Another day, another crack of dawn departure this time for a flight down to Guayaquil, Ecuador’s commercial capital.

Guayaquil Old Town Street.

Diplomonkey on this trip is treated to not just to the usual slew of meetings and negotiations, oh what fun it is, but also gets the added treat of spending the Fourth of July celebration at one of oldest U.S. diplomatic posts in Latin America.

Diplomonkey understands that the United States and Gran Colombia (of which Ecuador was at that time a part) first established formal ties in 1824 through the Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Navigation and Commerce, which allowed each country to appoint Consuls and Vice Consuls in the other’s ports.  Our first Consul General was William Wheelwright, a shipwrecked sailor who had settled in Guayaquil and had later become a successful merchant.  As the Consulate General’s website clarifies in the subsequent years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations, there have been no less than 59 Consuls General assigned to the Consulate in Guayaquil.

Quilted Old Glories.

At sunset it’s off to the Guayas’ riverfront for the event.  But before heading into the venue, there is just enough time for a stroll through the remains of the old town waterfront and an opportunity to snap a couple of photos.  It does make Diplomonkey however wonder if he is possibly walking in CONGEN’s Wheelwright’s footsteps, experiencing a modern version of some of the same sights.

Guayaquil’s Riverfront Battlement View #1.

Guayaquil’s Riverfront Battlement View #2.

Cheers.