Guayaquil is a major port and although not the capital (which is Quito) it is the largest city in Ecuador with a population of over 3 million.

We stayed in a historic building converted into a hotel. It was built as a hospice and when threatened with demolition was acquired by The Bank of Ecuador who facilitated its move, brick by brick, to the current location in the city’s historic park. The central part of the hotel still operates as a chapel.

Guayaquil was founded in 1538 and became the chief Spanish shipyard in the pacific. In 1820 the city’s population overwhelmed the Spanish authorities and declared independence. Two years later it was the site of a meeting between Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin to plan how to complete the independence of Peru and the rest of South America.

The city which has a large area of deprivation suffered very badly from the pandemic; over 6,000 people died with bodies being left in the streets for collection.