Day 18

I was woken this morning to the smell of some plantanos being cooked. I took a big wiff knowing this would be my last one for this trip. When we finished breakfast Belen and Luisa were off to work for the day so they introduced me to their friend Denis who spoke really good English. Denis took me to some parks around town and then eventually to a place called Parque Historico Guayaquil. This place was filled with different kinds of animals and gave history on what Guayaquil was like when it was founded in 1763.
We got along really well and the whole time we were laughing and telling each other our backgrounds. We went out to lunch and talked until she had to go to work at 3pm. Since Belen and Luisa didn't get off work till 6, I had some free time to spare. I wandered the city by myself until I eventually met a guy named Jim. Jim was from Chicago and was a Cubs fan. I told him right away we couldn't be friends. Although he was a Reds rivalry I was completely wrong. Jim was one of the coolest guys I have met this entire trip. He quit his job nine weeks ago and has been traveling throughout South America sleeping where he can like me. We talked until Denise got off work about baseball, football, and our travels.
Before I left for the airport Belen and Luisa asked Denis, Jim, and I to come over fir a dinner they had made. They introduced me to a dinner called llapingachos which turned out being one of my favorite meals of this trip. As I sat there laughing with my four new friends I realized these people really do care about me.