Negotiable

We rode jet skis today in the main bay of Salinas. I felt kind of bad because I was driving, Alejandro hanging on for dear life. He had apparently never ridden a jet ski before. Oops! And I´m a maniac on those things. Jet skis, snowmobiles, bicycles...I turn into Evil Knievel! And I guess the ride for the second person isn´t quite as smooth as the ride for the driver. HA! Whoops! I had a blast, anyway...

The gang left Salinas in the afternoon for Guayaquil. Everything is up for grabs in Ecuador. Prices are all negotiable, from jet skis to clothing, from taxis to room & board. Imagine walking into the Millenium at Ground Zero, the concierge quoting you a price, you cutting it in half at first offer, the concierge then auctioning the room off to you for a price you both deem suitable. In Guayaquil, we asked for a room at Pacifico Hostelling but the hotel had doubled the price quoted in the travel guide. So we negotiated, then checked out the rooms. Not so good. So we shopped around and ended up at the Hotel Savoy II. It was really nice. Cable TV (oh my! I don´t even have cable in my apartment!), air conditioning (another thing I don´t have in my apartment!), a closet with hangers (now that I do have). And only $15 for a double. Talk about a keeper!