because I was absolutely fed up with having rice for breakfast, dinner and supper. Food in the coast has a well-deserved fame. Lots of fresh fish and shellfish, tropical fruits, milkshakes... I think food deserves a post for its own.