24 Hours in Guayaquil, Ecuador | Travel Vlog

Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador. Today is December 22nd. I'm about to work a three-day trip and I am feeling very festive in my Christmas earrings. Look at Luna. She is queen of the couch. Hey guys. So Julia and I just got back from Colorado. We spent some time with my family and now she's actually gonna go work a flight to Ecuador. If you didn't know, you get paid extra money if you work over holidays. So this is a nice way that we get to make a little extra holiday cash. And if you haven't seen our trip in Colorado, you should go give it a watch. We went back to where we first met in Colorado at the University of Denver. And Julia actually did a little gymnastics for the first time in almost three years. I know that a lot of you guys think that Eric like hates YouTube, which is so far from the truth. So here's proof that he doesn't. He usually just lets me kind of do my own thing. He just got to my gate and I see that we're delayed about half an hour and I don't know why yet. So I'm gonna try to figure out why we're delayed. I haven't seen any other crew members around here. So I think I am the first one to get here. Just boarded the plane and we found out that we are delayed because the inbound aircraft was running late. But it's okay, we're all on now. I'm going to check my emergency equipment and then the passengers will start boarding and we will be on our way to Ecuador. ♪ Pero perdido, se enloqueciendo pero... ♪ Let's check out the room. We have a very nice bathroom through here. There's a pretty big tub and shower, which is really nice. We have a safe and a fridge right here, a king size bed and a chair with a desk and TV. And then I'm sure the view will be much prettier in the morning. Just got to Guayaquil, Ecuador. The flight was actually pretty bumpy and it seriously felt so long. I don't know why it was only six hours long, but it felt like it was 10. But it is two in the morning here. I am exhausted, so I'm going to shower and get into bed. And our flight tomorrow is at 1.40 a.m. back to Dallas. We're working the all-nighter. So I have just about 24 hours here in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Here's a flight attendant hotel room hack. When you can't get the curtains to close all the way, grab a hanger from the closet. Good morning, Guayaquil. It is such a beautiful day out. Good morning, everyone. I am so excited to get out and explore, especially since the weather is so nice out. It's summer here. It's 80 degrees and cloudy, so it should be a really, really nice day. There's no full-length mirror in this hotel room, but I am wearing a pink dress and matching tennis shoes. I am almost ready to go, but first I'm going to go grab something to eat because this hotel does have complimentary breakfast. So for breakfast, I have a lot of carbs. I have some fruit right here, potatoes right here, and some toast with some blackberry jam, coffee, and orange juice. I am with my coworker, Jose, and we are waiting outside for our Uber to get here. It is awesome, you guys. Uber here is super cheap. We are heading to Parque Seminario, which has a bunch of iguanas in it. I'm really excited, and our Uber to get there is only $2.90. Our Uber driver has a dog. Hello. Oh, hello. Hi. Hola, Caleb. Uber driver just dropped us off in Centro de la Ciudad, and now we are going to head to the park. And I have found my first iguana in the park. Hey, buddy. Oh my gosh. So there are a ton of birds over here along with more iguanas. Look at this guy. Rock out, dude. If you guys can remember from my Hawaii vlog way back when, how much I don't like pigeons. Ooh, I hate birds. I'm being very brave. Okay, I hate birds. You should be proud of me for how brave I am here because there are a ton of pigeons at this park. We are leaving the park now and we are heading to Malecon 2000, is that how you say it? Yeah, Malecon 2000, which is a boardwalk and there's a big Ferris wheel. So it's kind of like just a downtown area. So it should be really fun. We have Santa over here, the reindeer back there. Oh, and there's more reindeer right here. I am really wishing at this point that I would have worn a tank top and shorts instead of a dress with sleeves because I am already starting to sweat and it's pretty humid out too. We are now at the Malecon 2000, which is the boardwalk I was talking about and we climbed some steps and we're able to make it to the top of this viewpoint and the views are beautiful on both sides. Behind me, you can see Ciudad de Centro and then on the other side of me, you can see the river. So over here is Ciudad de Centro and then you just take down these steps and out here you have a beautiful view of the river and you can't see it, but there's a lot of greenery out there. I doubt you'll be able to see it in this video, but out there is, I believe, the largest Ferris wheel in South America. So we're gonna see if we can head over that way. Let's go. So this is really cool, in the Centro de Ciudad, they have a white quill sign, which is similar to the Toronto sign and the Amsterdam signs, which are just kind of like touristy attraction areas, but this one is really cool because it's Christmas themed. Along the river walk, they have a little park for kids, which is super cute and we are making our way to the Ferris wheel. So now we are much closer to the Ferris wheel. I'm not sure if it's running or not, but I do know if we can go on it, you have beautiful views of Santa Ana over there. Along the boardwalk, they have a little amusement park that has a few different rides. Oh my goodness, I see a roller coaster out there, but I think we are just gonna go on the Ferris wheel. And when I looked it up online, the Ferris wheel was three US dollars. Ferris wheel and it is so hot, we are both sweating so much. Another great thing about Ecuador is they accept you as cash here and that's actually their currency is US dollars. So on this side of the Ferris wheel, you have views of the water and then over here on this side, you'll have views of the city. We just got off the Ferris wheel and we are now making our way to the edge of the boardwalk where we are going to go to Las Penas and climb the famous 444 steps to the top of Santa Ana, where you have a beautiful view of the city. Before I came here to Guayaquil, Ecuador, I made sure to Google a lot of different things that you could do and this was one of the top search results. So I'm really excited to go visit this place. At the end of the boardwalk, they have some shopping that you can do from these little markets. These magnets are only a dollar each and I think I'm gonna get the pink one for myself and the red one for my dad, which fun fact, my dad actually lived in Ecuador. ♪ Eres perfecta mujer, de la cabeza a los pies ♪ Let me just say how thankful I am that Jose decided to come out with me today because I speak a tiny bit of Spanish but not nearly enough to get around the city and he has helped translate so much. This is the start of the 444 steps to the top and as you can see, they are numbered along the side. We're going to make the journey up. As you're climbing the steps, there are different alleyways that have different places to eat and it looks like there are shops and other restaurants along the way up to the top. Just finished the first 100 steps and it looks like here they have a restaurant and there's a restaurant slash bar over here and then there's another place to grab hamburgers right here. ♪ Más simétrica que un origami ♪ ♪ Eres perfecta mujer, de la cabeza a los pies ♪ ♪ Tú pasas de mi nivel, tú tienes el piquete ♪ ♪ De la forma que tú lo haces, mami ♪ So climbing the steps is not the super hard part. The really hard part is that it is really hot out. The sun is beating down on us and we are on the home stretch to the top. When you get to about the end of the 300s, on one side there is a beautiful lookout and on the other side there is the Museo del Santa Ana. We are making our way to the top where the lighthouse is and the view of Santa Ana. ♪ Más simétrica que un origami ♪ ♪ De la forma que tú lo haces, mami ♪ ♪ Más simétrica que un origami ♪ And we have officially made it to the top. At the top of the 444 steps, there is a beautiful blue and white lighthouse that has a stunning view of the water and city. ♪ Amarte es mi mañana ♪ ♪ Que lo que toca mi mano se daña ♪ ♪ Pero amor es lo que dicen ♪ ♪ Como un color entre los grises ♪ ♪ Yo nunca te fallé ♪ ♪ Tú no eres cualquiera ♪ ♪ Tú eres la mujer ♪ I am at the top of the lighthouse and wow, the views from the top up here are so beautiful. ♪ Corazón, anhela ♪ This right here is the Guayaquil flag and it's similar to the United States, how every state has a flag, every city in Ecuador has a different flag. ♪ Gracias que tú conoces ♪ ♪ Gracias a mi mujer y tu amigo ♪ ♪ Pero en vivo solo conmigo ♪ It's 1.30 p.m. now, so we've been walking around for a few hours and we're starting to get hungry, so I think we're gonna go try and find a place to grab lunch. Another fun fact for you guys, Guayaquil is the largest city in Ecuador, however, Quito is the capital and I really wanna go to Quito one day. ♪ Tu preso bebe, all right ♪ ♪ Si te dime donde vas ♪ So kind of odd, but actually along the 444 steps, a lot of the restaurants and bars are closed until nighttime but on our way down, we did find a place that was open and it's actually perfect because they have smoothies. I don't want any hot food right now, I just want something to cool me down, so I got a strawberry smoothie. I don't know if you can see it on my face, but I am literally dripping sweat. Let's try the smoothie. Definitely just spilt some on myself, but it is very good. We actually are gonna head back to the hotel because we are both exhausted, we don't know if it's just the heat or not getting a full eight hours of sleep. ♪ Eres perfecta mujer, de la cabeza a los pies ♪ Just got back to the hotel and I think I'm just gonna hang out here and chill for a little bit and then maybe head to the pool. All right, I am about to head to the pool and I swear I must be like the pink girl or something this trip because all of my outfits have been like the same color. Took a quick dip in the pool which felt so nice because it is so hot out and now I am really hungry, so I think I'm going to meet up with some of my crew members downstairs and we're going to have dinner. After I ate, I came up to my room, I took a shower, I relaxed for a little while and I tried to nap because we are working a red-eye flight back to Dallas tonight. If you've been following along with my channel for a while, you would know these are my absolute least favorite flights to work. I am really bad at staying up late at night, but what is really awesome is I will be back by around 6.45 a.m. on Christmas Eve. Flying time is five hours and 26 minutes, so I will see you guys tomorrow morning. Made it to Dallas. The flight was actually shorter than we originally thought it was going to be, so we got in early. I am exhausted and now I am just waiting for Eric to come pick me up. He's here! Wow, the skyline looks really pretty. We're both really tired, but Merry Christmas Eve, everyone. I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday. What all did you guys ask for for Christmas? I told Eric that I am a size seven day Caribbean cruise, so we'll see if that happens in 2020. What is the best gift that you have ever been given, and what do you think is the best gift that you have ever given someone else? ♪ Always, always, always, always, always, always, always. ♪ Luna! Morning, hello crazy girl. Get down. Oh my goodness. Good morning. Merry Christmas Eve, Luna. All right, you guys, I am home now. If you like this video, give me a big thumbs up, and don't forget to subscribe to my channel so you never miss any of my travel tips and adventures. Thank you everyone so much for watching and supporting my channel. I will see you next time. Bye. ♪ Always make you smile, always make you smile. ♪ ♪ Always make you smile. ♪