Isla Isabella

I'm back from Isla Isabella! Wednesday afternoon at 2pm we left on a two hour ferry ride to Isabella. It is the largest of the Galapagos islands but it is also one of the least populated. Before leaving, Ivonne, Yulika's mom told us she had a friend that lived there and that she would call him to arrange for our stay at his parents Hostel. I was told to ask for Don Kiko when I arrived and that's exactly what I did. Luckily he happened to be at the dock waiting for his own son to arrive so he greeted us himself and took us to his Hostel Villamil. Don Kiko was very nice and offered us two rooms, one with no air conditioning for $12 each a night and the other with AC for $15. I said that I would prefer the one with AC and asked if breakfast was included for the $15. I guess Don Kiko and his wife took pity on me thinking I thought $15 was too steep and knocked it down to $13 so that I would have money to eat breakfast. Being the frugal traveller I am this was already turning out to be a good visit. From there, our stay in Isabella only got better. It turns out our host Don Kiko was not only a nice man but a very interesting one at that. Upon some conversation I told him about my project and the interest I have in the locals and their history. The very next morning Don Kiko and his wife called me over to give me a pamphlet outlining the history of the Galapagos settlers. It was a wonderful book that went through Isabella, Floreana, Santa Cruz, San Cristobal, and Baltra. I read it once to myself and then again translating it page by page to Derek. The stories of the islands' colonization were each interesting and special in their own way. Floreanas for example even involved an evil Baroness Wagner with three lovers who was determined to exploit the island by building a hotel for millionairs. Her plans were cut short by the mysterious deaths of her and two of her lovers.

When reading about Isabella I couldn't help but notice the name of Antonio Gil the first man to establish a permanent colony on the Island. At first I couldn't decide why the name was so familiar but then I noticed Don Kiko's business card which said his real name Enrique Gil Ochoa. That afternoon, I asked his wife if he shared any relationship to the iconic figure and sure enough he did. Don Kiko turned out to be the grandson of Antonio Gil and she herself was the grandaughter of Don Pedro Jaramillo another of the important people I had seen in the pamphlet.

The island itself was amazing. Only one small town exists on the southern part of the island. It's called Puerto Villamil and is home to about 2,000 people. The rest of the island belongs to the National Park and is free of development. It is without a doubt the most pure place I've ever been to. It's beaches are pristine and there is always something to do. Don Kiko's sons are all involved in the tourism business so we got lucky yet again when we were offered two free tours. One of the inland areas and one of the bay. The inland tour showed us the local flamingos, a tortoise hatchery where we got to see a month old tortoise and 120 year old ones mating, and finally to El Muro de las Lagrimas a huge wall made of large, heavy volcanic rocks. Prisoners of the former penal colonies that existed on the island prior to 1959. As a form of penitance they were forced to build the wall. Many of them died from exhaustion or were shot for not working hard enough. Its name, The Wall of Tears, spawns from this terrible history.

During my stay I met many people and asked them about their own history with the island. Most people responded that they had lived there all their lives. Our guide for the bay tour had been born and raised on Isabella after his parents migrated from Guayaquil. He split his time between being a tour guide and working as a fisherman. I asked him about what kinds of fish he hunted and how he did it. As it turns out he was primarily a spearfisherman who hunted Bacalao, or Cod fish.Needless to say, he is Derek's new idol.

Later, walking down the beach I sat down on a little bench next to an elderly couple. As I started to talk to them I found out they have been living in Isabella for 13 years. She was Ecuadorian from Manavi and he was italian. They had lived in Quito for many years but moved to Isabella after visting on vacation and falling in love. It's a feeling Derek and I are starting to know so well. It's almost impossible not to fall in love with a place that makes you feel so close to nature. The islands inhabitants all seem extremely happy living in an existense that focuses only on the necessary. Leaving behind the superficial we deal with everyday. If there's one thing that the locals here have in common is that they all love the Galapagos and its lifestyle. Many of them are reluctant to leave the islands for fear of being corrupted or harmed by the outside world. They never refer to Ecuador or South America by name but instead as "Continent".

Isabella was a natural paradise full of wonderful people and history. We also got to see the penguins which are the second smallest in the world after the New Zealand penguins. They are according to Derek who swam close to one not as cute looking the closer you get. We also got a rare look at Golden Mantarays!

My computer finally died after four beautiful years of service =( so please excuse my late posts but understand I´m doing the best I can with what I have.

-Cristi