Boog's Blog

Sunday, Easter, heavy rain last evening

City tour with Fernando, and then Cerro Blanco forest climbs. 444 stairs to las peñas, the oldest area of Guayaquil.

Racism prevalent by color but not much by wealth or the reverse depending on the age of the respondent.

20% of births are too girls under 18; 25% under 18 years of age, church being no help.

Cerro blanco, reserve built by the large and old cement company. In theory giving back for their environmental destruction. In theory.

Fernando has, he says, a very expensive home water filter. Separated acid from basic in the tap water. Acidic for washing fruit, basic for drinking. So he says.

Easter Sunday in the main cathedral- with an orchestra.

Iguanas park with 300 or so iguanas and the ground and in the trees. Protected, a tourist attraction, right in front of the cathedral, many pics on Flickr, lettuce sold to feed them. Surprisingly active, not like in Costa Rica.

Las peñas started in the 1500's and later was a drug infected slum. In the 1990's cleaned up. Great views from the top of this small mountain. Shops, bars on the way up the varies levels.

In Album 4/5/15

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The missing toquilla hat picture

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Saturday free day in the city.

Breakfast, going native with ceviche, here with popcorn,plantain, and corn nuts added. Apparently one adds what we call bar food to the ceviche (with large shrimp-many). Smoked salmon on the side.

QB acquired a simple but fun foldable toquila, also called a Panama hat.

The jardin botanica is quiet but bug infested. The taxi driver stopped so we could get repellant, told him we had. Then at the gate they offered us repellent. We were properly warned. Oddly the attendants would not call a taxi on their local phones, happy to help us use my phone.

The garden visit reminded QB why she is not a field biologists though this place does not have so many high weeds on the paths.

Street life. Vibrant and varied. Buskers, street vendors, persons selling single plastic glasses of cola from a bottle, limes conveniently priced at a dollar a packet, and homeless of course.

Stratification and equalitarian. Developing a theory but more research required. Today I discussed with a taxi driver the prevalence and appropriateness of having a mistress. Research continues.

In Album 4/4/15

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Also called the Panama hat but not so much here. Here, toquilla or monticriste (high quality).

Ours, I got one too, is a foldable soft low cost (here) type.

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Jardin botanical Guayaquil by Jeff Gray on Flickr.

Just follow this link to see and comment on this photo:
https://flic.kr/p/rX2mU5

Test of posting from flickr directly to G+

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Friday hot humid no rain

Met Fernando for breakfast. Organizational meeting 🙂

Air kisses very different here. One only, different facial location.

Have to love a country and hotel that has ceviche, shrimp, large shrimp, as well as smoked salmon on the breakfast buffet. A local speciality is humitas- corn and queso fresco in a corn husk that is not eaten.

Fernando took us around the neighborhoods,Linear park, expensive areas, mall and over to the parque historical. Number one on TripAdvisor's list. Tropical park,zoological gardens, preserved buildings, large range of mangrove areas, drizzle forest etc.

Visit to sweet and coffee, a chain like Starbucks. Another experience where what you think you ordered and what you get is different. Coffee ordering is so very different in every country. Americano turned out to be Bunn machine filtered coffee, also got a large dollop of whipped cream and some very good expresso. Cortado seems to have only one shot.

Coming back from the park we ordered a taxi. The attendant at the park negotiated the price down from 7 dollars to 5. Gave
him a dollar tip and gave the taxi driver six dollars. All seemed happy.

At a supermarket we found tomate arbol. Look it up.

Jacuzzi at hotel perfect!

In Album 4/3/15

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HOT damp, Guayaquil Ore Verde Hotel Friday 3 April

Boogs are on another adventure, this time to Guayaquil (rain-mangrove forest)and the Galapagos. Details of this adventure will emerge more slowly as there is no connectivity on the boat.

Yep, inter-tube silence while seeking the blue and red footed boobies, penguins and the ever elusive …..

The first leg of the trip appeared to be the Disneyland express. Coughing, crying, squirming in large numbers. Family of four shouting across our aisle seats.

Quick ceviche and soup dinner appropriate for our late arrival.

In Album 4/3/15

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Nice drive from Phoenix to the Sonoran desert. Many Saguaros along the road as we reached the pass over which was the endpoint.

A private reserve, appropriately tended, heavily marketed, and very well annotated and signed. Two aviaries, large cats, plants, scenery never ending.Docents everywhere.

Dinner at a Tucson restaurant, reservations made weeks in advance, George's brother and his wife, they live very nearby, joined.

In Album 3/8/15

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Google Plus put this together – interesting feature and a nice overview. Not all activities as G+ only picks up from the phone camera and not, of course, from the point and shoot.

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Wed 4 February awake to spectacular morning, weather and view

Last day of trip. Volcano visit, coffee plantation visit and bike ride down the mountain

Active volcano then 4000 ft drop via bike.
Through fern farming area, covered greenhouses and higher up strawberries. Climb, by bus, to almost 8000 ft.

Stopped on way down for strawberries and Chorreadas, made with homemade cheese

Coffee plantation tour with lots and lots of information growing cycle and the processing cycle and what various customers buy.

Early return for a soak in a hot tub and then of to dinner at a family home, a final dinner.

Tomorrow I return. Nice short trip.

In Album 2/4/15

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