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| Sharks in the harbour in Puerto Ayora, Galapagos. I know there's only two in this photo but there were easily 24 or more circling about in the evening sunshine |
Day 99 Thursday
It seemed to take him most of the morning to finish off and publish the blog. Once that was done we popped out for an ice-cream and a mooch in the shops, not that we were buying. Except in the supermarket where we wanted some nuts, to snack on on our journey day tomorrow. The bank had refused to change a $100 bill so we'd had to spend $3.60 on nuts and cope with the filthy looks for paying with $100!
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| A sea lion playing in the harbour too. I know these two photos look manipulated, but I can assure you they are exactly as taken |
Went to look for sealions but there weren't many about. Lots of sharks in the harbour though.
Ended up back at the brewery for dinner again as we'd thoroughly enjoyed the beer and the food was fine, before another early night.
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| Saw this in the shops in the town while I was waiting for Jackie to look at some clothes. No idea what it tastes like or what it would do to you |
Day 100 Friday
Up for breakfast at 06.15 and taxi at 06.30. We'd originally asked for the transfer to the airport as we knew it was taxi, ferry, bus, and it was early. However after a little reading it became obvious we didn't need the transfer service at $70. Taxi was $25, ferry $1 each and bus $5 each, and you fell off one and onto the next. The only hiccup was the bus, on fire, on the only road to the sea channel between Santa Cruz island and Baltra island with the airport on. The transfer service couldn't have helped with this anyway!
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| A pelican and iguana enjoy the evening sun |
Fortunately the bomberos were just ahead of us and went to put the bus out. We don't think anyone was on it, so after a short wait we were on our way again. I'm sure the plane would have waited for everyone on the road, but our connection time is a bit tight so we had no time to waste. Out of the taxi onto a ferry where the luggage was just dumped on the roof, off the ferry and onto a bus, even though our luggage was on the previous bus, and we were waiting for the next boat! Off the bus, luggage at the kerb and into the airport. My same question, "will our luggage go all the way through?" Yes he promised. Hurrah, this gives me hope for our 2 hour layover at Guayaquil.
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| Hold up on the only road across Santa Cruz Island to the airport island. The smoke in the distance doesn't look good. If this road closes there is no alternative to get to the airport, it is the only road |
Just milling about the food and gift outlets as you do at the airport, and I thought I heard my name called. I had sort of expected it, but it still made my heart beat. I got taken back through security, into the little room. "Is this your case?" "Yes" "Are you carrying anything you shouldn't be?"
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| After a 20 minute or so hold up we got past and there's the problem, a bus. No-one was hurt. Good job we weren't relying on that! |
As I say, I had half expected this, you aren't allowed to take anything from the islands, shells, rocks, lava.... And I wasn't, BUT I had some obsidian and granite from Bolivia, and the salt flats. So they didn't query me bringing it in, but they did going out. In reality they were very nice, and apologised and sent me back, but it was still very scary.
Onto plane one, short flight, clocks forward an hour. Through immigration at Guayaquil, didn't take too long, time to grab a sandwich. Saw our plane land and the luggage begin to come off. Out with the binoculars and I'll wait for the luggage to go on. I think those two bags could be ours, so at least I can relax for the duration of the flight.
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| That's the ferry to get across from Santa Cruz to Baltra Island, across that strip of water (actually it's part of the Pacific Ocean!). The luggage is thrown on the roof and it costs US$1 each! |
Didn't watch all the bags go on as I was aware that there was a girl being medically examined, and evesdropping, as you do, it became apparent that she had been diving till 13.00 yesterday and on a flight at 10.00 today. I wouldn't have done that, but she had, and she was on her own. She was cleared to fly, if she wanted, just some ear drops, she was just glad to talk to someone as it was obvious she was worried about the bends. The plane didn't get diverted, so we have to assume she was ok.
Four and a half hour flight, but suddenly we've lost another 2 hours and it's 21.30. A small sandwich on the plane and the restaurant at the hotel will be shut, hence the need for nuts. Who cares though we, and our luggage have arrived. The taxi is there and we are off to an anonymous hotel by the bus station.
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| Jackie checking with her binoculars that the luggage has got through the transit at Guayaquil airport and is making it onto our next flight to Santiago, Chile. She saw it going on so relaxed! |
Day 101 Saturday
To the bus station to buy tickets from Santiago to San Antonio, and they were going like hot cakes. Bought them online while standing in the queue. Seemed easier.
Back to make use of the hotel WiFi before our 12.45 bus and back to the bus station.
2 hours to San Antonio, for $5 each as opposed to the transfers in the hundreds I know most other people on the cruise are getting, but hey, we can do this.
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| Well, this is our hotel for the night, a load of wooden cabins on the top of a hill. It's all a bit tired but its got character somehow and we quite like it |
Walked up hill from the bus station to our hotel, which is very tired but quite cute and gives us a fabulous view over the port, and the Azamara Journey, which will be our home for the next three weeks once we board tomorrow.
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| And look at the view we've got from the little balcony outside our front door. Our ship is down there, waiting for us tomorrow |
Drift along the seafront, it's like Bridlington on a summer Saturday, stalls selling tat, ice-cream and seagulls. We got to the end, through the fish market and found the restaurant that had been recommended to Jane and Simon (our cruise buddies, hopefully) by their travel agent. Fine dining it wasn't, but good food, good atmosphere and good price it was. Early dinner, and a bottle of wine, A) it shut at 18.00 and B) we'd hardly eaten yesterday, and had had no lunch today, so all worked out for the best.
Back now for our last night before the cruise, who knows when the next blog will be, WiFi is not good, and expensive!
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| There she is the Azamara Journey and that'll be taking us down the Chilean Fjords to Ushuaia, past Cape Horn across the Southern Ocean to Antarctica and back past Elephant Island to The Falkland Islands, Uruguay and finally Buenos Aires in Argentina on a 23 day cruise. It takes about 700 guests apparently so somewhat larger than the ship for 10 we were on in the Galapagos last week, but a lot smaller than the 1300 capacity ship we went through the Suez Canal and onto India and the Seychelles with just over a year ago. We've got a seaview cabin about halfway along on this side just in the blue area, actually it looks like a white section from here, just below the lifeboats. We hope its going to be good, all food and alcohol is included on this one so we must make sure we don't eat and drink too much! WiFi is extra (and slow) so we're not paying for that. Blog entries may be a bit sparse over the next 23 days! |
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