Why Visiting the Kidnapping Capital of the World Was Worth It
- 22 hours ago
- 4 min read
“You are going to Guayaquil?” Jack threw back the last swallow of his local Belize beer. “You know they call that city the kidnapping capital of the world?” Then he proceeded to tell me that a taxi driver drove him out to the middle of nowhere and tried to bribe him out of a hundred dollars to take him back to the city. Jack called his bluff and he made it back safely.
This was like the fifth person I had met throughout Central America who questioned me about why I was going to Guayaquil.
Well, I was going to visit my friend, Vanessa. Okay, okay, when I say friend, we only knew each other for three days. We met at a hostel in Barcelona this past fall. She worked at the most beautiful hostel, Olivia Hostal of Barcelona, but we chatted everyday at breakfast or in between times as I was in and out throughout the day. Vanessa was from Guayaquil, or so I thought. She told me she would love to host me if I ever made it to Ecuador.
She showed up to the airport as promised along with her mom, Estella, and brother, Jorge. I was so grateful to see them as I had already been almost swindled into some kind of scam from a girl I had met on the plane. It was something to do with buying extra stuff at the Duty Free store which in turn would allow her family to resale the items at a higher price. It’s illegal, which I didn’t know, but because of my worry about missing Vanessa I declined the request to “help out her family” and quickly got my bag and headed to find my friend.
Soon we were in the car, racing around the city. An air of desperation hung dark and heavy like the body of water that surrounded us, which was a murky brown. We snapped a few pics around the tourist areas before heading to lunch in the more gringo area of Santa Ana.
We walked along the promenade to an upscale Italian restaurant. I find it funny that people from other countries assume Americans want to eat in fancy chain restaurants. I actually preferred the smashed plantains mixed with cheese and eggs served with coffee and fresh-squeezed orange juice at the local dive restaurant where we ate breakfast the next morning to the glossy menus, carefully dressed waiters and overpriced food we ate that night.
After that, we all loaded in the car and I soon realized that they didn’t live in Guayaquil but in a completely different region about three hours away. So many things got lost in translation.
That night I visited and met her aunts and uncles where I was fed a large plate of meat, rice and avocado. But first I was served plantain dumplings filled with meat and vegetables in a broth. It was delicious.
We finished the night at her sister and brother-in-law's house where her nephew played me a song on his guitar. I had my first ever lesson on cacao growing and processing from Carlos, her brother-in-law. The Oro region and, in particular, Machala, is known for producing bananas, cacao, coffee and shrimp.
It was a long day but well worth it and I fell into bed as exhausted and fulfilled as I could be. The next day I was briefed that Vanessa had some business to attend to so Jorge was going to take me to breakfast and then we would all meet up to go to an ecological zoo. Again, I had no idea what was going on but I had decided to just go with the flow and say “yes” to everything I could. That day we drove all over the region and up the mountain to see some exotic animals at a natural rescue. It was my first time seeing a tapir and the collection of different monkeys and birds was impressive. I thought we were going back to get my stuff then and head to Cuenca that afternoon but Jorge had other plans. Down one mountain and up another to the beautiful and quaint city of Zaruma. Here, they had a stunning Cathedral and the colorful town boasted the most impressive park, flowers and unique shops. I loved the fabric shop where I caught a glance of the seamstress fitting an older woman for a skirt. We drank a coffee, snapped a lot of pictures and then headed back to Santa Rosa.
Finally, that night we headed to Cuenca. However, the road from Santa Rosa to Cuenca was washed out in parts. It was a rough go with curvy roads and large trucks flying by, scary to say the least, but finally at almost midnight, we made it.
I had my final breakfast with Vanessa and her daughter, Ally, at a chocolate shop overlooking the Cathedral. We modeled in front of the window, taking pictures of one another as we overlooked the cathedral. Then we strolled around the town until it was time for them to head home. As I squeezed Vanessa and Ally for our final goodbye, I was surprised at how sad I felt to leave them.
After only knowing someone for a few days in Barcelona, we became fast friends. Language, culture, and other differences didn’t really matter. In the end, I felt more like family and I was going to really miss my little friend from Guayaquil. It was a reminder that no matter the situation, when you have a friend, life can be so worth it. I’m so glad I stuck with my plan and just said “yes” to Vanessa’s invitation.
Later, I learned that Santa Rosa and Machala are even more dangerous than Guayaquil, but I would have never known. I had the best time with Vanessa and it was a reminder that it’s not what we do but who we do it with that makes all of the difference.
Now I was about to embark on my next journey into Cuenca Royalty. This was a completely different experience but nonetheless exciting.
Maybe you’ve been told you can’t draw or paint? Maybe it’s not you at all but rather just not having the right person to guide you along! If you need someone to hold your hand and show you the way, I’m your girl!
Would you like more inspirational stories and encouragement? Be a part of the passport posse and keep me going!
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