Home » Ecuador » Lava, Lava, come back to me...

We checked out several toury agencies in Quito, found one with real cheap fares advertised on hand-printed signs in the window, and altho’ cognisant of the old maxim, “more is better”, went in.
Nancy, ah Nancy, odd name for an Ecuadoriana but she was pretty (and) helpful, full of info and this was the only place in town with a vacancy at all.
At the airline office they had no seats to Galapagos for a week or more, altho’ I suspect the toury agencies book everything in sight then on-sell!.

Lava, Lava, come back to me...

Bill Shum
2006-08-21 17:35:45

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and would be abso perfect to be sailing…I’d be happy to sail this one home across the Pacific..it’s strange how being back on the Pacific feels like almost home…just across the water…

The Free Enterprise is about 30 metres long, 8 across, steel, 10 cabins below, upstairs a dining are for 20 and a lounge with bar, pretty shmick, half a dozen crew, She’s old but sturdy, clean and well-kept, polished woodwork, there’s a sense that they want to look good next to the rich boats, but still, there’s a haphazardry to the timing and schedules and everything else that
brings you down to Ecuadorian earth pretty smartly.

There’s quite a swell running and the boat rocks and rolls, gradually things start banging, knocking, creaking, the bano door comes off it’s latch and slams to and fro, the wardrobe door breaks loose, something in the air-con duct is rattling away, anything not tied down is sliding back and forth on each roll. But fantastic, and for sleeping, perfecto, we have a few seasickness problems, several of the group go down, but I’m feeling fantastic.

Once more the evolution image arises with the different boats, there are half a dozen or so boats ranging from 6 people yachts to great mini-ocean liner-types, chockers with geriatric touries. And on each boat the group evolves slightly differently according to the individual dynamics, who has better bar facilities, whose guide knows more, who goes to better islands, cabins, meals, films, music, and, of course, the quality of the people, it would be good, and so appropriate here, to really make a study of groups establishing themselves, I studied it for years and saw it working in professional organizations, but the tour group establishment phenomenon is a wonder to behold, such a diverse group, the most outgoing starting the introductions, the more introverted slowly getting into it, it reminds me of the coach tours I cooked for way back. The group that evolves ...