Going to the Galapagos

 

I haven't finished my blog article about our San Blas excursion yet but I wanted to jump ahead and do this one about our trip to the Galapagos while we have good internet to upload the pictures.

Our first view of the Galapos from the bus window as we left the airport. This is Baltra Island with Santa Cruz in the distance.

Like everyone I've heard of the Galapagos since early in school. I've never made a "bucket list" but there are many places I would like to see and the Galapagos was one of those places. My questions and thoughts about the islands exceeded information generally available but I always wanted to see it for myself. Several of our friends have taken their boats their but we don't plan to go through the canal so that was not in our future.

Lying just south of the Equator which passes through the north end of Isabela the largest island.

Our original plan was to sail to Colombia this year with our boat and then do side trips throughout Colombia and South America. But, we would have had to sail back to Panama to stage next year for our further eastward trip to Curacao. So we decided to stay in Panama and travel from there. Also summer is winter in the southern hemisphere so scheduling timing is important. There is also the issue of ever-evolving health protocols with things easing and tightening.

The Quinta La Costanza in the town of Tababela just minutes from the Quito airport.

 

 

 

 

 

                                                             The Galapagos were discovered in 1535, 13 years after the establishment of Panama when the Bishop of Panama was sailing to Peru and was blown off course. He landed on the islands and noted the geography and descriptions of what he saw. He named them the Islas de los Galopegos.  They remained largely unknown until pirates began using and charting them in the end of the 17th century. After that they became the hideout for pirates, source of food for whalers and eventually became inhabited. When South America became independent from Spain the Republic of Ecuador claimed them without any dispute. 

 

 Our first Galapagos Critter. A big red iguana colored to camouflage in the dry rocky terrain of Baltra Island.

Scenes from the canal between Baltra and Santa Cruz. The ferry operation was quite a scene. They run constantly as the buses arrive or depart to the air terminal taking passengers across. This is the transit point for nearly everyone entering the Galapagos.

 

                                                                      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Real fame came to the Galapagos when Charles Darwin visited during the 5 year voyage of the HMS Beagle and he documented the voyage and later published his treatise on the origin of the species from his visit there in 1835. For years after that Ecuadorians began settling on the islands and researchers from all over the world began taking specimens for research. Many groups of settlers came from other parts of the world and the US discussed the idea of establishing a military base to protect the Panama Canal. During World War 2 the US Navy did establish a base on the Island of Baltra, which is now the major airport on the islands, and a base on mainland Ecuador that were used to guard southern approaches to the canal. Some ruins of the base are still visible.

 Waiting for the ferry to Isabela

 

This guy was sleeping on a bench at the Puerto Ayora ferry dock

We left Bocas on 4 July for Panama City. We had some business to do in the City before we left Panama and spent the night because our flight to Quito was early on Tuesday. Tuesday we flew to Quito with plans to fly to the Galapagos Wednesday. Connections would have been too close and we probably wouldn't make it all the way to Isabela so we spent the night in a small town outside Quito near the airport. The new Quito airport is about 30 miles from the city.

Pictures of Santa Cruz Harbor

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed in the town of Tababela in a little place called the Quinta La Constanza. When we got there we were overwhelmed by the cold and the thin air along with the beauty of the area. It looked and felt like being in Switzerland. Around the area were high mountains with pine trees. Totally different than the mangrove and palm tree jungles we're accustomed to. We walked around the little town in the afternoon and it was charming. Kind of like a place from a fairy tale. The night was surprisingly cold for us as we left for the airport at 0530 for our 0800 flight. The temperature was in the 40's!

 

 

The guys were everywhere and camouflaged as black too hide against the lava rock it took effort to avoid stepping on them. These are the marine iguanas that eat algae and then spit up the salt residue as many of them have white spots on them.

Only 3 commercial airlines currently fly to the Galapagos. Information I read online said there only 2 with 1 flight a day. That may have been true at some point but there are 3 airlines flying there with multiple flights each day. The flight was uneventful. Once we landed they checked our tourist card and we had to pay the Park fee of $100 per person. Then, they scanned our bags again and had a dog check them as well. On our flight 3 bags were pulled and checked for further scanning. After that, we bought tickets for the bus to the channel ferry, then took the channel ferry at $1 per person. Then with a friend we met on the ferry we shared a cab to the ferry dock to go to Isabela. We bought our ferry tickets, had lunch, then paid the dock fee, the water taxi fee to the ferry and then enjoyed the 2 and a quarter hour ride to Isabela Island. We also had our bags scanned before going to Isabela even though they and already been scanned twice that day.  Seas were rough and several people got sick. 

 

Don't know the history behind this but it was right by the dock in Isabela with a group of guys working on it.

On arrival in Isabela we paid the water taxi to take us to the dock and then the dock fee so we could leave. The fees weren't a lot in total but it was like a toll booth at each step. We took a cab to our hotel that was right on the main street and not far from the ferry. So our day started about 0400 and we made it to our hotel about 1800 Galapagos time that is an hour behind the mainland. So a total of 14 hours of travel and we landed in our home for the next 5 days.

 Isla Santiago from the Puerto Villamil Beach

Isabela is the largest of the Galapagos islands and contains 5 active volcanoes. The government in its wisdom has contained tourism and habitation to the southern part of the island, although I understand tourist boats may go to offshore and shore sites for transient visits. 

 

A flightless Cormorant by the pier in PPUerto Villamil

Habitat destruction is a major concern in the Galapagos. Through hundreds of years of uncontrolled migration invasive species of plants and animals have had a myriad of impacts on the native species that Darwin catalogued and studied hundreds of year ago. Judging from what we saw I think the government may be too little too late. Many of the islands are totally banned from habitation and limited visitation to preserve species. But, there are 25,000 people living in the Galapagos and thousands of tourists arriving each day requiring food and water that aren't naturally present on the island and generate tons of waste. They have limited animals to those legacy on the island but goats, chickens, donkeys, cows and horses all have major impact on the habitat. What the long-term impacts are remain to be seen.

Scenes from our trip to La Cueva de Sucre and Mirador de Mango. The

caves in Galapagos are the result of lava flows where the outside 

hardens and the molten lava continues on to the sea.

 In the days before phones settlers

 used these promontory points for

 signaling.

 

 

 

 

During our stay on Isabela we visited several sites by taxi. We walked to the turtle breeding farm seeing Flamingoes on both trips. We also did a bike ride to the "Wall of Tears" and on the way saw many turtles in the wild. More on these in the pictures description.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                             

 

 After hatching turtles are placed in cages to protect them from predation by rats and birds. Then when they got hard shells they are placed in controlled environments until they are old enough to be released. The turtle hatcheries have repopulated thousands of turtles into the wild successfully.  These pictures are from the hatchery on Isabela but the ones at the Darwin Center were very similar.

  

I've attached more tortoise photos at the end for those that want to see more "in the wild" photos. On two walks we saw many tortoises off eating and enjoying.

 

 

 

 

 Isabela has miles of beautiful beaches that are great for swimming and surfing. Lots of big waves coming on shore. Puerto Villamil is a small town with lots of resort hotels, hotels and hostals. Many of the streets are covered with sand and when we were there a pretty strong onshore wind blew keeping it chilly and lots of waves. Of course it was winter there. We enjoyed the restaurants and happy hours at the Pink Iguana Beach bar that was a favorite of ours and the surfers.

 

 

 Happy hours at the Pink Iguana

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we were on Isabela we visited the Hospital 3 times to get my dog bite wound checked. They were very nice and helpful. The hospital didn't seem to be too busy as we always got right in and out at no charge. These visits and general care for the wound consumed a lot of time and kept me from diving in some of the most spectacular dive sites in the world. We will have to come back for that.

 A Blue Footed Booby

 A Galapagos Red Crab

 A group of young Frigate Birds

 

Some of the many flamingos on Isabela

 

Galapagos Penguin

The last day we were there we did a tour of Isla Tintoreras, a small island just off the town dock, that consisted of an island tour and some snorkeling. It was finally a chance to see the Blue-footed Booby, the Galapagos Penguin and the Galapagos white-tipped reef shark. It was a short trip but great fun.

So on Isabela we saw flamingos, giant tortoises, a flightless cormorant, marine iguanas, Galapagos Penguin and Blue footed boobies. Of course there were many insects and lizards that are also endemic to the Galapagos. After 5 days we took the water ferry back to Santa Cruz. Before getting on to the ferry we had our bags checked again, paid the dock fee and the water taxi fee. The ride back wasn't as rough as the ride over. Once back in Santa Cruz again we paid the water taxi and dock fees with getting our bags scanned.

 

The Galapagos Prickly Pear is dominant throughout the islands and serves a multitude of purposes in the ecosystem. The leaves provided water to sailors, animals, and the stalks provide nesting for finches as an effort to protect their nests from predators.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Santa Cruz is a totally different island that Isabela. The town of Puerto Ayora is the main town in the Galapagos with a population of about 20,000. It includes many residences, resorts, hotels, hostals, stores 

Street scenes on Puerto Villamil on Isablea

 

 

 Hotel Cally where we stayed on Isabela

 

 

 

 

 

restaurants and the Charles Darwin Research Center. It also has many ranches and a commercial ship dock on the north end of the island in addition to the passenger docks in Puerto Ayora. Unlike Isabela there was lots of traffic and it even had traffic lights. 

 

We rented bikes and biked out to the "Wall of Tears." The story is in the picture above. Along the way we saw tortoises in the wild along with iguanas and great vistas. I have some pictures in the Appendix. 

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed many evenings there at a great sushi bar, the Santa Cruz Brewery and the Bahia Mar. The restaurants were generally better than Isabela and more expensive. We spent an afternoon at the Darwin Center that I thought would talk more about Darwin but it was very informative about their work. Another day we did a hike to the Grottoes but since I couldn't get in the water it wasn't as much fun. 

A sea lion on the dock nursing from its mother.
 

We also visited the El Chato Ranch that is also a turtle reserve where we saw many turtles and learned more about the Galapagos environment. Very interesting to learn about the efforts to save the tortoises. 

On the ferry back to Santa Cruz
 

Scientists have documented 16 original Galapagos species of tortoises but there are 11 still in existence. Tortoises were killed for food by pirates and whalers. The turtle breeding centers have tagged all known tortoises with GPS tracking devices and when the turtles mate workers remove the eggs and incubate them. In the wild they are subject to predation and nest destruction from invasive animal species. They 

 

 Street scenes from Santa Cruz

 

 

 

 

 

 

then keep them in protected spaces until gradually advancing them as they age until they are finally free to be released in the wild. They have done a great job even though they were unable to save "Lonesome George's" species since he was the last of his species and unable to procreate.

 

In Puerto Ayora we stayed in an Air BnB that was well located and very comfortable. Spending time there was like any other resort town. Going to, from and in the Galapagos there were many young backpacker types, large cruise groups and a few freelance tourists like us. I can see spending much more time here to get below the level that most tourists see. But, we soon got turtled and iguaned out.   

One of Darwin's Galapagos Mocking Bird. Raids other birds nests and eats the eggs.

We left Galapagos on 15 July to spend time in Quito and side-trip around the country before heading back to Panama. We enjoyed our trip and hope to return again.

Sleeping owl in a lava tunnel at El Chato Ranch.

 

Had a nice lunch at the Isla Grill. A very nice place a water taxi ride away from town. When we got back to Santa Cruz from Isabela we were struggling to tell our taxi driver where our Air BnB was. A nice local woman came over and called the host and then instructed the driver how to get there. The woman worked at the hotel that ran the Grill so we thought the least we could do was patronize it. The food was fantastic.

 

These photos are of the Grottos. We walked there after lunch at the Island Grill and overlooked this narrow seawater passage of deep blue water that was open for swimming and snorkeling with the passage of interesting sea creatures. Also are some views from the top of scenes around the island.

 

 

Our last night we weren't really hungry after the big lunch at the Island Grill so we did Happy Hour with some drinks and Octopus Carpaccio at the Bahia Mar. The island is Isla Sant Fe as it peaked in and out of clouds and rain showers.

Turtle porn for those that like to see critters in the wild.

 

The Panama Canal

Ruins of the US Army Fort Sherman in the former Canal Zone built to protect the Panama Canal.

I don't remember when I first learned about the Panama Canal. But, growing up in the post-WWII era it seemed like something that was just there and we took it for granted until it was given away in the late 70's. But, there's much more to the story. The engineering feat that it represented truly makes it one of the wonders of the modern world.

The Public Entrance to the Miraflores Lock and Museum
 

To learn about the canal we went to two museums. The Panama Canal Museum in Casco Viejo and the Museum at Miraflores Lock. After going through them I was disappointed and wanted to learn more so I read two antiquarian books that were published contemporaneously with the opening of the canal.  

The two books I read about the Canal. Both written over 100 years ago.
 

Entrance to the Panama Canal Museum in Casco Viejo
 

Panama was formed by volcanoes that rose from the bottom of the sea between north and south America and over millennia formed the connection between the continents. Because it was formed by lava flows from volcanic peaks there were low points and it was the low point that formed the isthmus between the continents that could be exploited as the site of the legendary canal. The value of this area was not lost on indigenous people who traversed it and later shared their knowledge with the Spanish when they arrived in the early 1500's. From the first days of their involvement the Kings of Spain dreamed of building a connection between the two oceans through Panama.

View from the Centenario Bridge looking at the Pedro Miguel Locks (taken very fast)

The early Spanish built the Camino Real to transport the spoils to Portobelo that were brought to Panama from other colonies for shipment to Spain. Portobelo and Panama became targets of many pirates looking for riches. In more recent precanel days, ships entered the rivers on both sides of the continents connecting with roads and trails that passed through the jungle and hills thereby connecting the two rivers. Later a railroad connected the two sides of the continent. Most of the people going to California for the "gold-rush" sailed from the US East Coast to Panama and crossed the isthmus by carriage or train to the Pacific side and then sailed on to California,

 

The south end of the Miraflores Lock. The double gates serve to protect in the event of a failure.

The first modern canal effort came from the French. The team that assembled to build the canal included Ferdinand de Lesseps who built the Suez Canal. It was their belief that a sea-level canal could be built just like in the Sinai. Although to their credit they realized the huge tide swings on the Pacific side required a lock.. They thought that the mountainous jungle of Panama could be worked with more digging just like digging through desert sand. They had no concept of moving mountains or dealing with the torrential rains of Panama. Besides the engineering obstacles they failed to understand, the French effort was plagued with corruption and eventually the project ran out of money since the construction was financed through public sales of stock and bonds. As news of the corruption and construction failures spread nobody would invest and the effort collapsed. A second French effort was formed but never really got started. By the time the second effort started the new managers believed that a locked system was needed.

A small cargo ship coming into the lock assisted by tugs. The Centenario Bridge in the background.

There were efforts to build trans-ocean links in Mexico and Nicaragua besides Panama. The United States through the time of the French project was studying the concept of a canal through Nicaragua. The US Congress even passed legislation that Nicaragua was the preferred route. But, with the failed French effort Colombia made the US a deal it couldn't refuse. However, after making the deal Colombia believed they could extract more money from the US and the Colombian legislature refused to ratify the treaty. After being repulsed by Colombia the US supported the Panamanians that wanted to secede. The historical relationship between Panama and Colombia is a study onto itself. 

A Panamax ship Pacific-bound in the new larger locks.
 

Throughout most of it's history the government of Colombia viewed Panama as a stepchild. For many years in the 19th Century it was almost totally autonomous. But, then a new government came in and saw Panama as a resource it could exploit. The Panamanians were agitating for independence long before the US came along. Once Panama was independent Panama was willing to give the US everything and more than they requested to complete the canal.

A display from the traffic control center for the Canal.

Having obtained the rights to the Panama Railroad and the canal concession the Americans focused on one critical factor that decimated the French. No canal could be built if they didn't solve the diseases of Malaria and Yellow Fever. Through experience and work in other countries like Cuba they learned about the role of the mosquito in transmitting these diseases and immediately began a campaign to eradicate them. It included draining swamps, paving the streets in Panama and Colon, installing a sanitary water and refuse system, and killing mosquito larvae wherever it was. Through these efforts the American project could succeed. The French project lost thousands of lives to the diseases. 

View of the frontside of the lock with the electric engine that controls the ship. There are mules on each side that the ships tie to that control the passage through the lock. On the left side of the photo you can see the decline to get to the lower level.

At the same time the disease control was being implemented the US assembled a group of leading engineers from around the world to evaluate a plan for building the canal. This august body concluded by majority vote that a sea level canal was best following the French example. A minority reported that a lock system using an inland lake could be used and provided the conditions that were later used to build the canal. US President Teddy Roosevelt had the foresight to accept the minority report to build the canal.

Some of the land-side infrastructure including the Miraflores Hydroelectric plant. One of several that provide power for the canal and Panama. The Culebra Cut can be seen in the distance.
 

Because of the notorious corruption that plagued the French effort the project was given to the US Army Corps of Engineers and would be closely audited to ensure the fidelity of the investment by the US. Maj George Washington Goethals of the Army Corps of Engineers was assigned to build the canal. The concept was the 4 locks on the Atlantic side and 3 locks on the Pacific side with a lake between them to float the ships across the continent.  

Some of the ships anchored on the Atlantic side waiting to cross through the Canal or leave Panama. At any given time there are upwards of 50 ships on each side of the canal waiting to transit. That's about 2 days worth of business for the canal.

The project was built at great cost in labor, material and human loss. But, it was brought in ahead of schedule and under budget. Because there had never been any project of this scale done before machinery had to be designed and built for the work and for the canal operation. Much of it accomplished by the engineers working on the canal. About 200 million cubic yards of material were removed in the construction including massive amounts from the Culebra Cut which is the Continental Divide and the highest point of the route which had to be reduced for the level canal water with the depth for ships to pass and be maintained. During the construction the sides of Culebra collapsed until the engineers figured how far and at what degree the angles of the cut had to be to prevent future collapses.

Shelter Bay Marina sits in what was no doubt the Officer's Club on old Fort Sherman. There are concrete pads in the water for docking seaplanes and the post theater is now the sail loft.

The engineers working this project, nor anyone else in the world for that matter, had ever dealt with a project of this magnitude and with the extreme climatic onditions. For example, the engineers found the highest level of flooding in the Chagres river and doubled it to determine the maximum amount of stress that could be placed on the system that would be contained by Lake Gatun. The base of the Gatun Dam is 1/2 mile thick and made of many different layers of river mud, gravel and concrete and the spillways capable of diverting enough flow so the dam will never be stressed and in over 100 years of performance has never failed. 

The ruins of Battery Mower that featured some of the largest gun emplacements on the Atlantic side of the canal. A rail system internally was used for cars to move the projectiles for the guns.

In spite of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and violent weather the canal has continued operating.Less than 10 years ago the new locks of the Panama Canal were opened that could allow larger ships to pass through. However, the original infrastructure of the canal is still intact. Lake Gatun as originally designed and constructed over 100 years ago supplies water to both sets of lock systems, the hydroelectric power systems and the drinking water for Panama without modification. There is now concern that there is not enough water to sustain the operation. The blame is being placed on climate change but, when you expand the requirements with more than doubling the canal size, Panama City is now 100 times larger than it was 100 years ago and there has been no new water sources identified. What do you expect will occur?

Some of Ft Sherman's current residents

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course the history of the canal includes the history of the Canal Zone which was ceded by Panama to the US for the security and efficient operation of the canal. In the Zone were 22 military installations that included coastal defense batteries, naval stations, air fields and supply depots.With the turnover of the Canal many of the former US installations are being used for wide-reaching purposes. Besides those supporting the canal operations, most have been converted to some commercial purpose mostly supporting Panama's logistical infrastructure. In the area of Colon many have been converted to a large "Duty-free Zone" for tourists to come and buy a wide range of products duty free. Many of the buildings and much of the infrastructure the US left behind that is still in use is still standing and functional. Much of it has turned into ruins. The coastal batteries that were built to withstand heavy naval bombardment are still standing but have been reclaimed by the jungle. 

 

 More scenes from the batteries

 

 

 

 

 

Transiting the Panama Canal is a unique and remarkable experience. But gaining insight into the wonder that is the Canal must give one pause to appreciate the level of human achievement and technological progress represented there.

 

The Ft Sherman Chapel