29/4/2013
 |
| View from the anchorage |
There is a lot to see on Isabela, so one can see why people
choose this option. However, this is not an anchorage where I would be happy to
leave my boat unattended, while we took ferries to San Cristobal, or Santa
Cruz. One would have to book tours, and stay overnight in hotels before
returning the following day on a ferry. Most people obviously feel the same, so
they stick to a couple of day tours on Isabela.
We, on the other hand have seen so much, that we have no
burning desire to do all the Isabela tours! The anchorage is quite small,
tucked in behind a reef, and the boats swirl around in circles with the tides,
so it is important to stay on the boat at anchor, long enough to experience the
different tides. But that’s no hardship, as all around you the wildlife is
putting on a show!
The Port Captain in Villamil is a tough task master, and is
very quick to expel any cruiser who chances his arm, by overstaying an
Autographo, or trying to slip in a second stop, without the Autographo, or
slipping ashore before the Port Captains inspection. While we have been here, at least 5 yachts
have been forced to leave for one or other reason.
That said, the town itself is very quaint, with many little
restaurants and hostels lining the sand streets. It’s a much more relaxed and
laid back place to rest and prepare for the next long haul. The wildlife is all
around you, sealions cheekily taking over beach recliners, Marine Iguanas
basking on the volley ball court, with Boobies, Pelicans, Frigates, and even
the little Galapagos Penguins fishing and feeding around the anchorage. One has
to catch a water taxi to the boat dock (Embarcadero), and walk a mile or so
into town.
We have seen Turtles, White tipped sharks, Turtles all happily
feeding around the busy embarcadero. During one spring low, we watched in
fascination, how the incredibly fast swimming penguins, scream around the
shallow pools, nailing the fish caught in the shallows. The only thing faster
in the water is a jet ski!
Daily we have been able to watch the Blue Footed Boobies mutate
from funny clowns, into synchronized Exocet missiles! They appear to fly much
higher than our Gannets, and when they spot their target fish, they bank, fold
back their wings and dive with great speed, hitting the water like a bullet.
When they hunt as a team, the leader lets out a squeak, and all the other
participants peel off and dive, hitting the water like tracer bullets. This
synchronized attack, apparently disorientates the fish shoals, which scatter in
all directions, making subsequent target selection easier, for the rest of the
flock.
At times, they will choose a target right next to the boat,
and one gets a heck of a fright, as the Booby missile hits the water! Their
success rate is pretty good too, and they swallow down surprisingly big fish in
a few gulps.
 |
| Pineapple picking |
 |
| Coffee in Galapagos? Yes!! |
 |
| Mr Farmer harvesting a pineapple |
 |
| Farmboy does his bit, picking papaya |
Back in town, we ate lunch at one of the many restaurants,
for about $5, We walked around the town, and looked at the Local Apostolic
Church. It has to be the nicest churches ever, with Francis of Assisi
welcoming worshippers at the entrance,
and all of the stained glass windows depicting one or other of the species
unique to Galapagos. The inside too, was light and airy, and inviting. None of the dark and somber atmosphere with which
we are familiar.
 |
| Marine Iguanas warming up in the late afternoon sun at the beach bar |
Further down the beach, on the far side of town, we found a
special little Beach Bar, Casa Rosada, where they have a daily 2 beers for $5
Happy 2 Hours, with live music, sometimes a talented local Ecuadorian, other
times a Cruisers jam session. As the sun sets lower in the sky, so the Marine
Iguanas emerge from the surf, to sun themselves on the walls of the Beach bar. While
feeding under water, their body absorbs salt, which they excrete by sneezing
streams of salt water.
 |
| Note the "sneeze trails" in the sand |
Closer to the Embarcadero, is another little beach bar,
where a Pilsener Grande(600ml) costs $3.50 and the wildlife provides free
entertainment.
We also took a taxi ride out to “the wall of tears”. In 1947, a group of 330 Ecudorian prisoners, and 33 policemen guarding
them, took over the infrastructure left by the Americans after the war. To keep
the prisoners busy, the Police guards made the prisoners erect this huge dry
stone wall,. The police motto was along the lines of “the strong will survive
and the weak will die”
 |
| Pointless exercise |
 |
| Looking for flamingoes |
The wall is a fitting tribute to completely meaningless hard
labour. Around the wall, we saw a number of Giant Tortoises “in the wild”. One
fellow was determined to walk slowly down the middle of the road. Our taxi
driver asked me to pick him up and put him down on the side of the road.
Knowing what tortoises are prone to do when picked up............
I approached this task
with great care as he was a very big fellow! I stood with legs wide apart,
astride him, and picked up my first and only Galapagos Tortoise… all 45-50kg of
him. He was very well behaved, and decided not to pee on me, which was a great
relief!
 |
| Flamingoes found...................4 to be exact!! |
Now its time to say goodbye, to Galapagos, and get ready to
leave. Diesel and gas are a bit of an issue here. Foreigners are supposed to
get a permit from the port captain for the amount they require, and then pay
$5./US gallon. Locals buy it for $1.0/US Gallon, and are very keen to break the
port captain’s monopoly, and offer it at lower prices! To try and stop this practice, the Port
Captain issued a decree that foreigner were not allowed to buy diesel. He then
got hoist on his own petard, as when he tried to kick out a few yachts whose
time had expired, they just refused, and simply said, “we will not leave until
you supply us with the diesel we were promised a week ago. You cannot send a
boat away on a 3000 mile voyage ill prepared. If you insist, we will report you
to the International maritime search and rescue people!” He changed his mind
and drove the skippers concerned to the garage himself, let them fill up their
jerry cans, and said” Now you leave!” We were lucky to have our names slipped
in amongst those needing diesel, and were allowed to fill up with the 6 gallons
I requested!
 |
| DIY LPG refill |
In Panama, I had tried to top up a 9kg gas bottle, which
still had 5kg left. “No can do”, they said. Gas is also subsidized in Ecuador,
and a 15kg bottle costs only $10. (R85). In comparison, our 9kg bottles in RSA are
approaching R300! But, you have to fill the bottle yourself! Yesterday on the
net, a fellow cruiser offered anyone in the anchorage, who had US fittings on
their tanks, the chance to refill from the Ecuadorian bottle he had bought for
$10 + $80 refundable bottle deposit, as it still had lots of gas in it! Well,
the RSA 9kg exchange bottles, which we have been using and refilling for 5
years, just happen to have US fittings! So , I hoisted the 15KG bottle (upside
down!) up the mast with a halyard, strapped it to the mast to keep it still,
and using his connection system from Ecuadorian fittings to US, gravity filled
my bottle to the brim. There was still enough left over to fill “Scott Free’s”
bottle, and one other cruisers to boot.
Embar
 |
| Embarcadero.............ferries, fishing boats, Taxis Aquatico and dingies |
With a last check on the weather, we have collected our Zarpe,
5 dozen eggs, 2 cases of beer, and are just waiting for the bread and cabbages
to be unloaded from the supply ship tonight or early tomorrow. then it’s “
goodbye Galapagos”! We have really loved it, and can cross off one item that
must be high on everyone’s bucket list! Next stop Fatu Hiva.
No comments:
Post a Comment