Gorgeous Guayaquil!

​We arrived in the Airport at ten in the morning and were greeted by the massive smile of our friend, Julian, who we both know well from our Master’s degree at Imperial last year. He now lives back home in his native city, Guayaquil. Julian is a talented birder, who can often be seen laughing, drinking coffee, or cooking his favourite Ecuadorian dishes. He dislikes cats (because they eat birds) and the fact that Ecuadorians are always late. We all headed out for breakfast; Bolon and tortilla de verde, and Ecuadorian coffee which was prepared in a way that’s new to me, with hot water in a mug and a little glass jar on the side with cold “coffee essence” which is mixed in to one’s liking. It must have been strong, because when we headed to our Airbnb for our post flight nap, I was buzzing and started preparing my presentation instead. When I finally managed to fall asleep, Julian knocked on the door to take us out for another meal. Julian and his girlfriend, Cindy, took us for a short walk along the river, which ended in a crab speciality restaurant. I hesitantly ordered the only veggie option, vegetable risotto, which was surprisingly delicious. We then strolled through a lively, quirky, colonial area behind the river, following it to a 500 step path full of houses, bars and shops, blasting salsa and filling up the streets with people - a mix of inhabitants playing bingo or watching basketball, and locals from other areas on a nice evening out. The path wraps around a hill in an area called Las Penas, and on the top of the hill there’s a small, white church and a lighthouse. The main feature however, is the views of the city and the river. We didn’t know what to expect from Guayaquil as we’ve heard mixed reviews, but we were blown away by the beautiful houses and the vibrant vibe. I guess any place looks stunning when it is presented to you through the eyes of a local person. After all these evening activities, we headed home to bed, to sort out our jetlags.​

The following day we woke up to the realisation that we had forgotten to buy water, and after a night with the aircon on, we needed it! We headed out for breakfast and a coffee at a small street restaurant, and then headed to the mall next door for a few last-minute essentials. After adding our final touches to the presentations, we headed to Julian’s place where we were given another meal. Soup for starters, rice and chicken for Phil and rice and salad for the vegetarian (me). After so much food, we could feel the tiredness coming on, and rested for a bit before heading to the university. The university, Universidad  de Especialidades Espíritu Santo (UEES), is a private uni where Julian teaches zoology to first year students. We met the director who handed us a bag of treats in return for the presentations. It included a student newsletter, a cap (with the director joking that we’d never want to take it off again) and a pen with a laser pointer and a flashlight. The presentations themselves went well. I presented my Master’s research on barriers to amphibian captive breeding programmes in Latin America, Africa and Asia, followed by Phil’s presentation on his Master’s work, carried out in Ecuador last summer, and focusing on biotic and abiotic factors associated with the amphibian pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Ecuador. We finished off with a brief, joint explanation of how our Master’s work has led to this project, and why we’re doing it. The topics were a bit advanced for the students, and doubtlessly challenged their English skills. Still, they were very engaged and had some good questions for us. The talks were also attended by two of Julian’s friends; Mabe, who is studying to become an Environmental Engineer, and Becky, who is on a placement from the University of Edinburgh carrying out research on microplastic pollution. It was a lovely experience to see the university and meet some likeminded people before making our way to Quito for the next step of our journey.  ​