Ciudad de Monos

Guayaquil, Ecuador is a hot and bustling city, sprawled out kinda like Los Angeles... Aside from the traditional Christmas celebration, my family has been showing me around town. Los Monos, or Guayaquileños have a tradition of burning the Año Viejo, which is person made of cardboard similar to a Mexican piñata, or a homemade version similar to a scarecrow. They took me to the avenue lined on both sides with hundreds of these statues. They burn these as a symbol of leaving the old behind and starting the new year fresh. As a personal tradition, i paid a visit to the La Universal factory, the national chocolatier. I have fond memories of family members bringing large bags of these chocolates for my brother and i to enjoy. ...or devour... Needles to say, i bought 4 bags and 1 box of chocolates.
I also visited an open air market called Sauces 9, which had all kinds of fruit, vegetables, grains, meats, seafood, among other things. I'll be visiting the market again before i cook dinner for my family. More updates from Guayaquil soon.