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The guide who picked us up from the airport gave us a few recommendations for dinner in the city. Her first was Lo Nuestro, the seafood restaurant we went to our first night in Guayaquil. Her second recommendation was El Ñato, a traditional barbeque restaurant that was conveniently located across the street from our hotel. That was perfect, as I had been craving barbequed meat after eating so much seafood on the ship.
After we returned from our long walk down the Malecon and the hike up Santa Ana hill, we made our way across the street to the restaurant. The first thing I noticed was that we were the only tourists in the joint, which was great sign. There were lots of families having dinner and huge groups of friends chatting over pitchers of sangria. We probably looked a bit out of place but that didn’t matter, I was happy to eat somewhere that seemed authentically Ecuadorian.
The restaurant had a large menu but we had a hard time navigating through it, even though Josh’s spanish is really good and mine is somewhat passable. Getting grilled meat was obviously the way to go, but the choices were vague. There were several “mixed grill” options but they didn’t specify exactly what was included. We tried asking the waiter but he couldn’t really explain the differences. We ended getting the one that said “mixed grill with beef and chicken,” as that seemed like the safest bet. They didn’t have much in the way of side dishes so we got a plate of French fries. No salchipapas on the menu, sadly.
We ordered a pitcher of sangria with fruit, and it had chunks of watermelon in it that I thought was a nice touch. I also liked that there was no ice in the sangria pitcher; they gave you ice in your glass so that the sangria didn’t get watered down. It was very tasty and refreshing.
They brought us a basket of garlic bread to start. It was warm and toasty and covered in fresh herbs and garlic.
They also gave us a few sauces to go with our meat, which turned out to be a sort of garlicky pesto sauce and a spicy red salsa.
The meat was served on top of a small lit grill, which kept it sizzling hot but also overcooked some of the meat on the bottom. Our mixed grill ended up having steak, chicken, pork, sausage, blood sausage, intestines, and kidney. It was a ton of food, way more than we could finish.
The chicken was pounded thin and a bit overcooked but still pretty tender. The steak was flavorful but tough. The pork chop was the best of the bunch, thick, tender, and well seasoned, with delicious crispy bits of fat on the ends.
The regular sausage was fine, but I’m not the hugest fan to begin with. The blood sausage wasn’t as gross as you would think. It had a rich iron taste to it but it wasn’t like it was oozing blood or anything.
The intestines were a bit funkier in the flavor, and a bit tough in texture. They were topped with chopped garlic and herbs but those didn’t hide the weird flavor of the meat.
The kidneys however, were surprisingly delicious. We had a hard time figuring out exactly what they were at first. They were clearly pieces of organ meat, but we didn’t know which one. There were lobes, so we thought maybe it was brains, but the texture was too firm. Then we thought sweetbreads, but the pieces were too large and the texture still didn’t match. It didn’t look like a heart either. It was Josh who decided they were kidneys, and I was surprised because after the funky-tasting intestines, these pieces were sweet, flavorful and not weird tasting at all. The waiter confirmed that they were in fact kidneys, and I was totally blown away. Josh only sampled a tiny bite but I ate an entire piece and it was my second favorite cut of meat after the pork chop. Yum!
Our lone side dish, the French fries, were fresh, hot, and crispy, just the way I like them. Even with all the meat, we managed to polish off the whole plate.
Overall I thought the meal we had at El Ñato was great. The presentation was not elaborate or fussy, and the restaurant is quite casual. The food is similar in that it is hearty but straightforward. The grilled meats are simply prepared and seasoned with just salt, pepper, and garlic. The waiters were attentive and efficient. Portions are ample and prices are cheap. It’s definitely a great place for large groups and a good way to sample traditional Ecuadorian barbeque.
El Ñato
Guayaquil, Ecuador
They had arranged for someone from the hotel to pick us up from the airport when we first arrived in Guayaquil, someone was at the check-in desk to greet us, and they took care of arranging our flights to the Galapagos and back, even picking up our boarding passes for us so we never had to wait in line to check in. Our luggage magically made its way to the ship and back, and even though our AeroGal seats were coach, we always had access to the VIP waiting lounge.
I’ve already raved about the naturalists on board that led all of our hikes and snorkeling adventures, but the crew members on the National Geographic Endeavour were also tremendous. The ship is small enough that we got to know a lot of the staff, like the crew that drove the zodiac boats back and forth from the landing sites. One person on our tour left his camera battery in his room on the ship and one of the crew members immediately retrieved it and brought it to him on the island. It’s little things like that act of kindness that made the trip such a great experience. Every time we entered the dining room someone greeted us by name – try to imagine that happening on one of those giant cruise ships like the one we took to Alaska.
Several people on our tour had taken other trips with Lindblad Expeditions and loved every single one. I wish we had taken our trip to Alaska with them, and even though I had the greatest time our honeymoon in Egypt, I can’t help but wonder if I might have enjoyed it even more had we gone with Lindblad instead. I sincerely hope that this trip to the Galapagos will not have been our first and last voyage with Lindblad Expeditions.
Back in Guayaquil, we headed to the Malecon again after dropping our stuff off at the hotel. We started on one end, where the artisan market is located.
There we picked up a few souvenirs and gifts then continued along the Malecon looking for a place to eat lunch. During our first visit to the city we had noticed a lot of middle eastern restaurants and food stalls. Josh asked one of our cab drivers about that and he said that middle eastern food was very popular in Guayaquil, so we decided to get lunch from a food stall that offered shawarma and falafel.
The falafel was shaped in a long log rather than individual balls, which was unusual but kind of smart as it made the sandwich easier to eat. However, it didn’t taste anything like falafel to me. There was very little seasoning, and it actually tasted really starchy, like fried green plantains rather than fried chickpeas.
The shawarma also didn’t taste like typical middle eastern food to me. The seasonings were very different, and the chicken had a strong lime flavor to it, which I found unusual. Neither of the sandwiches were bad, they just weren’t what I was expecting. We did top them off with squeeze bottles of garlic sauce and hot sauce, which helped boost up the flavor a bit.
I of course also wanted salchipapas with our lunch. We made the mistake of ordering them from the stand next to the shawarma stand, which was a pizza stand rather than one serving traditional Ecuadorian food.
The French fries were soggy and oily, and the hot dogs were just gross. I don’t think they were spoiled, they just had a bad taste to them. We kind of picked around the fries and left the hot dogs untouched on our plate. Bleh.
After lunch (which cost like $8 even with two beers), we stopped for some 75 cent ice cream cones from McDonalds. The cone itself was weird, kind of mix between a cake cone and a sugar cone, but the vanilla soft serve tastes the same at McDonalds everywhere. It was refreshing in the hot heat of the afternoon.
We walked all the way down the Malecon to the other end and then hiked up Santa Ana Hill to the lighthouse on top. It was quite a climb – 444 steps altogether, but it was worth it. We were able to see the beautiful Las Penas neighborhood with colorful houses, and the view from the top was spectacular, giving us a 360 degree panorama of the entire city.
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After breakfast we donned our snorkeling gear one last time and headed to the beach on the island. We chose to do the dune walk first, which was a short hike over a hilly and sandy terrain.
At the beach on the other side of the dune, the colors of the landscape were just gorgeous. We saw lots of neat little critters along the shore.
We also watched birds pecking through the wet sand to pick up little crabs with their beaks. It was actually pretty cool because it seemed as though they were just randomly digging their beaks through the sand, but every 30 seconds or so they would come up with a tiny squirmy little crab that they would gobble right up. We also saw the shadow of a shark swimming back and forth near the shoreline though we didn’t get a good view of it.
After heading back to the other side of the dune, we jumped right into the water and began snorkeling around Pinnacle Rock.
Here we saw tons of starfish of all sizes and colors. There were black and red ones, sandy beige ones, and my favorite, the chocolate chip starfish, which are yellow and sprinkled with what looks like chocolate chips on top.
The highlight of this snorkeling trip, however, was our second encounter with a shark underwater. This time it had white marks on its fins so we were able to identify it as a white tip reef shark. We were also close enough to get a picture of it, and chased it for a while before it disappeared out to sea.
We made it all the way around Pinnacle Rock, then rushed back the same way to shore to pick up a zodiac that would take us to the glass bottom boat. The glass bottom boat is an option offered so that people who don’t snorkel can still see wildlife underwater. Even though we snorkeled at every opportunity, we were curious to see what the glass bottom boat was like so we signed up for the very last outing. It turned out to be a worthwhile time, as we saw a huge stingray swimming underneath the boat. It really is a great alternative for non-snorkelers.
After our busy morning, we headed back to the ship for our departure briefing and lunch. We had some down time before our last hike in the Galapagos, which was on Santiago Island. We had a nice leisurely walk along the shore and saw many of the animals we’ve been seeing all along on our trip. There were piles of marine iguanas…
Cutie baby sea lions with big puppy dog eyes…
And little lava lizards climbing over the rocks…
At one point all of the different hiking groups converged and there was a big commotion in a tidal pool down below us. Apparently someone’s hat had blown off into the water and one of the naturalists was climbing down the rocks to retrieve it because he didn’t want any sea lions to eat it or get caught on the string. He eventually did get the hat, but not before jumping into the water and getting totally soaked because he couldn’t climb back up the rock wall.
After all the excitement, the naturalists gave us some free time and wander around the vicinity. Josh and I ended up sitting on some rocks and just watched the sun start to set and the waves crashing all around. It was beautiful and peaceful, and a totally bittersweet moment for us as we knew it was our last day to experience the islands.
We hiked back to the zodiac landing sight and came across the most touching moment – a mother sea lion reuniting with her pup at the edge of the water. The female sea lions leave their pups in search for food and can be gone for days at a time. During this time, the pups basically starve because other females won’t share their milk. If a mother sea lion dies out at sea, her pup will die as well because no one else will feed it. We watched in awe as a mother waded in from the water calling for her pup, and a baby sea lion running down the beach to meet its mother, barking excitedly. They reunited on the shore and snuggled for a bit before the mother laid down, exhausted, and allowed her pup to nurse. As we piled onto the zodiacs and pulled away from the island, I turned around and saw the mother and pup walking inland together just as the sun was setting. It was a moment I’ll never forget, and the perfect ending to our last day in the Galapagos.
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Moving inland, we walked through a forest of giant prickly pear cactuses. The color of the cactuses against the blue water and blue sky was just stunning.
We saw lots of different birds hopping about and playing in whatever little water there was during this dry season. While I couldn’t tell the difference between finches and mockingbirds, the one bird that stood out most was the yellow warbler, a tiny bird with bright yellow coloring.
Throughout our walk, we would catch glimpses of land iguanas in the distance or hiding under trees. However, our hike was halted when we came upon the most incredible sight – IGUANA FIGHT!
These two land iguanas were really going at it, right in the middle of the trail path. All of the groups from our ship ended up converging at this point and we were totally mesmerized by the fight. It was pretty brutal, as each tried to bite the either on the tail, leg, or neck. Whenever one got hold, he would shake the other violently. We could hear the loud CHOMP as they bit into skin, and both iguanas were bleeding from bite wounds. We stood there watching for about 20 minutes before we had to leave to finish the hike, and they were still going at it after we left. To see video footage of this incredible fight, go here to the daily expedition report on the Lindblad Expeditions website.
We returned to the ship, quickly donned our snorkeling gear, and headed straight back out on a zodiac to do some deep water snorkeling at Guy Fawkes. We saw lots of colorful little fish but the walls of the rock underwater was the real highlight. It was a mix of bright reds and oranges and greens, and there were fish darting in and out little crevices. We just floated next to the wall and observed this amazing underwater world.
After lunch we had another round of snorkeling near Sombrero Chino in a bay surrounded by craggly rocks. It was here that we had our first up close view of Galapagos penguins. They were just sitting calmly on the rocks, and occasionally one would jump off and dart through the water. It was kind of mind blowing to know that a place on the Equator, where it’s hot and there are sandy beaches and flamingos, also has penguins.
We also saw our very first shark on this snorkeling trip! It was a shock to see it swimming past us underwater, but then we got over the shock and tried to follow it to get some pictures. It was way too fast though and soon went out of our view. We didn’t see any white tips on the fins though, so it might have been a Galapagos shark but we’re not exactly sure.
After snorkeling we immediately did some kayaking, as it was the last day to do so. We were kayaking in the same bay where we had been snorkeling and were able to get really close to the rock where all the penguins were sitting.
We circled the bay, getting a good view of the “Chinese Hat” and scoping out a bull sea lion barking at one end. We were much more successful in navigating the kayaks this time around and it was relaxing yet still a good workout.
After a jam-packed day, we ended it with a delicious bbq dinner on the pool deck. It was cool and breezy and the perfect night to dine alfresco. Too bad it was cloudy that night so we didn’t get a good view of the stars but it was a nice evening nevertheless.
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]]>We walked around and our naturalist guide told us about the different breeding programs that the CDRS manages, and how the scientists from the station gather information about the islands to bolster their conservation efforts. We visited Diego, who came from the San Diego zoo and has helped restore his species from near extinction. We also saw Lonesome George, the only one of his kind, whom they’re trying to breed with females of a different but similar species. However, he doesn’t seem too fond of his “girlfriends”, and it’s said that he hates them with all his heart.
All the baby tortoises that are hatched at the CDRS are kept in cages until they get bigger. These babies really are tiny, considering how much bigger they will get later on in life. Giant tortoises can live for over 100 years.
There were also many giant tortoises that were once people’s pets and now have a home at the CDRS. They are unable to fend for themselves so they are kept at the station. We were able to watch them during feeding time and because they’re so used to humans, we were able to approach them face to face.
After we left the CDRS, we walked back through town and did a little shopping along the way. We passed the fish market and it was quite a sight to behold! There were pelicans everywhere, trying to steal the fish, and there were sea lions trying to get in on the action as well. There was one sea lion standing up against the counter just watching the fishermen clean the fish, hoping for a handout. It was absolutely hilarious and adorable at the same time. It reminded me of a dog standing up and begging for scraps.
Back in the center of town we hopped on buses that took us to a restaurant called Altair that is located in the highlands. It’s a cute family-run place with a swimming pool, volleyball, and hammocks available for their guests’ use. We had a fabulous meal there that was some of the best food we had on the entire trip.
After lunch they gave us different options on how to spend our afternoon. Josh and I chose Option 1, which was do it all. First we swapped our shoes for tall Wellington boots (it’s a lot rainier in the highlands so the paths are muddy) and headed to Los Gemelos, two pit craters that were formed when lava collapsed. These were gigantic craters that are now covered in trees and plants.
The endemic scalesia trees that surround the pit craters were really pretty to look at, even though they’re just trees. Something about the shapes of their branches and colors set against a brilliant blue sky just made them seem so incredibly beautiful.
After Los Gemelos, we went to search for wild giant tortoises. We drove to a private property that is on the tortoise migratory route. It has a large wide open field with plenty of grass and plants for tortoises to munch on so there is generally a good chance for tortoise sightings. We saw about a dozen spread out all over the field. Since these are wild tortoises you have to approach them from behind, otherwise they will hide inside their shells and you won’t be able to see their heads. These tortoises were HUGE and they look so prehistoric, with wrinkly faces and ginormous feet.
We spent some time taking pictures of the tortoises, then headed back into town. Josh and I opted to stick around town and do some more shopping, had a drink at a local bar, then took the last zodiac back to the ship. It was a long and tiring day but so worthwhile. We learned a lot about the Galapagos conservation and restoration efforts and got to spend some time observing more amazing creatures.
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After breakfast we took a zodiac ride around Punta Vicente Roca. As soon as we ventured out we ran into a huge group of sea turtles swimming around our zodiac.
On the rocks of the island we saw some flightless cormorants fluttering their short stubby wings. These birds can’t fly but they can sure swim! We saw a few diving in the water. We also saw sea lions, fur seals, and marine iguanas perched on the rocks.
We ventured into a cave where some sea lions were frolicking about, then headed toward to the open sea in search of the elusive mola mola, or ocean sunfish. Unfortunately that wasn’t successful either, but it was relaxing to zoom around on the zodiacs rather than hiking rocky terrain.
Right after the zodiac ride we donned our snorkeling gear once again and headed back out to the area where we saw all the sea turtles. There were about a dozen in our immediate vicinity and some were quite large. This was when Josh almost ran into one, as he was chasing a diving cormorant trying to take a picture of it. He was concentrating so much on the bird that he didn’t see a turtle coming straight at him and had to flail his arms about to prevent himself from running into it. We all had a good laugh at his expense.
After a delicious Ecuadorian buffet lunch that featuring a whole roasted suckling pig and two of the best desserts I’ve ever tasted, a sandwich cookie filled with caramel and a sinfully moist tres leches cake, we took an afternoon excursion to Punta Espinosa. We trekked over the solid black ropey lava that covers this part of the island and saw more sea lions, flightless cormorants, and tons of marine iguanas.
At one point we saw the massive remnants of whale bones, though those were brought to that particular area, not because a whale had actually died on that spot. Still, they were pretty cool.
Josh thought the ropey lava reminded him of the glaciers in the Alaska. I could see the similar characteristics but they were a much smaller scale on the lava. The cracks in the lava were nothing like the crevasses that you could fall into in the glaciers. As we prepared to take the zodiacs back to the ship, we were treated to yet another beautiful sunset.
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]]>In keeping with the tradition, we all wrote postcards to place in the barrel and hope that they will arrive at their destinations one day. The naturalists also went through the postcards already in the barrel and yelled out the names of cities in the addresses. People who lived in/near whatever city, or planned on visiting it soon, would raise their hands and take the postcard. Several postcards were matched, including one that we volunteered to take to the upper east side. It was really fun and exciting to take part in such an old tradition.
After depositing our postcards in the barrel, we headed back to the ship for a quick breakfast, then we donned our wetsuits and gear for some deep water snorkeling near Champion Island. It was here that we encountered our very first sea turtle, which was almost surreal. The turtle just swam about his business while we clustered around and tried to get a few underwater pictures. The other fish were pretty cool too, but there’s nothing like seeing your first sea turtle up close and personal.
In the afternoon we had a wet landing on the sandy beach at Punta Cormorant. It was a relatively easy hike next to a large lake that was filled with pink flamingos. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get very close to the flamingos, who were on the other side of the lake from us, but it was pretty cool nonetheless. We watched them feeding in the water (they get their pink color from the small crustaceans they eat) and even saw a few birds taking flight.
We headed to the beach on the opposite shore where we saw the large indentations of sea turtle nests. My hat almost blew off on top of them but I was able to trap it before it would disturb the nests. Phew!
We spent a while just watching birds flying over head before heading back to the zodiacs. The sun was starting to set at that point and it cast a beautiful pink glow to the sand and the rocks. It was really such a peaceful moment to be standing on the beach looking out at the sunset and hearing the waves lapping against the shore. It really made me appreciate all the beauty that nature has to offer.
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After we hike a short distance along the beach, we saw a massive pile of marine iguanas just laying on the side of the path. There must have been at least a hundred of them just clustered together, some lying on top of others.
Further along the path we saw a family of blue footed boobies, with a father sitting on top of two chicks and a mother standing guard nearby.
We were so close to this family yet they were totally unperturbed and sat there peacefully. I really can’t describe how amazing this is.
Then our next sight was two sea lion pups playing together and snuggling next to each other. It was just too cute for words.
As we moved inland, we came across the nesting grounds of the waved albatrosses. These birds are huge! Their chicks are the size of turkeys and not much more attractive. They’re brown and fuzzy and move clumsily across the ground.
We saw many adults though soaring gracefully overhead; the area is known as the albatross airport. We had some incredible views as we hiked along the cliff, watching the waves crash into the rocks and a blowhole spurting water high into the air.
The albatrosses weren’t the only birds nesting. We came across a Nazca booby (the green footed booby) incubating an egg.
After we returned to the ship and had lunch, we headed to Gardner Bay, a beautiful stretch of beach where more sea lions were lounging. This was our first opportunity to snorkel so we opted to practice from the beach first before taking a zodiac to a large rock off the shore.
The more experienced snorkelers went deep water snorkeling at another location, but because this was my very first time snorkeling, I wanted to try in shallow water first to see how I would react to it. Water, as many of you know, is not my friend. However, I loved snorkeling from the beginning and we soon ventured out to the deeper rock. The very first thing we saw? A gigantic stingray sitting on the floor, half covered by a rock. It was HUGE. We also saw tons of colorful fish and it was absolutely thrilling for me. I’ve been bitten by the snorkeling bug.
As if the hiking and the snorkeling wasn’t enough, Josh and I also signed up for kayaking for later in the afternoon. The ship keeps six inflatable kayaks that are built for two people. They’re much wider than normal kayaks, and you sit on top of it rather than in it, so it’s much safer as there is less chance for the kayak to tip over. However, they’re also harder to maneuver. We went in circles for a bit before we finally got the hang of it.
We kayaked around a small island, even venturing into a cave to see some of the rock formations. All in all it was a tiring and activity packed day but we saw some truly incredible things.
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You really had to watch where you walked so you didn’t step on one. And they paid us absolutely no attention; we were an arm’s length away from them snapping pictures and they simply didn’t care. It was astonishing.
Our tour, which is organized by Lindblad Expeditions, is partnered with the National Geographic Society. There are naturalists on board who accompanied us everywhere, giving us detailed explanations about what we were seeing and the history of each particular island in the Galapagos. It’s really a well-put together tour. Even though the Endeavour is a true expedition ship, it did have some some nice amenities, like a large lounge and library to hang out in. There was also a small gym, as well as a small pool out on the sun deck. It’s not one of those gigantic cruise ships that are basically floating hotels though. It’s definitely a bit more rustic, but also more intimate and homey.
After a brief orientation, we had our first lunch on the ship. Lunch is served buffet style, and there aren’t that many choices. Each day there was usually a soup, some salads, and two or three entrees and sides. Our first lunch, a vegetarian cannelloni and some sort of chicken cooked in a tomato sauce, was actually pretty bad. I was a bit worried about how that would bode for the rest of the trip, but luckily the food improved vastly after that meal.
After lunch we had an abandon ship and safety drill, then later in the afternoon we had our first excursion of the cruise. We took zodiacs from the ship to the southern shore of North Seymour. Ships in the Galapagos don’t actually dock at each island so you have to take a zodiac from the ship to the island and have either a dry landing (where you can step from the zodiac straight onto land) or a wet landing (where you land on a beach and need to step out into knee-deep water). North Seymour was a dry landing and as soon as we stepped out we were greeted by more sea lions.
My first impression of the Galapagos is that it’s actually very arid. There are cactuses and the land was pretty barren looking. These are not tropical islands, though in the spring and summer there is more green on the trees. While we were there, however, all the trees were bare and dry.
The highlights of North Seymour are the blue footed boobies and the great frigate birds. It’s mating season for the frigate birds so the males have these huge red pouches under their beaks that they can blow up into big balloons. The sit on the ground and look up at the females, hoping to attract them with their red pouches.
The blue footed boobies are really beautiful, with bright blue feet (duh) and intense eyes. Josh and I are immature so we got a big kick out of the naturalist saying “look at the boobies” or “watch the boobies dancing”, which happened numerous times.
We saw frigate birds swooping down trying to steal food from the boobies and they would fight back. It was just incredible being in the middle of everything and being able to observe the wildlife up close.
After we returned to the ship there was a cocktail party in the lounge where they introduced us to the captain and the staff. There were cocktail hours every night of the cruise where we’d gather in the lounge for some snacks and drinks (alcohol is extra on the ship) and one of the naturalists would recap the day and Paula, our expedition leader, would tell us about the next day’s activities. It’s a nice time to unwind from the day and whet our appetites for dinner.
Each day the dinner menu is posted after breakfast and you sign up for which entree you want. That way they don’t waste food and can prepare exactly what is needed. I’m sure though that if you changed your mind when dinner came, they would accommodate you. But reducing waste is a big part of their conservation efforts.
Dinner is served by the waitstaff, and everyone kind of just sits wherever there is room. Our dinner companions changed every night, though there were some people we ended up eating with more often than others. It was really quite pleasant and a great way to get to know most of the people on the ship.
There were always three entree options for dinner, and Josh and I would pick the meat entree and the fish entree, ignoring the vegetarian option. Appetizers and desserts were the same for everyone. We would each eat half of our entree and then switch plates, so we could taste both dishes. The food was better on some nights than others, but overall it was pretty good. The fish entrees were consistently good and properly prepared. The meat entrees were more inconsistent but aside from one incinerated duck, nothing was inedible. Plus we were so active each day that we were absolutely starving by the time dinner rolled around. Lets just say that despite all of the hiking, snorkeling, and kayaking that we did, our bellies remained fat as ever!
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]]>As with every trip we take, I searched the internet for a nice place to have dinner in Guayaquil. The restaurant that came up most often was Lo Nuestro, which serves classic Ecuadorian cuisine. We asked the concierge in our hotel about it and he said it was the best restaurant in the city. That sounded like a pretty good endorsement so we asked him to make a reservation for us that night.
The restaurant was a short cab ride away from our hotel, the Hilton Colon (you go everywhere by taxi in Guayaquil; rides are super cheap, ranging from $3-5 to go almost anywhere). It had a very homey décor, with countless framed photographs and articles hanging on the walls. It’s a large restaurant but is sectioned off into many smaller dining areas, which gives it a cozy feel. It’s rustic and cluttered and frilly, almost like dining in your grandmother’s house. Not exactly what I was expecting but quite comforting nonetheless.
We ordered a bottle of wine to start and decided to split some appetizers and an entree. It’s important to note that portions here are pretty large so they’re good for sharing. The meal started off with some bread that was accompanied by two dips. The bread was white and ordinary but had a nice crispy crust.
We used the bread to taste the dips, which turned out to be a cheese dip and a super spicy salsa. We weren’t fans of the cheese dip so we steered clear of it for the rest of the meal. It didn’t taste bad, it just didn’t like cheese or much of anything and had a weird pasty texture to it.
Josh had thought the salsa was either a roasted pepper or sun dried tomato dip so he had slathered it onto a piece of bread and took a huge bite. Big mistake! It was probably worse because he wasn’t expecting it, but it was shockingly spicy. I tried a little dab and even my tongue was burning. Still, it had a nice tangy flavor and we used it to kick up the flavor of some of the dishes we ordered.
The spicy salsa complemented our order of shrimp empanadas. The empanadas that we had in Ecuador had a thicker, pastier crust made from I think cornmeal. It’s not the thin crispy crust that we’re used here in NYC. It wasn’t bad, just different. I did like the shrimp filling though and thought it worked well with the thicker crust and the spicy salsa.
We couldn’t be in Ecuador and not have one of the country’s most well known dishes, ceviche. The restaurant had lots of different options to choose from but we went for their namesake version, Ceviche Lo Nuestro. The ceviche was beautifully presented on a platter and served in two giant clam shells. This was my favorite dish of the night, with fresh and tender pieces of octopus, shrimp, fish, and calamari marinated in tangy lime juice and topped with slivers of sweet red onion.
Our last appetizer dish was crab claws in garlic sauce. Usually we get shrimp or chicken in garlic sauce, but the crab claws seemed like an interesting change. The claws were meaty and dusted with spices that made them taste a bit smokey. The garlic sauce was mild but tasty, and good for dipping bread into.
For our main course, we shared a mixed seafood plate that featured corsiva, a local white fish. I actually liked this fish a lot, because it was meaty but still flaky and tender. The fish was topped with an assortment of mussels, clams, crab claws, calamari, and a jumbo head-on shrimp. The broth that bound the dish together was light and garlicky. It was a fantastic plate of food but we were so full at this point that we barely got through half of it.
Near the end of our meal a group of musicians came into the restaurant and started making rounds. There was a female singer with a beautiful, deep voice accompanied by two guitarists. We had a nice time just listening to them perform while we finished off our bottle of wine and Josh had a cortado (espresso with steamed milk). Unfortunately he wasn’t a fan of the cortado, as it was weak and watery, but the rest of the meal was fabulous.
Overall Josh and I both really liked Lo Nuestro a lot. The food wasn’t fancy but it was tasty and comforting. It’s considered to be one of the more authentic restaurants in Guayaquil in terms of classic Ecuadorian cuisine, and it really felt like we were eating something lovingly homemade. If you plan on going to Guayaquil, I absolutely recommend eating at this restaurant. I don’t know if it’s really “the best restaurant in the city” but it’s pretty darn good, and I know you’ll enjoy it immensely.
Lo Nuestro
Guayaquil, Ecuador