Wow! what an amazing day! Got up to our usual breakfast schmozzle of "What would you like?" We inevitably asked for omelette or scrambled eggs and would wait in anticipation for what would arrive, sometime boiled or fried or even scrambled!The morning was hazy we could hardly see the ocean, but there at 8.00am was our taxi (minibus). To our amusement another couple who had also been waiting were the docks before us they too had had their own private minibus!
The docks were crowded with tourists of all nationalities. We met our guide who spoke fantastic English. We wandered around the dock watching huge dirty looking pelicans land majestically on the water or dive smoothly into the water catching fish in their huge bills. Cormorants lined up on top of boats shaking their wings dry.
Most interesting though was the swarm of people who regularly rushed up to a small hut which had a tiny window. Not pausing for a minute from speaking on their mobile phone, they pushed and shoved their way into the little hut.
"What's happening"? we asked.........our guide explained that the coastguard would not let them take their boats out because of the heavy mist. We were happy to wait for an hour watching this fascinating world but others were not so keen.
We watched as the boats were unloaded and loaded. Fishermen were paid in fish which no doubt they traded for other goods. Men and women carried huge nets, large containers of fish and barrels of water up and down the pier.
Finally we were off... the ratbag line of tourists was suddenly orderly and eager to go. We hopped into quite modern motor boats, donned lifeboats and we were off. Our guide pointing out birds as we went. Past the commercial boats and the battered local fishing boats, the islands were suddenly right there before us.
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