Ecuador wrap up

Our bus trip from Manta to Guayaquil was very relaxed. Linda booked us on a different bus line. The seats were wide, plush, and had adjustable foot rests. No Kung fu movies, just quiet background music.

The Guayaquil bus station is simply huge. After a bit of wandering we found the taxi stand. It was bedlam. Far too many people trying for too few taxis. We watched for a couple minutes trying to discern the pattern for successfully getting a cab. After losing out on the first few cabs, and with De Anne growing frustrated, I got busy. Stepping into the street I elbowed a local away from a cab not yet fully stopped and yelled inside "areoporto". "Si" was the reply.

The bus station is next to the airport. A walkway of a few hundred feet could connect the two terminals. Instead, walls prevent walking. Even going to the street and taking sidewalks is about a mile trip. That is one walk that should not be attempted after dark in Guayaquil by locals - let alone gringos.

The streets are set up with medians and a jumble of one-ways so that the cab ride between terminals is 15 minutes and about 5 miles. It was an exciting ride. As in Manta, and indeed all Latin America, the main driving rule is " There are no rules". As Linda told us and we observed it is a game of chicken combined with bumper cars. Grateful for my life, I tipped the driver a dollar. De Anne chided me for ruining the market for future Americans, but I retorted that he is now more inclined to pick up Americans in the future and they won't have to fight so hard for a cab. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

We arrived in Miami at 5:30 am and spent over an hour standing in line at passport control. After checking into three 3rd world countries  in the past year and never spending more than 10 minutes for clearance it is embarassing to check back into the USA and be herded in long lines every time. We use the Citizens line. It is worse in the lines for foreign people.

Now, back in the land of high speed internet here are a few extra pictures:

Shy cat doesn't want it's face in pictures

 The Point - name self-evident.

Woman fishing at the point

Blue footed boobie at the point

 Tidal pools

 Frigate bird

 The birds show where the fish are

Linda's dogs join the beach walk