Saturday was our last morning in the Galapagos and the mood was definitely a little sad. However, I think most of the crew were excited to get back home for a few hours before starting to prep for the next cruise. We said our good-byes and waited at the dock for a bus to the airport.
Baltra airport is typical of the other “tropical” airstrips we’ve seen. It’s mostly open with just a roof, but this one also has a little street of shops nearby for those last minute souvenirs. We picked up a map of the islands and headed for the check-in. We had heard that you can get your passport stamped there, but it took some searching, asking, and waiting until the “customs” guy with the stamp arrived. It’s actually a pretty cool stamp with a big tortoise.
We had been told that we could go back to Royal Palms VIP lounge from the first day to wait for our flight. After looking around the sparse terminal, we decided this was a good idea. However, we had to go through the security checkpoint first. When we got there it was closed. Since no flight was scheduled for next hour, they just shut off all the x-ray equipment. We explained that we wanted to go to the lounge, and begrudgingly they turned on the scanner, waited for it to boot up and then let us through.
The flight back to Quito was a little unnerving because it was completely foggy. Knowing that there are huge mountain peaks all around, but not being able to see them is uncomfortable. However, we arrived with no problems and got to hear the strangely phrased landing announcement in English: “Please forget… (unusually long pause)… none of your belongings as you exit the plane.”
We settled in back at the Quito Hilton Colon and were given a warning that no alcohol would be served with dinner. As it turned out, it wasn’t just about dinner. The next day, Sunday, was election day and the entire country was dry from Friday night to Monday morning. Since voting is mandatory, I guess they want to be sure that everyone shows up sober at the polls. Even though we obviously weren’t Ecuadorian, and didn’t have to wake up early to vote, there was no getting around it. No happy hour cocktails. No wine with dinner. No beer after dinner. Nada. We ate at an Italian restaurant and it was very strange to look across the tables and see only water glasses.
On a further note about the elections, we found out how they “enforce” the mandatory voting. When you vote, you are given an ID card with your picture. If you want to apply for a job, get a mortgage or other loan, register a car, etc. you have to present this card. No voting card = no job, no house, no anything. It’s not hard to imagine why they get about 99% voter turn out. I wonder how the elections would turn out differently in the US if we had a policy like this. Then again, maybe it’s better that some people here don’t vote.
We had some time to kill in the afternoon, so we ventured out for a walk in the park across from the hotel. There was a small market of local crafts and people playing volleyball. This was the start of the wet season and pretty soon they daily afternoon rain began. We rushed back to the hotel and spent the rest of the night watching TV for the first time in a week: the highlights included Bullfighting and The Two Towers in Spanish with “Senor Frodo.”
Sorry there are no pictures from this day. More to come!
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