Ecuador travel blog by Mark Berman -
June 2009
October 2018
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View Photoset (20 Photos)
2hrs by Bus to Machala
From
Huaquillas I took a bus and spent 2 or more hours traveling north through banana plantations for miles and miles. One of the most enjoyable things
to see on bus journeys in Ecuador are the traffic islands, they all have amazing monuments in the middle of them, not statues. I made a point of
sitting on the left on buses from then on.
A Night in Machala
Once in Machala I found something to eat and a budget hotel in the market area just off the main plaza.
I walked to the plaza where there is a white cathedral and water feature and took a few photos. On one side of the plaza is a big ice-cream
parlour that I visited a couple of times while there. There is also an ATM and a huge internet cafe.
Around the Markets
I enjoyed walking through the markets
on my way back to the hotel, the locals were quite friendly and the man at the meat market wanted me to take his photo. I stopped at a street
stall on wheels where they had icey cold coconut juice in tubs for sale, the weather was rather hot! You could also buy barbarqued bananas,
ice cream, fruit 'n' vegetables, meat, shoes, yellow Ecuador soccer shirts and all kinds of goods there.
Crab Soup
Next to my hotel was a little restaurant
that served only crab soup. They provided a wooden board and hammer to help retrieve the crab meat although this was rather messy and fiddly and I
didn't get that much meat off it. The locals at the next table were having a great meal with their crab soup while watching and laughing at me bash mine to
pieces. Machala is a good place to spend a night to rest on your travels.
Bus To Guayaquil & Zaruma
My 2nd time in Machala I arrived from
Guayaquil (3hrs 15mins) after being on
the coast. I spent the night in Machala and continued by bus to
Zaruma (2hrs 30mins) towards the east.
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Inside Machala Cathedral, built upon an old cemetery.
Woman in front of a palm tree wearing a Sun God on her chest, street art in Machala.
The market streets in Machala.
Machala markets near the plaza.
