We disembarked the boat a half a tooth shorter than we started with due to a piece of Jon’s front tooth falling out while eating lunch leaving a large gap in the middle of his two front teeth, and headed the mile into town with another passenger in his early 20’s. Our bags on our backs and our day-packs on our front looking like the tortoises we had just seen. Due to having to pay cash for the cruise and then tipping for the cruise Jon and I were left with a little over $100 cash in our pocket. We had heard rumors that there was no ATM in town so we were in search of a hotel that accepted credit cards.
After stopping at several with no luck we ran into a guy looking to sell us a snorkeling tour “Los Tuneles”, the number 1 tour on the island, who assured us that there was a store on the corner that would allow us to take cash out and brought us to a hotel that would take credit cards. It was a little pricier than the others we had seen but felt it was worth it for the ability to pay with credit card as well as the gorgeous beach area.
After dropping off our 30 pound back-packs, we left with our young companion looking for tours for the following day as well as cash. This cheerful young gentleman was more thorough than I am, something I did not think was possible. The first tour agency we stopped at took credit cards and had the tour open for the next day at 11. However, our young companion wanted the 7 am tour. Jon and I did not care so we proceeded to follow him into every tour agency in town looking for a 7 am tour that took cash. There were none.
I started realizing that this might not be the best town to be stuck in without cash. Our search for a tour now turned into a quest to find a way to get cash. By this point over and hour had passed by and we decided to wait until the elusive cash store opened at 4 pm. When he finally arrived at 4:30 he said he could not but another store may. Jon made his excuses and me and our young companion tried the other store which then ended up turning into an hour and every convenience store in town. Finally, one said yes but they were going to charge 24% (all places on the island which excepted credit cards charge that astronomical rate) and they only had $100 in cash (the tour was $90 and a boat back to the main island was $30, each) but then her machine was not working anyways.
By this point our young companion had managed to squeeze himself into a 7 am tour and book the boat back to the mainland so I decided to go back to the original tour agency and book the 11 am. They were not kidding when they said this tour was popular, the tour had already sold out and for the next day as well as the day after that. And to make matters worse they would not take a credit card for the boat back to the mainland due to some Galapagos rule.
I stormed back to the room mad at myself for wasting the afternoon running all over town to find that Jon had dropped his laundry off to get cleaned without waiting for me. He was actually mad at me for taking so long and thought he was going to have to explain to my parents that he lost me. Like I want to spend an afternoon in paradise trying to get my own money! We proceeded to take out our frustrations (ok maybe my frustration) by discussing every one of each other’s flaws into the wee hours of the morning the whole time me staring at the gap in-between Jon’s two front teeth trying to take him serious.
After a refreshing few hours’ sleep and feeling lighter with everything off our chest, we headed out to use $60 of our precious dollars to make the boat reservations back to the mainland. Miraculously the tour agency that accepted credit cards suddenly had an 11 am tour open for that day and because we were booking a tour we could add on our boat reservations using the credit card. I guess the Galapagos Rule does not apply when you spend a lot of money. This fantastic news meant that Jon and I had $100 for the next day and a half. I have never been so elated about $100 in my life, at that moment I felt like I was the richest person in the world.
We finally were able to spend the next few days enjoying Paradise!
From top left: Jon in front of the Isabela sign into town, golden rays we swam with on our “Los Tuneles” tour, Jon ducking his head into a lava tunnel, Playa del Amor where we kissed and made-up and Sunset from and amazing beach bar.
What we ate: due to our cash issue we were limited to restaurants that took credit cards. Luckily many had a set menu which included a soup or salad and a choice of a main for around $10. Our splurge on our last night, Jon opted for a burger with fires stacked like a Jenga puzzle and I had a delicious crab, rice and avocado dish.
Where we stayed, Hostal Galapagos better known as “Bar Beto”. We had a large private room with a bed and to Jon’s delight a hammock inside our room with a bathroom for the pricey $60 a night not including breakfast. It was at the far edge of town. The bar and a portion of the hotel was on the beach and the section we stayed in was directly across the beach. Hotel rooms with a view were $100 a night.
The ocean-front bar oasis that sold me on the hotel and outside of our room.
Journey with Christina 