One of the daughters from Mundialcity drove us to the airport.  We checked  in with Immigration and paid the $20 fee to enter the Galapagos.  We headed to the ATM room that has about 5 ATM machines.  We want to get some more cash as most  everything on the Galapagos needs cash. We have been using the Bank of Guayaquil ATMs here without a problem.  They charge $1.50 per transaction no matter what the amount. We are having a bit of a problem as we ask for more than the machines transaction limit.  We think we have locked out the one card, so we try another.  No luck.  We try Stu’s card in another machine, voila!!  I try the other cards in that machine and have success also.  We were able to take 4 withdrawals using 3 different cards.  But we got enough to ensure we don’t run out, early on anyway.  With cash stuffed everywhere we head to the gate.

The flight leaves on time for the 2 hour flight.  We arrive in San Cristobal at 12:40 as we gain an hour going this far west. 

We stand in the line to enter the Galapagos. I feel we were there for almost an hour. It is here that we need to pay $100 per person to enter the National Park. It is very well publicized that you need to pay this and it must be cash. A young man ahead of Greg and Leslie began to tell the woman collecting the fee that is was 2019 and they should accept credit cards and that he did not have $100 cash. There is an ATM that they allowed him to use. He tried to take his passport when going to the ATM, but she said no, no. Interesting people.

People from our hostal, are at the airport to pick us up. Jennifer and Carlos Sr. We drop our bags and go wandering. 

There are tour operators everywhere.  We are looking into what they call a “360 Tour”.  This is a boat around the island.  It stops at 5 locations for either snorkeling, photos, fishing and lunch.  The prices all seem to be $150 per person.  We stop into “The Old Fisherman” agency and Greg chats up the young woman there, Carla.  He asks her about the price for 4 and very shortly has the price down to $130 per person.  The tour begins at 7 and returns between 4 and 4:30.  The boats are all full for tomorrow, so we book for Friday.  We pay half now and will pay the remainder on Friday morning.  We will need to be down at the port by 6:30 to grab some breakfast as it is not offered at our hotel.  Then to the Old Fisherman by 7:10 to get wetsuits and fins.

We wander around the small port town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno looking for lunch.  There are many many restaurants that are closed.  We do find a place that is called the “Mockingbird Cafe”.  It is open and has quite a few people so we decide this is the place.  😊  We are upstairs where there is a large group of what appears to be high school students from North America, possibly Canada.  They have a Naturalist who is outlining the activities for the rest of their day. 

Continuing to wander Puerto Baquerizo Moreno along the Malecon.  We see many sea lions just chilling on the boardwalk, the benches or anywhere else they choose. 

There are hundreds and hundreds of crabs here.  Quite a few varieties, all different from anything we have seen before.  At least a couple of different red ones and some black ones.

There are teens jumping off the pier near the end of the Malecon.  Stu gets this photo of three balancing on a pole.  Oddly enough they did not plunge into the water, but stepped back onto the pier.

We see a replica of Charles Darwin’s Beagle and his statue here.  As expected Charles is a big celebrity in these parts.  Many things named in his honour.

A few more photos as there is so much to photograph here. 🙂

We have been very very busy. Lots and lots of pictures, but a very, iffy internet connection. We are moving to Santa Cruz today. Hopefully a better connection and I can catch up. 😉

Today we are getting the bus from Santa Elena (a $5 cab ride away from Salinas) to Guayaquil.  We will spend the night in a hotel near the airport as we are flying to the Galapagos tomorrow.

We head out for walk from our hotel and go in a different direction than we have gone before.  We find some shops that are new to us.  We also pass a building that appears to have been abandoned before it was completed.  That doesn’t stop some people from moving into the bottom floor.

We stop for a coffee at a nice little place called “Common Grounds”.  We each order a different type of excellent coffee which we all enjoy.

Outside we see a Jeepy type vehicle and Stu wonders what it is.  Nothing on it to indicate what make it is. I do notice that the keys are in the ignition, so he could take it for a spin if he likes. 

We arrive back at the hotel and pack up our belongings.  There is a building under construction across the street.  Today they have removed some of the tarps that have been covering it.  This exposes the scaffolding that appears to be made of bamboo.  Scary looking construction site.

We arrive at the bus terminal, buy our tickets and once again have less than 10 minutes before the bus departs.  Our timing for this trip has been incredible.

Just over 2 hours later we arrive at the Guayaquil Bus Terminal.  This is a multi-level terminal.  It is larger than some airports.  It also has many many shops, looking at times more like a mall.  Greg and I go into the grocery store to stock up on Happy Hour snacks while Stu and Leslie watch the bags.  Snacks in hand we head out to the taxi stand and discuss our destination with a cabbie.  He will take us.  As we get near the hotel, it is difficult to find.  After some discussion with Greg and the cabbie, they spot the hotel.  Just a bit down a little lane.  He pulls up, we all get out and hear a loud HHHIIIIISSSSSS as the front passenger tire goes flat.  We find a valve on the ground.  We feel very badly for him.  This is a $5 fare plus a flat.  Our host at the hotel tells us that a repair shop is very close by.  We see the cabbie a bit later and he seems to be happy as his cab is jacked up and the tire being repaired.

This is a very quirky place. a one level building with interesting bedding and decor. It has a nice pool and comfy outdoor seating area. Makes it nice to chat with other travelers. It is a family run business. Mom and Dad are both lawyers that practice from the hotel. They have 3 daughters that are going to university and helping run the hotel.

There are a couple of ladies here from Calgary.  One is quite a talker.  😉  p Hour is a bit different today.  We are soon  joined by 2 men from the US.  They are long time friends from Louissiana.  Quite the characters.

Eventually we head out for dinner.  Guayaquil has a bad reputation but we found a nice Colombian restaurant near by.  Had a great meal.

It is Monday.  We have breakfast in our hotel that includes instant coffee.  It just doesn’t do it for us.  Yesterday we saw a very nice little café called Café Jazz.  It was full twice when we went by.  As it is much quieter today, we decide to try again.  It is at the other end of the Malecon and as we approach is we discover that it along with quite a few other places are closed today.  It seems that Monday is a day of rest for a lot of businesses here.  Bummer!!  We go back to the coffee place we went to yesterday.  They didn’t disappoint.  Nice cappuccino  😉  

On our way back Leslie and I meet a couple who are from Kitchener, Ontario.  They have been here in Salinas for 3 months.  They have rented a 2 level penthouse condo for $1,500 per month.  They give us some good info on the best beach and how much to pay to rent a shade tent and chairs.  Since it is a quiet day they say we shouldn’t pay more than $10, but likely could do it for $8.

Headed back to put on swim stuff and head to Chipipe Beach.  This is the best beach according to the couple we met and Cathy Pearce.  Off we go to find this beach.  Not too difficult. 

We wander past the first offer of a shade tent just to see what we can do.  They second woman offers us one that we thought was $10.  Leslie gave her $20 and she brought $12 back in change.  Seems that we bargained without even bargaining.

The guys head in for a dip.  The waves are still strong here, but not like our experience yesterday.  Leslie and I guard our bags while they swim.  A young woman approaches us asking if we speak English.  She would like to leave her bag with us as she goes for a swim as well.  She is from Germany.  She has been here for the past 3 months teaching German and English to children.  From what she said it sounds like the kids have been out of school for 3 months.  We have seen many children in school uniforms, so we are not sure ???

As we enjoy the shade many vendors approach us with their wares.  We are happy with the cerveza or beer guy, the empanada woman or the Bollos fellow.  Turn away the jewellery, clothing, massage and cocktail vendors.  Everything you could want is brought right to you.

There are some very old looking fishing boats on the beach right behind our spot.  They don’t look too seaworthy, but there are fishermen sorting through the nets in preparation of going out.

Heading back to our hotel we walk past the beach that was sooooo crowded on the weekend.  There are still some people but overall the town is much much quieter today. 

A couple of the restaurants we have had recommended are closed.  Along with the Jazz Café there is Jhimmy’s.  We decide to walk to the Lov N Oven for dinner tonight.  Nice meal outdoors.  The Malecon is very busy with people walking or jogging along.  We feel very safe here.

We head out after breakfast for a walk along the beach which is beautiful. The map on the right is all of Ecuador where Salinas is the red dot. The map on the left is the peninsula where Salinas is. Our hotel is the blue dot. We start out walking west along the Malecon or boardwalk and then move right down to the beach to wade along the water. We are not dressed for a swim yet so wading is fine, the water feels great and the temperatures are warmer than we have had so far this trip.

There are many tents and umbrellas along the beach. Sometimes they are 3 or 4 deep where the depth of the beach allows. Where it narrows they are only one deep. The waves are crashing in and children and adults are washing back and forth with the surf. The kids are especially gleeful. The photos today are all my cell phone as Stu didn’t bring his camera.

Great walk along a very very busy beach. As we walk the tent vendors approach us. They tell us that we can rent a tent and 4 chairs for $15. We will keep that in mind for tomorrow.

It is near noon and we are near the equator. This is how short our shadows are here.

We walk as far west on this beach as we can so we start back and find a very nice place for a cold beer. It is shaped like a ship and is right on the Malecon. Here is the view we are forced to endure while we drink our beer!!

After we finish we head back the beach to walk east from where we are. The farther east we go the fewer tents and umbrellas there are. Greg and Stu are farther ahead than Leslie and I. There is a spot with some larger rocks and the beach is very very narrow at that point. Greg and Stu have to run to escape some larger waves. Leslie and I wait for a bit and then attempt to get past. Large waves start to crash the little bit of beach. We turn our backs to the waves they but are soaking us up to our chests. One wave comes in and the sand under my feet gets sucked out and I fall. I have my hat and sunglasses on, I am carrying my cellphone in a dry bag and I also have my water bottle in an over the shoulder strap. I am trying get back up but the sand is sliding away under my feet. Leslie is trying to grab me but the waves are so strong that I am rolling in and out with each wave. Greg runs in to grab me while telling Leslie to run. He gets me up and I run to the bigger beach where Stu is. My hat, glasses
are still one my head and my phone around my neck, but my Swell bottle fell out. It is bobbing near by and Greg rescues that as well!

I am drenched, but that’s OK. I have sand everywhere. I had my travel wallet in my pocket. It was one that we got in Morocco in 2011. It is red and the dye is obviously not set. The last photo below shows 4 $20 bills that are now stained red. Pretty sure the merchants down here will not accept them.

We head back to our hotel where I deposit about a pound of sand in the shower.

We end the day at a restaurant nearby that is owned by a Canadian. We have a really great meal here. It is expensive compared to the Ecuadorian restaurants we have been eating at. But it was excellent.

Fabulous day and Leslie and I survived!!! 🙂

Today we are heading for the beach. Cuenca is about 2,500 meters, so still fairly high elevation. By tonight we will be at sea level. That should make hiking up stairs quite a bit easier, at least for me (and maybe Leslie).

We will be catching the bus to Guayaquil and then another bus to Salinas. We arrive at the bus terminal in Cuenca, buy our tickets and head out to the platforms to find our bus. Next thing we know our new little friend Alexander is there with his mom and grandmother. He seems a bit shy but does say hello. I have my Geocache stuff with me so I dig through my bag and pull out a Canadian flag key chain and give it to him.

It is time for our bus and it turns out that he is going to Guayquil as well. We find a couple of seats right behind him.

He practices English and tries to teach us Spanish words for things that we are passing. Bananas, mango, chicken (which he then makes the universal sign for Yum), horse, corn.

This is our bus. Most of the photos are a bit jiggly as they are from my phone on a very bouncy bus. This bus has a large and a smaller tv screen that they show a couple of action movies along the way. No dialogue really required for a Jason Statham movie. This is Alexander. He tells me that his full name is “Christopher Alexander”. After he has run out of things along the side of the road to teach us we start discussing movies. He has a Spiderman hat, so we start there, then move to Cars with Lightning McQueen and Doc Hudson. He says Stu is Doc Hudson. Hahaha.

The route we are travelling goes through the western edge of the Andes. It is ever changing. We have some incredibly beautiful vistas and at times really wish we were driving ourselves so that we could stop and take some really great shots. As it is we only have some shots from my phone and a just a few that Stu was able to take. The bus is constantly bumping and swerving as the landscape keeps peekabooing.

I was able to grab this amazing photo with my cell phone. The Andes, a valley and a waterfall in the middle.

The sky became very dark and the rain came pounding down for a time. We went past a few areas that had recent landslides. Huge boulders at the side of the road. We eventually left the mountains behind. Reaching the lowlands with miles of banana plantations, mango trees and corn along the highway. We reached Guayaquil and our new little buddie wanted a selfie, so we obliged with a couple. 😉

Another 2 hours and we arrive in Santa Elena where we catch a cab driven by who we think looks like a 14 year old. Loud music thumping from the speakers. We can’t even talk or hear each other. He gets lost, needs to ask directions from a guy on the street. Shortly after that we reach our hotel. Hotel Palmira Inn. It seems we have left the cool temperatures behind. It is very warm here. Off for a little explore.

Crazy busy beach. Feels like Mexico at Easter.

Yeah for the warm weather!!

Today we decide we will take the Hop On Hop Off bus tour of the city. We ask at our hotel if it is good. The young guy at the desk says yes, yes, and we have tickets here at the hotel. There is an Ecuadorian man from Quayaquil and his mother staying in the room next to Stu and I. They are interested in the tour as well. Our hotel guy explains in English and then Spanish, although the Ecuadorian man has decent English and participates in the questions along with us. We know that there are 59 steps or stairs up to our floor and this man’s elderly Mom does it at least a couple of times a day. Makes us, at least me feel a bit wimpy 🙂

We make it to the first bus stop with a couple of minutes to spare. The Ecuadorian fellow and his Mom join us on the upper deck not long after. A bit of a hike from the hotel for this little lady!!

The views from the upper deck of the bus are bit different from street level. Such interesting buildings here.

This is a view of the Incan ruins called Pumapungo. There is a museum there that is free. We spent some time there after we did the whole bus circuit.

We are enjoying our ride around the city. Getting much farther away than our little feet can carry us. We make about a 30 minute stop on top of a hill with another church. We can see this church from the city. It has some fabulous views of the entire city that our guide tells us is called the “Red City” due to the red tile roofs and the red brick construction of many of the new buildings.

The bottom photo above has the “New Cathedral” in the center with all of it’s beautiful domes. I zoomed in on it here.

Coming back into the city we have some more interesting vantage points.

As we arrive back in the center of town we there id s protest going on. We ask our guide and he tells us that is to do with climate change and that it the first of it’s kind in Cuenca. We discover that is “Friday for Future” a climate change movement that is spreading all over the world by young people. In the photos below you will see the Friday for Future protest that meets one of the political rally’s that are taking place everywhere in Ecuador this month. Then we have Greg requesting a pamphlet from one of the political ralliers. He really wants to make an informed decision. 😉

We feel we need to have a bit of a walk after riding for most of the morning. We do a bit of shopping and people watching.

We see this handsome guy at the police department. Very popular with the kids.

While on our Hop On Hop Off bus a young Ecuadorian boy. Looks at us and says “Hello” with a big grin. I guess we look like good people to practice English on. He then says in English “my name is Alexander” too cool. Alexander is one of our favourite names!! We speak a bit with him and regret not having my Geocache stuff with me so that I can give him a Canadian key chain. Too bad. After the bus tour he, his Mom and Grandmother cross the street as he is waving and saying “Good bye”. Cute kid!

Later as we were walking on another street, a bus drives by and a teenage boy about 13 yells out the window “Thank You”. We yell back “You’re Welcome”. Pretty funny.

We find a Colombian restaurant for dinner. They serve a dish called arepas which Leslie, Stu and I order. Greg orders something different (which I forget the name). All great meals with great service. Every time we have a meal there is a condiment of the house it seems. This time the young man delivers the little bowl with the warning “be careful with this”! Greg confirms that this is very very hoooootttttt!

The first photo is my arepa of pulled beef with vegetables and cheese. The next is the sign that says “Please ring the bell if you liked your food and the service”. As Leslie does, we all ring the bell.

The end of another great day!!

This is a very beautiful colonial city. Our hotel is also old and beautiful. Here are some shots of the interior. Our rooms are on the 4th floor. A total of 59 steps up. There is beautiful art on every floor.

We have read that there is a “Free Walking Tour” here as there are in many major cities. We have heard that the guides wear grey shirts and can be met in Parque Calderon. We discuss how people might mistake Stu for a tour guide. Hahaha!!

We arrive at the park and within a couple of minutes we are approached by a young woman and 2 young men. They are leading a free walking tour that will start in about 20 minutes. Greg has also read that the grey shirt guys are highly unreliable and don’t always show up, so these young people will do just fine. The young woman speaks very good English. We begin our tour at the “New Cathedral”, Catedral de la Inmaculada Conception. Across the park is the “Old Cathedral”. She tells us that the new Cathedral is the largest cathedral in South America. It is certainly an imposing building. We saw it last night and it is “muy” impressive.

The last photo is a side view of the original plan. The two towers that you see in the first photo were originally supposed to have tapered towers above as pictured in the plan, but the German Engineer who was working on the plans made an error and the cathedral could not support the weight of the additional towers. The close up view of the stained panel depicts an indigenous Virgin Mary. This pane is above the traditional Virgin Mary. The main aisle has the blue domes on the outside and the 2nd image has them from the inside. Huge structure.

Our guide tells us that Cuenca has 52 churches. Enough that you could attend a different one each week of the year. From the New Cathedral we move towards another church, El Carmen de la Asuncion Church . This one has a flower market and also houses cloistered nuns who sell wine, bread and other items that they grow in their garden, from behind a rotary door for a donation. The first image is the “lazy susan” type door where the locals place their donation and the nuns then place the products and spin so the purchaser can pick up their items without seeing the nun.

The flower market smells wonderful. Our guide tells us that a dozen roses sell for $1.

We head towards the river with our tour that now includes a young man from Greece. He has been solo travelling for a month and has another month to go. We visit the “Hat Museum”. It is here that the weavers send their hats to be finished by pressing them, adding the band and sizing them. Lots of variety here. We also meet a man that lives near Ottawa. Quite a character.

This is where the tour ends. We say goodbye to our guide and her helpers and go looking for lunch. We find a little place on the same street that has a lunch special for $2. It includes some cooked corn, chicken soup, a delicious chicken and rice dish, and a drink. Very good.

We make our way back to the Plaza San Francisco that our tour had taken us to earlier. In this first photo is an example of how babies are carried here. You often see little feet dangling behind Mom. The next is an industrious little lady sitting in her spot weaving little baskets. I bought 2 from her for $2.50. Very nice work. This is our Cuenca sign shot.

There are also a lot of murals in Cuenca. Here are a couple.

We also see many little stores that are all barred up. You go up to the bars and ask the proprietor for what you want. They go get it for you and you pay through the bars.

After dinner we need to back to take photos of the New Cathedral when it is lit up at night. It is very beautiful. It just begs to be photographed, even if you have already taken a dozen photos!!

We are really enjoying Cuenca!!

We have a 4 hour bus ride ahead of us today. We are catching the bus right across the street from our hostal. Nice!

We are heading to Cuenca, it is pronounced Q N Ka. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of four in Ecuador.

The route we are travelling is once again up and down and ziggy zaggy.

This is the bathroom on the bus. It says “Only Women Urinate”. I guess the need to look like this too!! Presumably they will stop and let any men use the side of the road. As bumpy as the bus is I can see why they don’t want men using it!! 😉 😉

Some very rough patches of pavement that indicates that the road has been washed out recently. We enter the “Cloud Forest” for a time and then eventually the Cloud Forest begins dumping it’s cargo on us. We do eventually come out of the dismal weather and emerge on a spectacularly beautiful landscape. Lush green hills and thriving crops. The homes in this section are also more affluent.

This is through the bus window. It is very beautiful.

We arrive in Cuenca about 2:30. It is very warm! Yeah we have been hoping for warmer weather. Another $2 cab ride and we are at our hotel.

Our rooms are on the top floor and of course there is no elevator. Up we go with all of our bags. Leslie and I carry the 2 smaller bags for each couple and the guys heft the big ones.

Below are a street scene, a fruit vendor selling from a wheel barrow (quite common we are finding), a mural, the church next door (with the blue roof) and the old Cuenca City Hall.

This afternoon we found a great little pizzeria on the same street as our hotel. Popped in for a snack as we missed lunch on the bus. We order an individual pizza and beer. Not long after our pizza arrives the server brings us another one. It turns out it is 2 for 1 pizza. We are very happy. The pizza is excellent, so we each get another piece and still have room for ice cream. All happy.

As dinner time roles around we are not starving, but we feel we need a bit of something. We spotted a place across the street earlier, so we go there. It seems a bit more of a bar with food, rather than a restaurant with drinks. It also smells of cigarette smoke. Something that has not been an issue so far. We find seats near the front and order wine/beer and light snacks. Food was very good, but smokey smell not the best.

Another great day. We cross the street and again climb to the top floor where we crash.

We wake up to a beautiful sunny morning. The weather has been rather chilly so far. But this morning looks beautiful. Alausi is surrounded by hills that are looking glorious in the morning sun.

I am constantly amazed at the farming that is taking place on such steep hills.

• 

We are riding the train to the Devil’s Nose this morning. We head over to the train station early as we would like to have a great coffee at the Cafe del Tren at the station. Yum!! Mocachino.

Shortly before our departure time of 11am we board our train. Car 1566.

Each car has a guide. Ours and I assume the others describe things in Spanish and then English.

Here are some shots of the ride to the little community of
Sibambe.

When we reach the bottom we have a few minutes to get off the train. There is a man with a couple of alpacas and another with a horse for those who would like to have photos with the animals.

Also there are dancers and displays for us to look at

A great day for sure. Most of the passengers from the train leave on buses or private vans. The little town of Alausi is quieter once again as they leave.