Floreana & Isabela Islands
Today we started our day very early in the morning. There are so many things to do and see on this day that we eagerly departed on a pre-breakfast outing for a historical visit to Post Office bay, at Floreana Island. This area has a lot of history hidden behind the salt bushes and the Palo Santo trees that cover the entire shoreline. Back in the late 1790’s a barrel was erected not too far from the beach, to serve as a post office and, in that way, give the chance to the crew of whaling and buccaneer ships to have some way of communication with their families. Ships heading back home, either England or the United States, would usually stop by the barrel, collect the mail and then deliver it safely to such countries. The area has served as well as a landing site for many expeditions along the eighteen and the nineteen hundreds, and even as a place of few unsuccessful attempts to settle, made by Norwegians and Germans in the early 1920’s.
The rest of the morning was dedicated to water activities. The glass-bottom boat was placed at the same site designated for snorkeling. We all had a glimpse to the underwater world. It was a great experience full of colorful fish and great sightings of sea lions!
Our visit to the island of Isabela was not less than exciting either. The community of Puerto Villamil had been primarily dedicated to fishing, but since the arrival of the Polaris to the area, we are content to see how new possibilities of work in tourism have been opened to the locals. Tourism is always a good thing in the Galápagos. It shows the locals that conservation is the real key to attract conservationist-oriented guests, which besides helping the economy of town, will learn about the beauty of a well-protected natural area as the Galápagos. In the end, everybody benefits from it!
Our visit finished with great sightings of flamingos in a very pristine location not too far from town. The beautiful pinkish-colored flamingos flown over our heads several times displaying their magnificence when flying, and in a blink of an eye landed in front of our astonished faces, fulfilling in that way another beautiful day in paradise…
Today we started our day very early in the morning. There are so many things to do and see on this day that we eagerly departed on a pre-breakfast outing for a historical visit to Post Office bay, at Floreana Island. This area has a lot of history hidden behind the salt bushes and the Palo Santo trees that cover the entire shoreline. Back in the late 1790’s a barrel was erected not too far from the beach, to serve as a post office and, in that way, give the chance to the crew of whaling and buccaneer ships to have some way of communication with their families. Ships heading back home, either England or the United States, would usually stop by the barrel, collect the mail and then deliver it safely to such countries. The area has served as well as a landing site for many expeditions along the eighteen and the nineteen hundreds, and even as a place of few unsuccessful attempts to settle, made by Norwegians and Germans in the early 1920’s.
The rest of the morning was dedicated to water activities. The glass-bottom boat was placed at the same site designated for snorkeling. We all had a glimpse to the underwater world. It was a great experience full of colorful fish and great sightings of sea lions!
Our visit to the island of Isabela was not less than exciting either. The community of Puerto Villamil had been primarily dedicated to fishing, but since the arrival of the Polaris to the area, we are content to see how new possibilities of work in tourism have been opened to the locals. Tourism is always a good thing in the Galápagos. It shows the locals that conservation is the real key to attract conservationist-oriented guests, which besides helping the economy of town, will learn about the beauty of a well-protected natural area as the Galápagos. In the end, everybody benefits from it!
Our visit finished with great sightings of flamingos in a very pristine location not too far from town. The beautiful pinkish-colored flamingos flown over our heads several times displaying their magnificence when flying, and in a blink of an eye landed in front of our astonished faces, fulfilling in that way another beautiful day in paradise…
