I Spy Something Prehistoric

Is that...?

Yes, yes that is.

A tree full of iguanas.

There's a whole park right in the middle of downtown dedicated to the iguanas. It has an official name, but colloquially it's known as Iguana Park.

I'm not sure, but Guayaquil may be one of the only cities in the world - if not the only city in the world - with iguanas roaming the parks.

And sometimes the streets.

I'm not kidding; one day I was walking past the airport and noticed an iguana creeping along the sidewalk beside me.

And during my run the other day in the park near my house, this guy was doing laps right along with me. Until he stopped dead in the middle of the track and I had to hurdle him every time I passed by, that is.

He must have hitched a ride to the south side in an effort to find wide open spaces, free of downtown's overcrowded tree branches and exorbitantly high rent (plus utilities!). In this respect, my scaly compadre and I are alike. I hope he is as happy here, and that he is as appreciative of the occasional aromas wafting from the nearby Nestle factory, as I am.