TDY Gouge - Ecuador

Guayaquil, Ecuador - The wonderful AMC station chief here should hook you up at the Hilton. Fantastic hotel! Make reservations early! This place has splendid rooms, incredible service, gourmet buffet/restaurant, and even a casino in the bottom floor! The AMC fellow will file your flight plans for you, etc. ~The Hilton was excellent! From the cool mint oil and water towels that greeted us at check-in (for the heat) to the pool bar and casino. Caution: The Ecuadoran Mil ramp is suitable for ONE (and only one) KC-135. They have no uke and will park you tight. No matter what NIMA has published use caution. The DOD and Jepp diagrams don't accurately depict the ramp either. ~October 2001 Heads Up: AMC Station Chief is putting up crews to the Oro Verde in downtown Guayaquil NEXT DOOR to the US Consulate. Bad neighborhood and absolutely no comparison to Hilton. Breakfast buffet is included & good but not enough to compensate for faded glory of this formerly upscale hotel. They will set you up at the Hilton ONLY if you call & demand it before arrival. Be careful of any "special deals" that Ricardo suggests.... ~"I would like to set the record straight. We are currently using the Hotel Oro Verde, a five star property, located across the street from the US Consulate General's building. There are three streets closed to vehicle traffic due to security for the US Consulate. We are at war and it is only honest and loyal to keep our crews as safe as possible. These closed streets surround the Consulate and the Hotel. I do not offer sleazy deals to anyone. I have been your station manager for almost five years now and have never ever received any complaints about anything (four thousand crew members cannot be wrong) ,but, I have received dozens of commendations from all of you. If I have made a mistake please forgive me, it was not intentional. I am here to help you as I always have, and I am going to have a meeting with this hotel's CEO and make sure you are treated in the best way possible and always let me know if you did not like something. Your loyal friend,Ricardo Suarez SEGU-Station Manager."

Your Station Managers in Guayaquil, Ecuador are Alex and Ricardo Suarez. Our phone numbers are: Office:5934-228-2538; Fax: 5934-228-2553; Alex Cell: 5939-942-1230; Rick's Cell:5939-942-1229 Our email is: ricardosuarezm@yahoo.com We are on call 24 hours a day. Our office is located inside the Ecuadorian Air Force Base where you will park your aircraft. Please feel free to contact us at anytime and for anything that you may require. Have a safe and wonderful trip here. God Bless all of you and your families and God Bless America. Ricardo Suarez Station Manager.

~Hotel Oro Verde was nice. Stayed there a couple of years ago. I thought it was a great hotel. Service was prompt. Took cab to Parillo de Nato (?) for some serious steaks. Cost about $10 each for cab,great steaks and beer. Enough security in/around hotel. ~We RON'd in Guayaquil on our way to and from Chile in August, and the service we received from Mr. Alex Suarez was truly awesome. Even though we arrived late, he was there waiting for us, took care of our transportation to the hotel, and got the immigration stuff taken care of in a fashion better than any U.S. base could do it. The Hotel Oro Verde was very nice, and the complimentary breakfast buffet was one of the best I've ever seen. The hotel even has a good deli and bakery where you can box up an inflight meal or two. There's also complimentary internet access in the business center to check email, look up weather, etc. While the area around the hotel is not the best, the security is very good and it is located right in front of the US consulate if you need any help.

Manta, Ecuador - Billeting is on the Forward Operating Location, with overflow when needed at the Oro Verde or Howard Johnson Hotel through the Air Force detachment at the FOL. The FOL has a Dining Facility serving 4 hot meals a day and box lunches. The Fitness Center, with free weights, nautilus equipment and aerobic equipment is available 24/7. Ecuador uses the USD mixed in with Sucre for under $1. Bring bills under $20s. Food on the local economy is relatively inexpensive, grilled swordfish dinner for $5 USD. Transportation to the near by villages can also be arranged by the AF detachment. Plan your mission, read the detailed Manta In-Flight Guide prepared by our AMC station chief. SEMT now has LOX available to all aircraft. DynCorp Int.-LLC operates and supports the BOS contract here at SEMT. Manta FOL Web page: https://wwwmil.dm.af.mil/manta/

~Eloy Alfaro (Ecuador AFB) - On base was a dump! Nice Gym......Chow Hall is average but they make you a mean BLT. You can take a taxi downtown.. to party.... dont pay more than $3 anywhere in the city from base...they 'll try $5...s ay NO...$3. $2 DVD's at the SuperMax... Mart ask for the "Chinaman" I bought like 20....all good and they play in my home player. Caddilacs...a good american bar...(closed 2007) the best hot wings i\ve had in my life. Food here is hit and miss....DONT ...DONT go to the sushi bar we got food poisoning. A good italian restauraunt..... Oro Verede Hotel is expensive. Not much to do unless you like the beach.... 30min south of town awesome body surfing...$1 Clausen Beers and shrimo platters for $4.

Update as of 5 April 08 - FOL is now run by ITT and they do a pretty good job. The clubs to go to are Picasso's and five's. The DVD's are a buck at teh china man across from the super-maxi. Places to eat are Rosario's (7 bucks for 2 filets), Las Velas and number 11 on the boardwalk (good cuban food), and Good Fellas (American owned pizza place). Use Jimmy's cab company, they are great and will help keep you out of trouble. To go to the beach or fishing you have to have an MWR request signed by the FOL commander and SFs. Fishing trip can be hit or miss. We caught 17 big fish when we went, but heard of others catching nothing. The boat is ONLY 25ft long and has 1 engine and is pretty cramped with everyone on board. T-12 is the hangout spot and if everyone is cool it can be a great time. We mixed well while we were there. Its an honor bar system and the beers (Brahma and Pilsner and Pilsner light) are $1. The beers are ok, but if you add a lime they aren't really that bad. You can get plenty of Rum from Jimmy or at the Super Maxi for cheap. There are 2 casinos in town one at the Oro Verde and the other is at the HoJo. Both are ok, but there is obviously no real gaming laws, so take that for what its worth. If you go in the rainy season take GALLONS of bug spray! If you want to help the locals they are looking for baby cloths and womens clothing, it is really expensive to get it there and they will trade everything for them. If you want gifts for people, in MonteCristi (which is a 25 dollar cab ride and they wait there for you) they make Panama hats, supposedly the best in the world. They range from 10 to 25 dollars and make sure you ask for the box. Also there are guys in town that will find you that make airplanes and other things from a local tagua nut that feels like ivory. They are nice guys, if you have baby cloths they will take that in trade. Most of all have fun, its not a bad TDY.

Quito, Ecuador - This Marriott is the nicest hotel I have stayed in. Incredible architecture, very modern plush rooms and friendly (attractive :-) ) staff. Govt rate is $80 a night, but add about $10 or so in room tax. Be warned, they charge by the minute for local calls ...about $.10 a minute. The Mil group there is not supposed to set you up, but if they aren't busy they will. Breakfast buffet is included in the room. The brunch, for $12 is incredible! All sorts of chicken and smoked salmon, complete with a flamenco band. Beers aren't too expensive and they have Cubans and Ecquadorian cigars downstairs. The restaraunt even made us box lunches for our trip home for $6 a piece. If you need anything - ask! Good laundry service too. The town is at 9500' so take aspirin. Hotel water is fine, and they have bottled water available. Good restaraunts - Shortens Grill and Zocalo. Shortens ran $20 for 2 huge beers, a steak and dessert, with tip. Zocatos wasn't AS good, but ran $7. The large "P!ilsner" beers at $1. Cab rides - $1. Head down to the market and get some gifts - handmade by the locals. They tell you to stay away from some bars there....and you will notice guards with bullet proof vests as bouncers....but we had no trouble. Ernesto the AMC rep at the airport is great!!!! ~Swisshotel is a palace! (593-2)567-600 FAX=567-080 Ernesto, AMC airport agent, will make arrangements for this really wonderful hotel. Complimentary, hot, gluhwine while checking in to very comfortable rooms. Hotel is next door to Radisson & one street over from Quito's restaurant row. One of the finest hotels we've visited in S.America. Inclusive breakfast & excellent bar are serious positives. Better atmosphere than the new Marriott.

~Some minor notes to add on gouge for Quito: Columbus Parilladas (Grill) has an excellent selection of steaks and other entrees for cheap. This chain can be found throughout Quito and was only a $1.50 cab ride from the Swissotel. Pim's pub (Av Isabel La Catolica No 915 y Luis Cordero Tel#2221827) is a block from the Swissotel/Raddison--good atmosphere/pub food. La Mariscal district ($2 cab ride from Swissotel) puts you in the heart of Quito's bar/restaurant district--plenty of options there. If you'd like to play blackjack with $1 minimums head to the Swiss Chalet casino in La Mariscal district.

~Best Western Plaza, PH: (593-2) 244 5305, FAX (593-2) 225 1958 was a great hotel. Hassan Becdach is the AMC rep at Quito (Cell (593-9)973 3626). Had many problems getting IFM package from TACC. Hotel is really nice - casino, restaurant, bar, shops. The hotel is right across the street from the Quito Mall ( a large indoor mall - lots of shops).