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 disappointing to see the agencies (ours was not unique) behaving like that. The trip itself was a non event too. You might be forgiven for thinking that a snorkelling tour would take place from a boat with adequate gear, but neither of our masks permitted any visibility. To make matters worse the 3 pairs of fin on board were all too big for my friend. This wouldn't have been a problem in deeper water, but it was too shallow and it was impossible to avoid making contact with the rocks. My friend stood on a sea urchin so we had to abandon the sea immediately and get to a hospital to remove the barbs from her feet. So in the course of a single tour we were misled by the agency and let down by the boat. We wanted to make amends by going the next day but the conditions were awful and we were foiled again.
Back on the main island, Santa Cruz, I hired a mask and snorkel and went to a great spot, only to discover that the snorkel was leaving from a tear. Another day and another snorkel trip, and I was promised (more than once, as I knew now to make proper enquiries) all the right gear would be on the boat, only to find that skipper had no fins.
Fortunately I didn't need them in the event but it's disappointing, in a place like this, to find that the agencies are so cavalier about your experience. The wildlife always has other ideas, though, and when I once found myself face to fin with a 3m Galapagos Shark, the snorkel equipment wasn't the first thing on my mind. I should also clarify that notwithstanding the agencies being, frankly, shit, the place still makes up for it.
All of the above is more a cautionary note if you come here - it would take a lot more than those gripes to have disturbed my experience of this place. It's not just the tour agencies, though. 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 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 to 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 populaton on the 3 main populated islands, particularly Santa Cruz, has grown rapidly, 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 exisitent 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 likely 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 exisitent 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 likely 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 to make a mental note of how often you hear Bob Marley. Surprisingly for such a chilled oput 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 placed an ad for help and saw 5 applicants within the day, 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 private room for $15-20) and food (you can get a set lunch for $3) are so affordable here. 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, in my experience, there's no substitute for setting aside extra and doing 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 private room for $15-20) and food (you can get a set lunch for $3) are so affordable here. 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, in my experience, there's no substitute for setting aside extra and doing 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....
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment