P.S.

Got to Guayaquil airport wih no problems - and then . . . ! The rep sent to meet us was in a desperate hurry to get away. Took us to the LAN desk, couldn't find us on the system then decided we had to check in with Iberia. This was a different numbered flight. She almost ran out of the airport, checking her watch and we were left not actually knowing if we were booked on the flight or not. Waited 2 and a half hours to find out we were. So we sat in the VIP lounge sipping wine and a LARGE whisky! Only another 2 hours to wait, so we'll have another large wine and a whisky, then a windy and a large whisk. May get home sometime!

Part II. Got on the plane in Guayaquil and settled in business class. Comfy seats with loads of electronic buttons to play with. Then they discovered a bag in the aisle in cattle class. No-one would claim it so they got the drugs boys, police, sniffer dogs etc. Bag off the plane, tracked owner, got him off the plane. Long interview etc etc. Result - 1 hour delay. Never mind eh? We had plenty just enough time in Madrid to make the connection. So a lovely flight. Great meal, nice 2004 Rioja, lie flat bed and all was well . . .

Part III. . . . until just before landing we checked the boarding cards for our last flight, which had been issued in Guayaquil. Checked gate - OK, same terminal we were landing at. Checked time - 1 hour earlier and the wrong flight number!! Everyone else on the flight connecting to Heathrow was rushed through security but we had to get new boarding cards at the info desk. Turned out ...we WERE booked on that flight but - sorry, too late to get on!!! Not a major problem. Tickets issued for the next flight in just 50 mins. In the other terminal though - 30 mins away including a train ride. We made it - just - as the flight was being delayed due to "a problem with the plane"! We eventually moved to another gate, and then another. A new plane and we eventually left at 6 p.m. - 2 hours later than we should have. Again in business, but because we were on the wrong flight, no veggie meal for Marg. She'll be having the booze then!

 

Part IV -  Landed safely at Heathrow.
The captain even managed to make up half an hour on the flight. Just the bags to collect then!! We stood - and waited - and waited some more, and just as the remaining bags were being taken off the carousel, there was one of our bags appearing through the curtain. The other one would surely be along any second . . . surely . . any second now. Then a nice young man approached Marg, asked her name and said "Ah yes - I know where your bag is - it's coming in on the 11 o'clock flight" - !!! So after some form filling and a couple of hours car journey we made it home, where we scoffed chocs and drank brandy and caught up with a bit of Strictly. Woke up Monday at 20 to 1, so a bit of adjustment in time necessary I think!
May get the bag back Monday, but more likely Tuesday. So here endeth the saga of the Billings latest trip - we hope!!

P.P.S. Case arrived Tuesday, minus a maker's badge and a label or two!

Our last full day

This morning we said farewell to Perry and Diana who are off to Guayaquil for a night before flying home. Who knows, we may even see them at the airport tomorrow.
After a lazy breakfast, we wandered across to the beach and paddled in the shallows, spotting so many fish and wishing our underwater camera was working! This was all we could do.

The latest Isabella II guests were due to have lunch at our hotel today, and they arrived as we were relaxing on the balcony. As John said when he led his group along the path - "Best room in the house!"

The rest of this day has been spent lounging by the pool, getting the blog up to date and relieving Pepe the barman of a beer or two!

Packing for the journey home comes next, then a (hopefully) nice meal in the restaurant. It's been an amazing holiday. See you all soon!

Tortuga Bay

We've woken up most mornings and it's been cloudy - warm, but cloudy. This morning, some blue sky! We thought about getting to Tortuga Bay, which is to the west of Puerta Ayora, and in a nature reserve. We were still mulling it over and on the point of deciding it wasn't worth the trek when we checked Google images - and decided it definitely was!
The hotel water taxi took us across the harbour and a local taxi took us 10 minutes further ($1) to the entrance of the reserve. From there it's a 40 minute walk to the beach, along a path that should really be painted yellow.

A splash of brght blue appeared in the distance and the sound of waves increased gradually until we emerged at last onto the beach. The sand was so fine it was more like dust. Would you say it was worth the walk?

Because we were stupid and foreign, we were there at the hottest time of day, which meant there were very few people around. It's good to be stupid sometimes! We had to share the beach with some of the local wildlife though.

Whether this pelican hoped to spot any fish in those waves is doubtful. Maybe he was just enjoying sitting there. Don't blame him!






At the end of the beach, we walked through some shrubbery and came to a lagoon with water gently lapping on soft sand.

We had meant to just take a few photos and go back, but Tortuga beach is so idyllic we spent an hour relaxing and swimming here then walked back along the beach. ( Watch out for low flying pelicans!)

After following the brown brick road back to the reserve entrance, we walked into town, shopped for "genuine" Ray Ban sunglasses to replace the prescription sunglasses Paul had sat on, and had a meal in an Ecuadorian Italian restaurant. By the way, if you think British road works are something to complain about . . . . .

We finished the day by going for a drink at the poolside bar where Perry and Diana joined us after their hotel meal. What a great day!

Finch Bay Hotel

So here we are on the last part of our holiday. 4 nights in the Finch Bay Hotel. It's around the headland from Puerta Ayora on Santa Cruz island. 30 000 people live in the Galapagos and 20 000 of them live on Santa Cruz.
We got here by retracing our exact steps from Baltra airport as far as Puerta Ayora. This time we travelled just with Diana and Perry, who we made friends with on the Isabella II.

We were met at the harbour by the hotel's water taxi to take us across. The boatman couldn't have known we'd been to a few islands, because he was shouting excitedly "Blue footed booby - look, look!"

We felt like saying "Seen them before pal. Loads of them". But we took a photo anyway.

A couple of seals were playing coastguard, but weren't being very watchful.

 We had a 5 min walk from the jetty to the hotel, avoiding more iguanas and lizards. The bay itself is a calm lagoon, bordered by mangroves. Bird life includes whimbrels, turnstones, pelicans, sandpipers, gulls, ducks, herons and of course finches.

Fruit cocktails on arrival, which we finished on our balcony. The finches thought they'd like some.

  

Our room is bigger than we'd expected. We knew we were having twin beds as the ocean view with a kingsize had gone. Didn't expect 2 double beds though!

The following day (Wednesday) was spent by the pool. A heron had got there first and we expected it to fly away as we got close. No chance.














It stayed there for 2 and a half hours until the barman got fed up and threw ice cubes at it and at the ducks to chase them away. "Molto problema" he said and it is. Not many use the pool as occasional bird crap is either floating on the surface with a few feathers mixed in, or has sunk to the bottom. Never mind, the sea is only 20 yards away.

Galapagos Day 5 - Leaving Isabela II

We ended our voyage with a farewell cocktail last night and a great slide show of photos taken by the guides during the week. The images will be available for all to see on facebook in the next week or so. We're looking forward to downloading them, especially the great underwater shots, since our waterproof camera refused to switch on after the first day.
All the guides, Viviana, Socrates and John have been fantastic, but since we've spent far more time with John we presented him with a Welsh baseball cap.

We were really quite sad to be leaving the ship and would 100% recommend the Isabela II to anyone thinking of this type of holiday. Guides, manager, captain and crew have all been wonderful. Having said that, it's great to be back on dry land!

Galapagos Day 4

We arrived at Santiago island shortly before breakfast. It was another wet landing, this time onto a black volcanic sand beach.

The island is basically composed of lava flows and rock layers, but there is also vegetation, such as the poison apple tree. The fruit has a rock hard casing, but a species of finch has developed a strong, stubby beak able to crack it open, and also a tolerance to the poison. All the islands we have visited are unique in their own way.

                          Wild and beautiful.

We walked over black, solidified (just as well!) lava marvelling at the wildlife everywhere. The fur seal pups were especially cute!

It's important to watch where you're stepping on these excursions. Grey marine iguanas on black rock can be tricky!

Our guide, Viviana, led us towards the edge of the land. Because this coastline is formed from lava, there are occasional blowholes and natural bridges, which pockets of gas have formed.

       
      Spot the seal and the 2 pelicans.

This Sally Lightfoot crab was carrying eggs and had opened up her egg sacs so that the sun could warm them.

Below are a couple of the local punks.

For the bird watchers out there, a selection of some we saw - a couple may test your Googling.

We also saw a frigate bird - the pirate of the skies - give some serious grief to a pelican that had caught a fish.

We're not sure if the 2nd pelican was trying to help or to help himself!

We made our way back to the beach, where we'd arranged to go kayaking. Only the two of us had signed up for it. We were told the inflatable would be nearby at all times, but after two minutes, they'd obviously decided we knew what we were doing, because they were far in the distance. We had the bay to ourselves and it was wonderful! Unfortunately no-one took any photos! This was the bay though, and that's our bright orange kayak behind the inflatable.

Back on the Isabela II we took a couple of snaps - maybe just to prove we were on a boat!

You never know what you'll spot next!

Our last expedition was to Bartolome island. A quick panga ride around the bay, and then a dry landing. We were going to climb quite a few steps to reach a viewpoint over the island.

It started quite gently. . .

. . . but got steeper towards the top.

We all know Darwin visited these islands, but maybe Jules Verne did too. Talk about the Lost World! Volcanic craters and unusual plant life everywhere.

This was possibly the most unusual island we had visited. But it was also beautiful. We were a little disappointed that the light was fading as the following view is one often used to advertise the Galapagos islands. It needed sunshine, blue sea and yellow sand.

As we left Bartolome, our last full day had ended.

Just time for another quick panga ride round the bay before heading back to the ship.

What a day - again!