When the speedboat reached the port of Isabela Island, the largest of the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador, an inner peace came over me.
As the captain slowly maneuvered the boat, I saw an endless white-sand beach with imposing palm trees and a few simple houses in the distance. A couple of penguins swam in the crystal clear waters, and when I stepped onto the wooden pier, my eyes were glued to playful sea lions chasing each other.
I couldn’t help it—I fell in love with the place immediately.
During my transfer in an old jeep to the basic but lovely San Vicente Hotel in Puerto Villamil, I noticed the lack of high-rise buildings, outdoor advertising, fast food chains, or traffic noise. The unpaved roads have a speed limit of just 70 km/h, and I was told that the majority of the island’s 1,800 citizens don’t own cars as importing them from mainland Ecuador costs a small fortune and fuel is hard to come by.
