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TUESDAY 1 SEPTEMBER 2009 – Keith & Sandra always go to the Kilnsey show so we are happy to join them.  Again we get a lovely drive through the Yorkshire countryside.  At Kilnsey we opt for the free car park, don our wellingtons and head to the show.   £7 admission gets you into what seems to be a mixed agricultural, craft and local wares show.  The ground is incredibly muddy and we even see quite a few wellies that have broken up when they got stuck in the mud.  The motorcycle display is pretty good and the fly fishing one is entertaining for a short time.  In the Farmers Market we enjoy sampling many locally produced foods and find them reasonable prices.    Mid afternoon is the famous Crag run where first juniors and then seniors run up Kilnsey Crag and back, the weather is appalling for the junior run and we watch from undercover.  At the nearby Kilnsey trout far we stop for a hot drink then catch the senior race as we are leaving.  Back home Sandra cooks a delicious spaghetti bolognaise, puts a colour on my hair then leaves Steve & I to wallow in the Jacuzzi. 

KEIGHLEY 13, KEITH & SANDRAS

 

WEDNESDAY 2 SEPTEMBER – We reluctantly get up at 8am ready for moving on.  Call in to Prestwich to spend an hour with David.  His trip to Tignes did not work out too well but he is now getting plenty of work doing his silver service waiting.  Arrive in Market Drayton in time to catch Netty & Ian before they set off on their holiday to Portugal.  We are going to stay at their house so I get a quick briefing before they leave.  Call round to Mums as she has just got back from holiday but has a chest infection.  We settle in the lounge to chat but her pupil arrives and we have to leave.  In the evening Bobby does a brilliant job tidying up my laptop and updating some programmes.

MARKET DRAYTON 1

 

THURSDAY 3 SEPTEMBER – It has been a wild and windy night but at least it isn’t raining so I take a walk around town.  Having managed to get all our South America stuff packed into 2 small carryon bags we do an about turn and decide to change one of them for a larger bag and check them in.  In the evening I cook a meal for us plus Bobby, Kat and Nick.  There isn’t really enough of anything for 5 so I end up adding onions to stretch the mash, using hamburgers and also sausages and serving it all with Yorkshire pudding and mushy peas – a kind of toad in the hole meets a pie floater! 

MARKET DRAYTON 2

 

FRIDAY 4 SEPTEMBER – I drive round to Mums and try to help fix her freezer which has a mystery fault of blowing the electric.  Claire’s fridge/freezer has also packed in and when I phone the dealer all is revealed.  Apparently a few years ago when the cost of appliances was escalating they took a decision to replace many metal parts with plastic.  This reduced the price dramatically but also the life span to an average of 5-years.  At least now Mum knows it is not worth spending much money to get hers repaired.  After going shopping we settle into Stafford Court pub for lunch.  Mums friend told us they did a £2.99 3-course meal and it is excellent. There are quite a few choices on the menu and I opt to start with beer battered mushrooms with garlic mayonnaise and Mum has Florida cocktail.  We both enjoy the scampi with excellent home cooked chips and round it off with chocolate sponge and custard.  Apparently they change the menu every 2 weeks.  As Mum says, not worth cooking yourself. 

MARKET DRAYTON 3

 

SATURDAY 5 SEPTEMBER – In Newport we meet up with Paul & Elaine for lunch at The Bridge.  They are busy having an extension built over the garage to create a mini flat for Matthew.  I am still desperate to find a pair of comfortable shoes for our trip and Elaine suggests a place at Telford Retail Park.  Brantano have something that fits the bill although shelving out £55 for a pair of shoes that don’t look great hurts but at least my feet won’t!  The lads are both out for the night so we have a leisurely soak in the bath and a relaxing evening before our big adventure begins.  Have never back packed for 7-months so it will be quite an experience for us both.

MARKET DRAYTON 4

 

SUNDAY 6 SEPTEMBER – Once I have cleaned up at Netty’s we head round to Mum’s.  She is very happy with the way we have cleaned out the car and enjoys us taking her out to Wetherspoons for a Sunday dinner.  They have a great deal, £5.99 for a roast and drink so Steve makes the most of it to enjoy a last draft Guinness.  It almost seems the less you pay for meals in England the better they are as the dinner is terrific and each plate has its own gravy boat.  Probably the best roast potatoes I have had in ages as well.  Return to Netty’s for a last coffee and to change and put our bags in the car.  We are still travelling very light with just a small bag each, the laptop plus a rucksack with our coats in.  Mum drops us at the bus stop and we begin our journey with the 2.10pm bus to Hanley, £2.50.  After an hour’s wait we board the National Express coach to Manchester airport, £6.  For some reason it is not the normal National Express coach and has plusher seats with many in 4’s facing each other.  Not sure where the bus has come from but it is packed and there are hardly any other white people on board.  Manchester airport is like a ghost town.  As Steve’s bag is about 3” too tall for cabin baggage we decide to check mine in as well and fine absolutely no line up at all.  Even at passport control there is no queue and the boarding area is equally quiet.  Apparently it is a combination of it being an evening flight and immediately after the main holiday season.  We board our KLM flight to Amsterdam at the time when it should have left so consequently arrive in HOLLAND a little late.  This doesn’t cause any problem as it is also a quiet airport.  We were a bit cheeky at check in and request a window and an aisle seat in a row of 3 in the hope that no one would take the middle one and the gamble pays off.  It is a great help if Steve can spread his legs out a bit further.  Take off around 11pm.  It is a nice DC10 – seems almost new, with the usual movies on demand so we both enjoy Angels and Demons. 

KLM FLIGHT AMSTERDAM TO BONAIRE

 

MONDAY 7 SEPTEMBER – After just over 7-hours we land at Bonaire airport in the DUTCH ANTILES.  It is 3am, 29C and the heat and humidity hit us as we walk off the plane to the tiny terminal.   A few people are leaving the plane here and others will be joining the onward flight.  We stop for just over 1-hour and I spend the time walking around.  The next leg takes us to Guayaquil in ECUADOR where passengers for Quito are asked to stay on board.  Cleaners come on wearing face masks and ear muffs and tidy round before the new passengers’ board.  Apparently this flight now goes to Quito then back to Bonaire and Amsterdam, a bit of a circular tour.  This time I watch the movie “The Hangover” which is very funny.  It is daylight as we fly over the Andes and the scenery is spectacular with lots of snow capped mountains.  We are due to arrive at 8.30am and descending into Quito it is hard to see where we are going to land between the mountains ranges with the narrow plateau full of buildings.  The airport almost seems to be in the city centre surrounded by houses.  Customs is really easy as we don’t need a visa and the arrival forms we filled in are discarded without a glance.  There is no sign of our luggage on the carousel and when it gets to the stage that there is none coming through we realise there is a problem.  Apparently our luggage has taken an unscheduled stop-over in Amsterdam and will be arriving tomorrow!  It is so rare that we check in bags it is hard to believe this has happened to us. Worse still Steve has chosen to travel in his suit as he needs it for the cruise.   Apparently the bags will be on tomorrow’s flight and until then we are given a comfort pack containing toiletries, a white T-shirt and pair of socks.  Exiting the terminal we are met by Couchsurfing host Juan.  He is from Columbia but now lives and works for a British company in Quito.  His English is excellent and he tells us a few things about the city as we make the short journey to his apartment.  Traffic is bad with everyone pushing their way through; apparently there just isn’t anywhere to build more roads.  Juan has a lovely modern apartment with fine views over the city.  His girlfriend Celia is there along with her 2 month old fluffy puppy.   Juan shows us our separate bedroom and insists on lending Steve some casual trousers and a jacket, we are so lucky to meet nice people.  It is a gorgeous sunny morning so he suggests we make the most of it to take the cable car up the mountains.  Having only met him for about ½ hour it is a credit to the Couchsurfing system that he goes off to work and leaves us in the flat with keys to let ourselves out.  After a quick shower we phone for a taxi.  It isn’t that far to the cable car but takes a while in the traffic but at $5 (£3.50) we don’t mind.  Currency in Ecuador is the US$ (around $1.60 = £1) and they use American banknotes but have their own coins.  It costs $8 (£6) for foreigners to take the return cable car journey.  The views going up are superb but once we reach the top and climb higher it is stunning.  We are now at over 4,000 metres and feeling the effects of the high altitude so have to take it steady.  We bump into fellow Brits Sven and Debbie who now live in Spain but are taking a year out to travel the world.  They have been in Quito for a week so when we get back down we hop on the same bus as them, $1 each, to get back to the new part of the city.  Unfortunately the main museum is closed on Mondays but the big arch in the park is really nice and we manage to get some money from an ATM and a good feel for the place.  It is early afternoon and we are both whacked so catch the local tram back, 25c (15p).  I take a wrong turning walking up the hill to Juan’s which is all we need when we are footsore but we ask directions and arrive back around 3pm.  We both try to sleep but flying plays havoc with my sinus’s so I leave Steve to it and begin my diary.  It starts to get dark here just after 6pm and is completely dark when Juan arrives home at 7pm.  I have trouble dragging Steve out of the pit but if he sleeps too long now he won’t sleep through the night.  I am also weary so we send out for a pizza ($20, £15) and have a huge one delivered with half and half of different toppings.  Juan shows us lots of photos of places we hope to visit but also whets our appetite for his home country of Columbia but as was decided in our original planning we just don’t have time to do everything. 

QUIT0 BELLAVISTA AREA, COUCHSURFING WITH JUAN

 

WEDNESDAY 9 SEPTEMBER – I have a really good night’s sleep getting in 6-hours nonstop, a rare treat for me.  When I get up at 8am I creep to the bathroom to avoid disturbing Juan’s other guest who is asleep on the couch in the lounge.  When she wakes up we get to meet French Cecile and hear about her backpacking around Ecuador and Peru.  She is also doing some work here but has visited many places we want to go to and helps us cross a few off the itinerary and add others.  Head out for the day calling in at a small grocery store/café to pick up drinking yoghurt and bananas for breakfast a steal at 75c (50p).  Hop on the tram to play sardines all the way to the historic district.  We are immediately impressed by the narrow cobbled streets and houses with attractive balconies.  Plaza Grande is just lovely and with a short wait we get on one of the free tours around the Palacio del Gobierno.  We go through security checks, have to wash our hands with antiseptic lotion and don face masks.  Presumably this is to prevent the staff working there picking up our germs.  The tour guide gives out information in Spanish then comes over to us to give us a condensed version in English which is really nice.  There are some fine halls with fancy wooden ceilings, silk walls and nice furniture.  Next we go down a side street to enter the main cathedral through the museum, $1.50 (£1).  We are guided through back rooms to the main cathedral which is very impressive, this leads on to the museum halls with papal gowns and other stuff.  Make our way to Plaza San Francisco and then into the nearby La Compania de Jesus.  This church is famous as the interior is coated with 7 tons of gold, as the guide book says “it borders on opulence gone mad”.  The streets we wander through are all crowded and lined by small shops selling all manner of goods, seemingly quite cheaply.  Pick up a freshly squeezed grapefruit and orange juice, 65c (40p) and it is delicious.  I also can’t resist street sellers with gateaux and pay 75c (50p) for a huge slice but it is a bit dry.  After looking at Plaza Santa Domingo and wandering up the renovated La Ronda we are done.  Pick up a taxi to the airport negotiating the fare down from $7 to $5 (£3.00).  We get a refund on the taxi fare and are very happy to be reunited with our bags.  The padlocks are missing and someone has obviously looked inside but we are told this is common when bags travel without their owners.   The airport taxi service quote us $12 to get back to Bellavista but outside we find one for $5 and return to Juan’s arriving around 3pm.  Juan says he is now on a diet and we should eat up certain foods from his freezer so we enjoy a lasagne.  I am struggling with an almost continuous headache (either altitude sickness or my sinuses from the flight) so I take a nap whilst Steve watches TV.   When Juan arrives home he takes us up on the roof to see the fires around the cable car, glad we went yesterday.  Next I go out shopping with Juan and Cynthia to Megamaxi supermarket.  It is within a modern mall and a huge store with groceries and household goods.  Many products are USA brands but more expensive than in the States. The choice of fresh fruit is amazing and Juan tells me about many of the fruits I do not recognise. 

QUITO 2, JUANS

 

WEDNESDAY 9 AUGUST – Having bought in food we are able to have our normal breakfast.  Spend an hour or so planning our onward trip before setting out to the nearby art museum.  It is a short walk but all uphill to the “Museo fundacio Guayasamin”, the museum of Ecuador’s most famous contemporary artist Oswaldo Guayasamin.  $4, (£2.40) admission allows you to view the 3 separate areas of his work and collections.  Each is in a separate area and when we enter the first area of ancient pottery a girl comes over to give us a personal guide in English and this makes it so much more interesting.  The second exhibition is Oswaldo’s collection of religious art which he used as a base for many of his paintings.  Finally we get to see his works, a bit like Picasso with others having a protest theme.  Further up the hill we get a discount to the combined museum “Capilla del Hombre” Chapel of Man a huge building that Oswaldo died before it was finished.  It looks like a huge cube with a small dome in the middle but once inside opens up to be two floors with a central dome and open area making a great canvas for displays of his work.  We are very impressed especially by an area with an original religious painting then his version of it.  Higher up the hill is the tree of life under which his ashes are buried.  All much more interesting than we expected.  Return home a mid-day as the England match is going to be on TV.  Steve is delighted when they win 5-0.  Unfortunately when Juan returns early to watch Columbia play they don’t fare as well.  Juan gives us lots more info on travelling Ecuador and also truly inspires us to go to Columbia in the future for at least 2 months.  In the evening I cook up the huge “Covina” sea bass.  Cynthia joins us and it turns out really well served with pommes noissettes and salad.  After dinner Juan and Cynthia teach us how to play the card game 40 and we really enjoy it and reluctantly call it a day at 11pm. 

QUITO 3, JUANS

 

THURSDAY 10 SEPTEMBER – We are undecided whether to pre book our Galapagos cruise or do it when we are there so catch a lift into Quito with Juan to check the travel agents.  We first establish that for the airlines low season starts on Tuesday, a saving of $56 (£34) each so that decides our departure date.  As far as the cruises go it seems that most travel agents own 1 or 2 boats and can offer better discounts on these than the others they sell.  After about 3 hours we conclude that the prices of around $1100 (£660) each for 7 nights is still not that cheap and considering the sheer number we have been offered we should be able to get a better deal once there.  Set off of Mitad del Mundo (The middle of the world aka The Equator).  Pick up a tram 25c (15p), and as well as playing sardines we also see the game of chicken.  Too many people try to get on so the doors won’t close but the tram sets off at a rapid speed with the men on the outside clinging on and people shouting at the driver.  We are the next ones in so I hold on tight to a bar in case the men on the outside start to fall and grab me.  Luckily we all arrive safely but we have learnt not to hover near the doors.  During our 1 block walk to the next tram we pass a stall selling lots of food.  For $1 (60p) you get a big bowl full of as many of the items you want.  Steve has a bit of everything and we share it between us and still struggle to get through it all.  Nice and tasty and new stuff to try.  A tram, a bus 15c (10p) and about 1-hour later we arrive at Mitad Del Mundo.   There are two Equator areas.  12- Years ago using GPS the military proved the original to be about 300 years out.   We start at the old area, $2 (£1.40) where we walk past lots of restaurants, one with guinea pig on a spit, and souvenir shops to reach a central 30m high square tower topped by a brass globe.  Each side shows a different direction and from the north and south ends a line runs out showing the Equator.  Signs enable you to stand on this line to take photos with part of you in the Northern Hemisphere and part in the South and this also means a change from spring to autumn.   Next we go to the new area about 300 yards up the road known as Museo Inti-Nan, $3 (£1.80).  An English speaking guide first takes us through replica houses of the local people and explains how they live.  In another area we see genuine shrunken heads and learn all about the process.  After “admiring” the rainforest preserved anacondas and spiders we get to the Equator experiments.  The traditional one with water going down the plughole straight on the Equator and anti and clockwise either side is amazing as she only moves the sink about 6 feet.  We also learn that it is easier to walk a line with your eyes closed on the Equator and to balance an egg on a nail – how handy is that?   To round it off we get our passports stamped at the Equator.  Reckon if we had to pick between the two this is the best museum but both were worth a visit at the price.  Arrive back around 5pm.  Juan has gone back to Columbia to visit family overnight but has left us with the key which is really a sign of how trusting Couchsurfers are. 

QUITO 4, JUANS

 

FRIDAY 11 SEPTEMBER – We have a taxi booked at 11am to take us to Jaime’s place.  He is our next host and lives about 1-hour north of the city centre.  We had agreed the $5 taxi fare when we booked it and are glad we did so as the driver gets lost and goes a roundabout way to get there.  Jaime’s wife Amalfi welcomes us but speaks no English.  Now that we have decided to book our cruise on the Galapagos we need to have cash to pay as most tours won’t accept cards for last minute boarding. Each day we must draw the maximum on our card so toddle off to the nearby bank.   Neither of the 2 banks machines will accept my card but that is not surprising as they show the MasterCard symbols then just the word visa without the symbol.  Having been warned that some South American countries only use MasterCard we have one on standby but not to hand.  Walking back we pass a nice looking hairdressers and I pop in and get my hair cut for $3 (£2).  It must look good because as we leave Steve says “actually it looks OK”, a big compliment considering he doesn’t like my hair short!  Amalfi has cooked us some corn on the cob and mini jacket potatoes for lunch served with cheese and followed by melon and yoghurt.  We learn they have 3 children, an eldest son the same age as Claire living in Sydney and another son and daughter in Ecuador.  Jaime’s arrives home and quickly changes so that his friend can drive us all to the bus station.  Our 2.30pm Esmeraldas coach arrives and we are soon on board with comfy seats that recline a long way and lots of leg room.  The 7-hour journey costs $8 (£4.80) following the rough guideline that coach travels costs about $1 an hour depending on the quality of the bus.  Within minutes we are served a drink of Coke and packet of crackers.  Next a DVD is put on in English so we settle down to watch “The Fighter”.  Just getting into it when the host comes through and changes it to Spanish.  The front cab area of the bus is completely closed off with glass partition and doors and the glass covered by a curtain on the driver’s side.  The driver, second driver and host all sit in the cab whilst we sit behind unable to ascertain why we brake and swerve so often – is this a deliberate ploy to stop all the passengers screaming out?  We chat a little to Jaime, who speaks more English than I do Spanish, but he is soon ready for a sleep after working.  The scenery is spectacular as we make our way through mountain rainforest down towards the coast.  After a couple of hours we stop at a service station where the drivers have a meal and passengers use facilities.  They are selling locally produced “provolone” cheese and Jaime says it is very good.  Another couple of hours later and we make a second stop where there is an ATM I can use.  Once it has gone dark the driver turns the interior lights out so most passengers go to sleep.  Passing through the villages is fascinating as you can see into the lighted homes.  I notice that most villages have an area with pool tables frequented by young lads.  Arriving in the big city of Esmeraldas many passengers alight.   I get up to stretch my legs and notice lots of water under our seat coming through from behind us.  This would not be too bad if our bag wasn’t on the floor.  Inside the bag I have packed the computer with coats either side to protect it further but this has not helped with the water seeping upwards.  We quickly unpack everything, wipe the damp side of the laptop and sit with everything drying on our knees.  Unbeknown to us Jaime has asked the driver to drop us before the end destination of Aticames so we suddenly have a mad scramble to gather our things and get off when the coach stops.  I have a carrier bag with me so pile in as much as I can.  Fortunately we have left much of our stuff at Juan’s and only have 2 small bags with us.  We begin walking down a dirt road and minutes later the “beach bus” pulls up.  20c (12p) takes you anywhere on the circuit and Jaime has us dropped off by their apartment.  Along with 6 other couples they bought it in 2002 and each take turns to have a week from Wednesday to Wednesday enabling them to come down for weekends as well as full week holidays.  Amalfi leads us through the gardens with 2 lovely swimming pools then over to their block where we must climb to the 5^th floor.  The apartment is spacious with 3 en-suite bathrooms, open plan lounge dining and kitchen and small patio.  We take off the dust covers and make up the beds before sitting out.  Amalfi cooks cheese toasties using the provolone and this goes down very well with a beer.  It is a humid warm evening and Jamie tells us we are just 1 block back from the beach.  They have mosquitoes here but considerate ones that only come out between 6pm and 7pm.  Amalfi and Jaime have done quite a lot of travelling; coincidently they stayed with the same hosts as us in San Antonio a month before we arrived.  Tomorrow Jaime will give us lots of tips for our onward journey, another bonus of Couchsurfing as generally we are all travelling on similar budgets.  Around 11pm we head for bed.

COSTA ESMERALDAS, TONSUPA BEACH, N ATICAMES

 

SATURDAY 12 SEPTEMBER – It is very light in the room but the comfy bed and intermittent sleep mean I don’t wake properly until 7.30am.  I hear movement in the apartment so get up to shower but when I go into the lounge no one is around but there are some keys on the table.  Now that I hear noises from neighbouring apartments I am not sure whether Jaime & Amalfi have got up and gone out and left the keys for us or are still in bed and left the keys so we could go out!  No matter, Steve is still in bed anyway so I sit on the balcony looking out to the ocean typing up my diary.  Yes the computer survived the mishap but lesson learnt and in the future I will put the computer padded sleeve into a plastic bag for further protection.  It is a warm but cloudy day and the swimming pool that Amalfi says is very cold can’t be so bad as children are already in it.  Well I was right and I was wrong, Jaime has been out to buy our return tickets whilst Amalfi was still in bed.  We enjoy a breakfast of fresh apple in yoghurt and cheese sandwiches on the balcony.  Next we set out to walk along the beach backed by numerous apartment blocks.  These are almost all owned by people from Quito and used for holidays, few people live here and there are not many conventional hotels.  Many new apartment blocks are being built unfortunately blocking the views of those behind as the new ones are even up to 15 stories high.  On our return walk we settle down to sunbathe.  It is still cloudy but I soon feel the burn, being on the Equator the sun is much stronger.  The water is very warm and nice for swimming.  Walking back we take lunch at a street café near the apartment.  You get soup, a main course and drink for $4 (£2.80) and it is nice and tasty.  In the afternoon Jaime and Amalfi return to the beach whilst Steve & I hang out by the pool before taking a siesta.  There is no water in the apartment and everyone must be in the same boat as we see people showering down by the pool.  In the evening we go for a meal at the nearby hotel as a premature celebration of our 34^th wedding anniversary – it is already the 13^th in England.  Back at the apartment Jaime surprises us by bringing out 4 buns with match candles on top.

PLAYA TONSUPA 2

 

SUNDAY 13 SEPTEMBER – There is still no water in the apartment and Amalfi was going to cook eggs for breakfast so Jaime has arranged for us to go up to Patty’s street café where she will cook breakfast using their eggs.  The local breakfast delicacy is mashed platanos (a kind of vegetable version of the banana) which is rolled into a ball, stuff with grated cheese then deep fried.  Served with scrambled egg it is pretty tasty, $1.50 (90p).  We return to the beach for the morning and enjoy a last swim in the warm sea.  Claire is doing her Windermere swim today but unfortunately we have neither Internet access nor phone reception to keep track.  After a last swim in the pool we return to pack and clean up the apartment.  This morning Jaime noticed that Patty had 4 fresh red snapper and he has ordered them for our lunch.  We get fish soup followed by snapper, rice, platanos and a bit of salad plus a drink for $3.50 (£2.20).     As we have our bags with us we just need to hop on the bus to Aticames to connect with our 3.40pm coach back to Quito.  This time we get a very new coach with air conditioning and an on board toilet.  The downside of the air conditioning is that is takes longer to clear the air first when a baby’s nappy has to be changed then later when someone is sick!  This time we have chance to admire the lowland scenery on route.  There are lots of petroleum pipes, many towns with locals washing in the rivers and chances just to observe local life.  With only 1 stop the coach arrives back at 9.15pm then it is a short taxi ride to Jaime’s.  He is planning to visit his son in Australia next year and delighted that I can help him out with some websites, especially the one with relocation motorhomes at $1 day.  It is around 11pm when we settle into our comfy en-suite bedroom having said good-bye to Jaime as he will have gone to work when we get up tomorrow.

QUITO, JAIME’S

 

MONDAY 14 SEPTEMBER – I left the phone on through the night and am delighted to receive a text to say Claire completed her swim and enjoyed it but was a little disappointed in her time, compared to what I could do it in I am very impressed.  Amalfi cooks us a traditional Columbian dish for breakfast, pastry with cheese in the middle flattened out and fried.  Jaime’s has arranged for his driver from work to pick us up and take us back to Juan’s.  We cannot stay at Jaime’s tonight as his nephew stays with them through the week but we have had a most enjoyable weekend and really enjoyed their hospitality.  Back at Juan’s we drop off our bags then walk back to the big shopping centre to buy sunscreen and goggles for our Galapagos trip.  In the afternoon I colour my hair as my new haircut shows too much mousy and grey hair for my liking.  Juan arrives home followed shortly by Cynthia so we get stuck into playing 40 and then teach them golf.

QUITO 2, JUANS

 

TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER – Up at 6am to take a taxi to the airport.  At the Tame offices they try to charge us a higher price than when we made the reservation.  Fortunately we have all the references and get the new low season fare of $359 (£220) each return.  Next we pay $10 (£6) pp, think it is Galapagos landing fee.  Passing through security you have to pause to have your photo taken, so glad I coloured my hair yesterday!  Our 9.30am departure is delayed so using the Wi-Fi at the airport I try negotiate a last minute deal with Galapagos Voyager but must check back when we arrive.   Leaving at 10am we cover the 600 miles due west out to sea to arrive in the GALAPAGOS ISLANDS at 12 o’clock local time.  First we pay $100 (£60) pp National Park fee then proceed through customs.  There are numerous buses waiting to take you on a free ride to the canal which separates the airport island of Baltra from the inhabited island of Santa Cruz.  We’ve already been approached by a hotel guide and agreed to pay him $3 (£1,80) to take us to Puerto Ayora instead of paying 80c (50p) for the ferry then $1.80 (£1.10) for the local bus.  We can immediately see the likeness with the volcanic island of Fuerteventura but the landscape changes in the highlands where we get drizzle.  Arriving in the town the bus guide insists on escorting us to the tour offices, we are not keen on this as he will no doubt be trying to get a commission.  We tell him we will go alone and try to pay him the $6 but he then asks for $16, the cost of a taxi.  Needless to say he gets $6.  There is no message on the Internet and at the agencies we make little progress, there are very few boats leaving today and the price is still well over $1000 (£600) pp even in the lower class boats.  Freddy accosts us leaving a tour office, insists on taking us to a hotel to tell us about a Gap Adventure boat leaving tomorrow for 8 days and he can do 1 night in the hotel + cruise for $1100 (£660).  I have a feeling he is lying about the cabins and that they are bunk beds not doubles so insist on going to the Internet to check it out.  It is bunk beds (albeit with a ¾ bottom bunk) but at the same time we get a message from Galapagos Voyager to say they have agreed the deal we offered but must get to San Cristobel for the departure. We have missed the 2pm regular ferry at $30pp and can only get there by chartering a speedboat at $700 so that’s not an option.  We negotiate further with the Voyager agents and agree that they will pick us up at the Canal tomorrow morning at 6.30am.  A panga (small boat) will be waiting with a person wearing a “Galapagos Voyager” life vest.  We are still paying the higher price but have not got a luxury cruise so are very happy.  Of course now we must stay overnight in Puerto Ayora and in the backstreets secure a nice apartment for $35 (£21).  Off loading our bags we set out to explore and find ourselves in a very attractive tourist town with many artisan shops.  The waterfront is lovely and we catch the show when the fishing boats arrive back.  2 seals, pelicans and a few other birds gather round for scraps and it is very entertaining.  Amongst the birds are a couple of blue footed boobies so we are off to a good start.  Making use of the kitchen in the apartment we brew up some cup a soup to go with our fresh bread, seems like a good idea to eat light in view of the cruise ahead. 

GALAPAGOS 1, PUERTO AYORA, HERMANO APARTMENT

$35 (£21)

SUNDAY 16 AUGUST – We get up early for our buffet breakfast €4.70 (£4.40) making the most of it for a good fill up.  Arrive at Mont St Michel before it gets too busy.  We are amazed to see probably well over hundred motorhomes that have been parked up overnight as when we stayed a few years back we were in single figures.  The tide is low so we make the interesting walk around the island before exploring the streets up to the abbey.  By now crowds of tourists have arrived and we are glad to be ready to leave.  Making our way along the coast we get some fine views and even stop to watch the tide quickly coming in, still not as quickly as we were led to believe by the load hailer warning people on the beach!  In Granville we take a walk around the old town then pick up lunch at the kebab stall down by the waterfront for a picnic.  Arrive in St Lo mid afternoon at the Etap hotel and settle into rooms identical to last night.  At least this way we know where the bathroom is during the night!  Spend the afternoon planning our coastal tour tomorrow and also trying to find a room for when we are back in England.  Natasha manages to wobble a tooth lose and hopes the tooth fairy finds it.

ST LO, ETAP HOTEL €44.40 (£39) including breakfast. 

 

MONDAY 17 AUGUST – Natasha is happy that the tooth fairy left her €2 (£1.75), so now she has money to spend.  We begin the D-Day trails at St Come De Mont.  Arriving too early for the “Dead mans corner” museum we continue to the tourist house.  We are impressed by a movie all about farming in the area and can’t stop laughing when we hear the dubbed voice of the farmer talking with a Yorkshire accent and his mate a West Country one.  We also get a laugh in the communal toilets with the first door showing a high up mens' urinal, the next a lower boys one, two with ladies on sitting down toilets and the last for the disabled.  Brings a whole new meaning to the expression “going to the little boys room”.  Bev, Norm, Steve & Natasha go into the “Dead mans corner” museum and buy the “Normandy card” for €1 (90p) to get them a discount at all the attractions €6.95 (£6.20) in total.  They say it is impressive in the fact that it is the very house from which the road junction was defended, the dead man being a soldier stuck dead in his tank for a long time before he was pulled out.  A Le Cambe we stop at the German cemetery with rows of 5 black crosses between the gravestones.  Steve & I came along this route in 2001 and immediately see changes as visitor centres are larger and roads wider.  On the coast road the world peace shiny silver statue is very impressive.  Natasha enjoys wandering around Point Hoc, running up and down in the bomb craters and exploring the gun emplacements.  Following the beach road we see many memorials then stop for our picnic lunch at the back of Omaha Beach.  Bev & Norm go into the museum whilst we go onto the beach with Natasha.  The American cemetery at Coleville now has an enormous visitor centre where you could spend many hours.  Natasha is kept busy in the huge cemetery looking for the gold inscribed medal of honour graves.  Longues Battery has a few gun emplacements in very good condition complete with the guns inside so good fun for Nat.  In Arromanches we drive up the hill for views of the remains of the Mulberry harbour then head to Bayeaux Etap Hotel.  After checking into the hotel we drive into the city to pick up take away pizza to be eaten on the picnic benches at the hotel.  With the Euro now at around €1.15 - £1 we are finding that eating our the food seems very expensive and even the cheap motels are not as cheap as we remember them being.  Don’t think we would opt to do a tour in France this way again as we don’t seem to be getting value for money.  Every day we are amazed by the sheer number of motorhomes we are seeing and the amount of overnight stops now provided and feel well and truly motor homesick! 

BAYEAUX ETAP €61.80 (£53) room and breakfast

 

TUESDAY 18 AUGUST – Find it easy to park in the city and Bev, Norm & Natasha go to look at the Bayeaux tapestry whilst we wander the streets.  The cathedrals is very impressive inside and out so we are happy to re visit.  On the edge of town Bev & Norm go to the war museum whilst we walk through the new memorial to reporters killed in wars.  It is amazing to notice that the recent years have the most casualties, most names sound to be Middle Eastern and many dates in the 50’s have no deaths – a sign of the times I guess.  Rejoin the coast at Courseulles where Steve finds a good café for lunch.  It is very rustic, in a kind of tent with wooden tables but the moules & frites (mussels & chips) and a glass of wine at €7.50 (£6.75) are excellent.  Spend an hour or so on the beach but just beyond the dry sand is a wide bank of seaweed and the sea is very far out.  Arrive at the Pegasus Bridge and I go into the museum with Bev & Norm whilst Steve naps in the car and Natasha plays on her DS.  Caen is our Etap for the night, in the city as Bev & Norm want to explore but getting to it is difficult due to the one way streets.  It is probably the worst so far, you have to pay for wi-fi, street parking is a pay job and there is no air-con in the room. Bev & Norm wanted a room in town so to explore at night but we seem to be in a seedy area by the railway station so not keen to venture far.  It is quite hot and stuffy in the room to start but with the window open it is too noisy and we are directly under the illuminated Etap sign so that is not an option either but at least it gets cooler later.

CAEN ETAP €52 (£45) room and breakfast

 

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST – I manage to direct us on a drive around the castle before heading out of town.  Join the coast at Holgate to retrace our steps towards Honfleur.  In Villers-sur-mer we stop so Natasha can have a spell on the beach whilst I walk with Bev & Norm to admire the magnificent mansions running along the back $of it.  Deuville is very busy so we don’t even attempt to park and Trouville is worse with a street market so we take the lorry route around the town.  Honfleur has great free parking west of town, about 1/2km walk to the centre.  It is a lovely hot and sunny day and we enjoy walking around and are especially impressed by St Catherine’s wooden church.  The basin is full of yachts anchored up and surrounded by restaurants so we do a circuit before settling on one with a €14 (£12) 3-course menu.  For starters you can have whelks, prawns or a ham and cheese crepe.  Main course is steak or salmon and dessert crème Brule or apple tart and all very tasty.    Had we known what we were going to get we would probably have persuaded Natasha onto it as it is much better value than her  €10 (£9) children’s menu of 4 chicken nuggets, chips and a scoop of ice cream.  It is really hot so we leave Bev & Norm to do a bit more exploring whilst we go to the public gardens where there is a  paddling pool.  At 2pm we set off for Le Havre, over the toll bridge €5 (£4.50) and round to the LD ferry terminal arriving just before 3pm.  We are booked on the Norman Spirit to Portsmouth (£195) which sails at 5pm so in the meantime make use of the shady trees, grass and picnic area to sit out.  The Sprit is a large ship with plenty of eating and seating areas.  I reckon the bar has the most comfortable seats to lay flat on so Natasha and I go there whilst the others start in the aeroplane style recliners.  I’ve had a headache all day so am happy to just lie around.  Natasha really enjoyed exploring the ship and chasing back to either myself or Steve to show us things.  The others join us in the bar for a beer to go with our picnic.  It is a smooth 5 ½ hour crossing with a lovely approach to Portsmouth ENGLAND where we dock just before 10am.  After getting on the right road in the wrong direction we finally turn around a locate the Etap Hotel next to the football ground.  The check in procedure is more complicated than France with forms to be filled in for each room.  Natasha makes me laugh when she says, “at least they speak English” as the next minute I have to ask the Eastern European receptionist to repeat her question, as I can’t understand her accent!  You also have to leave a deposit of £10 if you want the TV remote control or a hair dryer – makes you wonder what kind of area we are in!

PORTSMOUTH, ETAP HOTEL

£35 room + £2.95 breakfast

 

THURSDAY 20 AUGUST – Before leaving Portsmouth we drive around the dock area for views of the Warrior and Victory ships.  At Portchester we wander around the impressive castle but rain forces us to run back to the car.  By the time we get to Lyndhurst in the New Forest it is bright and sunny.  After walking around the town we set off to explore the forest and show Natasha the wild ponies.  At Lymington we sit in a waterfront park eating our hot pasties for lunch.  Christchurch has a free electric museum within the Edwardian power station and it keeps Natasha entertained for over an hour.  Parking by the priory we explore the cathedral with the famous miraculous beam (story has it that a mystery worker replaced one that was too short with this one).  Steve and Natasha take a seat on the ducking stool but have no fears as the river below is now just a shallow stream.  In Bournemouth we easily find the Mayfair Hotel where we have 2 comfortable double rooms.  It is less than a 10-minute walk to the beach where Natasha is soon strolling along the sand.  The red arrows are going to be doing a show over the weekend and lots of stands are already being set up.  Bump into Bev & Norm whilst checking out eating places and end up walking up the hill to “The Tralee” Irish pub where the £5 meals are excellent especially washed down with any draught beer at £1.85 pint – welcome back to England. 

BOURNEMOUTH, MAYFAIR HOTEL

£45 double room through www.laterooms.com

 

FRIDAY 21 AUGUST – We take the Sandbanks ferry, £3, to get to Studland Bay where there is a naturist section of the beach.  After about 10 minutes walking along the track we emerge onto a beautiful beach with the naturist section in the middle.  It is hot between the clouds and once we find a sheltered spot in the dunes we can sunbathe in the warmth.  In the distance we have a great view of “Dirndl door” rock formation.  Moving onwards Corfe Castle looks really nice perched on top of a hill then Wareham has a pretty riverside but it is too busy to park up.  We enjoy a picnic lunch at Avon Heath then at Stoney Cross return to the New Forest.  Natasha loves it here especially as we see ponies, horses, donkeys and also some deer.  In East Wellow we detour down a winding narrow lane to the church where Florence Nightingale is buried.  There are many testaments to her within the church including a replica of a cross made from gunshot from the Crimean war.  Late rooms led us to The Grosvenor in Stockbridge and we arrive mid afternoon giving Steve chance of a nap as he is going down with a cold.  Natasha and I walk the street and are amazed by the number of crystal clear streams emerging either side of the high street.  The evening meal offer of 2 for £9.95 seems to be the best in town and the locally made trio of assorted sausages is excellent.

STOCKBRIDGE, GROSVENOR HOTEL

£40 double B&B

 

SATURDAY 22 AUGUST – We all thoroughly enjoy the full English cooked breakfast and it is almost 9.30am when we leave.  Our destination is Oxford where Bev & Norm are booked into a guest house for a couple of nights.  Arrive at 11am and say fond farewells after an excellent time together.  I try to direct us straight up the country towards the M1 on the basis that although the side roads and town speed limits slow things up at least we are on the move.  Steve would rather take the motorways so we pick up the M40 to connect to the M6 and M62 and predictably have hold ups but nothing major.  Arrive in Denholme at Daz’s at 4pm.  Natasha is very happy to see her Dad again and also her pet tortoise Flo and goldfish Nemo.  Daz now lives in a very modern 2 bedroom apartment with nice views from the French window and we can see why Natasha likes to visit.  Back in Keighley Nat is also pleased to see Mummy but I am not sure Mummy is quite so pleased to receive our 3 bags full of laundry.  At least the machine is now fixed and it is a nice enough afternoon to get a load out to dry.  Daniel arrives back from camp around 7pm.  They have had bad weather and some of the lads almost got to the stage of having trench foot.  What a survival experience it turned out to be. 

KEIGHLEY 1, CLAIRES

 

SUNDAY 23 AUGUST – Claire and the kids are up early as it is Daz’s brothers baby’s christening today and they are all going to it.  I help Claire curling her hair then she does Natasha’s.  In a party dress and make up she looks like a proper young lady.  Daniel has got some new clothes and looks considerably smarter and fresher than when he arrived back yesterday.  I spend the morning unpacking his huge rucksack and sorting through the washing whilst Steve stays in bed.  Claire & Daniel return early afternoon, Daniel is shattered but Natty has stayed on with Dad.  By evening I have managed to get all the washing done and dried and reward myself by playing bejewelled on Facebook – big mistake as I am up until 1am.

KEIGHLEY 2, CLAIRES

 

MONDAY 24 AUGUST – I pop down town in the morning then after lunch take Daniel with me to Coldspring Mills in Cullingworth.  I need some warm clothing for Antarctica and pick up a micro fleece and some thermal layers.

KEIGHLEY 3, CLAIRES

 

KEIGHLEY 4, CLAIRES

 

WEDNESDAY 26 AUGUST – I get up early to follow Claire to the garage, where she is having some work done on the car, then take her to work.  Glad we did York yesterday, as it is a really cold a miserable rainy day.  In the afternoon Daniel makes a fantastic chocolate cake for his Auntie Dawns birthday and they go over there after I take them to pick up Claire’s car.

KEIGHLEY 5, CLAIRES

 

THURSDAY 27 AUGUST – I get up early to make the most of the nice morning and crack on cleaning Mum’s car.  After emptying everything out I vacuum and clean the inside then do outside and have it all finished in around 1-hour, just a little quicker than doing a motorhome!  Today Daniel and Natasha make scrumptious Maltesers cake and serve it to us with hot chocolate and marshmallows.  In the evening I have invited Rod & Nancy round for a meal and the Hungarian goulash cooked all day in the slow cooker works out a treat.  End up with them staying until midnight.

KEIGHLEY 6, CLAIRES

 

FRIDAY 28 AUGUST – What a day, it pouring with rain and a strong wind is blowing it sideways.  Unfortunately we are completely out of milk so I have to brave the storm to go to the shops.  Daniel & Natasha are staying at Daz’s tonight so I have invited Richard John to join for a meal.  Again the slow cooker produces a good pork curry and Claire joins us for dinner.  Richard has brought some beers along and we have plenty of wine from France so it is no great surprise that he ends up sleeping over.

KEIGHLEY 7, CLAIRES

 

SATURDAY 29 AUGUST –Claire amazes us by getting herself off to 6am swimming training.  We are just having breakfast when she gets back. It is Daniels party this afternoon and he is having it at the bowling lanes in Bradford.  Steve & I go up to spend our last bit of time with Mom & Dad before leaving the country.  Daniel and Claire arrive back from the party where he has had a great time.  Once he has gone to bed I make him a cake for his birthday and no I am not smarter than an 11-year old in the kitchen!

KEIGHLEY 8, CLAIRES

 

SUNDAY 30 AUGUST – Daniel heads downstairs to find his cards, piles of balloons and the Wilson perpetual Happy Birthday banner.  He is delighted to find that he now has enough money for the Ipod touch he has his heart set on.  Daz & Natasha arrive and after doing research on the Internet Daz takes him to Halifax to pick up his Ipod.  Needless to say he is attached to it for the rest of the day.  Claire’s cooks Daniels favourite meal for lunch then in the afternoon Daz & Natasha leave.  Around 8.30pm Netty & Mark arrive along with Stacey with her new boyfriends Graham.  Dig out some of the old video with them on have good chuckle at how we all used to look.  It always seems to be the hair styles that cause the most comment.  Netty & Mark go off to stay at Mom & Dads whilst Stacey and Graham crash out in the lounge.

KEIGHLEY 9, CLAIRES

 

MONDAY 31 AUGUST – Bank holiday Monday and surprisingly a pleasant morning.  After breakfast together we say our farewells to head on to Sandra’s.  Keith is home and settles us into the spare bedroom.  Adrian and his wife Louise, who I have only met on Facebook, arrive to collect their daughter Zara.  However Zara is still out shopping with Sandra so we have time for a chat.  After everyone has left we set off for a day out.  In the back as passengers we feel like tourists in our own country and thoroughly enjoy the scenic drive across the Yorkshire moors.  Near Thirsk we can see the Yorkshire white horse in the distance and head that way to drive up Sutton Bank to the airfield at the top of the escarpment.  The gliding club are having an open day and we begin with an inexpensive meal in their café.  Sandra wants to treat Keith to a flight for his birthday but they are fully booked today.  For £80 you get a minimum of 20 minutes plus 3 months membership of the flying club which would give you future flights much cheaper.  Settle for walking around the perimeter and it is a terrific walk.  We can watch the plane and gliders taking off, stand at the top of the white horse and get fantastic views for miles around.  Towards the end of what must be about a 4-mile walk the weather changes and we hasten back to beat the rain.  We are all pretty tired when we get back but it has been a super day out.  Sandra cooks a meal then we settle down to watch a bit of TV, chat and relax.

KEIGHLEY 10, CLAIRES