|
|
|
Gillian Parker
Giant Tortoise and Galapagos Conservation
| Having now been travelling round South America for 7 months, I can tell you that Galapagos is the most interesting place I have been to. The Galapagos Islands are a once in a lifetime experience, although having now been there once in my lifetime, I would like to make it twice! Volunteering on Isla Isabela, the largest of the islands, is a wonderful way to get to know the islands. Isabela has almost all of the animals you would wish to see. Every day I saw flamingoes, blue footed boobies, pelicans, frigatebirds, marine iguanas and of course, tortoises. |
 |
Also living on the island, or in the sea around it, are sharks, sea lions, rays and penguins. There are so many amazing animals that you almost get complacent seeing them. You develop a"oh not another marine iguana" attitude! They are so plentiful that sometimes it is difficult to remember that you are seeing animals that most people live their whole lives without seeing.
Most people also live their whole lives without cleaning out a tortoise pen! I feel privileged to have spent over 3 weeks working with these amazing ancient creatures - over 800 of them in total, including 500 babies. To simulate conditions in the wild, to which the babies are returned when they are 6 years old, the tortoises are only fed every other day. Their cages are cleaned out on the days in between, but they get water every day. Feeding the tortoises was fun as you can see their personalities coming through. Yes, they have personalities! Some of them liked to stick their heads under the stream of water from the hose when you were filling their little pools. Others always chose the moment you were cleaning out to take a swim. Some of the babies would hide in their shells when you opened the lids on the pens. Others would race to the side of the pen to start looking for leaves. There was one pen in particular where they would all run to one end and arrange themselves in a heap of tortoises, sometimes three deep. Inevitably one of them would end up upside down and then there was a frantic wiggling and kicking of legs to right themselves. Another pen contained babies who would prop themselves up on their two front legs on the side of their pen and stare longingly into the next pen, if the other pen got their leaves first. And none of them ever seemed to learn that we would put more than one leaf in the pen, and they always rushed to start chomping on that first leaf. Sometimes I had to manually rearrange them inside the pen so they weren't all fighting over the same leaf. The five year olds seemed to have problems distinguishing between a leaf and a trouser leg and would sometimes try to eat my clothing instead. They were also fascinated by the brushes and rakes we used to clean their pen and would crowd around them as if they were ancient gods that they worshipped.
During my time on Isabela, I stayed with Olga and Alfredo. They run a guesthouse, so I got the benefits of being in a family situation (they were very friendly and helpful) as well as the increased independence that you get from staying in a guesthouse. My room, which I shared with another volunteer, was separate from the family house, had its own bathroom with hot water, a television and a fan. It was kept very clean, and laundry was done by a member of the family, though this cost was additional. We joined the family for every meal. Breakfast usually consisted of the most delicious eggs that reminded me just how awful the mass produced eggs in most of the world taste. After breakfast we would walk the 20 minutes to work, past the lakes of flamingoes. Lunch, when we came back from work, was typical Ecuadorian food, so there was a lot of rice, but it was always delicious and I never experienced any problems at all with the food. In the afternoon, we went to the beach with was less than 5 minutes away - a fabulous beach, a long curve of white sand. It took half an hour to walk to the end of it, and usually the only other creatures there were the blue footed boobies and pelicans diving into the water. Some afternoons we would hire snorkels and masks and watch the sea lions under the water.
 |
The internet cafe was also less than 5 minutes away. The connection on the island is slower than the mainland, but Isabela is such a relaxing place that eventually you are moving so slowly yourself that you barely notice. And when newcomers to the island start complaining about it in loud voices, you think "oh just chill out!" After the evening meal, we usually sat outside playing cards, lay in the hammocks reading or went to the local bars along the beach. |
At the weekends, there were trips to some tiny islands just off Isabela to see more animals, including the penguins and sharks. You could also go horse-riding up to the nearest volcano, which is said to be the biggest live volcanic crater in the world. It is 10km by 9km - yes, it's big! There are also other snorkelling or diving trips available, and you can also go to some of the other islands.
| Isabela is just a friendly place, with only 2000 people living there, that before I left I went to the internet cafe, the ice cream shop and the bakery to say goodbye to the people who worked there. And the lady that did my laundry came to find me to say goodbye. When Olga and Alfredo left me to the port early one morning to start the journey back to the mainland, I had tears in my eyes. The Galapagos Islands and Isla Isabela have been a real high point of my travels this year. I completely adored the place and I hope with all my heart that someday I can make it a twice in a lifetime experience |
 |
 Further information on the Giant Tortoise and Galapagos Conservation Project
Return to South America Travel Stories
|
|
