I got up and out early. In fact, so early the guy selling water and banana bread (and other stuff too, in his panaderia) wasn't open by the time I went to the malecon. But the guy with the little kiosk on the malecon was open and he sold me a bottle of water and a balogna sandwich. I forgot I'm not a huge fan of mortedelo and prefer mortedelo extra, but it was edible and a decent breakfast with the big sandwich bread it was on. I managed to get signed in on the Sigiloza (the name of my ferry) and boarded via water taxi. I was in the first group to board the Sigiloza. Me and the girl sitting by me in the back row by the windows thought we had it made – the whole back row to ourselves. But not to be. More people came in. The boat was full with a couple of people taking turns standing, and all seats on top full. No way I could have made it on the top – through a little window and climb the ladder from a tiny little ledge. Just getting to the ladder would have been way outside my comfort zone with my balance problems!
There were some solo folks like me on the boat and a few locals and couples, but most of them were a group of seniors from Great Britain or a film crew from Germany who were filming a documentary on what it is like to live in the Galapagos Islands. They were a pretty cool group. So were the Brits.
When we got on the water taxi heading into Isabela, there was a girl from New Zealand and her boyfriend. (She's on the far right.) She was wearing sea sickness glasses. Well, I guess motion sickness glasses. She says she even drives in them if she's going a long distance. Says they work great. They looked adorable. The water in them apparently brings the horizon right up to you when things are moving, and there are circles on all sides.
I got to Isabela and paid my $10 entry fee, then took out my camera and got some shots of the welcoming crew of sea lions, the sleepy baby on the path, the iguana on the path, and a pelican on the bay beside.
When I got to the parking lot, I grabbed a taxi for a buck and headed to my hostel. I was hoping to just drop my bags, but I was able to check right in. Turns out, check out and check in are really early on this island! Lots of rules here in the hostel, but they're understandable and meant to take care of particular problems. No using the towels to wash things - just dry your body. Too many towels get stained by wiping shoes, washing makeup, etc. I always bring a face cloth because many hostels and even some hotels don't provide them outside the US, so no concerns there. No suitcases on the bed. This prevents the spread of bed bugs, which they don't have and don't plan to! Wipe your feet on entry. No eating in the room. Crumbs attract ants and other bugs. Conserve water and electricity. Those are self explanatory. I hope that was all. Without thinking, I immediately broke one. I put my backpack on my bed just out of habit. When I realized what I had done, I pulled it off quickly. I don't think I'm carrying bed bugs, but sometimes you don't know until it's too late.
I walked around town and found the meeting place for my tours from this island and confirmed the times and that they are both dry landings. Alethea had already told me that, but I double checked. The town is really cute. Nothing paved. Sidewalks are raised off the street, so lots of ups and downs if you walk on the sidewalks. (I tended to walk in the street because of that.) In most parts of town, the sidewalks are left bare with tables and businesses back away from the street.
This is the island's letters in front of the town square, facing a group of restaurants behind me.
On the way back to my hostel, I took the direction past the flamingo lake. There weren't so many birds in it this afternoon. There's probably more at a secluded cove in a different part of the island, but I didn't want to walk that far. This is a kind of big island. The biggest one in the archipelago.
There is a fence around the lake to protect it from any larger predators. Dogs are supposed to be leashed and kept inside, since they are an invasive species here, but sometimes they do get out. Hence the fence around the lake. It also keeps kids from chasing any of the animals in the lake, etc. There is a small boardwalk so you can enjoy the birds without disturbing them. They are much brighter than other flamingos I've seen except those in zoos that are specifically fed for color. Flamingos get their pink color from the beta-carotene in brine shrimp and some algaes. They are brighter or lighter based on the amount of beta carotene they ingest.
After my walk, I went back to my room and took a nap. With the window being one-way glass (I can see out, but you have to get right up against it to see in), the hammock was a great place for that nap.
I woke for a late lunch time and got a huge meal with a lentle soup, rice, pork chop, fries, salad, and desert. I was stuffed and I later went to the Bar de Beto, which is just around the corner on the beach and is considered part of my hostel. I could have rung for Beto to hang me a hammock, but I didn't want to bother him or his wife, Edith just for that, so I just sat at the table and watched the birds and kids playing on the beach. After falling asleep at the table, I decided to take a walk. It is a lovely beach!
When I was coming back, a huge iguana was just walking into the bar. I said, “Hola”, and he stopped long enough for me to catch up and take some shots. Their tails are so heavy, they make drag paths in the sand.
I'm not much of a nightlife person these days, so as the bar opened, I bought a soda pop and went back to my room. The internet has been good in the room and almost all of the pictures I had taken on Santa Cruz had uploaded to the cloud during the day while I was out. So, I watched a movie had had on my computer and went to bed early.
The hostel is great. It is Hostel Galapagos by Bar de Beto. Nice hot water, large room, shared kitchen with a water dispenser for refilling your water bottle. Unlike on Santa Cruz, they discourage single use plastics, and the hostels and tour offices give free water bottle refills for their customers. There's also a rooftop terrace, but I never checked it out because I didn't want to walk up all those stairs for another view of the flamingo lake.
Tomorrow includes a search for the Galapagos penguin!
