Finally in the Galapagos!

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Continued from the last post...


Sure enough, an hour into our trip, around 3:30, the bus pulls over again, this time at a National Ecuadorean Police Station where everyone is asked to get off the bus, show their passports and have their bags searched. Again, I was dead asleep and had trouble prying my weary eyes open for another midnight jaunt. I hopped out and waited in line with everyone else from the top deck...it looked like there were still about 8 people below sleeping who weren´t leaving the bus. Everyone handed over their passports one at a time, had their bags checked...it came to me, and I handed the girl my passport, and just waved me forward....didn´t even check my camelback I was carrying...and the whole while the cops are checking every nook and cranny of the upstairs part of the bus and didn´t even head downstairs to the sleepers!!! I should have just pretended to sleep and I would have been able to stay on and not participate in this extra search! So, after about 20 minutes we again hopped back on the bus and headed to Guayaquil. After quite a few peaceful hours, I was finally woken up a final time...one last time prying my weary eyes open from lack of sleep...we finally made it to Guayaquil...around 7am like I had predicted.

After grabbing my stuff off the bus, I caught a cab to the airport to check in. I found the TAME Airlines desk and gave the guy my passport. He asked where Í was going, I said the Galapagos. He then asked, "San Cristobal or Baltras?"...I told him I didn´t know because I didn´t book the ticket, so he easily looked me up and found that I was going to Baltras. He asked if I had the INGALA (An organization charged with preserving the Galapagos and making sure no foreign plants, fruits, animals get introduced to the islands) entry card on me, I told him I didn´t know what he was talking about...so he pointed down the way to the middle of the terminal and said I needed to have my bags checked and pay the $10 fee to get the card then I could check in.

After having my bags scanned for contraband from the INGALA people I made my way back to the guy at TAME. I checked in then headed to my gate...at this point I was EXTREMELY tired and sat in a chair with a clear view of my gate and information...I had an hour to go until my flight started boarding. I started dozing off but still paying attention to the PA system...all of a sudden my head bobbed back which woke me up fully...and wouldn´t you know it my plane was boarding!!! I guess I fell asleep and wasn´t hearing anything...lucky for me I started head bobbing and it woke me up! So I boarded the plane and low and behold I somehow managed to get FIRST CLASS!!! WOOO HOOO...seat 2F. There was NOBODY sitting next to me, so nap time here we come!

Wouldn´t you know it...after the seatbelt sign was turned off, a guy in front of me went back to the coach cabin to get his daughter to come up and sit in the empty seat next to me...and she started chatting my ear off...Where are you from, What do you do, Where are you going, What have you done....etc....Me constantly closing my eyes after I answered every question didn´t get the point across that I wanted was to SLEEP! Eventually she stopped yapping and I laid back to get some sleep and not 10 minutes later the captain came over the loud speaker and said we were about to land so put your seats and tray tables up! ARGH! I chit chatted with the girl about the island and she said I had to hop on a bus, then take a ferry across a canal to Isla Santa Cruz, and then take a cab or bus to the other side of the island to Puerta Ayora...huh? Sounds complicated!

I landed in Baltras...definitely not what I expected from the Galapagos. It was a desert area with sand and cacti! After waiting in line...Galapagos immigration is much like immigration in any other country...I finally made it to the agent, paid my $100 bucks to enter and then was herded into an area to wait for my bags. After about 10 minutes people were let into the baggage hold area 10 at a time...it seemed like an easter egg hunt with people searching out their bags as quickly as possible so they could get in line to get out of that area! I finally made it in, tracked down my backpack and had to search around a bit for my kite bag...waited in line and finally made it to freedom!

I boarded a bus to the TAME bus to the canal (about a 10 minute ride through the desert) and saw a lot of cement slabs on the ground. I asked the girl sitting next to me...the same girl from the plan...what they were and she said she things it was an old army base...pretty cool. We finally made it to the canal and boarded the ferry and crossed...cost: 80 cents. While I was hopping off the boat I saw a guy holding a sign for Matthew Seitz...yay a cab was waiting for me to take me to my hotel!

I hopped in the cab and went from arid desert, to lush highlands, to beach in 45 kilometers...weird! We stopped and picked up Javier (the guy that booked our trip) when we made it to town and then headed to the hotel. I finally made it around 1130/12pm and met my mom in the courtyard area. Javier told us he would swing by and pick us up at 3 to show us the Charles Darwin Research Station.

She told me I stunk really bad (Hey...I´d been traveling for 18 hours and had been in the same clothes for 2 days since I was stuck in Máncora an extra day!) so I showered before we went to lunch. We found a place near the hotel and I ordered....chicken cordon blue! It was SOOO good and had a honey mustard sauce on the side to dip it in ...very tasty. After lunch we headed back to the hotel and I napped til about 3.

Javier came by and walked with us towards the Charles Darwin Station and we made a pit stop at the Dive Center where we would be diving tomorrow to try on gear and have it ready for the morning. That took only about 15 minutes and then we headed up the hill to the station. We saw (and were able to walk around and get really near) some giant tortoises...very cool. Also saw some marine iguanas just chilling on the paths without a care in the world. After we did that we headed back to town to cruise the strip and to look for another hoody for me since I lost mine last night! Needless to say no hoodies on the equator!

We popped into a restaurant called THE ROCK because it had Barracuda on the menu and I´ve never had that...so I had some sauteed octopus as an appetizer and then barracuda as my main course...HUGE portions...only ate about half. Mom had some chicken since she´s not a big seafood eater. After dinner we headed back to the hotel and I crawled into bed to go to sleep. I threw on the TV and there were only 3 stations and none of them in english. I shut if off and hit the sack. Mom asked me if I was already going to bed and IO asked what time it was...I looked at my travel clock and it was only 7:30!!!!! Wow I was tired...so I told her yeah and wen to sleep by 8pm!

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