Day 3: History and Art

We visited Parque Historico (Historic Park) in Samborondón near Guayaquil. It was beautiful. There, we were able to see animals that are native to Guayaquil and Ecuador and learn about the history of Guayaquil in the 1800's-1900's. We saw a variety of animals including (but not limited to) macaws, iguanas, two-toed sloths, tapirs, and caimans. My favorite animals were the talking and whistling green parrots that said hello and mimicked your laugh. I also learned about the importance of the mangrove forest and how crabs live in the roots of the plants. Crabs are a delicacy here, but in order to catch and eat them it must be in season. 
Green Parrots



An old house on the Guayas River
We learned about the history and culture of the old Province of Guayaquil that dated back to the end of Colonial times. The park recreates the "old times" by providing a recreation of Banco Territorial, houses of poor and affluent families, an old church and much more. Due to the exportation of Cocoa beans, Ecuador had an economic boom which brought a lot of prosperity to the city and farms. My favorite part was learning about the houses of the wealthiest families and how they lived. Since there was no air condition back then, all of the rooms in the house were very close together and had a lot of windows to allow wind to flow through the house. 

Malecon 1900
                             


We also visited a show at the park. At the beginning, there was live music and it was very dynamic. You could hear the difference each instrument made and how all the different sounds came together. The rondador, a hand-held panpipe, made a very distinctive sound. After the live music, there was a comedy show. However, it was not very comedic to me because my Spanish is not the best.  


At night, we visited La Plaza Guayarte. It was an extremely beautiful place dedicated to recycling and art in Ecuador. A lot of the art was made from recycled materials and showcased traditions of Ecuador. There was also a lot of music and people dancing on Puente Zic-Zac, a zig-zag bridge. 
An Eagle made of recycled tires


Puente Zic-Zac
Random cool things I learned so far:

 - My hair is very unique to Ecuadorians and they often want to touch it
- Garbage trucks have a song like an ice cream truck and it plays very loudly through the streets
-People from Guayaquil are called "Monos" (Monkeys)
-Shoes made in Brazil are very popular and expensive and there are a lot of shoe stores in Downtown
-They use military time 
- Vendors and guys whistle a lotttt
- It is cold and windy at night, so I should've brought more jackets

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