Galapagos, Ecuador - A Final Word

It's the Critters
I hate to say it, but it's a mixed bag, the Galapagos. They don't tell you the whole truth before you get there but you figure it out quickly.  It's not the most beautiful - places like the Azores and the Maldives shine by comparison.  The town of Puerto Ayora is a complete dump - as ugly as any I've seen in the third world and I've seen many.  It's grown uncontrollably from 1,000 people to 20,000.  Why would anyone want to move here from the mainland?  Simple - to fleece the tourists.  The prices are 4-10 times higher than the mainland and depend on who's buying.  For some people a Pepsi is 50 cents, for others it's 2 dollars.  You're lighter by 125 bucks before you even get out of the airport - a pretty steep landing fee when Ecuadorians only pay 20.  Now, if I thought any of the money was making the place better for the critters then ok.  I'm just not sure that it is. 

I balance these feelings against the wonder of seeing a sea wolf snoozing on a park bench, nobody paying him any attention at all.  Or when we were waiting for a water taxi and happened to look down and see a giant school of manta rays.  These are things that I'm not accustomed to seeing and probably won't see again.

So for me, it was all about the critters.  I tried to keep my attention on them and only them.

I liked seeing them in their natural habitat - out in the middle of the ocean it made sense to see turtles, sharks, fish.  Then you see the pelicans lining up next to the fish monger and you laugh, then think about it a bit and realize that this is not how it should be.

So, I guess I half liked it - the critter half.  I hope to only remember them.  I can only imagine what Darwin would think if he could see it now.