At 8:00am the bus arrived at the dock to take us on a 90 minute trip into Spain and onto Salamanca. Our guide from the boat explained that the Spanish authorities did not allow her to make any commentary on the Spanish countryside. This seems to me like another example of competition between the two former colonial powers who think they are still in the 18th century. Another example is the absence of a rail connection between the two countries.
The bus climbed out of the valley and passed through farmland. It is always frustrating to pass photo opportunities like Storks nesting on specially provided poles with a platform at the top for the nest. This arrangement prevents predators from raiding the nest. Landscape scenes that caught my attention included rolling hills, many kilometres of dry stone walls, small villages, one of which had a simple grey rendered house with large pink climbing rose bushes either side of the door. If only I could have stopped the bus for a photograph.
The bus made a toilet stop and I found myself sharing the bathroom with a bunch of women. Interesting. They didn't want to queue for the ladies toilet so went to the men’s.