SUNDAY 11 October – Last night Sara told us how to get out to the Lambayeque museum so we take a taxi, PS10 (£2.20) directly there.  Now we realise that we went right past it on the bus yesterday and had we know this we could have got off and stayed in Lambayeque overnight.  The museum of the royal tombs opens at 9am, PS10 (£2.20) and we are the first in.  The building has been shaped like one of the tombs and inside we see many of the finds from the tombs and replicas of the burial chambers.  It is quite different from anything we have seen before and takes us almost an hour to get around.  Catch a collective PS2.20 (49p) each back to the city.  We keep thinking it is full but the conductor leans out of the window touting for more business until there are 17 of us jammed into the small mini bus.  Pick up our luggage then taxi PS2.50 (55p) to the Linea bus station.  We make it just on time to catch the 11am one to Trujillo, PS14 (£3.10) pp.  I am pretty tired but the landscape is so interesting I don’t want to miss anything.  It begins with flat desert that then becomes dotted with small grass covered sand dunes.  The villages have obviously appeared due to a water supply as they are surrounded by paddy fields.  Other crops being grown are tobacco, corn and sugar cane.  We’d been told that not all buses are the same quality but so far in Peru they have all been much the same and drivers have been very steady.  Arrive in Trujillo at 2.45pm and pick up another taxi PS10 (£2.20) to take us out to Huanchaco beach resort where Matt recommended Naylamp Hostal.  It is at the northern end of the promenade so should be quieter.  We take a simple room around a courtyard in the back and drop off our bags.  Many locals are at the beach but it is a cold and windy day so they are either sitting in their cars or out walking.  The one thing we have never seen before is the reed canoes that the local fishermen use.  It has a really holiday feel and even has a pier.  We check out a couple more hostals and book into the Ocean for tomorrow.  Their rooms are better than ours, have a TV as well and are cheaper.  Walking back we spot John & Sue in a bar.  They are on an organised day tour and have 20 minutes here so the odds of us spotting them were slim.  We talk to their tour guide and book on for tomorrow.  We eat at Naylamp then settle down for an early night.

HUANCHACO, NAYLAMP

PS50 (£11)

 

Monday 12 Oct. 09 – Trolley our bags along to Ocean Hostal where the extremely friendly owner stores them.  A colectivo (micro bus) costs PS1.5 (33p) to the edge of the city with the ubiquitous stops every few kilometres for the conductor to dash from the bus to a machine to get a card stamped and then back on – seems to be some sort of clocking on system.  Trujillo has some lovely colonial buildings especially surrounding the main square.  We are not sure what is happening there but lots of school groups are there in uniform and with instruments.  Making a quick tour of the highlighted sights doesn’t take too long.  Yes there are some nice buildings and churches but nothing that much different from what we have seen elsewhere.  Call into the Linea office and book our bus ticket to Lima for tomorrow morning leaving at 8.30am on the direct bus, PS35 (£7.70).  They have buses leaving almost every ½ hour in various categories from the economy right up to VIP cama cama which has beds.  We have opted for the cheapest comfortable one and the one the salesperson recommended for tourists.  At Hostal Colonial we pay for our tour, PS25 (£5.50) per person and at 11am board the mini bus.  We head out to the edge of the sandy desert where some temples have been discovered.  The Moche ruins from 400AD to 600AD include Huaca Del Sol, the largest adobe temple in the Americas but its interior has yet to be excavated.  Opposite is Huaca de la Luna with excavations revealing the remains of a town between them.   PS11 (£2.40) gets you into Huaca de la Luna and you must have a guide to go round which is one of the reasons we did a tour.  Evers gives a great explanation of how this ceremonial temple is actually 4 temples one on top of another in the form of an inverse pyramid.  The first temple was the smallest and when the king died the rooms were filled in with adobe stones, a new surrounding wall made outside the existing one and a new temple built on top.  Excavations have shown that this happened 4 times but little survived of the top layer as the desert sand and winds eroded it.  It is easy to see the other layers with magnificent coloured wall carvings.  The whole set up reminds us much of Egypt and although not as impressive it is better than we expected.  Back in the city the tour pauses at Sombrero restaurant for lunch (not included).  It may be a tourist restaurant but most of the diners are Peruvians.  They put on a dance show and also drag some unsuspecting tourists up in “Generation Game” style to try and copy them.  The afternoon tour is to the Chan Chan complex, PS11 (£2.40) for all parts of the site, except the museum is closed on Mondays.  From 1100AD Huaca Arco Iris o Dragon has been excavated and renovated so you can see the rainbow and dragon wall carvings that give it the name.  Out in the desert the Chan Chan palace of Nik An covers a huge area with excavations revealing walls about 1 metre high.  We are escorted round by an additional guide, Toby a dog that is of the same breed that would have been here 1000 years ago – a hairless dog with big pointed ears.  Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimu Empire, is an area of around 20km with numerous palaces yet to be excavated.  The tour ends at Huanchaco beach where we peel off and head to our new room. 

HUANCHACO 2, OCEANO

PS30 (£6.60)

 

TUESDAY 13 October – By 7.15am we are on bus “H”, PS1.20 (27p) which takes us right to the Linea bus station arriving just before 8am.  It is a fancy bus station with free Wi-Fi, and as you board the bus there is a security camera check and finger printing.  You have to put your right “peter pointer” finger into the ink then print it on a plan of the bus seats to show which seat you are in.  The “directo” is a very comfortable bus, fewer seats than normal so more legroom.  Set off at 8.45am heading out into the desert.  Again near towns there are farming areas and in one village we see a side street full of carrots drying out.  There is a 40 minute stop for lunch at a restaurant with reasonably priced meals but we didn’t know about this so have already had a picnic on the bus but manage to fit in an ice cream from the street stall.  In the afternoon we ask the conductor if he can put English subtitles on with the movie so that helps pass the time.  Nearing Lima the scenery is stunning with steep sand hills dropping sharply into the ocean and the road cut into the side of them.  We reach the outskirts of Lima at ¼ to 5 but the traffic is terrible.  The population of the capital city is around 8m with half the people living in poor conditions and this is the area of the city we reach first.  2-hours and about 30km later we reach the city centre bus depot.  A total journey time of 10 hours instead of the 8 ½ quoted.  It is just about dark so we get ourselves into a taxi, PS10 (£2.20) out to the Miraflores suburb where our host lives.  It is less than 8km away but takes the best part of an hour.  Mauricio lives in the “Happy Home”, an old building he leases then sublets rooms.  At the moment he has 3 French people, a Welsh girl and some Americans staying.  He has been really kind and moved out of his en-suite room to give it to us.  It is on the roof top and a bit like a cabin leading onto the roof terrace.  Miraflores is the new suburb of town and very modern compared to the centre.  It is also a very safe area so we walk out to Parque Kennedy and stop for a meal.  There are a few things we want to do here but having seen how busy the traffic is and how cold it is in the city we intend to try and get them all done tomorrow so we can move on.

LIMA, MIRAFLORES, COUCHSURFING WITH MAURICIO

 

WEDNESDAY 14 October – There was a short lull of traffic noise during the night but not for long.  All the vehicles hoot the minute there is a car in front of them.  Road rules definitely don’t apply here but when people cut across in front or cut in there doesn’t seem to be any problem.  You certainly have to drive with a view that anything can happen at the front or the side of you at any time.  We take a bus, PS1.20 (27p) to get near to the city centre then walk.  There are some very elaborate churches and the main square is surrounded by beautiful buildings.  Nearby the San Francisco church has catacombs and a combined ticket, PS10 (£2.20) gets us a tour of the monastery, museum and catacombs where 70,000 people were buried.  The bones have been dug up and placed by type in the shallow graves.  There is a changing of the guard at the Presidential Palace at 11.45 but few people gather to watch it making the Police with riot shields look a bit silly.  The guards have nice uniforms, there’s a band piping the old duty off and new one on but they need a bit more co-ordination with their goose step style marching.   In China town we get a good buffet at the China Salon, PS26 (£5.70) then try to walk it off by cutting back across the city towards the bus depot.  En route we can’t resist ducking into the free bank museum (numismic, archaeological finds, paintings and local wares) and death museum (a fancy coffin plus pictures and paintings of cemeteries).  One of the problems in Peru is that each bus company has a depot in a different part of town so it is really difficult to compare buses and prices.  Cruz Del Sur is known to have one of the best bus companies, and the most expensive, but their depot is easy to get to.  End up booking their coach to Nazca for tomorrow morning, PS66 (£15).  We take a bus out to Miraflores and get off near the beach area.  It surprises us to find we are on a cliff top a hundred or so feet above the ocean.  All along there is a promenade linking various parks.  If it weren’t so cold and windy I guess it would be very pleasant.  One of the parks is to commemorate love with a huge statue of a couple lying down kissing and a long ceramic curving seat with the names of couples.  Further along is a park where people jump off to paraglide, at PS150 (£33) I would be tempted were it not so flipping cold.  Arrive back at the Happy Home just before dark. 

LIMA 2, MIRAFLORES

 

THURSDAY 15 Oct. 09 – Up at 6.30am and take a taxi to the bus station, PS8 (£1.80).  There is not much traffic so we arrive early and manage to change to the 7am bus.  This time we get a hand baggage security check boarding the bus then someone comes round with a video camera!  We can see what we are paying extra for, leg rests, blankets, pillow, meals and internet.  Well the Internet doesn’t work and the leg rests are not so comfortable in the long term and the breakfast of an olive sandwich, a cheese roll and a tart was no great shakes so maybe the cheaper buses are good enough for us.  Heading south we pass many nice looking beach resorts that we a/ wished we had known about and b/ had time to check out.  Arriving in Nazca at 2pm we are immediately assaulted by people at the bus station trying to sell us flights over the famous Nazca lines, accommodation or other tours.  Last night Mauricio phoned up our Couchsurfing host in Nazca to confirm arrangements and Javier volunteered to meet us at the bus station at 2.30pm.  By 3pm there is no sign of him and his mobile phone is switched off.  Later his phone is on but not being answered and by 4pm we figure something is wrong so check into The Walk On Inn.  The rooms are very basic but they are very welcoming and the inn has everything a backpacker needs and more including a small indoor swimming pool.  Walking around Nazca we get lots of people trying to sell us tours or get us into their restaurants but at least they accept our refusals.  Settle on a nice restaurant for our evening meal but even there the Dutch waiter Ronald tries to sell us a flight and tours.  At least he manages to offer us the flight at $46 when everyone is selling it for $50 and the best previous offer was $48pp.  We are ready to book anyway so take him up on the deal for 7am tomorrow.  Catch a street parade of children and floats whilst we are eating our meal.

NAZCA, THE WALK ON INN www.walkoninn.com

PS50 (£11)

 

FRIDAY 16 Oct. 09 – We have had a bad night, having asked for a quiet room at the back of the hostel we find there is a local house beneath our window and they played loud music until after midnight.  Then from 4am onwards we were surrounded by cockerels (or as Natasha would say cockroaches) crowing.  Ronald meets us just before 7am, for our flight over the mysterious Nazca lines, and takes us out to the airport.  When we get there we realise he hasn’t actually booked us onto a flight but is going from desk to desk to get a deal – in fact this is what we should have done ourselves.  Anyway including airport tax we pay PS150 (£33) each and go with Aero Palcazu taking off in a Cessna C206 5-seater plane at 8am.  Our flight takes us over more than a dozen figures and to make sure everyone gets a good view the pilot circles over them clockwise then anti clockwise so steeply that the wing is almost vertical to the ground.  Each was drawn with one continuous line by dragging something over the stones to reveal the lighter sand underneath.  They are an amazing sight and you can clearly see the 110 metres monkey, 46 metres spider, lots of birds and other symbols.  The largest figure we see is the parrot at 200 metres long.  Our flight lasts 30 minutes and I half wish we had done the longer one.  Return to our room until check out time at 12.30.  Take a walk around town intending visiting the museum but it is PS15 (£3.30) pp and we have no idea what it is or if there is info in English so give it a miss.  Pick up one of the “lucky dip” lunch deals at PS6 (£1.35) and get a nice soup, good main meal and drink.  Spend the rest of the afternoon by the swimming pool then in the lounge killing time until our coach departure.   Arriving at the Cial depot we hear our coach will not be leaving at 8pm as it will be late arriving from Lima.  In fact we don’t leave until 9.15pm but at least it is a nice coach much the same as the ones used by Cruz del Sur but at PS100 (£22) rather than PS140 (£32).   It is already dark but we can tell we are making a steep climb with lots of switchbacks and nothing but sheer rock face ahead of us.  It is really slow progress made worse by heavy fog.  The evening meal is cold rice and chicken which we turn down to be given a small bread roll with jam and a coke.  Although the coach set up is similar to that on an aeroplane the food is definitely worse.  Watch a movie then settle down to try to doze.  It is not easy as the bus sways around the bends and we also stop 3 times with the drivers getting out and walking round the coach which is a bit of a worry.

CIAL BUS FROM NAZCA TO CUSCO

 

SATURDAY 17 October – Neither of us gets much sleep so are glad when dawn breaks around 5am and we can enjoy the view.  We are now high up in the Andes but seem to continue climbing or driving along valleys then making another climb over a mountain range.  Many times we are actually above the clouds and it quite spectacular.  Breakfast is a jam roll and coke followed by a couple of movies.  We are more than happy to arrive in Cusco at 1.15pm after our 15-hour journey.  Although we have tried to break the long coach journeys up into smaller stretches in this instance there is no choice.  We hop into a taxi to Ronald’s, our Couchsurfing host.  As we reach the area where he lives the road is closed for a big religious procession.  The taxi driver circles around and can’t seem to find a way through at which point we hear a voice calling out to us in English.  Ronald is chasing us up the street, hops into the taxi and leads us to the nearest place to his home.  We get out and walk and Ronald immediately throws Steve’s heavy rucksack on his back saying it is no trouble for him to carry as he is a porter.  Ronald and his brother Willie both work as tour guides, Willie a recently qualified official one and Ronnie still unofficial.  They share a flat and have a spare bedroom for guests.  They offer us coca tea to help reduce the effects of altitude sickness (3500M) and give us lots of information about the area.  It seems that in Cusco they have packaged 16 tourist sites into one ticket, a great idea but except it costs $45 (£30) whether you do 1 or all of them (and this does not include Machu Picchu which is a further $40 (£27).  However Ronald convinces us it is the way to go in conjunction with bus tours that take us to the sites.  He suggests we have a late nap which we are happy to do and we are so weary and cold that we don’t even bother to undress.  Reckon we must smell pretty rank after our night on the bus but who cares?  Apparently being weary is one of the effects of altitude sickness which often seems like a hangover.  The other thing we have both noticed which isn’t mentioned in the book is that we get loads of crusty dry bogies up our noses!  Early evening they suggest going out for a meal and we are joined by their other Couchsurfing guest Kyle from America.  At the local restaurant we get soup, main course and coffee for PS5 (£1.10) and it is not bad at all.  After a brief walk around the area and a view of the city by night we are ready for bed.

CUSCO, COUCHSURFING WITH RONNIE.

 

SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER – We feel better after a good sleep and a shower and ready to hit the town.  Ronnie & Willie guide us down the hill dropping our laundry off en route.  Arrive in the San Francisco square with a nice church.  Next on the agenda is breakfast up one of the side streets, P2.50 (55p).  It is similar to the lunch and evening menu with full meals so I opt for fresh trout which comes, as always, with rice, a slice of cucumber, one of tomato and a few raw onions.  Included in the price is a bread roll and coffee so we can understand why the lads don’t bother to cook at home.  At the moment I am finding that I want to eat food but only a little and would rather have a very small snack every couple of hours.  I am sure we are eating too much rice and bread but this is so often the tradition.  On our own we are trying to eat fruit and yoghurt.  We want to buy our train tickets to Machu Picchu (you can book on line www.perurail.com) and at the station find we cannot get on the back packer train the day we want so have to delay until Wednesday to go.  The price is $31 (£20) pp each way for the 1-1/2hour journey from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.  The full journey is from Cusco but that is more expensive and adds another 3-hour to cover a not very interesting part of the line.  Top of the range is the Hiram Bingham class with full silver service dinner at just $500 (£300) return.  Ronnie leads us through the town pointing out interesting places and we are lucky to catch the army ceremony in the main square.  The historical district of Cusco is really nice.  We meet up with Kyle to walk to the bus stop.  I hear a barking dog and the next thing I know it is hanging off my calf.  I shout out and it runs away, Luckily I have trousers on so only have a tiny puncture mark and cover It with hand sanitizer.  Tipon is about ¾ hour bus ride, PS1 (22p) into the country.  It is Sunday so we are going to have a traditional roast dinner and in Tipon this means roast guinea pig.  The delicacy is much cheaper here than in the city and cooked better.  Ronnie & Willie select a restaurant where 1 whole guinea pig, jacket potato, spaghetti and a stuffed pepper costs PS20 (£4.40).  I blank my mind to the fact that we have had them as pets and first try the shoulder of guinea pig.  It is a black meat and very dry so I move onto the leg which is a bit like chicken.  I still think it is way over rated so pass my half over to Steve.  The lads demolish theirs leaving just a small pile of bones on their plates.  Using the jaw bones they then have fun creating funny sculptures; in fact the bird one is really good!  In Tipon there is an archaeological site that is included in our Cusco ticket so the others head back to the city and we take a taxi up to the site, PS8 (£1/75), 20 minutes drive on a dirt road up a steep hill.  It is the only working example of Inca irrigations system and we are impressed at the sight of lots of terraces with water being fed into channels down the terrace and across each field.  The taxi down is only PS5 (£1.10) and the bus back to town PS1 (22p).  This is one of the buses the locals call “bread on bread” as you are packed as tight as a loaf of sliced bread.  We have about ½ walk back to the historic district then kill time on the Internet, PS1 (22p) hour, until the theatre opens.  Again included in our ticket is a cultural show.  It is really not our scene but nice to see the different traditional costumes.  In the interval you are invited to look at the costumes in the museum and it is really funny to notice they are all on models that are taller than me.  I have yet to see anyone round here that even comes to my shoulders.  By the 5^th dance we have had enough and take a taxi back to Ronnie’s. 

CUSCO 2, COUCHSURFING WITH RONNIE

 

MONDAY 19 October – Take a taxi down to “Qorikancha site museum” to begin our tour of the attractions included in the ticket.  It is a very small museum with nothing to hold our attention.  At the “Museum of Popular Art” surprises us as we really like the displays of quirky sculptures.  In the “Museum of contemporary art” we see sculptures made out of bones which is probably where Ronnie & Willie got their guinea pig sculpture idea from.  There’s a separate admission fee of PS10 (£2.20) for the Inka Museum has been recommended to us a here we see trepanned skulls.  These are fractured skulls that have been repaired by way of a hole being made then filled and soldered with gold and silver enabling the person to live.  The museum is within the Admirals Palace and the exhibition takes you through some very nice rooms.  It is lunch time and we head up the hill towards San Blas and come across Toqokatchi restaurant with interesting PS10 (£2.20) and PS15 (£3.30) 2 course menu plus a drink.  It is a very cosy place and we order from each menu with Steve trying Alpaca steak in a creamy rosemary sauce whilst I get a nice trout fillet.  The dearer menu even includes are large glass of wine and we both really enjoy the meal.  Further along Carmen Alto we see “Edilberto Merlda Rodrigueza” studio and find it is a lot of the work that we saw in the popular art museum.   His daughter shows us around and explains her father died 4 months ago but his work represents the Indians with characteristic big hands and feet to show how hard they work.  Return to the main square to meet up with Ronnie as he has booked us on the afternoon City Tour, PS20 (£4.40).  Our guide Carlos does his talk in English and Spanish.  First stop Koricancha, PS10 (£2.20) a most impressive buildings where the Santo Domingo Convent used an existing Inca temple and adapted it to their own. Originally the interior was coated with gold plate and the outside wall topped with a cornice of gold all of which was pilfered by the Spanish.  We are not the only group going round and it is very difficult to hear the talk and to actually see much.  Heading out of town up the hill we arrive at Sacsayhuaman (sounds a bit like sexy woman).  This is the next 3 sites are included in the Cusco ticket.  When Cusco was first built it was in the shape of a Puma and this area was the head.  The fortress edges are in a zig zag shape to show the animal frowning.  Here they unearthed some skulls that showed Inca skills at dentistry with missing teeth replaced by pieces of stone in the poor people and gold or silver in the richer ones.  Not only is it an impressive site but we get stunning views over Cusco.  Qenko is a large limestone outcrop with natural passageways and caves.  Puca Pucara is a lookout area also used for stop over’s by runners.  Tambo Machay is a temple of the waters where the water of youth flows out of a fountain.  The entry path is lined with vendors and it is extremely touristy but fairly interesting although the best of them all for me was Sacsayhuaman.  On the way back to town we stop off at factory outlets with local wares.  This means we head down the hill in the dark to be greeted by the wonderful spectacle of Sacsayhuaman by floodlight. 

CUENCA 3, COUCHSURFING WITH RONNIE

 

TUESDAY 20 October – Today we are doing the Sacred Valley Tour, PS30 (£6.60) so Ronnie & Willie take the taxi down town with us to get us onto the bus and recommend the left hand side for the best views.  We are taking all our baggage with us as one of the stops on the tour is Ollantaytambo and we are getting off there to stay the night.  We retrace our route from yesterday past the ancient sites.  Our first stop is a village craft market where prices are said to be good.  Don’t know about the crafts but the large glass of freshly squeezed orange juice at PS1 (22p) is terrific.  There is also a market in Pisac and we have time to wander around but from the minute we arrive and find they charge PS1 (22p) for the toilet when it is normally half that and double the normal price for empanadas we realise it is just for the tourists. The ruined citadel on the hill is spectacular with a 98 tier Inca terrace running down from it.  You have to walk 2km to see the citadel and it is quite a hike with lots of steps but the view is fantastic.  There is even the Temple of the Sun at the top.  The tour takes us along the valley with a stop for lunch then on to Ollantaytambo.  The bus comes to a halt at roadworks and Carlos our guide announces that we can go no further and must walk the rest of the way.  We have our entire luggage with us so I quickly pack up the stuff we have on board whilst Steve goes out to collect the bags.  Carlos immediately takes a hold of Steve’s heavy rucksack enabling us to carry the rest between us.  Most of the streets are cobbled and a bit slippy as it has been raining.  The main square has been completely dug up as has the last stretch of road to the ruins.  We have to clamber down make shift steps and slip and slide down a muddy slope.  Normally we check out a few hostals but under the circumstances we need to check into one quickly to leave the bags.  At this point I realise I have left my handbag on the bus and it has the site admission tickets in it.  Carlos tells Steve to return to the bus which should be in the same place whilst other people help with our bags.  Luckily we have been given the name of Hostal Kuychi down a cobbled pedestrian street off the square immediately in front of the ruins.  They leave me there with the bags and say to join them at the site as soon as we can.  Luckily the rooms at PS50 (£11) are very pleasant so I explain the handbag problem to the girl and she allows me to pick and room and leave our stuff in and check in later.  I wander back to try and find Steve to no avail so return to the square.  I then see Steve in the distance, race towards him to find that he has returned to where we were dropped off but the coach has moved.  I suggest he goes looking for it whilst I wait at the square until the tour returns.  Next I see Carlos on the hill waving to me, he runs down the terraces and comes out to tell me he could see the bus moving off and has phoned the driver to learn it is now in the main square.  I race after Steve but get stuck behind a funeral procession.  I locate the bus and my bag but have little chance of finding Steve in the maze of side streets.  About ½ hour later he returns to the square, not happy but relieved that we have my bag.  We enter the site and soon catch up with Carlos and our group.  This is another terraced site but almost curved around the edge of the valley.  Many of the nearby rocks have faces in them and it is all really nice.  Carlos fills us in on the talks we missed and we carry on with the group around the agricultural terrace and past various buildings.  Return to our hotel room for a quick shower then wander into town.  We are surprised to see a small monkey wandering freely around the side streets but of course we are at the edge of the jungle now.  Was it not for all the road works it would be really lovely exploring although I think Steve probably saw most of the town earlier.  We have to be up at 4am tomorrow so return for an early night. 

OLLANTAYTAMBO, HOSTAL KUYCHI PUNKU

PS50 (£11)    

200910

THURSDAY 1 OCTOBER 2009 – Catch the 8.45am, $2 (£1.20) bus to Riobamba. The direct road is still closed after the February 2008 eruption of volcano Tungurahua so we skirt Ambato then head south along the “avenue of the volcanoes”.  We get a beautiful view of Volcano Chimborazo, at 6310m the highest one in Ecuador and famous as the furthest point from the centre of the earth due to the Equatorial Ridge.  Fellow passengers are kiwi Scott and his Czech girlfriend.  We share a $1 (60p) cab to the centre of Riobamba.  El VIP café is owned by Couchsurfer Juan who advertises last minute beds.  Immediately ahead of us entering the café are 2 young Polish girls, Gosia and Marwina.  Juan says he may have space for us all and walks us to his house nearby.  The girls are happy with the offered mattresses on the floor and we thank him but say we are a bit too old to sleep on the floor and ask if he can recommend a hostel.  Shyris at $8pppn is OK but the rooms are directly over the street so probably noisy.  In fact so noisy that at the junction we hear a terrific crash when a “Coca Cola” lorry takes the corner too fast and sheds part of its load.  Nearby Hotel Tren Dorado has much nicer rooms surrounding a courtyard in the back, $10 pppn (£6).  Drop the bags and head to the nearby railway station.  The famous “Devils Nose” train journey only leaves on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and needs booking, $11 (£6.60).  At VIP restaurant we have an excellent lunch, complimentary herbal water and popcorn and the meal of the day cream of carrot soup, chips, rice and beef casserole, strawberry whirl and a glass of cherry juice.  The Polish girls join us for coffee and Juan tells us of a free guitar concert tonight.  Exploring the town we find many nice buildings, churches and squares and a park with fine views.  In the main square we employ a couple of local lads to polish our shoes.  They ask for 25c (15p) a pair and do a great job using their hands to work the polish in.  We chat to them and they assure us they went to school this morning.  They are cute kids and enterprising so we pay them double.  The concert in the “Casa Del Cultura” is supposed to start at 7pm, arriving shortly after there are few people there and it only really fills up at about 7.30pm with more people piling in with plastic chairs during the opening speeches.  Safety first doesn’t come into it as they block the aisles and all available exits with extra seats.  People are called onto stage, given certificates and musicians are introduced and it is really long winded.  Around 8pm 3 guitarists and a singer begin performing.  The guitarists twang away in the background whilst the singing sounds a bit like opera.  By the middle of the second song we take the opportunity to escape following the first person who leaves.

RIOBAMBA, HOTEL TRAIN DORADO

$10PPPN

 

FRIDAY 2 October 2009 – We get up at 5am for the 5.30am $3 (£2.40) buffet breakfast.  Notice as we are leaving that a couple of bread rolls and bananas have fallen into our rucksack!  Arriving at the station at 6am they put on a film show about the building of the Guayaquil to Quito railway. Ecuadorians failed, so in 1895 Americans were called in to engineer what was at that time the “most difficult railway in the world”.  At Sibambe the track entered a valley blocked by an almost perpendicular wall of rock called “The Devils Nose”.  A zigzag was carved out of the rock to allow the train by advancing and backing up to climb the mountain to Alausi.  Today’s journey takes us from Riobamba down the zigzag then back up to Alausi.  Instead of the nice old steam train shown in the picture we get an individual carriage rather like a bus balanced on train wheels.  There is a low platform so it looks very strange.  Leaving at 6.30am we pass through Riobamba suburbs and out into farming country.  It is so interesting; cattle are positioned individually in fields tethered to about 6 foot of rope.  They often break free and many times we must stop for them to move off the track.  Around 8am the train goes down the main street of a town, waits for people to push a parked car off the track and move a few stalls and then pulls up for a toilet stop.  Further on the farming changes to pocket fields of crops and huge areas of fir trees.  There is a lovely section following a small stream through the mountains and here we have to stop as a JCB is clearing part of the track after a landslide.  A short stop in Alausi then we are into the most exciting part of the journey.  There are 2 carriages in use today and we often see the other one higher on the track.  Shunting down the “Devils Nose” is quite a spectacle and after waiting for the other carriage to arrive at the bottom we repeat the process giving all passengers a change to be on the side hanging over the drop.  A few years ago you could sit on the roof of the train but a Japanese tourist fell off and died.  There is a clause on the back of the ticket saying it includes life cover but you can no longer sit on the roof.  Alighting in Alausi at 11.30am we check into Hotel Europa, $24 (£14.50) on the main street.  We are doing rather well fitting into our hoped for $15 - $25 a night room budget and apart from in the remote community Quilotoa have had nice en suite rooms with a double and single bed and often cable TV.  Take a wander round town and up to the huge mosaic covered statue of San Pedro.    In the evening Steve gets the set $4 (£2.40) at the Chinese adjoining the hotel, the main course and coke are great but the tube soup is a bit dodgy even for him.

ALAUSI, HOTEL EUROPA

$24

 

SATURDAY 3 October – Waiting for the bus I see many locals buying hot herbal drinks from a man with a cart.  I tell him I need something for an upset stomach and get a honey based drink with some of the inside of the aloe Vera leaf and lots of other herbs, 50c (30p).  The bus arrives at 7am, $5 (£3) pp for the 4 hour journey.  After a couple of hours the bus pulls up in a small village at the road junction to Guayaquil.   The driver comes through the bus with a long speck and we pick out bus, problem, road, indigenous, Cuenca.  Many people get off and although we ask him to explain slowly we don’t know what is happening so opt to stay onboard with a few other passengers.  At the next village with a minor road turn off to Guayaquil the bus stops and tells us all to get off.  It seems there is a road block ahead and he can go no further.  The passengers that are left get off.  The driver refunds $1.50pp and says we must get a camionetta to the road block, walk through that and keep repeating the process.  We are not too happy and by the time we have got our luggage back we are alone at the road junction with our bags.  I spot a Police car coming from the direction of the road block and in broken Spanish learn that there are many road blocks but they are not dangerous for tourists and we should be able to get through.  Figure we could try and go back to Alausi or Riobamba, on the side road to Guayaquil almost 200km away or carry on.  In fact we have no options as there are no buses or camionetas in sight. Maybe if we had understood the situation and got off at the last junction we would have had more options.  We hitch a ride and along with another lady get into a truck.  The driver insists we sit with him in the cab and she goes in the back.  He speaks broken English, worked in America as a chef for 15 years, and tells us he is going to Cuenca and will get us as far as he can.  We start to see rocks in the road, sometimes the remains of roadblocks but others that have been thrown at cars.  Driver tells us when we see the partial roadblocks and have to slow down we must look out for people hiding nearby as they may try to hi jack the car.  We reach an area with a continuous line of lorries parked at the side of the road but press on further.  Eventually driver stops a car coming towards us to learn there is a complete block a little further ahead.  Our driver says he must turn back and try the coastal road to Cuenca and invites us to join him.  By now we have realised he has been drinking so we decide to take our leave whilst still in one piece although he’s a nice enough guy and refuses our offer of money.  A bus pulls up behind us so we transfer to that to get a mile or two further on.  The blockade is rocks and burning tyres.  Everyone disembarks, walks around the blockade then continues to walk along the road now lined with lorries.  We feel a bit afraid as we don’t really understand what is going on so make haste to stay with the group of walkers.  After walking for a couple of miles and up a hill we get to the end road block where there are lots of protesters.  If this is what we saw on TV a couple of weeks ago it is about the local indios being asked by the government to pay for their water.  They seem happy for us to skirt the side of the roadblock where another bus is waiting.  No idea where it is going but for $1 pp (60p) we are happy to be on it.  It doesn’t get far before protesters and telegraph poles across the road prevent progress.  Think the driver is making the most of the opportunity to shuttle people the short distance as the locals all complain bitterly about the price.  By the time we have got our luggage the other passengers are way ahead of us.  At the end of the blockade the others have piled into a truck but there is no space for us.  We wait for another one and this takes us to the town of El Tambo.  Walking round town we see lots of lorries and a few buses parked at the side of the road.  In theory we could get another camioneta to the next road block but people seem to be saying there are many more blocks and up to 10km to walk between them.  The opinion is that the road will not be passable until at least 5pm on Monday when the government makes an announcement on TV.  There is no sign of the other bus passengers so they may have tried to get further but given our lack of understanding of the situation and comparatively heavy luggage we are wary.  We phone a Couchsurfing friend in Cuenca who says the next stretch is the worst but if we can get through Canar it will be easy however this is the area where we may have a 10km walk.  We check into a Hotel for the night to chew over our options.  Even if you can get through the way we have been doing with short rides and walks we feel like it would be better to start afresh in the morning.  Reckon the road blocks must come and go and maybe the weekend is when they are worst.  At least we haven’t had the experience we saw on TV of a bus being set on fire.  Wander the town and eat at the Chinese.  Try to gather information on the Internet but there doesn’t seem to be any fresh update about our stretch of road.  We buy some fruit at the market and a big bottle of drinking water and return to our comfortable room to watch TV so could be a lot worse off.

LA TAMBO, HOSTAL CHESKY WASY

$9 PPPN

 

SUNDAY 4 October 2009 – We’ve had a very disturbed night, our room has a false ceiling and the family lounge is above us.  They had the TV on loud until 2.30am and again from 6.30am so we move rooms.  Looking at a map we may be able to take the side road out to Ingapirca ruins then continue on that to south of Canar.  Walking the town we see lorries now parked both sides of the road for as far as we can see.  Chat to the Police who say the town is effectively sealed off with road blocks on all exit roads including the one to Ingapirca.  A local taxi driver who speaks English confirms this but says we could do the ride, block, walk, block, ride thing to visit the Ingapirca ruins but certainly won’t get onwards from there.  He agrees there is nothing else to do in town and that would be our best option for a trip out.  However he also agrees that the road blocks are at their worst at the weekend and more may spring up and we could end up stranded in Ingapirca so kick that idea into touch, even though we could actually walk the 9km back.   Late morning the lorry drivers are getting restless and create their own human blockade to stop any movement of traffic or other lorry drivers getting ahead of them.  It seems that occasionally lorries are let through the blockade but then they cannot park as the roadside is full and the other drivers get cross if they appear to be trying to push ahead.   After taking lunch at the local café we walk to find out where the road block is on the road towards Canar.  There are small partial blocks but the main one including many people is about 1 mile out of town but more importantly we see a sign saying 9km to Canar so think we misinterpreted the information about having to walk 10km when in fact that was the total distance so we will give it a go tomorrow.  Settle down to sleep around 8.30pm then awake an hour later when I hear English speaking voices.  When I hear a man’s voice saying “we must have walked f…king miles” I reckon I must investigate.  The people are in the room above us and I figure we could exchange information so I give them a knock.  John is English and his girlfriend Sue from Canada.  They have come from Riobamba today, reckon they have walked around 10km between road blocks as there are many more blocks than yesterday and some with piles of earth.  Comparing notes we decide we will try to get further tomorrow together.

EL TAMBO 2, HOSTAL CHESKY WASY

 

MONDAY 5 October 2009 – We set off together at 7.30am.  Pick up a camioneta in town and ask him to take us as far as he can.  He does exactly what we ask but down dirt roads and finally stops and says we must walk down to a stream, over the bridge then up through the fields to join the PanAm highway.  Not an easy task with all our baggage so we ask him to take us to the PanAm highway even though this is further back, $2 (£1.20) for the ride.  A bus is coming by and takes us further but only for about ¼ mile.  There is a huge road block with telegraph poles, burning tyres and rocks in the road beyond it.  Get out and walk but at least on the road we can trolley our bags along.  In fact we probably walk less than 1km to get beyond the next blockade.  A camioneta pulls up and we explain we are trying to get to Cuenca.  He asks how much we would pay to get there and we offer $5 pp. In the back of his 4wd we set off on a track up in to the mountains.  By asking people coming towards him he manages to navigate a route to take us around the Canar blockages and back onto the PanAm.  After that it is relatively plain sailing as all the blockades have been breached.  He stops at Azogues bus station from where a 50c (30p) ride gets us to Cuenca.  Amazingly we do the whole journey in around 4-hours and cannot believe our luck.  Taxi into town to check out hostels.  By chance Sue & John are on a similar budget to us looking for the same price and standard of accommodation.  We are all happy with the deal of $28 (– 10% for taking 2 rooms) at Casa De Barranco overlooking the river.  It is one of the colonial mansions with lots of character, breakfast is included and we have a room with a proper bath and a nice terrace outside.  There is an Indian curry house nearby so we walk there for lunch.  At this stage John & Sue are struggling to walk far after their long hikes yesterday in flip flops.  The menu looks great but the food is all heavily salted and not great.  With Internet at the hotel we check out our onward options but with flights around $400 to Lima we are reluctant to book.  Around 5pm we meet up with Couchsurfers Diego and Betta.  Betta is from Slovakia and Diego Ecuadorian but has lived and worked in the States so speaks excellent English.  We go to a Columbian restaurant for a snack then they take us for a drive.  There is a great view point south of the city giving us an idea of the size of it.  The centre is a UNESCO site because of all the colonial building and feels quite compact whilst we now understand why it is the 3^rd largest city in Ecuador.  Next we go to the bus station where Diego kindly gathers information for the International bus to Peru.  It is $11 ($6.60) and takes 8-hours but the bus didn’t get through today because of the blockades.  Will try to catch it in a couple of days If the roads are clear, at least there is more to do here if we are stranded!

CUENCA, CASA DEL BARRANCO

$25.20 INC BREAKFAST

 

TUESDAY 6 October – Set out to explore the town with some really nice churches.  The main cathedral is magnificent with lots of roof domes and a statue of Pope John Paul inside to commemorate his visit to the city.  There is a flower market and a clothes market that includes hotel sized kitchen pans etc, stalls manned by the indigenous people in costume.  The Panama Hat museum is here and we learn that they were called that because they were made in Ecuador but shipped up to the people working on the Panama Canal.  The river walk is lovely and there we spot the quirky medical museum, $1 (60p).  Along with lots of old equipment they have medical magazines that you can look at, Steve enjoyed reading the one for the year he was born.  In a cabinet I am fascinated by a 3-month pickled foetus along with the skeleton of an 8-month one and a mummified 5-year old.  Walking back we pass a church closed for renovation and the guard invited us inside where we have no idea how they are going to have it finished in the 1-year available.  Spot a traffic warden taking photographs of the offending cars – now isn’t that a good idea.  In the market Steve has a freshly carved roast pork dinner, $2 (£1.40) with excellent crunchy crackling and tender meat whilst I have a large glass of freshly squeezed juice, 50c (30p).  Meet up with Diego & Betta at 3pm and they take us out to his parent’s weekend house in the country nearby.  It feels much more than 20 minutes from the city as you are out in farming country and at 200m lower the weather is considerably warmer.  His Dad Miguel soon has us set up drinking beers outside.  Diego has made the American game “corn hole” and we have great fun trying to throw corn bags onto a ramp and into a hole.  Of course our combination of ten pin bowling and petanque skills give us the edge.  They drop us back at the hotel and arrange to pick us up along with Sue & John for an evening of cards at their place.  At 7pm we leave and order a pizza en route.  To begin with we play “Hoopla”, an American game that is a sort of combination of charades, Pictionary and a word game where you have to describe the word on a card you have chosen.  It is great fun and lots of laughs.  After eating we learn the card game “Arsehole”, that the others all know.  Neither of us becomes President but we do manage to rank as arsehole and neutrals a number of times.  Diego asks us all to sign his world map.  You have to sign and put the town you come from with an arrow pointing to it.  It is amazing to see just how many visitors they have had from around the world.  We all agree what an excellent evening out it has been with good like minded company and lots of laughs.

CUENCA 2, HOSTAL DEL BARRANCO

 

WEDNESDAY 7 October – At the bus station we buy tickets on the 9am International bus to Mancora in Peru, $11 (£6.60).   It is supposed to take 8-hours and be a through bus but today we have to change at the Ecuadorian customs and wait 1 ½-hours for a second bus meaning we will arrive just as it is getting dark. The journey to the Ecuadorian coast is through more spectacular mountain scenery and we are amazed at the journey as Diego & Betta once cycled the 200km in a day.  At the Ecuadorian customs (3km before the border) we get our exit stamps noting we have been in Ecuador exactly a month.  The next bus arrives but is already packed with people and our allocated seat numbers are in use.  It would appear they have merged buses but we are lucky and do get a seat whilst others have to stand.  Entry into PERU is over a bridge then beyond the border town we reach immigration.  You have to queue up to get your entry papers stamped then go to another line to get your passport stamped and registered.  The currency here is Nuevo Soles with approx 5 = £1.  In Tumbes a few people get off so we all have seats.  Our initial impression of Peru is that it is considerably poorer than Ecuador and in many ways more like Mexico.  Near the border there are many villages of huts.  Our journey takes us along the Pacific coast through lots of fishing villages.  After about 50km we arrive at customs, have to get off the bus and file through a buildings whilst the bus is checked then drives on to meet us at the other end.  Arrive in Mancora just after 6pm.  We want to check out a 2-bedroom bungalow seen on the Internet and hop into a couple of motocyclos (tuk tuks) to get there.  The lads say it is 5-minutes away inland but having gone on a dirt road they reach a big hill they cannot get up and say it is a long walk from there so we pass.  It seems that the main resort town of Mancora, with the PanAm passing through, is a small village dominated by back packing surfers and renowned for all night parties.  South along the coast is a dirt road behind the beach lined with big expensive hotels and a few bungalows.  We try a couple of the bungalows but one is full and the other asks PS200 (£40) per room.  After telling the cyclo boys the kind of price we are looking for they suggest we go to “The Point” near the town.  It is now dark and arriving at Estrella del Mar it is hard to see what we are getting other than fairly simple cabin style rooms but at PS80 (£16) it is affordable.  Pay off the cyclos, PS8 (£1.60) each and check in.  At least this place has a swimming pool and grassy lawns, is near the beach and a short walk to the town centre whereas the beach road was isolated.  Walking together into town we see lots of menu of the day offers P5 (£1).  From this Steve & I pick cervice (marinated fish) for starters then I have fish fillet with rice and Steve fried rice with sea food and the price even includes a fruit juice.  Better still you get 4 huge beers for P10 (£2) so maybe the food and drinks prices will offset the more expensive accommodation.  The restaurants are full of back packing Brits.  We take a wander around town and find lots of rooms at PS40 (£8), the rooms are similar to ours but the places have no gardens and are nearer the area where they have discos.  Mind you our room is not exactly quiet overnight as we realise it has no windows just fly screens so we have background noise of the ocean, the main road and the disco’s and are accompanied by ants in our bed.

MANCORA, ESTRELLA DEL MAR

http://www.mancorahotelestrellafugaz.com/

 

Thursday 8 October 2009 – Compounded by a very firm mattress, mosquitoes buzzing round (at least there is a net) and being cold I have little sleep.  The music goes on until after 4am and before 7am they are watering the grass in front of our bungalow.  We had heard such good reports on Mancora but suspect it was from people who came down and just stayed in the posh hotels further down.  We really like the small town area with shops, bars and restaurants but need to find more suitable accommodation.  When Steve gets up we walk north along the beach and settle on The Sahara Hotel PS110 (£22) night. http://vivamancora.com/saharahotel/index.html we get a nice room overlooking the ocean and a hotel with swimming pool directly behind the beach, gardens, gym, pool, table tennis, internet and breakfast.  We quickly re locate and settle ourselves on the comfy loungers by the pool.  It is hard to get shade here because being near the Equator the sun is almost always directly overhead so we decide on an early beach walk.  We are just about at the end of the northern development and other than a nice new backpackers at the point there are just local houses.  In the afternoon Steve spots a whale out on the horizon.  Late on John & Sue arrive with a bag of beer so we sit and watch the sunset together.  In the village we end up at a local burger bar with freshly made huge burgers and ships and delicious passion fruit juice.  Pick up more beers on the way back and learn another new card game “Yussa”.  We will be sorry to see our new friends go on ahead tomorrow.

MANCURA 2, SAHARA HOTEL

PS110 (£22) INC BREAKFAST

 

FRIDAY 9 October 2009 – It is a lovely sunny morning so after breakfast we make a quick walk to town to book our onward bus.  The direct walk takes us through a very poor but interesting area of house built with all manner of materials.  There are numerous coach companies in Peru and all seem to have quality buses so we go for the cheapest one with the time to suit us.  Spend the rest of the morning by the pool.  We have new neighbours, John from America and his new Internet girlfriend Marie.  They originally had the nice room with Jacuzzi but have opted to move to the basic rooms.  We ask if they would like to join us for our evening in the village.  Begin at the cheap PS5 (£1) restaurant then go to the La Badjadita for deserts.  Recommended in the Rough Guide they sure live up to expectations and we all enjoy it.  During the evening we learn that John’s English wife died 2 years ago and he now has a travel trailer in America and “met” Marie on line and has come over to visit.  It is so nice to see how well they have hit it off.

MANCURA 3, SAHARA HOTEL 2

 

Saturday 10 October – Walking to the bus office we are amazed to find no one around.  Steve heads off to draw some cash and get bread and fruit for the journey.  When a lady appears in the office I realise why it is quiet.  We are booked on the 9.30pm bus not am which we wanted.  The error has risen because the Spanish word manana can mean tomorrow or morning.  They have no other bus going where we want and I end up pleading with her to get our money back.  This eventually works so I race to the next nearest office where they do have a 9.30am bus.  El Dorado charge PS25 (£5) but it arrives a little later at 4pm but at this stage I am just happy to have the tickets.  Steve is happy with the upshot and we board the bus for our long journey.  We are soon out into barren desert area where there are many “nodding donkeys” bringing up oil.  Nearer one of the towns there are lots of paddy fields which is quite a contrast.  In Piura we change buses with a half hour wait.  Arriving in Chiclayo we have arranged to be met by a Couchsurfer.  Carlos speaks little English but his Peace Corps girlfriends Sara is on her way into town and we talk to her on her mobile.  She suggests we go to the same hotel she is staying at and arriving at the Hostal Amigos we are more than happy with our double ensuite room with TV.  Carlos seems to know everyone here and introduces us to another Peace Corps worker Matt who spends ages talking to us.  They are all going out to a birthday party later – and I mean later as it starts at 11pm so unable to spend the evening with us.  We take our evening meal at the nearby “Esquina” corner restaurant and really enjoy my fish fillet and chips.  Being in the centre of town we don’t have the quietest of nights.

CHICLAYO – HOSTAL AMIGOS

PS50 (£11)

SATURDAY 26 SEPTEMBER – At 7am we rendezvous with our shipmates for the ride to the airport.  They have all enjoyed the last 3 days but agree the first 3 were the most interesting.    Our flight leaves early and gets us back into Quito 1.30pm local time.  Pick up a taxi back to Juan’s arriving about 10-minutes before he returns from his round of golf.  We are happy to spend the afternoon sorting our luggage and catching up on the Internet.  We suggest taking Cynthia and Juan out for an evening meal but when he comes back he tells us that we are all going to Cynthia’s for a fondue.  On the way we pick up his friend Carlos and at Cynthia’s her friend Marie is there making it 6 of us.  The first fondue is cheese with bread, salami slices, and apple and mushrooms to dip into it.  For desert there is a delicious fondue with apple, strawberries and a local fruit a bit like an orange coloured cherry tomato but tasting sweet.  Marie tells us she lived in London when she first got married but had big problems.  In Ecuador you can get married at 14 with your parents’ permission and this she had done to a man aged 21.  When she arrived in England complete with baby the social services intervened, split them up and it took quite some time to get matters resolved.  It obviously didn’t deter her though as she is returning this year but alone as she is now separated.  After eating we play the card game 40 taking it in turns to be part of the foursome.  It is a lovely evening and we are amazed how time flies.  Around 1pm Juan drops us at his apartment and takes Carlos home before going back to spend the night with Cynthia.

QUITO 1, BELLAVISA, JUANS

 

SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER – Juan said he would be back around 10am so Steve gets up early to watch the Liverpool match that was taped for him last night.  By 11am Juan has not arrived and we realise we may have to revise plans as we were hoping to connect with a bus further south that only leaves once a day at noon.  When Juan returns he is happy for us to stay another night and set out early tomorrow.  We take a taxi, $5.50 to La Floriana burial chambers.  Recently discovered these are an ancient site in the hills above the airport.  Free admission to a small area with these extremely deep round chambers where we see depictions of the 15 people that would have been buried in each sat up in the foetal position.  Also in the chamber there would be pottery and gold.  One of the chambers can be explored by a camera that goes down on a lift and produces images on a screen.  Our guide then takes us into the museum to view the things they found in the chambers.  Unexpectedly very interesting.   We splash out on lunch, 2 bananas to have in bread rolls at a total of 30c (18p).  A taxi, $3.50, takes us to the Case del Cultura to visit the Bank Museum, $2 (£1.20). It begins with the history of the land then the people and culture and includes lots of art so a bit of everything.  Take the tram back to the supermarket near Juan’s and there they are having a tasting day so we get sausages, meat, toffee stuff and ice cream to round off our lunch.  Back for an afternoon nap.   

QUITO 2, BELLAVISA, JUANS

 

MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER – We are just about ready to leave when Couchsurfer Ian turns up.  He stayed with Juan before going on a jungle trip and is back for an overnighter – we tell him the bed is still warm!  Juan just takes this all on board; he is a brilliant host and really laid back.  Taking a taxi to the southern bus station our driver tells us there is a problem with his brakes and he must put us into another car.  Now Quito is not the kind of place you want to be driving without brakes, too many hills and crazy drivers.  We swap into a regular yellow cab and a few junctions further on he has the car behind flashing and tooting him, turns out he has left the spare keys in the boot.  Anyway we arrive safely at the very modern bus station, buy our tickets and board the coach to Latacunga, $1.90 (£1.20).  The bus leaves at 8.30am but before we have even left the station we have had half a dozen vendors through selling hot and cold food and drinks.  At almost all the stops en route more vendors hop on board and often end up staying on until the next stop.  Steve points out the bag belonging to the lady sat behind me, don’t know what is in it but it keeps moving.  We make rapid progress along the Pan Am highway and get dropped off in the town area of Latacunga.  It is freezing cold so we rug up then walk over the bridge to the main bus station.  This time there are lots of men approaching you asking where you are going?  We figure that in addition to the standard buses with ticket offices there are many others going to the same places and the touts are all trying to get you on theirs.  However there is only 1 bus a day to Quilotoa so we have no choice.  Englishman James was on our bus from Quito, he had planned a day north to some hot springs but that bus wasn’t running so he decided to go south instead.  The Quilotoa bus leaves at 11.30am, $3 (£1.80) and begins a very steep ascent up into the Andes.  Lots of locals hop on and off making progress very slow.  As we get higher up we can see the amazing farming with some incredibly sloping fields of crops.  There are lots of llamas around as well as the usual cattle and some huge pigs that the local lads try to ride.  Entering Quilotoa tourists have to pay $2 (£1.60).  The bus stops by the first hostel but it is not great and the guy wants $20 pp.  We get back on and tell the driver where we want to go and end up at the top of the hill by the lookout.  Here there are quite a few more hostels, all very basic and run by the indigenous people.  Finally at Hostel Pacha Mama we find everything we need, double bed, wood burning stove, bathroom with hot water and all fairly new and nicely decorated.  $10 (£6) pp includes evening meal and breakfast so a good deal.  There is only one bus a day out of Quilotoa and it is the one we came on which returns at 2pm.  James wants to hike down to the lake so has to arrange a private car to leave.  We set out to walk part way around the rim of Lago Quilotoa, a very attractive crater lake.  The full walk takes over 4-hours so we are too late to do it but no matter as I find that with lots of ups and downs I am struggling to breathe.  We are at an altitude of 3800m, the air is thin, and it is extremely windy and very cold.  Return for a late afternoon nap before the 7pm evening meal.  They already have the wood burner going in the dining area and we ask if they can light the one in our room and they say they will after supper.  The two young girls who showed us the room are cousins Blanca aged 16 and Marie 17.  They are very short (as are most Ecuadorians) so it was hard to tell their age.  All the women and girls here wear the traditional costume of a felt pork pie hat, lots of colourful shawls, and below knee length velour skirt with patterns, woollen knee socks and low clumpy heel shoes.  The all have long dark hair with the pony tail covered in fabric and their rosy cheeks must be from all the wind.  Our meal is a nice hot soup with potatoes and a few bits of carrot and pepper followed by rice, chicken and chilled vegetables (that part was not so nice).  We ask about the fire in our room and they say they are out of wood but will put an electric fire in.  There’s a slight problem there as there is no socket in our room.  They check the other rooms to find one with a socket.  Meanwhile they tell us to wait in our room.  About ½ hour later nothing is happening so we go back to the dining room and find them huddled round their fire.  They can’t find the electric fire.  Explain that we really need a fire in our room as my asthma is bad.  Next thing we know they are chopping up wood, bring us a pile of logs and have our room warm and cosy in no time at all.  Luckily we have about 50 heavy wool blankets on the bed as the wood doesn’t last long.  The wind howls all night long and lots of things rattle around outside.

LAKE QUILOTOA

HOSTAL PACHA MAMA $10PP

 

TUESDAY 29 SEPTEMBER – We both manage a reasonable amount of sleep.  Breakfast at 7.30am is fruit followed by a small plate of scrambled egg with tomatoes and a couple of bread rolls.  We’ve pre booked the “camionetta” (truck) that James used yesterday and for $5 (£3) he will take us to the village of Zumbagua where we he says there is a bus every ½ hour to Latacunga.  We are the first ones in so get to sit in the cab whereas the pickups en route have to suffer on the wooden floor in the back.  Arriving at 8.30am it turns out the next bus is not until 10am.  A camionetta leaves at 9am for Latacunga, $2 (£1.60) so we join the poor souls in the back.  It is unbelievably cold and misty and we huddle together.  There is a small bench behind the cab and 4 men sit there whilst the women sit on the floor.  The initial 9 of us swells to 13 until we have to turn people away.  For over 1 ½ hours we bounce along, me with someone’s bags on my feet and a baby’s head resting on my knee.  We must be mad!  In Latacunga we are delighted to find a very comfortable coach for Ambato, $1 (60p), don’t care how long it takes at least we have a nice reclining seat.  On coaches in South America they say that if you are lucky you get one with music playing, if not you get the DVD, not sure what we are but they have both going simultaneously!    A quick change in Ambato to the Banos bus, $1 (60p) arriving in Banos early afternoon.  It is a very inviting town, lots of accommodation at all levels, quiet, friendly and plenty to do in the area.  We are almost spoilt for choice on rooms having been offered a basic one for $6 pp and a luxury American style room at $26 plus all point in between.  Settle at Hotel Casa Blanca with a nice double and single bedded room at $10 (£6) pp including breakfast.  Steve is happy to watch some football on TV whilst I use the free Internet.  It is raining in the afternoon so we have to do something to fill the time!  In the evening we enjoy a stroll around town, check out the large church with pictures depicting the Virgin Mary saving the town from the volcanic eruptions.  Café Good has 2 large beers for $1.80 before 7pm and we slip in just in time.  They have an interesting menu and as there is an English movie on at 7.30pm we decide to eat there as well.  Steve orders the filet mignon at $6 (£4.20) and again gets cold vegetables, reading the menu we now realise that where it says accompanied by salad vegetables this is their take on it.  The movie “Blood Diamond” is difficult to hear and I keep nodding off so we head back to the hotel.  I left some laundry earlier on, at $1 a kilo, and am very surprised to find it all washed, dried and neatly folded – reckon I will only be doing undies by hand from now on.

BANOS, HOTEL CASA BLANCA

$10 PPPN Inc breakfast

 

WEDNESDAY 30 SEPTEMBER – The hotel breakfast is very good, fruit, bread with marmalade or cheese, 1 egg cooked to your liking, a glass of fresh fruit juice and tea or coffee.  We book onto a waterfalls tour, $5 (£3) but at the last minute Danny opposite has to off load us to another tour.  You go off in the “chivas” an open back truck with bench seats running across so a step up from yesterdays rides.  The road to Puyo takes us past the hydro electric dam and then many waterfalls.  The road goes through many rock tunnels and there is a scenic detour past more waterfalls.  At the bridge there is the Ecuadorian take on bungee jumping.  For $10 (£6) you jump off one bridge fastened to the bridge opposite and pretty much just swing until they lower you down to the river.  At Cascada Manto de la Novia there is an optional $1 (60p) cable car trip across the river to get closer to the falls.  It looks really dodgy and is powered by a lorry engine.  A man sits looking out at the cable and engaging gears, clutch and brake to control the car.  I pay up and get into the swinging car to take the plunge and have to laugh at the other end where a lady is waiting to check your ticket to make sure you have paid – now considering we have just come across on the cable car and are still sat in it you would think that was a foregone conclusion.   We stop at a number of other pretty falls and the last one is Cascades de Machay.  You pay $1 (60p) and then walk down a long and steep track through the cloud forest past tiny falls to finally reach a big narrow waterfall at the bottom.  Climbing back out is a bit more of a challenge, don’t know whether it is my asthma, the altitude, humidity or general lack of fitness but I find it quite hard going.  Steve doesn’t have to confess to any problems as he tells me to go ahead at my pace and he will follow!  It is a most enjoyable 3-hour trip and much easier than trying to do it alone.  Late afternoon we set out to get ourselves a massage.  On the way we see a procession with children at the front with banners and flowers.  We are busy snapping away when we see the coffin being carried along behind so quickly put the camera away.  It was a bit misleading as many people in the procession looked happy and were laughing.  There are lots of massage places down the road that leads to the baths.  The expensive places tell you that the cheaper ones use unqualified staff which may be true but we have had a recommendation.  Steve opts for the Chinese massage, $15 (£9) hour and I have the Ayuverda $17 (£11.50) one.  Mine is a mixture of a relaxing massage and some deeper work whilst Steve’s is quite intense.  We really enjoy it and will have them again if the price is right.  Round off the evening at the pizza place opposite our hotel splashing out on their special of an individual 4 slice pizza and coke at $1.50 (£1). 

BANOS 2, HOTEL CASA BLANCA

WEDNESDAY 16 SEPTEMBER – We are up at 5am and Raphael is waiting for us with his taxi at quarter past.  Again driving over the highlands we get rain but it is dry once we reach the canal.  Arriving at 6am we are a little early but know we cannot have missed the zodiac.  Around 6.30am the boat comes into view and anchors in the distance.  We have binoculars but cannot see a zodiac being launched and 15 minutes later it begins to sail off into the distance.  Surely we haven’t missed the boat again!  Raphael is a boat Captain and knows most of the boats and crew and asks if we have the name of anyone he can phone.  We have the number of Williams the guide on board and when he calls him finds out they didn’t receive the message to pick us up but will send a zodiac now.  It arrives at ¼ to 8 and we end up chasing the boat for 45 minutes and catch it up anchored in Bachus Bay.  There are 6 classes of boat in the Galapagos the top being Luxury then Deluxe, first class, tourist superior, tourist and at the bottom economy.  Poseidon is first class and a traditional boat with lots of polished woodwork.  We are welcomed aboard by the Captain, shown our cabin and 10 minutes later sit down to a cooked breakfast.  The boat carries 16 passengers and the lounge/dining area has 4 tables seating 4 so it will be very cosy.  After breakfast the zodiac takes us ashore where we catch up with guide Williams.  He has just returned from a guided walk and says he will take us on it a little later once the 90 passengers from the “Celebrity Xpedition” have left.  In the meantime he tells us a bit about Galapagos National Park rules then suggests we have a snorkel.  On many boats you have to pay $5 day for snorkel and goggles but it is included on this one.  Steve goes out and reports some nice fish but nothing outstanding.  On the walk we pass the remains of a barge used by the Americans during the Second World War when they used the islands as part of the Panama Canal defence.   At an inland lagoon we get our first sighting of marine iguanas, piled one on top of another sunbathing on the beach.  There are also a couple of flamingos.  As soon as we board the ship Diego is waiting with drinks and snacks.   We meet the other passengers, mostly from England.   Return to do our unpacking which takes about 2 minutes.  The cabins are modest with single beds but to a motorhomer more than big enough.  We get a 3-course lunch with water, tea and coffee included.  Shortly after we stop at Baltra to refuel then sail for a couple of hours.  There are 2 decks with sun loungers but it is too hot to stay on the top deck for long.  Chugging along we admire the beautiful blue ocean and passing landscape.  We anchor off from Black Turtle Cove then board 2 zodiacs for a 2-hour trip through the mangroves.  At the start a pelican lands on the back of the other dinghy then flies over and lands on Pete’s cap.  We knew that the Galapagos wildlife was tame and not afraid of humans but didn’t expect that.  Venturing further into the mangrove they cut the engine then begin to paddle.  We see lots of white tipped reef sharks, eagle ray and golden rays and pacific green turtles plus many birds.  It is an amazing experience and the time passes quickly.  On return we again have drinks and snacks waiting.  Williams comes to our room so we can discretely pay him the $1050 agreed for our trip (reduced from $1100 when we missed the boat yesterday).  The normal price for this cruise is $3100 and we would find that hard to justify.  Whilst we are on a very nice boat there is no comparison to this and the big cruise ships and it makes us wonder what the lower classes of boat are like.   

GALAPAGOS 2, GRAN POSEIDON 1

 

Shipmates

UK, Phil & Chris, Matt & Sonia, Pete & Sue, Neal & Helen, G2 & Ann, Holland Arno & Martin, Wim & son

 

THURSDAY 17 SEPTEMBER – It has been a rough crossing to Genovesa.  We are directly above the engines which make it noisy and the ship has rocked all through the night, unfortunately too much to make it pleasant.  At breakfast it seems no one has had any sleep.   The zodiac takes us along the coast to enable us to climb Prince Philip’s steps.  At the top we are in an area with hundreds of “Nazca boobies” nesting.  It is an amazing sight and we snap away using our zoom lens.  This turns out to be a big waste of time as we take off on a walking path and find ourselves within inches of the birds.  They are totally oblivious to our presence and we can see newly born chicks and eggs under the birds.  This is the Galapagos experience we have been waiting for and we find it hard to believe that they are all so tame.  Williams takes us on a walk across the island pointing out the different types of birds and explaining about the land.  Steve spots an unusual bird and Williams identifies it as a dark billed cuckoo, only the second time Williams has seen one in 25 years.  We return to the boat for snacks and the next activity is snorkelling from the dinghy.  Steve does it and reports that he was able to swim with a sea lion playing beside him.  For our mid day meal we have tree tomato mousse as dessert.  Steve is not keen so I eat his portion as well.  Big mistake, once we set off on our afternoon walk at Darwin Bay I begin feeling sick.  So much so that I end up turning back and halfway back to the beach give the birds an unexpected extra feed.  I curl up on the beach with a towel over me to avoid being blessed by the birds and hope that the nearby sea lions don’t come too close.  Once we get back to the ship I go straight to bed for the night and with ear plugs manage to get in a few hours.

GALAPAGOS 3, GRAN POSEIDEN 2

 

FRIDAY 18 SEPTEMBER – I’m still feeling a bit delicate but determined not to miss out so join the pre breakfast dinghy trip to see the penguins in Sullivan Bay by Santiago Island.  Mid morning we go ashore on Santiago, an amazing volcanic island with great lava formations.  Again I have to turn back and this time hitch a left back to the boat on a dingy and just make it in time to dash to the loo.  Steve comes back with photos of the colourful “Sally Lightfoot” crabs, monitors and lizards.  Unfortunately he also arrives back with an upset stomach so we both opt out of lunch.  The afternoon tour is to climb to the volcanic cone of Bartolome for fine views but we are both too weak to even attempt it.  By late afternoon I am feeling considerably better whilst Steve is getting worse.   We set sail for Santa Cruz.  Our evening meal is delayed until 8.30pm as cook couldn’t prepare it whilst we were sailing.  Prior to eating all the crew line up in the lounge in uniform and thank us for being their guests whilst one of our group responds and thanks them for having us.  The majority of passengers do this as an 8 day tour beginning and ending on Saturday from Puerto Ayora.  There’s an option to go ashore after dinner but Steve is still poorly so we decline. 

GALAPAGOS 4, GRAN POSEIDEN 3

SATURDAY 19 APRIL – We have to get up early as everyone else is leaving today.  Heading ashore we drop a few people at hotels in town then set off over the Highlands, rainy as usual.  Stop at a couple of sinkholes to check for birds but there is nothing new.  Today Williams is finishing as guide and once he has escorted his guests to the departure area we are introduced to our new guide Andre.  He come from Belgium, speaks 4 languages and seems very nice.  10 new people arrive, Sabine from Germany, Zack USA, 2 young lands from France and Andy & Vivien, Rob & Helen and newlyweds Ian and Rachel from England.  Before returning to the boat we stop at the tortoise farm.  At once stage almost all the tortoises on the Galapagos had been wiped out but once the National Parks took over they rescued what were left and brought them either to this farm or the Darwin Research Station to breed then reintroduce.  We don wellie boots to walk the muddy paths and are immediately rewarded by seeing one of the giant tortoises.  They are huge, can weigh as much as 4 men and it is possible for them to survive up to 1-year without food or water.  The size is a reflection of their age as they grow approximately 1cm a year so this one is probably 60 or 70 years old.  Further into the farm we see many more and can get really close.  At the end of the tour Andre shows us a couple of old turtle shells and says you can slip inside them for a photo.  Rachel is small and petite and fits in easily so Steve has a go so I can take a fun picture on this his 55^th birthday.  Next stop is to walk inside a huge lava tunnel.  It is quite long and really high and at the entrance we spot a short eared owl.  Finally we make it back to the boat.  We’ve been moved to cabin 7 on the upper deck which should be much quieter.  Our original cabin 2 being known to be the worst on board as you are above the engine room and beside the kitchen so get lots of noise and strange smells.  After lunch we return ashore to visit the Darwin Research Station where we learn a lot more about the giant tortoise and meet “Lonesome George”, the last of his particular species alive.  Before our evening meal we get a proper introduction talk from Andre, safety briefing and info on tomorrow’s itinerary.

GALAPAGOS 5, GRAN POSEIDON 4

UK shipmates Rob & Helen, Ian & Rachel, Andy & Vivian, USA Zack, Germany Sabine, France 2 lads

 

SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER – We set sail around 4am and it is notably quieter in our new cabin.  We wake up anchored between North and South Plaza Island off the east coast of Santa Cruz.  On shore we begin a hike on South Plaza and immediately see both water and land iguanas.  There are lots of sea lions and we learn the differences between them and seals even though the sea lions here are the fur seal species!  The landscape is beautiful with a kind of red coloured cactus type grass.  As usual we get close to much of the wildlife and birds.  Return to the ship for a couple of hours sailing.  Andre has brought some DVD’s on board and it is great to watch the BBC one on the Galapagos Island reiterating how each of the animals sustains another such as the small birds that feast on the ticks when the tortoises stand up and the lava lizards that eat the flies off the sea lions.  After lunch we arrive in the bay of Santa Fe, a really pretty spot with beautiful clear turquoise water.  We begin with a snorkelling session from the dinghies and I brave the waters, surprisingly not too cold.  The bay is protected by a lava wall and along this there are lots of fish including yellow tailed surgeons, sergeant majors, and damsel and parrot fish.  There are also sea lions that like to play around you.  From underwater they are so elegant and great fun to watch.  In the middle of the bay we also swim over a large turtle, a really excellent experience.  Later in the afternoon we land on the beach amongst over 100 oblivious sea lions.  They are so entertaining we almost don’t know which to watch.  Lying in heaps you regularly see another try to join the pile by clambering over the top and wiggling their way in.  Pups amble round trying to find Mum and whilst they don’t mind whose milk they suckle the Mums will only allow their own pup to latch on so they suffer many rejections.  A tiny pup is in its last throws of life at the back of the beach and the Galapagos hawks are already standing by.   As a National Park the policy is now to let nature take its course.  We do a short hike up around the island through an attractive forest of opuntia cactus and as usual Steve is happy to encounter many more iguanas.  On the way back to the boat we pass over a shoal of large eagle rays and quite a few turtles.  Probably our best day yet.   Before dinner we have a welcome meeting with all the crew dressed in their whites.  After dinner we watch another episode of the BBC Galapagos.

GALAPAGOS 6, GRAN POSEIDEN 5

 

MONDAY 21 SEPTEMBER – We sail until around 4am and it is a rough crossing with the boat pitching up and down.  Anchored by Espanola Island things calm down.  There are 3 other boats in the bay so Andre tries to time it so we all go ashore at different times.  We land around 8am to begin our 2-mile walk around Suarez Point.  There are lots of fur seals on the beach but the sheer number and size of the marine iguana is the most impressive thing initially.  They are black with yellow blotches and piled up one on top of another as if someone has flung them there.  We’ve heard of the book “Driving over lemons” and here the take on it is “walking over iguana” as in one place they completely cover the path and there are bushes stopping us going around.  The trail takes us past many nesting blue boobies with some going through their courting routine.  We pause to watch the water spray at a blow hole and have many close encounters with waved albatross and their young.   At the top of the cliffs we look down at the rock pools and can see the marine iguana battling to get in and out of the ocean and then climb the steep cliffs.  There are also many species of “Darwin finch” on the island.  Andre is an excellent guide and you never feel rushed or as though you are asking a stupid question.  This week he has his eldest, 10-year old, son Willie with him and next week he will have his youngest on board.  After lunch we re-locate to another part of the island, the beautiful Gardner Bay with a stunning white sandy beach.  Obviously a popular spot on the cruises as there are even more boats anchored up.  You can snorkel from the shore out to a rocky outcrop and Steve enjoys this and sees manta ray and many fish.  I enjoy walking the length of the beach and watching the barking sea lions playing in the surf.  At the far end of the beach turtles are also enjoying a bit of surfing.  At the end of our evening meal the lights are dimmed and the chef appears with something on a tray accompanied by Diego with a lighter.  I suspect it is a baked Alaska but am proved wrong when they head towards Steve singing “Happy Birthday”.  A couple of days late but a very nice touch all the same and a huge cake that can be shared by all.   After watching the final part of the Galapagos series we retire to bed.

GALAPAGOS 7, GRAN POSEIDON 6

 

TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER – We’ve been warned to get up early as just before 6am we will be circling “Leon Dormido” (The sleeping lion) rock formation.  We are all up on deck and get a talk from Andre about how the vertical tuff stone formation was formed but seeing a lion shape is stretching things a bit.  Docking on San Cristobal in the Galapagos capital of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno we head off to the Interpretation Centre.  There is an excellent 3d map showing how the islands were formed and lots of interesting history.   The is free time to wander the town so we check out a few hotel options  and decide the best for us is Nelly’s at the edge of the village.  On the 3^rd floor there is a room with twin beds and en suite, a shared kitchen area and huge patio with loungers, table & chairs and hammock.  Negotiate to take 2 nights for $50 (£30) total.  Back at the pier the zodiac arrives with our luggage plus that of the French lads and Sabine who are flying out this morning.  We arrange to meet up with the ships tour at 3pm and meanwhile head up to our new digs.  We have stunning views of the bay and town and with a further 2 mini balconies on our room can see in all directions.  Nearby is a school with a large “Bingley Grammar School” mural which intrigues us as there is a Bingley Grammar School near Keighley.  Will have to check out tomorrow to find out if there is any connection.  After a quick walk through the town, most things closed for siesta, we meet the ship group at 3pm then go by bus to Loberia Beach by the Airport.  The newbies have arrived, a young couple from Israel so for the next leg there are only 8 passengers.  After being driven alongside the airport runway we arrive at a beach with black volcanic rocks and walk along the back of it.  Loberia is a pleasant beach with a small lake behind but at this stage in the trip has nothing we have not already seen.  The itinerary says they have the largest marine iguanas in Galapagos here but we don’t even see one.  It is a wild windy afternoon, the water looks choppy and uninviting so we are happy just to take in the scenery.  Back in town we set off along to find something to eat.  It is just after 5pm and the main restaurants haven’t opened but in the main square the BBQ’s are up and running and Steve has a meal of potatoes with salsa then a mixture of cow’s innards, $3 (£2).   Lots of locals are eating this and even the Police car pulls up and the officer sits inside eating so it must be good?  No so, other than the liver Steve says the rest is rather chewy.  I spot a bakery and my meal is a sausage roll followed by a chocolate topped kind of vanilla slice.  We sit out on our terrace having a drink and admiring the view until just after 6pm when it is dark.  Reflecting on the last week we are both very glad we opted for the full cruise and also please with our choice especially after seeing some of the other yachts.  By 7.30pm we are both really tired and drop off to sleep. 

GALAPAGOS 8, SAN CRISTOBAL, HOSTAL NELLY

$25 (£15) night

 

WEDNESDAY 23 SEPTEMBER – We both have a really good sleep and wake at 6.30am when the streets become a little noisy.  School starts at 7am and most people seem to get up early here.  I take a walk out and buy some cereal, yoghurt and fruit juice so we can take our breakfast on the terrace.  It is interesting that on this island all prices seem to be rounded up to the nearest dollar and even if shown otherwise you never get the residual change.  Walking into town we stop at the school and learn that a group of 15 students from Bingley Grammar were over earlier this year.  Needing the Internet we head for Mocking Bird café and supplement the $1.50 (£1) hour session with coffee and brownies.  Late morning we set out to do the “Cerro Tijeretas” (Frigate bird Hill) walks that begin behind the interpretation centre.  We are alone on the trail and really enjoying the silence.  The track leads us to a lovely lookout point from which we can see “Leon Dormido” in the distance.  There are lots of side trails and I figure if we take them all and keep turning right we will end up back where we started.  On the rocky beach Steve takes a snorkel but the water is so clear anyway that it doesn’t need him in there to tell me there are no fish.  At the top of the next hill and lookout there is a fantastic tall statue of Charles Darwin plus an iguana, sea lion and giant tortoise.  We settle for a snack and drink whilst enjoying the view.  Further on is a large cannon and a sign saying it was put there in 1970 but not why.  We join the seals on the sandy beach and when Steve takes to the water he also has turtles swimming around him.  Sitting down for a quiet read our peace is disturbed by a group of American teenage girls arriving.  They talk loudly and keep using our pet hate phrase of “it was like” so we pack up and leave.  In the evening we walk into town to a pizza place we spotted last night.  They advertise $12 (£7.25) for a family sized pizza and coke.  We are the only customers and place our order for a meat pizza.  A few minutes later we see her taking slices from the one in the display case and preparing to pop it into the microwave.  Explain that we would like a freshly baked one then realise that this involves her husband preparing it, lighting the oven and baking it.  Meanwhile he has nipped out to buy the bottle of coke to go with our meal.  Anyway the pizza comes out of the oven but the base is still very doughy so we have to ask for it cooked longer, after it has been put back in the oven twice more we realise the oven really isn’t hot enough to cook it and settle for it as it is.  We want to take a ferry to Santa Cruz island tomorrow and by visiting a couple of travel agents finally figure out that instead of one large boat it is numerous 20 seaters that  do the run, surprisingly all at 7am.  Trying to get any more information about the boats is difficult and we don’t know which to choose until the girl in the 3^rd office offers us a discount.  Reduced from $30 pp to $26 (£16) she secures our business. 

GALAPAGOS 9, SAN CRISTOBAL 2, HOSTAL NELLY

 

THURSDAY 24 SEPTEMBER – Getting up at 6am we notice that it is raining, the weather pattern here seems to be very early morning rain easing off to drizzle.  Late morning things dry up and you get a couple of nice hours with clear blue sky and sun in the afternoon before the clouds close in.  At the pier there is a bag check for foodstuffs that they don’t want transporting inter island.  This is not the only check as a sea lion is in the middle of the loading ramp and when anyone gets close he tries to push you off.  A man and a boy have just disembarked and cannot come ashore.  Eventually someone walking down from the top entices him to take to the water.  Our boat Costas pulls up and 11 of us board.  It has 3 engines and is very fast, good job too as the thin cushions do not make for a very comfortable ride.  Call in at a small island to hand over gas bottles to a waiting boat and arrive on Santa Cruz in Puerto Ayora about 9.15am.  It is still raining so I settle myself and the bags into a café whilst Steve sets out to find us a room.  He reports back that many of the cheaper places are full up but he wants to show me a room at “The Francis Drake Hotel”.  It is on the main street and from the front looks very nice indeed however the further you walk into the building the more signs of neglect you see.   Walk along a balcony with small dingy rooms (a big hotel is being built next door blocking off all the light) then out to the back where there is a large corner light and airy double room with 2 big windows.  He has bargained the price down from $50 to $30 (£18) and our choice is this or back to Hermanas where we stayed before at $35.  The deciding factor is that this one has satellite TV with movies in English and sport.  Resting on the beds we realise we are close to a school when we hear their break time drums as we did in the last place.  After lunch we set out to do the walk to “Tortuga” Beach.  At the edge of town you enter the National Park where the ranger asks you to sign in for the walk and also explains park rules.  A 2 1/2km cobbled path has been created to take you over the hills and to the other side of the island.  It is a very pleasant walk and we emerge onto Playa Brava, one of the most attractive beaches in the Galapagos.  The ocean here is too rough for swimming and the walk is not over.  Hiking about 1km along the beach we arrive at a rocky headland with lots of very big marine iguanas.  The track takes us along an inlet to what looks like a lake, then through a forest of cactus trees to reach turtle beach.  There are no turtles to be seen but it is a lovely beach for sunbathing with plenty of shade.  The water is pleasantly warm and although it does open out to the ocean at the far end it is calm like a lake.   Making the most of the hot sunny spell we sit and read then set off back once it clouds over.  Hiking out we are amazed by the sheer number of locals walking in, reckon this must be the best place around for them to take a hike.  In the evening we walk down the side street opposite the hotel for our evening meal.  At 6pm the street is cordoned off and the small restaurants spill out into the street with their tables and chairs.  At the Chinese we get really good hot fresh food with most main courses $5 (£3) or less.  I surprise Steve by ordering the fish and vegetables as I am not a veggie person but have almost missed having many this last couple of weeks.  Retire to the room to watch TV.

GALAPAGOS 10, PUERTO AYORA, HOTEL SIR FRANCIS DRAKE

$30 (£18)

 

FRIDAY 25 SEPTEMBER – After the rainy start I nip out to buy cereal for breakfast.  After lunch we take a water taxi, 60c (36p) to the opposite side of the port.  There are a few exclusive hotels here including Finch Bay eco resort which is where the trail leads.  Continuing further we pass some old salt flats and then begin lava rock hopping.  After about ½ hour we reach “Las Grietas” a beautiful mini gorge with water in the bottom.  The top layer is freshwater from the highlands with sea water underneath.  Steve swims to the end but there is a landslide preventing him going further.  A few local lads arrive and entertain us by jumping in from the top.  Stop off for an hour or so on “Playa de las Alemanes” then head for home.  Have really enjoyed our land based hikes but the cruise has to be the highlight of The Galapagos.

GALAPAGOS 11, PUERTO AYORA, HOTEL SIR FRANCIS DRAKE 2