where's wolmut?: human galapagos

laurel says:

many come to galapagos for the wildlife and natural beauty, but there is a human side to these islands that is equally compelling. to be honest, prior to our trip i didn’t even know that there was a human population in the galapagos. in reality 30,000 people live there across 4 populated islands (the other 9 are uninhabited.) the largest town is puerto ayora on the island of santa cruz. that is where we spent the past week, addicted to the laid back pace, friendly vibe, white sand beaches and delicious food. the town is centered around the waterfront main street. we couldn't walk down the street without running into someone we knew, from the talented nature guides and friends we made on our boat to the many interesting travelers that we befriended in town. our daily grind was a gorgeous half hour walk to tortuga bay, a white sand beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. we made many a friend along the path, including the park keepers and local surf crowd who took emil under their wing. every night we would go to a street filled with ‘kioskos’ aka the equivalent of food trucks. the staple dish there is called ‘enconcado’ meaning seafood in a spicy coconut sauce. a shrimp dinner will set you back $7, or you can spring for the lobster for $14. all of the fish is caught locally that day and purchased at a one stall fish market on the man street. each fisherman gets to control the stall for one hour to sell his wares. the going price for tuna was $2 per pound, still wet from the ocean water. naturally, we were about ready to pack it all in and set up shop here. the only thing stopping us…the governmental ban that allows only those born in the galapagos or married to someone born in the galapagos to live full time on the islands. after 2 and a half blissful weeks on the islands, we reluctantly moved on. next stop, peru!