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Female Speaker: Well here is our first report from Guayaquil. We've been here for two days. Mark will be joining us momentarily. He is in the restroom. So Guayaquil --

Mark: Hey! You can put toilet paper in the toilet.

Female Speaker: Reason number one to love this place.

Female Speaker: Since Guayaquil is mainly the jumping-off point for the Galápagos Islands. Most visitors don't spend that time here. I needed a couple of days to figure out a game plan, so I had some time to explore the Ecuadorian capital. Along the Guayas river, the Malecón 2000 is the charming edition to the city. Lovely gardens adorn the park along with statues, fountains and food stands.

There is also a Centennial Park that's great for people watching and observing the city around here. Now I almost stagger for a good food market. So one morning I decided to hit Guayaquil's main market, camera in hand. I got scooped up by its security pretty quickly, but managed to Spanglish my way out of any trouble. It's a typical market with stalls selling everything from grain to slabs of meat.

Finally, a view of Guayaquil from the top of Cerro Santa Ana, where the city was first established, was perhaps the most romantic point. It took climbing 456 stairs to get there, but it was captivated to see the city illuminated at night from there.

Female Speaker: Well here is our first report from Guayaquil. We've been here for two days. Mark will be joining us momentarily. He is in the restroom. So Guayaquil -- Mark: Hey! You can put toilet paper in the toilet. Female Speaker: Reason number one to love this place. Female Speaker: Since Guayaquil... click to read more