What we did in paradise... Where to begin? While there was plenty of
activity to keep us busy, we were also content to do nothing and enjoy
the sounds and sights of our surroundings.
Getting There
First off, the boat ride from Santa Cruz to
Puerto Villamil, the only town on Isabela Island was nothing like the
bucking bull ride that Paul described when we left Isabela. The boat
ride over was a little bumpy, yet was filled with dozing passengers -
they seemed to have anticipated a rough ride and so most popped a
motion sickness pills, making them very sleepy. Very funny to watch
people try to sleep sitting up right while being jostled side to side
from the waves. Every now and then, they would slowly fall onto the
shoulder of the person beside them, only to awaken startled as they
realized they did not know the person sitting beside them. This was
how my neighbor introduced himself to me. :)
Birthday Celebration
For my birthday, we took an hour-long
boat ride over to Los Tuneles, a series of lava flows which produced a
number of beautiful formations
of arches and tunnels both under and above the water. Two weeks ago, I
would have described that boat ride as a bucking bull ride, but after
experiencing the real wild west, it can't be gauged on the same
caliber. Now, I would describe the trip to Los Tuneles as a roller
coaster ride
on the ocean. It's all relative!
The waters there were shallow and calm making it a wonderful place to
observe sea turtles and beautifully colored fish swimming through the
lava tunnels. We hopped off the boat and explored the lava tunnels on
foot, then jumped into the water to snorkel and explore them
underwater. We were back just in time to enjoy our first sunset on
the beach as we sipped on some wine sitting on the deserted beach.
For dinner, we diverged from the usual rice and fish and treated
ourselves to a feast at the only beachfront hotel with a real chef.
Happy birthday to me!
Volcanic Exploration
In another adventure, we found ourselves
on horseback making our way up to the crater of one of the
five volcanoes that formed the island: Volcan Sierra Negra. It is the
world's second largest volcanic crater: 10 kilometers across and 92
meters deep. We traveled from the beach, through lagoons and
mangroves, dry forest, lava fields and finally through wet forest
zones. It's striking to see the rapidly changing climactic zones in
such a short period of time.
The horses were tame and had a mind of their own. When trying to give
them instructions, it was well understood we were NOT the bosses, they
were letting us ride on their backs and the rest was up to them. I
named our horses "Slow" and "Slower". Mine was Slow, and Paul's was
Slower. No matter how hard he tried to get his horse to go faster, it
was met with the same stubborn unchanging snail's pace. The funny part
was Paul's relentless efforts in trying to get his horse, Slower,
to gallop. All futile, but he persisted nonetheless. I was happy to
let Slow do its thing, I was in no hurry.
At the top, we hiked around the crater's edge and along several of the
parasite craters (little outlets of lava on the slopes of the main
crater) and enjoyed the varied vistas. We learned that the candelabra
cacti grow a mere centimeter each year, and can thus tell how long it
had been since the last lava flows occurred in this area.
Back on the horses on the way down, I felt quite apprehensive because
the trails were incredibly muddy and the horses were having a lot of
difficulty with their footing. A girl from our group was an
experienced rider, so I stayed close to her. I'm not sure what
difference this made for Slow, but it gave me a (false) sense of
security. Ultimately, false it was: her horse slipped and lost its
footing, fell to the ground, sending her flying off into the mud.
Thankfully, and likely due to her experience, she was as smooth and as
graceful as could be - if that's even possible while being thrown from
a horse into a mud bath. Slow got a little startled, but overall kept
his calm. I on the other hand, did not - my heart was pounding.
It was just too dangerous to continue on horseback in these
conditions. We all got off our horses and hoofed our own way back down
through the mud to the bottom. This was fine by me, if I slip and fall
there is much less distance between my 5'4" body and the ground than
when atop the horse. Paul was slip sliding away; literally, he was
wearing sandals which made it challenging for him in all the mud. As
for myself, I had the best seat in the house to watch Paul's repeated
near wipe-outs and so I giggled the rest of the way down. Especially
when he finally did fall and take a mud bath. I know what you are
thinking, but I know you would have laughed too!
Seafood Feasts
One evening, while enjoying our ritual cup of
wine on the beach as the sun set, we met a couple who had spent the
last two months on the island. They shared a secret about an amazing
dining experience. We were in! They told us about a restaurant at
the end of the pier where, if you gave them 24 hours notice they could
fix you up a seafood feast. The notice gave the fisherman time to go
out the next day and catch your dinner. They prepared us a feast of
lobster, yellow fin tuna, calamari, shrimp and octopus, which we
enjoyed after a long arduous day on the beach. All of this was cooked
on a small charcoal grill but a few feet away from us as we looked on.
With our feet in the sand, we enjoyed impromptu conversation with
others as the anticipation mounted. We agreed with that couple, and
could definitely say that this was our best dining experience to date.
The following day we looked on at the pier as the fisherman caught a
school of Lisa (white fish) near the shore with a net. We helped them
descale, gut and clean dozens of them. While fresh fish guts don't do
it for me, throwing the just yanked innards of the fish straight up
into the air caused quite the frenzy overhead among the frigates, the
pelicans and the boobie birds as they amazingly swooped in and caught
their treats mid-air. They didn't miss even once. Watching as some
with the quickest moves would catch more was a true demonstration of
survival of the fittest at its best!
Most of these fish were taken to locals or merchants to sell; a few
were fried up and handed out as thanks to those who had just helped
with the catch. Not only did we try our hand at our first
descaling/degutting experience, but also ate our first Lisa fish. It
was delicious! The Lisa fish was so scrumptious that we wanted more.
Paul managed to get us invited back to cook up another feast on New
Year's Eve, and that we did. A little oil, some garlic, lemon, salt,
pepper, white wine on the "oh so fresh" Lisa fried up by us. And we
didn't have to clean up! Now that's my idea of a new year's dinner.
Latin American Hospitality
Most mornings, I would walk along
the beach and find a spot that called to me to enjoy a peaceful yoga
session, losing myself in the sound of the crashing waves. One
morning, on my way back, I ran into a local young boy that had
befriended us a day or so after we arrived. This time, he was with his
mother and they were heading home after having caught a rather large
Lisa which they were planning on eating for dinner. As we have
witnessed on more than one occasion, Latin Americans are welcoming,
curious, and incredibly hospitable. After exchanging a few words, we
found ourselves invited over to share in fresh ceviche at their home.
You don't have to ask me more than once.
What an incredible experience to be so welcomed into a stranger's
home. This open, welcoming attitude towards strangers baffles Paul
and I, yet we would like to learn to do the same when the situation is
reversed. As a side note, their homemade ceviche was incredible.
And then some...
Many of our days were spent simply making
our way in and out of the ocean, interspersed with reading, yoga,
writing, strolling along the fine white sandy beaches and streets,
walking along coastal lagoons, snorkeling, visiting the giant tortoise
breeding center, meeting locals, getting to know what their lives are
like here, finding and returning to our favorite spots,
eating leisurely meals (rice, rice and more rice), all without a care
in the world. Actually, this is not true, I had a care, and it was
pretty serious. The one place that served ice cream ran out and
I definitely cared when they would get more. Oh the stresses that came
with being on Isabela!
When traveling, there's a constant stream of new stimuli each day.
Our relaxed time in Isabella offered us the much needed time to simply
pause, reflect and integrate all that we've seen up to this point.
We've come to realize that these breaks are an essential aspect to
making the most of our journey.
Want more photos? See the whole
Isabela photo set on flickr or
see it as a slideshow
