Day 14 Guayaguil Ecuador

Today we were in Guayaguil Ecuador.  We were here a few years ago and I remember that as far as the eye could see there were 18 wheelers filled with bananas was not feeling well the other day and I must have caught it because I was up all night coughing.  We had an afternoon tour thinking we would sleep in today.  At 8am I hear music so I jump up put in my hearing aid and head out on the veranda and there is a band playing New York, New York.  So much for my sleeping in.  I was debating if I was going to be able to make the tour but I rested most of the morning.  At noon I hear music again and look out my veranda again and there is the band back and playing New York, New York and this time they have dancers out there! Our tour was suppose to leave at 1:45 so we headed out around 12:15 as there was a market set up and God forbid I should miss looking at anything.  Daniel the shore excursion director came over and said that the Flowers of Guayaguil was late coming back and I might want to go back into the a/c on the ship and wait. It was really humid.  So we did that.  The bus was an hour late.  We were on the bus forever and then we turned into a dirt road and was on that almost as long as we were on the highway.  We then entered the plantation and we were escorted onto the back of a tractor on a flatbed where we sat on fertilizer bags for a long ride through the plantation.  We saw the cocoa growing, bananas and coffee.  they stopped periodically and let us try the cocao raw.  It was sweet but did not taste like chocolate at all.  We got to where they grow and package the flowers.  These flowers are all tropical no roses grown here they are grown further up in Ecuador where it is cooler.  They told us they sell these through Costco.  on their website they ship them to you within 48 hours.  They are beautiful arrangements and we were able to buy them  These arrangements are $50 in Costco which is a really cheap price and they told us Costco only takes 4% for themselves.  We bought these arrangements for $10.   We then headed back to the ship and stopped where they grow Orchids.  They also were beautiful but where am I going to put them.  We were very lucky as it was raining on and off today but it was only when we were on the bus there and back!  We were suppose to get back to the ship at 5:30 but since we left late we did not get back until almost 7pm .Bill had asked Leo if we could eat earlier tonight.  So we changed and ran down to the DR.  We had a great meal Bill is off to the cigar lounge I got a DVD and I am going to order up a pot of tea and relax.  I started my predisone just to be sure.  Don’t want to miss anything.  Another great day and I must say I love Ecuador and the people are so friendly and helpful.  Of course it could be the bar of  dark chocolate they gave me this am when we got off the ship.  Gerry we thought of you when we saw these beautiful flowers

 The dancers dancing to NY NY

 The Band

 A selfie on the back of the tractor

 They wrote Welcome with cocoa pods