The other Galapagos

The other Galapagos

The real life in Galapagos is far from what we think or perceive. Sometimes we think these beautiful islands are just a major tourist destination and tend to forget that there is another more conventional Galapagos that is fascinating in its own way. The little things and details of daily life is also what makes the archipelago interesting. As most people don’t get to the see the other side of The Galapagos, we hope that we can introduce some of the personal stories that are part of the daily life in the Islands. The human history of the islands is as fascinating as it is troubling in some regards. Coming to the Galapagos was not always as pleasant as it is now; the long distance to travel here and the isolation made life for the first settlers the opposite to paradise. The struggles in the beginning were dictated by the lack of supplies, poor farming conditions, and even a lack of empathy from the world for that handful of forgotten islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Time passed and those personal stories of the first settlers are now anecdotic, and current generations have gratefully inherited a totally different land, that is now thriving because of tourism and other related business. The pioneering ideas of making this place an island paradise to live in somehow materialized, but still the local population is longing for better days. Unfortunately, some of the basic needs are still developing, including good schools, universities, hospitals, energy independence from fossil fuels, and communications in the digital era. Although tourism has been cornerstone for Galapagos, this is just one step in the long run of achieving a more sustainable way of life, and here is where we as Galapagos Renaissance look forward to contribute with anything is in our hands to improve the way of living of local community in Galapagos.