Iguana Park

On our way to the coast, we stop in the city of Guayaquil for two nights and are fortunate to be hosted by Alejandra, our first Couchsurfer in Ecuador. Guayaquil is drastically different from any other Ecuadorian town we’ve visited, but we find that having a host like Alejandra (and her family) make this transition a smooth one.

During our stay, she takes her day off to show us around her city. We visit a mall with glorious air-conditioning and fashionable stores. We walk on a boardwalk and take in the views of the bay. The highlight of the trip to Guayaquil, however, involves a visit to Simon Bolivar Park otherwise known as “Iguana Park”.

We have hardly stepped foot inside this park when a large, green iguana darts across the sidewalk. Before we can recover from our shock, we see that the park grounds are swarming with iguanas. They are feeding on green leaves and fighting over any morsel that park visitors can spare. Some iguanas stand on their hind legs and claw at these visitors who tempt them with food.

Besides fighting for food, we see them sharing space with turtles and fish in a small gated pond in the corner of the park. They lie on the concrete near the pond bathing in the light of the sun. Of course, we cannot resist the urge to touch these scaly reptiles. Some move quickly to avoid our groping fingers by scurrying effortlessly up the trees in the park. We realize that the green of the trees are not attributed to the leaves, but to the large amount of iguanas resting on branches. We learn almost too late about the iguana “surprise” that falls from the trees and watch our steps through the rest of the park.

When we have gotten our fill of iguanas and iguana “surprise”, we head out of the park happy to have had a chance to frolick with these long-bodied reptiles.