Island Hopping – Part Two: Isabella
Monday (Halloween!)
In the morning we all hopped onto three boats that took us
on the two and a half hour journey from Santa Cruz to Isabella.
We arrived around lunchtime to an amazing island where the roads are still made of sand and the population is much smaller. It felt much more intimate than Santa Cruz where many of us had felt like just another tourist instead of part of the community.
A map to give some reference! We were based out of Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz. Then we went to Isabella to the mainland area across from "Tortuga". We also climbed the Sierra Negra volcano shown on the fat part of Isabella.
We arrived around lunchtime to an amazing island where the roads are still made of sand and the population is much smaller. It felt much more intimate than Santa Cruz where many of us had felt like just another tourist instead of part of the community.
Cozy little town with sand roads
We were quick to get settled and have lunch and were soon
out to explore! First we all got in small boats and headed out to an area full
of "aa" (pronounced "ah ah") lava rocks. On the way we got to see PENGUINS! They were so tiny and
cute! Very exciting!!
Just hanging out on the rocks!
Then we got to our destination where we could see washed up
and dried out coral, sea lions, hundreds of iguanas, and stretches of beautiful
coast with big crashing waves. We also got a glimpse of some tintoreras (or
white tipped sharks) in their natural resting place. However, the number of
iguanas was absolutely insane – they were everywhere just piled on top of each
other drying out and warming up on the lava rocks. There were even huge iguanas
with little babies no bigger than your thumb resting on their backs. It was
pretty neat.
Iguanas hanging around everywhere Coral on the rocks
Next we headed out to a sheltered area for some snorkeling. The day was cool and cloudy and the water a bit chilly but we all jumped in anyway (of course!). We got to see turtles, rays, and lots of fish before it was time to head back. It was time for a nap before dinner for me – I had taken some Dramamine for the ride over to Isabella because of the rough experience we had going to Santa Cruz. The water ended up being calm but that didn’t stop the drowsiness of the Dramamine from setting in full force. After dinner we walked down the beach to a little bar with an amazing fire pit. It was soo nice just to sit by the fire with the ocean about 100yds behind us and listen to the crashing waves.
Tuesday
The next day we were up early to head out on a boat to
travel an hour to snorkel in the lava tunnels. Our small group was separated into two
so there were only about 7-8 people in each boat. As we headed out we could see
the water was big. The swells were around 6ft and up to almost 10ft at times.
On the way we stopped at this neat rock in the middle of the ocean. It used to
be a place where fisherman would store supplies so they wouldn’t have to travel
all the way to the ports.
Enjoying sitting on the side of the boat with the waves in my face
The 'supply rock' with foamy waves crashing around it
From there we headed to the area we were suppose to go towards land to see the lava tunnels. We had heard rumors that big waves would prevent us from getting into this area. Apparently the boats have to time their entry to go between two wave
sets, almost impossible with big swells. Only the best captains know how to
navigate this and on this day it was too dangerous. So instead we traveled back
a bit to another area with similar features. The captains expertly navigated
towards the shore and through a series of inlets. When we got out we walked
along more lava rocks. We got to see an octopus that was about a foot long
which our guide even pulled out of the water to show us! A few people got to
touch it but it got annoyed and kept inking so we had to put it back.
The area the boat captains navigated into
Then we all jumped in the water to snorkel through the
natural formations of lava. Here we got to swim just feet away from white
tipped sharks that were resting. Very neat. We also got to see a sea horse
hanging out in the reeds – amazing!! The water was chilly (again) but
definitely worth it!
Sea horse on a stick underwater! We got to snorkel right up to it!
We got to head back for a leisurely lunch and then headed to
our second snorkeling spot of the day. This was very close - just walking distance
from our hotel. Several people decided not to snorkel because it was a bit
chilly but I was curious and jumped in with about 5 others. Although the water
supported a lot of fish (as well as mangroves) we could see traces of gas (from the boats) in the
water. The gas made it look like everything was a mirage when you swam into certain
areas. We made a note to try and avoid accidentally swallowing any of water
here and continued on. We swam through mangroves and lava rocks to see lots of
fish and plants. After we got out we headed back to the hotel to change and
then, of course, to explore Isabella’s panaderia J We found they had amazing treats there are Jacquie and I decided to splurge
on some lemon meringue pie! We spent the evening playing cards and playing
around on the rocks by an amazing beach!
Just a little excited about this pie!
On the rocks along the shore
Wednesday
Today we were off to head up the giant Sierra Negra
volcano (one of five on this huge island)!! We were taken up to the base of the hike and emerged in a misty cool
cloud of fog. The trek up and back would take about 6 hours but after an
initial steep climbs it was mostly flat. The only challenge was walking on the
lava rocks that appeared about 2/3rds into the hike. After a couple hours the
fog burnt off and we emerged into a warm, dusty path that took us right along
the huge crater.
Jac and I looking out toward the crater
The crater is the largest, active crater in the world (the largest inactive crater is in Africa). It’s 10km wide and amazing to see. At the top we got to head out onto the volcano and explore. First we got to crawl under some of the lava in a tunnel about 10-15ft long. Then we went to feel a hot spot where the hot steam fogged our sunglasses. After a few pictures it was time to head back down for lunch.
Sucked into the tunnel under the earth :-P
View out towards the top of Isabella and the sea
We then headed to a wonderful Hacienda and enjoyed an awesome buffet lunch, saw some more giant tortoises, and got to spend a few minutes relaxing in a hammock before heading back to town.
Here I am hugging a giant tree (these were also found in Tiputini). They say if you hug the tree the spirit man will take all your bad energy. I'm also holding two pink bananas that I had picked!
Soon we headed back and spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the big waves along the
coast and trying to rinse off the full layer of mud and dust that covered us
from head to toe from our hike.
Thursday
On our last full day, Thursday, all the GAIAS students
joined together for our excursion. We headed out along the coast to visit a
historical site called “the wall of tears”. Back in the early 1900s Isabella
was used as a penal colony (and later, as a US base during WW2). There are
remnants of both scattered around the island. The wall of tears is a wall made
of lava rock that the prisoners were forced to build. The idea was that it
would eventually create a square area where the prisoners would be forced to live.
However, they completed only one and a half sides due to the backbreaking work
in the hot sun. Sick or tired men were forced to work twice as hard to speed
their recovery or their death. Additionally, over 100 prisoners that tried to
escape were brought back to the wall and shot one by one.
Looking out from a corner of the wall of tears
After this we walked back along the road and saw some wild
giant tortoises. We stopped at three places along the way the way back. The
first was a fresh water area surrounded by mangroves where the soldiers used to
get drinking water. It provided a shady area for us to take a much-needed break
from the sun. The second was another neat lava tunnel that goes far below the
ocean. We walked in until the water came up to our shorts to cool off. The
third and final stop was a beach where we just happen to see two male iguanas
fighting over territory! It was like a ceremonial dance as they circled each
other and hissed back and forth.
Lunch was once again at the hacienda with the comfy
hammocks. That place had some of the best food on the island! Our last
afternoon was adventure filled. We were told we might be going rappelling into
one of the volcanic craters, which we were really excited about. However when
we arrived we learned our idea of rappelling and their idea of rappelling was VERY
different….
We split into two groups and I volunteered to go first with
about 14 others. A man came around and handed us 5ft long pieces of climbing
rope and regular rope that he fastened into makeshift harnesses around each of
us. We were then handed a 4ft long piece of rope with a non-locking carabineer
and a bike helmet and told we were ready to go. I was more then curious to see
where this would all lead.
Ready for adventure!!
On the trip we had one staff member whose husband and
daughter were also accompanying her. We had her husband go first since he spoke
Spanish and I followed him with Jacquie behind me. We walked to the edge of a
large gapping hole and looked down. The first part was a muddy/vegetation
filled slope that then lead into a black hole (where we assumed we’d find lava
rock and the actual crater).
Looking down from the top of the descent
We soon found out we were not actually rappelling
but instead climbing down “ladders” along the steep slope that would lead us
into the crater. The ladders were muddy and wet and they twisted and turned as
we went down one by one. It took about an hour for everyone to get down since
we had to space ourselves out. Although we had on harnesses many of never
clipped into anything since there wasn’t much to clip too. The harnesses were
essentially useless although a few people were able to find ways to make them
work.
Looking up one of the rope ladders
After we got through all the rope style ladders we got to this last straight ladder into the actual crater.
As we got down we started to explore a vast, dark hole
filled with lava rocks. We found bones of horses and cows and lots of slippery
rocks. Our guide came down fifth and just watched us explore. It’s pretty much
a liability nightmare but we were left to wander along the rocks down into the
crater. Luckily someone had a flashlight so we could see past the small area
the sun lighted. We eventually found our way to an even deeper hole that lead
far beyond where we could see. Eventually we wandered back towards the ladder
to take us up and as the last person got down those of us who had been down for
a while started back up.
Muddy and wet but having a great time down in the crater!
It was an awesome experience, although I’m not sure it’s
something that will be done again based on safety concerns. The last part of
the day we spent exploring a cave where a man used to live. He would spend three
weeks in the cave and one week in the sun each month. Apparently your yes adjust after a couple days..... We walked into the cave (with
headlamps this time!) and explored for about 30min. At one point we all turned
off our lights and the darkness was enveloping! To end the day we politely asked our bus
driver to drop us off at the panaderia (which he kindly did) so we could stock up on goodies for our
long boat ride home the next day :D
Then we walked to the fire pit near the shore and enjoyed a
happy hour special. However, the day did not end well. When we got to dinner
Christina learned she had a message to call home where she received some sad news around a serious medically related-issue within her family. The rest of the
night was spent sitting out on the beach with the girls and toilet paper
for tissues watching the waves crash and spending time in each other’s company.
It was a sad night to end a very good day.
The beach right after sunset
Friday
We took the boat home early in the morning and despite the
4hr ride the time passed fairly quickly (esp with our snacks!). We were all glad to see our home
island and we were welcomed by the barking of the sea lions (which we had
missed quite a bit during the week - no other island has so many!).
The whole trip was a huge adventure full of friends,
laughter, new experiences and some sadness. It’s definitely something I’ll
always remember.
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