Galapagos Sizzle

sun setting behind a Galapagos Island

After our third Galapagos island, San Cristobal, we began to truly understand the culture here and it has much to do with sizzle.  

These are new islands – the newest has only been above water for about 800,000 years.  As a consequence, there is a rawness about the place that is evident everywhere.  The islands are all volcanic, and about them has grown only the tiniest bit of coral.  Below water there is little variety: lava, some lichen.  On land, between the dry and the heat, vegetation has had little chance to grow tall so the islands are covered in thick low shrubs. 

smelly sea lions taking over a beach

Everything is openly exposed to the extraordinary power of the equatorial sun.  Flesh will quickly crisp when exposed and all creatures seek shade – or in the case of the fish, deeper waters.  Little moves between 10 AM and 3 PM.  That is one kind of sizzle. 

The other kind of sizzle is the marketing bumph that famously replaced the actual steak on Madison Avenue.  Everything here is very costly, particularly all tours and tourist amenities.  That by itself might be understandable -- even considering that this is clearly a developing country – because the islands are remote and there is an attempt being made to limit some impacts on the relatively closed ecosystem.  Also, tourism accounts for 60% of the economic activity on the islands, and everyone wants a piece of the action. 

Otovalo woman on Sunday

But we have become disillusioned that the hype so exceeds the actual experience that there seems a total and disappointing disconnect between what is promised and what is delivered.  Although individual species can be prolific (the mounds of stinky, aggressive sea lions come to mind), there is not much variety in species.  And in the absence of any coral, the vaunted snorkelling (we have been on three snorkelling tours—including the “best in the archipelago” and a few swims from the beach) reveals a rather bleak underwater seascape, certainly not nearly as exciting as the Caribbean or even Hawai’i – let alone Indonesia or the Indian Ocean.  This is fourth class snorkelling at best.  Divers get to enjoy the same underwater moonscapes for $200 per dive: an astronomical price.

At 5'3",  Ingrid loves feeling tall.

Much to our consternation, after much excitement at the notion of seeing the famous Galapagos Islands, we departed after two weeks with a sense of surfeit. 

At the other end of the scale, we made our last exploratory visit to the market town of Otavalo, and there we found some of the most exciting and genuine Ecuadoran culture.  It is two hours on a local bus north of Quito, about 1,000’ lower in altitude and has a wonderfully relaxed vibe with an old-timey feel of Christianity mixed into Kichwa culture: big bands with pan pipes and a half dozen guitar-like instruments of all sizes playing free concerts in the main square. 

I think one of Ingrid’s favorite experiences was towering over the local women, many of whom came only up to her chest, and quite of few of whom could have walked under my elbows without touching me. 

So now we are in Quito for a day of prep before two long days of travel back to Terrace where Marj has been caring for our poor ailing dog.  We had no idea Java would so sicken while we were gone, but thank goodness she is in Marj’s care.  

Kichwa woman tends her field a few K from 15,000' Imbabura volcano.