I Do Not Recommend Toting Your Camera Around Guayaquil And Taking Pictures Of The City

Even though that's what I did. And I lived to tell the tale, and so did my camera. I'd like to think this is due to the fact that I wore a fierce scowl the whole time; I've found that putting on my Scrooge face is the most effective way of discouraging unwanted attention from strangers.

Now that Molly is safely home, I can unveil my photo project, which was a farewell gift to her and showcases some of our favorite spots in the city.

Here goes...

The Park

This is the park where we run, first thing in the morning or in the evening just before the sun goes down.

The park takes up one block of a residential neighborhood. This means the track is tiny, and it takes approximately 1 minute and 30 seconds to complete one lap. Perfect for when you feel like you're going slightly crazy and need to run in frantic circles.


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Encebollado. Pronounced in-seh-boy-YA-doe. This is what true Guayaquilenians eat for breakfast. It's a fish stew.

Now, before you turn up your noses, please hear me out. The seafood here is fresh and flavorful. The people here know how to prepare the food so as to best bring out the flavor. Encebollado is not overly "fishy," and it will not make you gag. Unless you're determined to gag, or unless you really hate tuna. It's also reputed to be a good hangover cure, but I wouldn't know anything about that, because I'm a lady, and also because my grandparents read this blog (hi, grandparents!).

Encebollado is prepared by putting all the dry ingredients in separate bowls. When someone places an order, the ingredients are then assembled in a serving bowl, with the liquid added last. This ensures that everything is full of flavor and not too soggy, and that your stew is thick and hearty.

Ingredients include: Fish (usually tuna), yucca, tomatoes and onions, and a sprinkle of cilantro. Plus the liquid (more on this below). When your bowl arrives, you squeeze some lime juice into it. And for the final touch, throw in a handful of chifles - salty banana chips - to soak up all the good stuff. My stomach is growling just thinking about it.

Establishments throughout the city vie for the title of "Best Encebollado." There are many components to a deceptively simple recipe. The manner in which each ingredient is prepared affects the entire dish. If the fish is too tough, it is not fun to eat. If the tomatoes and onions are not minced properly, they get stuck in your teeth and become an annoyance rather than an asset. But the integral ingredient, the stuff that pulls all the rest of it together, is the liquid. This is the secret ingredient, and it can make or break the dish even when all else is perfectly prepared.

Generally speaking, the best encebollados are found at mom & pop places, places that have developed the "perfect recipe" over time. And people here take their encebollado seriously: once they find what they think is the Best Encebollado in the city, they go there and only there to get their fix, with unwavering loyalty, for the rest of their lives. They will vouch for "their" encebollado place among all others. People get into fights in the street over the stuff. (Not really - that's reserved for soccer.)

Of course, there really is only ONE perfect encebollado, and I will let you in on a secret: it can be found at this family's restaurant.

They make it with TLC and the secret soup recipe that is better than any other in the city. It is perfect.

And now this tour of Guayaquil will be cut short and continued at a later time, because right now I have to go eat.