Fiestas de Guayaquil

Guayaquil's coat of arms

Well folks, the countdown has officially begun.  In T-minus 5 days, Guayaquil will celebrate its independence day.  The nearby high school's marching band has been practicing all week, making rounds about the neighborhood in formation.  Apparently somebody thought it would be a good idea to invite them to play in the nearby shopping mall; it was as if the place had turned into one large amplifier for an afternoon. 

As a form of participating in the celebrations, here's another selection from last year's El Universo video series, "Guayaquil en Un Minuto," showcasing the city from a variety of perspectives. 

This week, in honor of me being mostly broke, the subject is: lottery tickets.

Vendors may be found on pretty much any street shouting "El pozo, el pozo!" or "Lotería, lotería!" to hawk their wares.  As a PCV and also because I'm not an Ecuadorian citizen, I don't purchase tickets.  But the vendors and their cries are ubiquitous sights and sounds in the city, just another part of walking around that you get used to and eventually, inexplicably, come to depend upon and enjoy.