San Cristóbal Galápagos - Capital del Paraíso (and it is!)
Monday 21 May – We anchored in Bahia Naufragio and action finally happened at 12.30pm. Our Agent, 7 Inspectors from all the different government departments and 2 nurses sailed over to us and boarded with their briefcases full of forms. They all sat down with their files and started firing questions at Geoff.
Each one was happy to interrupt the other and ask questions for their own forms – it was absolute chaos, papers flying everywhere, the nurses doing blood pressure, oxygen and temperature checks, (and taking selfies of themselves with the surrounding scenery!) one inspector checking out the fridge and freezer (we passed the test there as we’d pretty much eaten all the contents of the fridge!), he even wanted to check date stamps on cans and the bread!!!!!!
Unfortunately, there were a couple of items on the boat that didn’t pass muster and the army guy who reported back to the Port Captain, was insistent that until they did (I’m not even going into that story but in a nutshell, some items that need to be updated were hardly going to be available on a small island in the Galápagos) we were not allowed off the boat! For those of you who know Geoff, you know that that option was never going to fly! The items in question had nothing to do with any of the items on the inspection list that we had covered and passed. Long and short of it, and a few raised voices, Geoff got them to allow us to disembark and the Agent is sorting it out for us! Phew!
San Cristóbal is the capital of the Galápagos Province and was the first island where the famous English Naturalist, Charles Darwin in his boat Beagle, landed. We were off the boat and into water taxi into the dock in a jiffy. What a pretty little town Puerto Baquerizo Moreno is, with its tree and cacti-lined waterfront, cute little shops, cafes and restaurants – and plenty of lazy seals snoozing on benches and pavements.
We walked around to the Gianny Arismendi Interpretation Centre where we learned about the history of the islands, its volcanic origins and conservation programmes, very important here as you can imagine. A great dinner was had in a very local, family run restaurant sitting on the street and enjoying the goings on around us. What we had forgotten was to book a water taxi back to the boat and they stopped at 6.30pm.
Off we went down to the dock in the darkness, nearly tripping up on seals as they lay all over the ground. Fortunately, we were able to flag a taxi down so we could get back to the boat. Pleased to say our fencing is working a treat, other yachties have put their fenders out as barriers but it’s not enough and we’ve heard stories of seals up on their decks and poking their faces through the hatches!
Tuesday 23 May – Geoff had admin to do and another session with the Agent re passing our inspection test! So, Mike, Sheryl and I took ourselves off on a 4-hour tour to the other side of the island. First stop was the David Rodriguez Breeding Centre where we were able to walk a trail and see adult tortoises in environmental conditions similar to their natural habitat. I don’t think they were too keen when I walked up close to them, there was definitely a sort of hissing noise as they pulled their heads in!
We also saw the breeding section with some newly hatched two-week-old tortoises. They are trying to increase the population of these endemic land tortoises called Geochelone Chatamensis which are peculiar to this island. The trail was full of manzanillo (apple) trees, and we were told not to touch the bark, the leaves or the fruit as its resin is highly poisonous. These trees provide the food for the tortoises (blimey they must have thick skins then, ha ha, excuse the pun!).
Next stop was Playa Puerto Chino – a popular stop for tour groups and good for surfing and body boarding – for us New Zealanders though it wasn’t such a wow as beaches like that are ten a penny for us – yes, we are fortunate and spoiled!
Third and final stop was the El Junco Lagoon – a natural lagoon of fresh water formed in an extinct volcano crater. Its name is taken from a type of plant that is common in its surroundings which is called "junco”. The lagoon is surrounded by species of endemic flora and frigate birds are drawn to the area to dip their wings in the water to wash themselves free of salt. It was a fair old climb with plenty of steps (at one stage resembling the Great Wall of China rising into the distance) and when we finally got to the top it was so misty and grey that the lake was barely visible, and we only saw two frigates! Oh well, at least we had a great gym workout!
Wednesday 23 May – an early visit to the local market to stock up on some yummy fresh fruits and vegetables and a quick stop at the Panaderia for some fresh bread and pastries and we’re back on the boat, anchor up and sailing off to Isla Santa Cruz.