Travel, Photography, Life.
Galápagos Islands
I spent nearly three weeks on the Galápagos, where Darwin formulated his Theory of Evolution.
Back to the Continent
Oct 19th
September 30, 2007
Day 674
I headed back to mainland Ecuador this morning. What can I say about the Galapagos that I haven’t already said? I think the best way for me to express my gratitude toward the islands is to mention that my visit cracks the top five experiences of my entire trip. In order, here’s how they currently stand:
- My cruise to Antarctica and the Falkland Islands. (I’ll probably never top that one.)
- Taking the long route from Santa Cruz to Rurrenabaque, Bolivia (includes Noel Kempff Mercado National Park and canoing down the Itenez River).
- Achieving my first mountain summit (Huayna Potosi at 6088 meters).
- Walking with Simba the puma through the jungles of Bolivia.
- The Galapagos Islands.
My plane landed in Guayaquil, but I had already gotten my fix of that city, so I bussed it to Cuenca, which was right where I left off before heading to the Galapagos. I was going to stay with Roy again, but he was off in his hometown of Machala voting. Another consequence of election day was that alcohol wasn’t allowed to be sold anywhere. I got a beer with a few people from my hostel, but we had to keep our bottles on the floor just in case the cops came. Mandatory voting and being sober while voting may seem like strange concepts to Americans, but they are widespread practices in South America.
Walking Through the Tunnels Of Love
Oct 19th
September 29, 2007
Day 673
For my last full day in the Galapagos, I took one more trip up to the highlands of Santa Cruz, this time to the “Tunnels of Love.” The tunnels were formed naturally by the lava that flowed through the island when it was formed. I was surprised how big they were, and they added one more impressive site to my Galapagos experience.
In the afternoon I decided to go snorkeling one last time. Santa Cruz has lots of beaches and bays that you can walk to from town for snorkeling and swimming. This time my choice was a place called “Las Grietas.” The large crack in the landscape was formed when the freshwater from the highlands combined with the saltwater from the bay to form a warm, perfectly clear pool of brackish water. It was a beautiful place, but I didn’t see many animals in the water, despite the great visibility.
So that’s how my stay at the Galapagos ended. Tonight I went out one last time with Brian and Kim to reminisce about the islands. They had some fresh stories about their day trip to Bartolome Island, one of the northern islands I didn’t get a chance to see. Their big news was that they saw a penguin, the only major Galapagos animal I never saw.
I may have missed seeing penguins on the equator, but I felt like a penguin from all the cold weather. In fact, the owner of my hostel said it’s the coldest year he’s experienced in forth-nine years of living on the islands. So besides the extreme amount of poaching and the introduced predators, the animals of the Galapagos have a new threat that could wipe them out of existence: climate change.
The photo album for this entry is here.
A Highlands Visit
Oct 11th
September 28, 2007
Day 672
The last part of Santa Cruz I wanted to see was the highlands. I found out from an Israeli at the camping place on Isabela that there was an efficient system of colectivos on the island despite all of the tourist pamphlets that said that it was necessary to hire an expensive taxi to get anywhere. I found it simple to get to Santa Rosa, a tiny town in the middle of the island mainly dedicated to farming.
From Santa Rosa I walked to the El Chato tortoise reserve, an area where tortoises were free to live in the wild without fear of predators. Along the way I ran into a tortoise in the road and thought it was an incredible coincidence. Then a few minutes later, there were three more tortoises in the road. I looked beyond the barbed wire fence that separated the road from the farm fields and saw a bunch more tortoises grazing along with the cows. They must have had some strange symbiotic relationship that allowed both species to experience the love of grass without feeling the need to eat one another.
By the time I actually reached El Chato, I was sick of seeing tortoises and decided that I just wanted to go for a short walk on the path. My tourist pamphlet may have talked about taking a taxi, but it never mentioned the myriad paths that appeared to be set up specifically to confuse the tourists. Occasionally, an arrow would lead the way, but then the path would branch off three ways with no arrows indicating the proper direction. Even worse, sometimes I would follow an arrow only to run into another arrow pointing the opposite direction. I was under the impression that I would be walking in a loop, but once it became apparent that I was only getting further from the entrance, I turned around and proceeded to take the wrong path several times until I finally was able to leave the labyrinth.
Back in Santa Rosa, I hitched a ride further into the highlands to Los Gemelos, two big craters on either side of the main road. It took all of five minuets to look at them both, and I wondered why they appeared on so many itineraries of the cruises I was looking at. Then I realized that they were simply more accessible than any of the other interesting sights in the highlands, so the tours spent half a day just to look at two holes in the ground. What a waste of money.
I hitched back to Puerto Ayora and got picked up by a couple from Quito and Chile. They had lived on the Galapagos for over twenty years and owned a tourist restaurant. I found the lifestyle of the people in the highlands quite interesting because they lived on an island in the middle of the ocean, yet the landscape and culture could have represented anywhere in mainland Ecuador. Except for the hundreds of giant reptiles roaming the countryside, of course.
Back to Santa Cruz
Oct 11th
September 27, 2007
Day 671
I took a boat back to Santa Cruz Island this morning. Isabela was a great experience that was very different from the other islands. It’s younger than the eastern islands, and therefore more volcanically active. It has five of the remaining twelve species of giant tortoise, and lots of other endemic species. Add to that the beautiful beaches and laid back atmosphere, and it’s a must-see part of anyone’s Galapagos experience in my book.
The only thing I didn’t like about the island was the amount of control the government imposed on tourists. I was forbidden to go anywhere without a guide, even when there was an obvious trail. I understand that the park rangers just want to protect the environment, but I think the local people are more likely to damage it than I am. Anyway, I have now accepted that I can’t turn the Galapagos into an adventure without breaking the rules, so I’ll just do a few more regular tourist things and head back to the mainland.
The Tortoise Rehabilitation Process
Oct 9th
September 26, 2007
Day 670
Just like on Santa Cruz and San Cristobal, Isabela has a center dedicated to protecting the unique wildlife on the Galapagos Islands. Unlike the other islands, however, the educational center on Isabela gives visitors a first-hand look at the rehabilitation of the galapagos tortoises.
When I visited the center today, I got to see the tortoises in every level of development. They start out as eggs, where they are incubated at different temperatures to produce males and females. Next, they spend six months in small pens away from the other tortoises, then they get five years in a larger holding area before being released into the wild. This process is now necessary because the introduced pests like goats, cats, dogs, pigs, and ants guarantee that the turtles can’t survive to adulthood in nature.
The situation was once so dire, there only remained ten members of one species and seventy of another. However, the populations are now increasing and it looks like they will survive with continuous help from humans. The scientists working on the project will never see the fruits of their labor, however. It takes at least thirty years for the tortoises to be able to reproduce, and over one hundred for them to reach the massive size of the few remaining original specimens.
This afternoon I took a long walk through the wetlands to the Wall of Tears, which was built by prisoners. The Galapagos really had it all in their history. I kept forgetting that in a addition to the pirates, whalers, and fishermen, prisoners were sent to the islands as well. And just when I was contemplating what it must have been like to be forced to build a huge wall here, I ran into a wild tortoise right in the path! It wasn’t as big as the ones at the rehabilitation center, so I guessed with my complete lack of turtle knowledge that it was twenty years old. It didn’t seem to care that I was there until I got a few feet away, at which point it retracted its head into its shell and made a loud hissing noise at me. If I didn’t know it was harmless, I would have been freaked out, but as it were, we remained good friends the rest of the afternoon.
The photo album for this entry is here.
Americans Travel Too!
Oct 9th
September 25, 2007
Day 669
Today I got together with some Americans at my hostel named Brian, Kim, and Ben. They’ve been traveling around Ecuador for a few weeks, having taken Spanish lessons and traveled through the jungle. The thing that really surprised me was that they all had jobs that allowed them to take three or four months off for a big South American vacation. This was very unusual for Americans as most of the ones I have met are only traveling for a week or less.
The four of us walked along the beach and to the wetlands, some of the largest in the world. There were lots of side paths, which allowed us to see finches, lizards, and crabs. Later in the day, I went to a spot that was supposed to be great for snorkeling, but I found the water cold, the visibility poor, and I didn’t see much besides a puffer fish. It wasn’t an exciting day, but I did enjoy hanging out and living the relaxed life of a tropical island dweller.
The photo album for this entry is here.
The World’s Second Largest Crater
Oct 9th
September 24, 2007
Day 668
Everyone from the campground went on a walk together this morning to the Sierra Negra Volcano. On the way up, the climate changed from cool and cloudy to cold and rainy to hot and sunny. It’s crazy how the islands have their own micro-climates on the beaches and highlands. We were freezing when we started walking, but sweating by the time we arrived at the caldera.
I wasn’t expecting the view to be so dramatic. It’s the second largest caldera in the world, measuring 10 KM by 9 KM, and we could barely see to the other side. It last erupted in 2005, but I was assured that only part of the volcano still erupts, otherwise the entire island would be buried in a grave of lava.
We weren’t allowed to walk into the volcano, but we did get the chance to walk around the lava of Volcan Chico, which was right next door. The dried lava was a mixture of black and red, providing an impressive array of colors for our eyes. We didn’t get to see any animals other than a hawk because there’s no food in that environment, but it was still interesting to see yet another part of the Galapagos. The islands have such a diverse landscape, there’s simply nothing else like them in the world.
The photo album for this entry is here.
Two Long Boat Rides
Oct 9th
September 23, 2007
Day 667
I took a boat back to Santa Cruz Island this morning. It was a rough ride again, but nobody got sick this time. I masochistically wanted to take another boat to Isabela Island this afternoon, so I spent a few hours hanging around the docks of Puerto Ayora. This being a Sunday, the entire town was devoid of any activity.
The ride to Isabela was my roughest yet. The boat began slamming up and down in the huge ocean swells the moment we left the port, and I swear a few times we got completely airborne. When we went over the especially large bumps, people started screaming and praying. I kept telling myself that the turbulence was normal and these boats go between the islands every day and don’t sink. However, it was hard to believe it when I had to stare at the kid across from me who was constantly puking in the clear plastic bags the captain handed out.
We finally made it to Puerto Villamil after three long hours in the boat. As laid back as I thought Puerto Baquerizo Moreno was, Puerto Villamil was even more so. There were just a few hotels, some houses of the local fishermen, and some low-end restaurants. I found a place that offered camping, and when I got there, I saw that a bunch of large tents had already been set up in the yard. The price was the same whether I camped in their tent or used my own, so I opted to sleep on a large mattress and leave my tent in my backpack. A bunch of Israelis and some Americans were also camping out, and the place had a nice, family atmosphere.
Is Nixon Still President?
Oct 9th
September 22, 2007
Day 666
This morning I went to a small farming town called El Progreso, then walked up to a viewpoint at the top of the island called La Soledad. The lookout wasn’t very interesting, but on the way up, I passed an old guy who wanted to talk to me. He was the kind of guy who never lets go when he shakes your hand, but I couldn’t resist his toothless grin and decided to find out his story.
Elias Tates had been living on the Galapagos for most of his life as a farmer. He was proud to show me his large garden which was full of tropical fruits. Orange trees, banana palms, papaya trees, avocado trees, and coffee bean plants were all over his property. Soon I practically had a fruit basket full of examples from his yard.
Elias must have been lonely because he talked my ear off and wouldn’t let me go. He never mentioned his wife, but he said he had two daughters on Santa Cruz and lived alone. At one point, he asked me if Nixon was still president of the US. I told him he left the Oval Office a few years ago. Then he started telling me all about his religion, which from what I gathered was similar to Mormonism, but not quite the same. That’s strange, I figured an archipelago where evolution was discovered would be full of atheists, but that was not the case. I waited for him to pause for a second to breath (it took awhile), thanked him for the fruit, and hastily made my exit.
This afternoon I walked up to Las Tijeretas, another hill near the main town. From there I saw lots of finches and frigates, but not the males with the huge red necks like you see on all of the postcards. It still was a beautiful, tranquil place to spend an afternoon, with no other people around.
Galapagos Edumacation
Oct 9th
September 21, 2007
Day 665
As laid back as I thought Puerto Ayora was, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno was even more so. The capital of the Galapagos province of Ecuador was among the first places to be colonized in the mid-1800′s, and to this day it remains small and more geared toward fishing than tourism. I found it easy to hang around the main port and watch the fishermen and sea lions go about their daily activities for hours.
Near town was a deserted beach called the “loberia.” Judging by its name, I figured it would be full of sea lions, but I only saw a few. I had seen ten times as many on beaches during my cruise, so I thought it was an odd choice of names.
This afternoon I rented some snorkeling gear and went to several places nearby. Once again, there were lots of fish and sea lions to play with under the water. Nobody else was around so I had to make up my own places to get into the water, navigating over the slippery rocks that covered the waterfront. The water was cold, and with no wet suite, I found myself happy to switch locations so frequently.
I also took a walk down to the Interpretation Center, which was an educational place similar to the CDRC of Santa Cruz Island. The Interpretation Center had lots of info on display about the history of the Galapagos, including their accidental discovery in the early 16th century, the pirates that used to hide out there after robbing ships on the mainland, the whalers of the 19th century, and the prison colony that was built here over one hundred years ago. The human history of the Galapagos was as interesting as the current wildlife scene.
There was also a lot of information about conserving the natural environment here. Everywhere I go, I see signs urging the local people to use less water, recycle their garbage, and not allow their pets to roam freely. The government seems to be putting forth a major effort to protect the islands, but as I was walking into the Interpretation Center, I saw a stray cat standing outside. This example seems typical of what happens on all of the islands. I still don’t think the local people appreciate the unique place they live in. The towns are cleaner than on the mainland, but with so many farms and stray animals, I wonder if the fragile ecosystem here can survive indefinitely.