Isabela has a very different feel to it than San Cristobal
or Santa Cruz. It is challenging. It is wild. It is inconvenient. It is
special. It feels remote. It grows on you. Isabela is the biggest island of the
Galapagos, but the differences lie in the smaller details of the cruising life.
The anchorage is surprisingly small and surrounded by rocks and reefs. The
amount of cruising boats is surprisingly big. The combination of the two calls
for tight quarters and close neighbors. The swell rolls in frequently and the
best spots are in the front, which means re-anchoring is a common occurrence,
and – for the first time in five and a half years of cruising – we see a new
phenomenon: cruisers are anxiously waiting for a boat to leave, inquiring about
the time of departure, sometimes moving in closely on little scope, to then
quickly scoop up the newly available, and better, spot, without considering
anyone else. I shall call this the “bird of prey” symptom…
The holding is good in white sand, the tides are substantial
and the water ranges from murky blue-grey to turquoise blue. Its temperature is
doable and the wildlife is amazing. Sea lions playfully stroll by (in lesser
numbers than San Cristobal), Blue-footed boobies dive in unison (a sight to
behold, every time, it is amazing how they all hit the water at exactly the
same moment!) and groups up to five, pelicans curiously fly or paddle by,
resting on everybody´s bow, frigate birds soar high above or bug other birds
while fishing, and penguins brighten our day with their presence; swimming,
diving, cruising under water and popping back up elsewhere. Funny little
creatures! The weather is close to perfect: blue, sunny skies, a little breeze
and pleasantly cool nights. We could use some rain to collect water, though.
With this being the rainy season (with one decent rainfall in San Cristobal,
four weeks ago), I´d hate to see what the dry season looks like!
While in San Cristobal and Santa Cruz going to shore means a
quick and easy ride and then entering a well-taken care of town with plenty of
stores and conveniences, it works a bit differently in Isabela. Once in the
dinghy, there is a tricky “high tide” path to the Embarcadero and a trickier
“low tide” path that is longer. You have to navigate reefs, moored boats,
breaking waves and shallows and deal with the sun in your eyes and reflecting
on the water. Once close to the “parking area”, there are more reefs, sea
lions, lines and stern anchors of fishing boats and local vessels to avoid. You
have to take the tides into consideration, put a stern anchor out and hope
nobody trips it. And that you can leave and get back into your dinghy without
getting wet. Once the dingy is settled to your satisfaction, a process that can
take from five to twenty minutes, you are still a mile or so removed from town.
A hot walk on the asphalt road or a “short cut” over the beach brings you into
Villamil, a town of scattered houses, little stores, tour agencies, and
restaurants, with little traffic and a relaxed atmosphere. Further along the bay, the blah beach turns
into a beautiful and vast expanse of white sand.
Sven had a few days’ vacation left, when Irie arrived in our
third and last Galapagosian island. We immediately set to work exploring the
area with a visit to town and one of the salt ponds – was that one flamingo in
the distance? – taking in the scene. In the afternoon, we snorkeled at the
Concha y Perla site, where a bunch of loud local kids ruined the experience a
bit. Nevertheless, we did see a couple of sea turtles and had a refreshing
swim, before we observed the sea lions on a small beach.
The following day, we had a taxi drop us off at Muro de las
Lagrimas – the Wall of Tears – a wall of big stones, built by prisoners of a
penal colony some years ago. The view from the top of the wall was worthwhile
and when walking back on a different path, we met a few wild tortoises. We had
decided to walk the eight kilometers back to town and stop at all the different
sights along the way. We climbed a hill for an amazing view of Isabela, saw
different ponds, watched more giant tortoises, entered a small lava tunnel, and
observed swimming and sun bathing marine iguanas. Despite the heat, it was a
very pleasant and interesting excursion, completed with a tasty lunch and a
cold drink at a beach restaurant.
The next thing on the agenda was an organized trip to Las
Tintoreras. We had to wait for more than an hour and a half, before the tour
boat picked us up. “Forced relaxation”, I will call times like that. We were
dropped off at an island next to the anchorage and a guide gave information
while we walked a path through black lava and colonies of marine iguanas. The
highlight was a tunnel in the rocks, filled with sea water, where white-tipped
reef sharks hung out, bred and slept. The second part of the trip was a
snorkeling moment in a pretty rough bay, where more marine turtles were
observed as well as interesting school of fish and a small spotted eagle ray.
That night, Sven treated us to cocktails on the beach and a tasty local meal in
town.
The morning of Sven´s departure, we walked back into town
and followed a well-built board walk over ponds and through the brush until we
reached the local tortoise breeding center. The exhibition and wildlife pens
were interesting and informative. The animals had just been fed and that caused
some funny noises and frenzy activity. Who thought these ancient looking creatures
could be so active? In the afternoon, Sven was dropped off at the ferry dock
for his trip back to Santa Cruz, and Mark and I disappeared back to our
floating home for a few more weeks of Isabela time! We said “bye bye” to our
tourist attitude and “hello” to our back-to-the-boat-business mode…
Giant tortoise in the wild, near the Wall of Tears
Sun bathing marine iguana along Villamil´s long beach
Staring into the "shark tunnel" of Tintoreras
Feeding frenzy with the juvenile tortoises at the breeding center
