We met a fun couple from Canada here at the Mandala and after spending the day sharing travel stories, they decided they'd join us on our boat ride to Isla Salango for a swim and some snorkeling.

Our day started with a 25 cent bus ride south to a neighboring fishing village called Salango, a place Bob and I had been with Ligia and Sook our first week here. But this time we found a fisherman eager to take tourists out to the island and what a trip.

It's quite a task just getting the boat off the shore and past the breakers, as there's no dock. But that accomplished, it was a quick trip to the island. During the first 5 minutes of the trip our crew member dashed forward--rummaged in the hold and came back with a soda bottle with about a half cup of oil in the bottom. But it was evidently enough, because we made it. 

The only positive thing Bob says about the boat was that it stayed afloat--although constant bailing was necessary.

A surprise was seeing some blue footed boobies--the picture's not much cause the boat was bobbing energetically and it was just to treacherous to get any closer, but look VERY closely and you'll see the smaller birds have bright blue feet.

Cool.

Had we paid the big bucks to go to the Galapagos we'd have been able to walk among them, or if we'd hiked to the top of the Isla de la Plata even--we'd have gotten closer, but I'm afraid this is as good as we'll get.

We found a sort of secluded little beach where we stopped to swim and since the shore dropped off quickly, the waves didn't have time to pick up the masses of sand you find at Puerto Lopez. It was so ideal just bobbing up and down in the waves I didn't ever want to leave. But the snorkeling was in a different location, so we didn't stay long. 

The water was murky, but we still were able to see bunches of neon stripped fish swimming below us. Knowing now what we do, we should have just stayed on that little beach for the afternoon--it was the highlight of the day.

Salango for as small as it is, has two really good restaurants. We had great fresh-off-the-boat seafood at the Pelicano and would go back again just for lunch--it was that good (and very clean). I had the dorado en salsa mani: dorado in peanut sauce--awesome. Pat had the sopa marinera--seafood soup, Rosemary a seafood platter and Bob the dorado ala plancha--fried dorado. They were all worth returning for.

The other, better known restaurant is the Delfin Magico, but it was closed.

After lunch we headed for the highway to flag down a north bound bus. A van of 1960 vintage, dented on every visible panel and with seating for 8 stopped, asked us where we were headed, and waved us in. We made 12 and then they stopped for 4 more. 

But they were all a happy group and seemed very pleased that we'd joined them. Private cars become public transport wherever a guy has the entrepreneurial spirit and for 50 cents we were in Puerto Lopez in about 10 minutes. 

All in all it was a wonderful day and how can you get more entertainment for $10 a person?