Expat Community > Ecuador

Silverwater
Joined 2008
Posts: 1039

Extreme caution, San Marino Mall Guayaquil

12 years ago

Please understand that I am not posting this to be a fear-mongerer, I am posting it to give people information to protect themselves, and because my student asked me to.

I have often heard stories of taxi kidnapping near the San Marino mall in the Kennedy area of Guayaquil. This is a nice area with many nicer homes and apartments. The Policentro mall is located directly across the street, so it is quite a busy intersection.

Last Christmas, a good friend of mine was taking a cab home that he had hailed on the street. He is a former US Army ranger, in his 30s, in very good shape. A short distance from the mall, three men with guns jumped into the cab, and robbed him. The driver told him, "Relax...this happens to everyone....except me of course. jaja". They got his wallet, cellphone, and the Chritmas gift he had just purchased. He was driven to various ATMs to withdraw money and was later dropped off in a remote area, unhurt.

Last night my student told me her story, and asked that I share it with others, so that they could protect themselves. Several weeks ago, she was leaving San Marino, and got a taxi INSIDE the mall. Shortly after pulling away, the driver announced that she was being robbed, and took her cellphone and credit cards. She had no cash, which angered the robber. He drove to a remote area, beat and raped her, then kicked her out of the car. She was hospitalized for five days. This is a girl who just had gotten her hair back after being treated for cancer. She is just 22 years old. Really, she is one of the bravest people I know. Anyway, she urged me to warn everyone I know about the danger of getting a taxi in that area, particularly women. I promised that I would do my best to get the word out.

If you need to take a taxi in Guayaquil, make sure that you get it at a place where a cooperative is used. My student, didnt check to see if the taxi was actually part of the San Marino Cooperativa. If you will be in Guayaquil and need the numbers of some safe taxis, feel free to message me, and I will give you some numbers. Again I´m not trying to scare anyone, or be negative. But I believe its easier to protect ourselves if we have as much information as possible.

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Extreme caution, San Marino Mall Guayaquil

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