Sunday Feb 10, 2013

Sunday February 10/13 update  # 364

I was processing photos from Joe’s until midnight and had to hope the uploading to DropBox would be done by the time we had to leave.  I tossed and turned and looked at the clock last about 2:30am.  The alarm went off at 4:30am as we scrambled to be ready for our pick up at the corner at 5:30.   As that time rolled past I had an eerie sense of deja-vu without too many options.  Luckily my phone rang a few moments later and our driver was 5 minutes away.  When he pulled away on the wrong road I asked him what was happening.  He said he had to go back to the office to get a contract to sign.  I was none too pleased at this extra delay.

We got underway right around 6am from there and passed through some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Cajas, way above the clouds at the coast.   We got to the airport close to 9am .

Airports are wearing thin with me, bouncing from lineup to lineup, but surprisingly it all gets done on time.  Everyone was loaded and seated 20 minutes early so I figured we would get underway quickly.   For some inexplicable reason our 10:50 flight didn’t leave until 11:30, go figure….

I would have enjoyed the time to relax but we had some very loud Germans behind us who were even singing for a time.  I was just wishing for a quick landing.

The initial impressions from the air, and upon landing were decidedly negative.  Landing at Balta Island is like landing on the moon without having the joy of being Neil Amstrong.   Talk about a barren place devoid of any meaningful vegetation.   They are so ecologically conscious they sprayed the overhead bins with non-harmful insecticide.  Then we had to walk around the old terminal to the far end of the new terminal and stand in line to hand in one of the two forms we had to fill out.   Next, we stood behind the rope while they hand-unloaded the luggage in an open area.  I was standing right next to our suitcase but then they made everyone funnel in in small groups from the other end, of course.   Then it was to line up to hand in the second form we had filled out. 

Then we had a man waiting for us, kindly arranged y our hosts Barry & Maxine Wilder from Calgary.  He put us on the free bus that takes us down to the water taxi which moves us south to Isla Santa Cruz.  Once on the new island this man went and got his pickup truck to drive us 42 kms on rough roads to the town where are staying, Puerto Ayora.

When we get to the end of town there are political rallies going on and the President Correa himself is there but we fail to get a glimpse of him, just his vehicle.   We have to catch another water taxi for 60c across the inlet to where our home is located.  Barry and Maxine, and Stu and Marg from Calgary also, are all waiting for us and show us to our spacious quarters in this home called Mariposa.

Maxine takes us for a short walk to a neighboring beach with swimmers and then we are entertained by a playful sea lion who appeared to have lost part of its lip in a fight or something.   Nearby there were a few iguanas.  Overhead we have gorgeous frigate birds and pelicans flying around with their huge wingspans.

We catch a water taxi back into town for supper and Maxine and Marg got lured into a wonderful craft shop and made some purchases.   We had a little tour of the near area of town and they settled in at a great restaurant where Bella and I had the dinner special of stuffed chicken breast.  That was definitely one of the best meals we have had in Ecuador!

As we went back to the dock there was a sleeping sea lion on the stairs, another one entertaining us as it chased a fish in the clear water, then a pelican landed right next to me.  I got a couple of good shots before he dove into the water after a fish of his own.  Not a bad evening at all!!

The group is up playing train dominoes while I decide how to do this blog.  Working on this old laptop with uncertain screen clarity and poor software, never mind my unseeing eyeballs, I have decided to upload my photos untouched, right from the camera.  I don’t want to screw up a good shot by messing with it under these conditions.

Oh Oh, I hate to report that the Internet connection here says “excellent” because I am sitting right next to the router, but it is crap…  I can’t get my small-size photos to upload no-how.   I guess that means I will have a ton of work to do upon my return and you will have to wait to see the good stuff.

That was today’s excitement.  Hugs to all.