No Time for Love, Dr Jones

Friday morning I was up at 5am (before my alarm - anxious?) to shower and get ready for my cab to the airport. I was leaving for the Galapagos Islands. But first I had to fly to Guayaquil to pick up the flight I originally booked from there instead of Quito. I was outside the hostal waiting and chatting with the manager when the requested taxi arrived right on time. He raced through the empty streets of Quito, prompting me to buckle my seatbelt, and upon arrival at the airport 15 minutes later, asked me for six dollars. It cost me $4 max before. He gave me a BS excuse about an extra charge because of the hour (I discovered it was BS later) and I gave him $5. Adios Quito. I checked in with no problems. Then I got to the waiting area. None of the flights listed on the departures screen were my flight number. But I had an hour and half. So I didn`t panic.

An hour later my flight number was still not on the screen and I started panicing. I asked one of the busy attendants in spanish if I had the right flight number. She said yes. I asked if it was leaving on time. She said yes. And then she walked away. I strained to decipher the announcements in Spanish and continued to watch the monitor. But nothing was said about my flight. Another flight was going to Guayaguil five minutes before mine and the flight number was one number shy of mine. But no mention of mine. I paced. I sat by the gate. I tried to listen for my flight number in other passengers` conversations. Nothing. Then, as the flight five minutes before mine was boarding, a man was stopped and told his flight to Guayaquil was to leave from the same gate five minutes after the current one. I asked him if his flight number was the same as mine. It was. My eyes stayed glued to him for the next ten minutes. And then I boarded my flight. *whew*

Guayaquil was much easier. Despite an hour delay, there were no problems and I was eventually on a plane bound for the Galapagos. I slept through the entire flight.

Once I arrived in Baltra, the island with nothing more than a tiny airport, I hopped off the plane and walked quickly to.....a long line of tourists waiting for a passport check and baggage check at customs. To enter the Galapagos islands, one must pay a $100 park entrance fee. This is because the entire islands are considered a national park. And because Ecuador apparently saw the money making potential when they claimed the islands as their own 100+ years ago. This was news to the many English whalers already living on the island. In fairness, no flag no country. I paid my $100 entrance fee and got a nifty little park card for my expense. I lost it immediately.

Most tourists come to hop on a boat immediately so are picked up at the airport by their guide. I had arrived a few days early to hang out on my own and so I had to take the bus an hour to the main town. The airport island was hot. Half way through the bus trip it suddenly got rather chilly. This is when I discovered I had left my new jacket on the plane. Why was I in a hurry to get off?

When I arrived in Puerto Ayora, the main town, I walked to the nearest hostal I could see. Lonely Planet said it would cost $9. The guy inside quoted me $16. I asked about hot water. He said there was none. I suggested $9. He said that was too low. I lied and said the hostal across the street asked for $11 and they had hot water. He said, "for you, $9. but I would not charge this to others". Right.

After dumping my things I decided to go for a walk around the small town in search of the company that had organized my yacht cruise. I also wanted to find the airline office to see if it was possible to get my jacket back. The airline office was not where Lonely Planet said it would be and no one had heard of the street listed on the company letterhead for my cruise. I decided it was time to get something to eat and found a place near the water. And then I stuffed myself with chicken in papaya sauce, rice, veggies, and a grande beer. I suddenly had the urge to lie down and headed back to my hostal for a short nap before exploring the night life scene. My nap lasted from 7pm until 6:45am.

Bingo. Recovered from my outing the previous night.