Relaxing in paradise

Obviously, there is only one boat per day connecting San Cristobal with Santa Cruz (25 $). That is confusing, as there are two daily connections between Santa Cruz and Isabela. And Isabela is by far less visited and populated than San Cristobal.

I landed on Santa Cruz early in the morning, but already too late to take any organized tour to any place. As I had the impression to have seen almost all the important attractions the island’s mainland has to offer, I aimlessly wandered around, trying to find that T-Shirt I so unconditionally desired. I couldn’t find it.

Instead, I found a nice shop owner who I indulged in a conversation with for an hour or so, as I had nothing else to do. She expressed her inbred sales talent by advising me to look for Galapagos shirt and souvenirs on the artisanal market in Quito, as things are cheaper there due to more competition. Well – I followed her advice.

Two stores down the road another lady approached me – it was Julez’ Mum. I had expected them to be already on Isabela Island, but their boat would not leave before afternoon. We agreed to meet again for lunch, and I spent the remaining hour until then talking to a retired Swedish teacher who was working in a social project here on the islands. I guessed her to be around 65 years old, and therefore understood her complaints about the heat and the humidity out here – especially if you’re supposed to do some physical work!

After lunch Julez and his Mum left the island as planned, and I spent the afternoon doing nothing, shopping around, chilling out, pacing around the city, discovering the best fruit juice I have found in Ecuador so far as well as an inviting-looking restaurant, where I decided to go for dinner.

As food there was really cheap again (3$ for a meal including soup, main course and a liter of fruit juice!), and I had been told one would never find a decent dinner for less than 8-10$, I decided spontaneously to pay the family next to me their bill. Two ladies and three kids, who had been brought here by their fathers/husbands. Somehow, they just made me incredibly happy by letting me staring at their kids being absolutely excited going out for dinner.

I never spoke to them (except for when I left and wished them a “Buen provecho”). I don’t know, if they can regularly afford to go to a restaurant. I don’t know if they were celebrating a special occasion. And I will never know how they perceived the unexpected invitation to dinner from a foreign stranger. But it somehow made me happy to have done a good deed. And step by step, the world transformes into a better one…

I spent my last evening at the pier of Santa Cruz, watching some skaters and bikers training on a quarter-half-pipe, reflecting on all those amazing things I had experienced in the past week. Again, a good thing had come to an end. And nobody could tell me if I will ever set a foot onto the enchanted islands again.

Bye, bye, Galapagos Islands.