After writing my last entry, i went back up onto the terrace of the hostel and sat with 3 guys and started chatting. 3 turned into about 22 people and we all ended up eating Chicken and veggie pie together along 4 tables over looking Quito! It was a great feeling of unity. After dinner we all spread out and some went down one end of the terrace to sit around a wheel barrow with some wood in burning. This was the smokers lot! The rest of us remained at the table just chatting for hours about our lives, travel and nonsence! The main part of the group were a lovely Aussie couple Prue and Sean. They where on a trip ending back in Aus, but had been living in London for up to 10 years. An other Aussie (Paul) who works for the government doing tax but in his spare time does rescue for any distasters. It sounded like he had done some amazing things. He is doing a 6 wk trip but doing most of South America with GAP so he can get everything done and everything is organised, but he did assure me that he had plenty of time to do other things on the down days. Then there was Neil. He was about to fly back to Dubai, ending his trip. He was suuposed to be in columbia but decided that the 12 hours he would have been there was not worth the 24hr bus journey there and back.

After we all departed, we repacked for our Galapogos Island trip. Our start was 6.45am (well i was up at 4am..but hey) where Paul from Cardim picked us up to take us to the Airport. On the way stopping to pick up Martina and Mike, who were also heading there. At the airport we had to go through a whole load of systems. First X-ray our bags. Then get our permits and pay $10 for this. Then check in. We flew through TAME, which seemed a ok airline. After about 20 mins, we got our drinks. 5 mins later we got asked to store our tables, at this point i looked through the window and saw we were about 250m off the ground and less that 5 mins later we landed in Guayaquil! (Which of course we did not know about) We then got ushered off that plane and straight onto another, which promptly took off to Baltra, which is a flat Island off Santra Cruz. Before getting on the second plane, i got chatting to a early guy who said that he travelled the world looking at Terma climbs. The day before he was horse riding in the Andeas (fulling off 3x) for WORK! He was spening the next 4 days relaxing on holiday. Once going though a whole load more checks, and paying $100 for park entry, i picked up my bag (after finding that Adam had my bag ticket) the guard let me out of the bag area. The airport is mainly just a few warehouse type huts. We jumped onto a bus with Martina and Mike and headed to the crossing. At this point we then got on a ferry to cross about 50m of sea. After this we jumped onto another bus to Puerto Ayora (but of course had to wait for the bus to fill up which meant waiting for another ferry to arrive!). After 45mins we arrived. Adam and i staryed in a hostel called Salinas. The room is basic but has 2 hugh windows on 2 walls (nice change over one window looking over a corridor!) and seemed ok for $37.

After sorting out our stuff we headed to the port which is about 50m away. As soon as we got there we started seeing Seals just lying around, crabs, lizards, these big birds called Boobies. We then bumped into Martina and Mike and decided to try and find a good dive centre. The first place at the far end of town was fully booked, the second only had 2 places and even though i told Martina and Mike to take the places they said they would look else where to see if the 3 of us could all dive together. After trapsing up and down the main street a few times, we met up with a women (Jenny) who is a Director of PADI and she took us to a few more places, and told us which places to go and ones not to for the best diving, especially since we said that our main interest was to see 1) Hammerhead Sharks, 2) Any other types of Sharkes, 3) Sea Lions, 4) Anything else big!!! In the end i told Mike and Martina to go and book the place with only 2 spaces, as i am here for a few days and tomorrow was the only day that they could dive. Adam then set up to do this Open Water with Jenny, over the next few days, but started the first video then and there.

Martina and Mike then came back and picked me up and we went to a Kios where they had a few traditional dishes. Basically there was lobster, Prawns, fish all with coconut sauce and rice. It was really good and hugh portions for $7! Adam joined us just before ordering. Mike and Martina are a swiss couple (Zurich) that bought bikes in LA and are making there way through Central and South America in 6 months! It sounds like they have had a great time, and in the last 3 months only broke the no riding at night rule once, and that was only by an hour. I guess it is a completely different way of doing it.

Today everyone is off diving or learning except me! It was raining this morning, but as i sit here it seems to be drying up. I have moved us to a different hostel which is cheaper ($30) but has a lot more going to it, sat in a local restaurant on the habour having breakfast and now i am here to shelter from the rain! The next part of the day i am going to walk to the other side of town and book some diving for tomorrow, Saturday and maybe Sunday, go to the Charles Darwin Research Centre, then do a hike (2.5km) to a little Bay called Tortuga Bay. If it´s warm enough i will go for a quick swim. Depends how adventurous i feel! I was plaaning on taking a boat to Las Grietas, but i think i may have to wait for another day to do this.

I better start moving. The Locations of this blog is not very good, and does not ward the Galapagos Islands an area! But i am here. also not all the pictures are mine, as i can´t upload them at the moment, and a picture is needed with every new blog, so trying to find suitable pictures of places that the blog does not believe to exist is tricky!!