Gerard M. Foley

Three Shuttle Buses were engaged to take us, for a $10 fee, from the dock to the city center, starting at 9 am. The trip took 30 minutes, the bus waited at the square in front of the Cathedral for 15 minutes, returned to the dock and after another fifteen minutes was ready for another round trip. Thus the 9 am bus would be ready at 10:30 am for its second trip. Apparently the first bus left at 9 am, as planned. At 9:30 two busloads of passengers were out on the dock ready to ride to town. The two buses present loaded up and went off. When I and others went out on the blazing hot dock (Guayaguil is only 2 degrees south of the Equator) after 9:30 am, and 10 am passed, there was, of course, no bus, since the 9 am bus would not return until after 10:15 and the 10 am bus had already left, fully loaded, at 9:30 am. Around 10:15 I realized that there were a lot more that a busload of people ahead of me, and went back to the ship.

No staff from Amsterdam was on the dock, as far as I could see.

I had lunch and, along with about ten others, took the 1 pm bus to the city.