It was good to spend an extra week here and get more of a feeling about the islands and the islanders. I went with a friend from the boat trip to one of the populated islands - Isabela - for 3 nights. Its township is too small to boast paved roads and the pace of life would make Jamaica look like Johannesburg.
It's a beautiful little spot, but it's let down to some degree by the tour agencies chasing the tourist dollar with few or no scruples. We booked a snorkel trip on the 2nd day and the agency produced a picture chart showing us all the marine life we would likely see, including sharks. There's no doubt they knew very well that the water in that area is too warm for sharks now, and will be until June, so we were never going to see them. But they insisted on the lie, and they peddle the lie to anyone who goes in there asking about snorkelling.
We didn't book the trip on the basis of any sharks - we were after swimming with tropical fish, sea lions, turtles and penguins - but it's still a little disappointing to see the agencies (ours was not unique) behaving like that, even if you understand why.
(Back on the main island, Santa Cruz, a few days earlier, I'd hired a mask and snorkel one day and went to a great spot. A top tip I learned then: always test the mask and snorkel before you go too far from the hire place. Agencies will always insist that all their gear is good or top quality; they will often not be telling you the truth. This criticism doesn't extend to the agency I booked my boat trip through, who were excellent, and you get good and bad agencies wherever you go in the world so I guess Galapagos is no different to anywhere else in that respect.)
Maybe it's because this place is so magic that it seems disappointing to find that the agencies can be so cavalier about your experience, but as above why should they be any different here than anywhere else? Regardless, the wildlife is anything but disappointing, and when I find myself face to fin with a 3m Galapagos Shark, the snorkel equipment isn't the first thing on my mind.
I loved it here but it wouldn't do the islands justice to ignore the things that could be better - for their long term survival. I spoke to several people doing volunteer work on the islands, and they found that what they'd paid (a lot) to do here bears little or no resemblance to the work they are actually doing, almost without exception. Perhaps it would be a useful idea to have a central agency overseeing the various volunteer agencies to clamp down on the dodgy operators which seem to prevail. Seeing as most of those volunteer agencies seem to be based away from the islands they'd need to do it by way of some permitted agency system. Whatever, if you're considering doing volunteer work out here be very careful about the details, try to speak to someone who's volunteered here before to find out if what you're being sold stacks up against what is permitted, and use an agency that's been recommended to you by experience. Failing that, do a shitload of research, and be prepared for the possibility of still being mis-sold.
It's a beautiful little spot, but it's let down to some degree by the tour agencies chasing the tourist dollar with few or no scruples. We booked a snorkel trip on the 2nd day and the agency produced a picture chart showing us all the marine life we would likely see, including sharks. There's no doubt they knew very well that the water in that area is too warm for sharks now, and will be until June, so we were never going to see them. But they insisted on the lie, and they peddle the lie to anyone who goes in there asking about snorkelling.
We didn't book the trip on the basis of any sharks - we were after swimming with tropical fish, sea lions, turtles and penguins - but it's still a little disappointing to see the agencies (ours was not unique) behaving like that, even if you understand why.
(Back on the main island, Santa Cruz, a few days earlier, I'd hired a mask and snorkel one day and went to a great spot. A top tip I learned then: always test the mask and snorkel before you go too far from the hire place. Agencies will always insist that all their gear is good or top quality; they will often not be telling you the truth. This criticism doesn't extend to the agency I booked my boat trip through, who were excellent, and you get good and bad agencies wherever you go in the world so I guess Galapagos is no different to anywhere else in that respect.)
Maybe it's because this place is so magic that it seems disappointing to find that the agencies can be so cavalier about your experience, but as above why should they be any different here than anywhere else? Regardless, the wildlife is anything but disappointing, and when I find myself face to fin with a 3m Galapagos Shark, the snorkel equipment isn't the first thing on my mind.
I loved it here but it wouldn't do the islands justice to ignore the things that could be better - for their long term survival. I spoke to several people doing volunteer work on the islands, and they found that what they'd paid (a lot) to do here bears little or no resemblance to the work they are actually doing, almost without exception. Perhaps it would be a useful idea to have a central agency overseeing the various volunteer agencies to clamp down on the dodgy operators which seem to prevail. Seeing as most of those volunteer agencies seem to be based away from the islands they'd need to do it by way of some permitted agency system. Whatever, if you're considering doing volunteer work out here be very careful about the details, try to speak to someone who's volunteered here before to find out if what you're being sold stacks up against what is permitted, and use an agency that's been recommended to you by experience. Failing that, do a shitload of research, and be prepared for the possibility of still being mis-sold.
Education is available for children here, but from what I could tell most of them complete their education on the mainland, typically in Quito or Guayaquil. Most seem to return home here for love and work, which isn't a surprise given the quality of life here compared to the mainland. As born and bred locals are keen to tell you , the population on the 3 main populated islands, particularly Santa Cruz, has grown rapidly in recent years (and is now at around 30,000).
Bizarrely, the last 10 years have seen the population double by some estimates, but it was 12 years ago that the Ecuadorian government passed the Special Law for Galapagos, which prevents mainland Ecuadorians from having automatic rights of residence on the islands. They should theoretically only have the 90 days per year that the rest of us are entitled to. However, there are an estimated 5,000 (and growing) living on the islands below the radar, without proper papers.
It's not hard to see why they consider it worth the risk - even forgetting the natural beauty, wages are around 70% higher on the islands than the mainland and crime is virtually non existent, in stark contrast to the mainland. As so often in South America, the situation on paper (in this case the Special Law) differs sharply from the underlying reality. There has apparently been more of a crackdown of late, with 1,000 mainlanders expelled and another 2,000 normalised 18 months ago. But the ecological impact is mainly driven by the ever increasing tourism rather than by migration.
UNESCO reckons that if tourism continues to grow at this pace, there will be 400,000 annually in 10 years. That's a lot more boats and a lot more waste. I noticed on Isabela that the marine iguanas sunning themselves were more reticent than on other islands which see fewer visitors, and would sometimes retreat as you approached. On the other islands, they'd never do that, and sometimes ambled towards us to take a closer look. That must hide a deeper story. Here's hoping that the authorities find a way to properly control both tourist numbers and immigration to preserve the integrity of the islands. If the result of human activity expanding is that the possibility to get so close to the stunning wildlife is lost, then the whole rationale for the islands as a tourist destination is lost also, and everybody loses - man and beast, locals, mainlanders and foreigners.
Bizarrely, the last 10 years have seen the population double by some estimates, but it was 12 years ago that the Ecuadorian government passed the Special Law for Galapagos, which prevents mainland Ecuadorians from having automatic rights of residence on the islands. They should theoretically only have the 90 days per year that the rest of us are entitled to. However, there are an estimated 5,000 (and growing) living on the islands below the radar, without proper papers.
It's not hard to see why they consider it worth the risk - even forgetting the natural beauty, wages are around 70% higher on the islands than the mainland and crime is virtually non existent, in stark contrast to the mainland. As so often in South America, the situation on paper (in this case the Special Law) differs sharply from the underlying reality. There has apparently been more of a crackdown of late, with 1,000 mainlanders expelled and another 2,000 normalised 18 months ago. But the ecological impact is mainly driven by the ever increasing tourism rather than by migration.
UNESCO reckons that if tourism continues to grow at this pace, there will be 400,000 annually in 10 years. That's a lot more boats and a lot more waste. I noticed on Isabela that the marine iguanas sunning themselves were more reticent than on other islands which see fewer visitors, and would sometimes retreat as you approached. On the other islands, they'd never do that, and sometimes ambled towards us to take a closer look. That must hide a deeper story. Here's hoping that the authorities find a way to properly control both tourist numbers and immigration to preserve the integrity of the islands. If the result of human activity expanding is that the possibility to get so close to the stunning wildlife is lost, then the whole rationale for the islands as a tourist destination is lost also, and everybody loses - man and beast, locals, mainlanders and foreigners.
I think a fairly reliable way of taking the pulse of a tropical island is how often you hear Bob Marley. Surprisingly for such a chilled out place, the Marley-O-Meter gives a low reading, but (like Colombia's Carib coast) the UB40 index is strong. Fine by me. The low Bob Count notwithstanding, the locals are relaxed and seem happy with their lot here. Given the number of undocumented residents, there is unemployment (a local cafe owner told me he placed an ad for help and saw 5 applicants within hours, none of whom had papers) but for now it's not visible beyond the usual smattering of Sunday drunks.
It's another surprise that accommodation (you can get a hotel room for $15-20) and food (you can get a set lunch for as little as $3) are so affordable here, although of course you can go top end and spend a shitload too, if you have the cash to burn. Bearing this in mind the islands are accessible even for travellers on a budget, although the return flight from the mainland's around $400 and there's no substitute for setting aside extra and doing (at least) a 4-5 day boat trip.
Aside from weighing up my sailing options for what wildlife to see, my hardest decision from day to day was whether to go snorkeling or surfing, so I guess it's fair to say this is one of the most beautiful and relaxed places I'll ever be lucky enough to visit. Now I'm around halfway through this trip. I've done the warm half, now I'm headed for the cold....
It's another surprise that accommodation (you can get a hotel room for $15-20) and food (you can get a set lunch for as little as $3) are so affordable here, although of course you can go top end and spend a shitload too, if you have the cash to burn. Bearing this in mind the islands are accessible even for travellers on a budget, although the return flight from the mainland's around $400 and there's no substitute for setting aside extra and doing (at least) a 4-5 day boat trip.
Aside from weighing up my sailing options for what wildlife to see, my hardest decision from day to day was whether to go snorkeling or surfing, so I guess it's fair to say this is one of the most beautiful and relaxed places I'll ever be lucky enough to visit. Now I'm around halfway through this trip. I've done the warm half, now I'm headed for the cold....
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