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Published: December 1st 2014
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Sunday 30
thNovember 2014
Last night (and every night) we spent some time on the pier in Puerto Ayora. Every time we do so, we see some wildlife. In the green and blue lights of the pier, we have seen rays, small sharks, a turtle and several sea lions. Last night we saw a small ray, a small shark and three sea lions. After their late night swim, two of the sea lions came up on to the pier to settle down for a good night´s sleep, completely oblivious to people strolling around them.
Today’s journey to Isabela Island wasn’t pleasant. We had a 5.30 a.m. alarm to leave the hostel at 6.30 to get to the dock for a 7 a.m. departure on the “ferry” to Isabela. Except it wasn’t a ferry, it was a speed boat, with three huge noisy outboard engines; it went so fast that everyone would have been sliding down the seats, since the boat was bumping over the waves, high up front and low at the back, if we hadn’t been so cramped together; a notice said “max 28 persons” and we had 32 plus loads of luggage. One usually
gets on a ferry asking “Where is the bar?” or the loos or somewhere to get breakfast. On this “ferry” we were told not to stand up, to put on our life jackets and were each given sick bags! It was a two hour crossing, 45 nautical miles, which is 51.78 miles, 83.34 kilometres. In other words about twice the width of the English Channel from Dover to Calais in a little speed boat. The girl squashed next to Viv was sick (nice one!) and others looked green around the gills. We were not sick, good sailors both of us, but we both got off that boat with headaches. We might price up flights back to Santa Cruz because it really was a grim journey.
Despite the headaches, we felt as though, having been through Hell we had arrived in Paradise. Isabela is beautiful. After getting some breakfast and some fresh air by strolling along the beach, the headaches disappeared. The tiny town of Puerto Villamil makes Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz look like a city. The roads are rolled sand, the people are very friendly and the tourism is low key. On the downside, there are
no ATMs (as we suspected). There are no banks either! Several places take credit cards but have to add on 22.5% to the bill if they are international cards, 12.5% government tax and 10% for the Santa Cruz bank´s “service charge” to process the transaction! Since the ATMs in Santa Cruz run out of cash quite frequently, the Galapagos Government (it is part of Ecuador but an autonomy) does really rather well out of tourists, as do the banks in Santa Cruz. Also, food and drink cost twice the price than on the mainland (we knew this too) and this is why everyone says the Galapagos Islands are expensive. However, one can get a decent double room with a bathroom, free Wi-Fi and breakfast for $11 per head and that is cheap; so its “swings and roundabouts”. We have a great room and love this little place already; gorgeous beach, lots of nature trails, Marine Iguanas crossing the sandy roads, frigate birds overhead and very quiet and peaceful.
Later this afternoon we went for a longer beach walk. Several local families were doing likewise. It was just like being at home in Spain: the Sunday afternoon “Promenade”.
We saw a ray, about one metre across, in the shallows, in the surf, just two or three metres from the sandy beach. Several Marine Iguana were also enjoying their Sunday afternoon beach walks, and a few were in the water for a dip. We saw our first red-throated Frigate bird as well as a few pelicans and Cormorants. We still have not seen a Blue-footed Booby. Maybe tomorrow?
Tomorrow we are going on a snorkel tour (as if we hadn´t had enough of boats)!
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