Puerto Vilamil is an end-of-the-road town
The largest island in the Galapagos, Isla Isabela is situated at the west end of the archipelago. Before we arrived, we were warned about three things – businesses only accepted cash, there’s no ATM on the island for withdrawing cash, and provisioning is difficult because of lack of stock in the few grocery stores that exist.
Grilled fresh local lobster – life is rough
When we arrived, we found that almost all businesses accept credit cards, and that they don’t add a surcharge like shops in San Cristobal. We found an ATM conveniently located right on the main plaza in the center of town – it was happy to dispense us cash. And we found a lot of shops and grocery stores – there are two that are larger than anything we saw in Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal, and they were chock-full of food.
The Wall of Tears was a make-work project for inmates back when Isabela was a penal colony. It must have been backbreaking work to stack heavy volcanic rock under the tropical sun.
The town on Isla Isabela, Puerto Vilamil, has a nice feel. The few cars, trucks, and motorbikes meander mostly just over walking pace. The entire place shuts down for siesta between 2 and 5 or so, and the pace is so slow it’s sometimes hard to tell that it’s not siesta time. Muy tranquilo, just our style.
Road hazard, Isabela-style
