Day 26: If in doubt, ask (I ask 20 questions)

Before I know it, it's nearly March and I'm no closer to booking. If I'm going to do this trip I have to reserve my place soon.

I have more or less eliminated going as a standard tourist for the reasons already mentioned on my previous posts, but I'm having a problem deciding whether I'm up to being a volunteer.

I speak to the very nice people at http://www.ventureco-worldwide.com/ who make me feel special with their enthusiasm and don’t make me feel like an idiot when I ask simple questions as “what does rustic accommodation mean” or “what exactly will I be expected to do as a volunteer?”

In order to help potential future volunteers, here are 20 of my questions:

1) What’s the food like? (I like to get my priorities right!)
Apparently, it’s excellent – right now one of the volunteers is a chef so you won’t be living on a diet of re-fried beans. There will be a lot of yummy dishes that mostly, though not exclusively, revolve around rice, vegetables and fruit.

Don’t worry, you won’t go hungry. You get three hearty meals a day so no need to bring supplies of Mars Bars from home.

2) What kind of work will I be doing? (Yes, this should have definately been my first question!)
The project on San Cristobal is mostly involved with land conservation. You will mostly be clearing introduced species such as blackberry bushes and other endemic flora. The bio-diversity has been seriously affected by many invasive plants and there is only one way to remove them: manual labour. Herbicides cannot be used as they will kill off indigenous flora/poison the fauna.

The project has been very successful clearing large areas of blackberries for example.

2a) I’m not a young person. Will there be work that suits my age and fitness?
Although most volunteers are gap students or people taking a career break, older people also work on the project. There is a 65-year old lady there right now, so if she can do it, you can do it.

You won't be expected to do this work every day (5 days on, 2 days off, 8 hours a day); there are plenty of light duties such as observation and classification of native, endemic and invasive species (flora and fauna) and helping in the kitchen.

3) Because I’m a woman and able to cook, does that mean I will be expected to be help in the kitchen every day?
Definately not! You may be rota-ed to help in the kitchen but the chef’s in charge. If you’re hurting after a day of clearing vegetation, you may even be glad of a quiet day at the project peeling or chopping vegetables.

4) What’s the island like where I’ll be actually working?
You will be living and working on San Cristobal. It is situated in the far south-east of the archipelago and since the island has an airport it has become the start and end point for many tours.

The population is approx 8-10,000 and is the Ecuadorian administrative headquarters for all of the islands.

However, just because planes land here, it doesn't affect the amount of wildlife you'll get to see. If wildlife is what you want to see, you will certainly be surrounded by it. You will get to know the island very well, being close up and personal with parts of the island and experiencing close encounters with the native flora and fauna that the ordinary tourist will not.

If you want to learn more about any of the islands in the Galapagos archipelago, there are quite a few books available such as:

The Galapagos Islands (exploring, enjoying, & understanding Darwin’s enchanted islands) by Marylee Stephenson (The Mountaineers Books – ISBN: 978-0-89886-688-9)

5) You say I will be walking a “long” way. How far is “long”?
Not far – probably less than half a mile each way? We don’t want you arriving so tired you can’t do a day’s work!

Regarding fitness, you do need to be able to do a day’s work but the pace is relaxed – you can’t be expected to work fast and furiously in the heat. If you’re not already relatively fit, we suggest you start a fitness regime at least 8 weeks before you start at the project.

6) I don’t speak Spanish. Can I get away with not speaking the language?
Probably, though having a few words will help, especially for your free days on mainland Ecuador at the start and end of your trip. You may even learn a bit more Spanish working with the locals.

7) What are the personal washing arrangements?
Remember, the accommodation isn’t a hotel but there is a shower! Please bring soap such as Pears or Simple. Everything you use on the island must not be damaging to the environment, so no shower gel etc.

8) What about the electricity supply?
There is electricity at the project but it is not available 24/7.

8a) So I should really leave the hairdryer at home? (I’ve actually got short hair so this question is on behalf of my longer-haired sisters!)
Yes! Amazingly, we get asked this question quite a lot. If you can't bear to be without your dryer or straighteners, maybe you shouldn't be thinking of this kind of trip.

Your hair will dry quickly here without the benefit of a hairdryer. The resulting style might not be what you’re used to but if you’re sensible you will be wearing a sun-hat all day anyway so faffing around with your normal hairstyle would be a waste of time. Everyone will have “hat hair!”

9) What are the sleeping arrangements? (I'm assuming males and females will sleep in separate rooms/buildings but I'm sure I'll cope if not!)
The station consists of two houses constructed with bamboo and cement. Accommodation is in a shared rustic bunkhouse. There is room for groups of up to 45 people. You will be sleeping on a bed but please bring your own mosquito net.

If you have camped before, you will be used to the conditions.

10) Mosquito net? What about mosquitoes?
The archipelago is on the equator, so inevitably there are biting insects on the island, including mosquitoes but there is no malaria in Galapagos. If you are prone to bites, please bring sufficient repellent. Please use natural products, avoiding chemically based ones such as DEET.

Please also bring something with which to treat bites. Take anti-histamine (preferably non-drowsy) and bring enough supplies to last.

Wear clothing to cover your skin during the day to help avoid bites; this will also help you avoid sunburn.

11) Will my efforts really benefit the community? You hear stories about money from well-intentioned western communities going into projects in other third world countries where the villagers haven’t been consulted.
All projects have been approved by the community and a project will not take place unless somebody local is working with you. In fact, you will working under the guidance of a skilled local artisan. A portion of your fee goes straight to the project.

12) Is the water safe to drink?
No, do not drink the water unless it has been boiled but there is plenty of bottled water available on the island and at the project so ensure you just drink bottled or sterilised water.

13) Should I take my own water purification system or tablets?
If you want to and you have enough weight allowance left you can take a supply of tablets just in case you are caught out in the field without bottled water but generally there is no need.

14) Is the food safe to eat in the town of San Cristobal or on mainland Ecuador in Quito?
Apply common-sense. Food safety rules apply as for any holiday in a hot climate:

Stay away from some snack food stalls, avoid meat.
Don’t have ice in your drinks;
Don’t drink anything made with untreated tap water unless it has been boiled;
Avoid salads;
Clean your teeth with bottled water;
Take a bottle of hand gel (don't pack it in your hand luggage though) to keep your own hands clean.

15) Will I be able to recharge my camera battery / rechargeable battery if there is limited electricity at the project?
Yes, but there may be a queue for available sockets. Best if you bring at least one spare battery for your camera.

16) Will I be able to recharge my mp3 player / ipod using a USB connection?
No, not at the project. There are computers in the internet cafes in town so you can recharge your equipment there also with their unreliable electricity and internet access. The trip to town takes from 30 mins to 1 hour; taxis cost approximately $20, which you can share between a few of you. Often the centre staff are able to provide lifts for free

17) Should I bring my own snorkelling gear?
It’s up to you. If you have your own and you have enough room, bring it. But snorkelling equipment is available to buy or hire on the island.

18) I don’t have a big enough rucksack. Can I bring a suitcase?
We don’t recommend you bring a suitcase especially if you are travelling on after your stay here. Backpackers don’t have suitcases for good reason. If your funds are limited try and borrow one or buy a second-hand rucksack.

Size wise, you are limited by local airline regulations from mainland Ecuador, so no more than 20 kgs but in any case, if you are lightweight it is recommended you should carry no more than 25% of your own body weight.

Please don’t bring “everything but the kitchen sink”. A good guide is to put everything you sensibly think you’ll need in a pile, then remove half of it, then remove half of what’s left! Most people pack far too much.

You will also need to bring a daysack big enough to carry your wet-weather gear, sufficient water for the day, your pack-lunch, camera, binoculars. 20-25 litres is the maximum size.

19) What wildlife will I see on San Cristobal?
You will see a lot of wildlife – the list is too big but see this link. A lot depends on the time of year you are going. See this website for more information on Galapagos and San Cristobal: http://www.galapagos-islands-tourguide.com/san-cristobal-island.html

20) What is there to drink at the project? Tea? Coffee?
Coffee, yes, tea, no. If you can't live without your regular cuppa, you need to bring your own supply.

There may well be beer but you have to pay for that! Remember to budget for it if you like a bottle or three!

Day 21: Epiphany!

I’m beginning to panic. My boss has given me permission to take a month’s holiday but it really needs to be during our “quiet” time – before the school summer holidays. If I don’t book something soon, I’ll miss the window.

Then an email from http://www.responsibletravel.co.uk/ drops into my inbox and within it lies the solution – http://www.ventureco-worldwide.com/ventures/gap-years-in-galapagos/volunteer-galapagos/2535/

I’m interested in the trip where volunteers can work for a minimum of two weeks then have an 8-day island hopping boat trip as an optional extra. With a couple of days in Quito at each end, I would be away for almost a month.

Perfect!

Much cheaper proportionally than the standard cruises.

Even better!

There has to be a catch.

There is!

1) I will be working an 8-hour day, 5 days on, 2 days off (this is supposed to be a holiday?);

2) I have to walk a “long” way to get to my daily place of work (I have a “bad" knee and weak back);

3) I would more likely be clearing brambles or helping in constructing a building rather than counting turtle eggs (see my excuse for 2) above!);

4) I would be working in an average temperature of 23 degrees Celsius (I am an English rose– I don’t “do” heat);

5) There is limited electricity (wot no hairdryers?);

6) There is no clean, running water (but there will be a shower, won’t there?);

7) Accommodation is shared and “rustic” (is this an anachronism for sharing a tent?);

8) I need to be relatively fit (see response for 2) above);

9) It’s a long way to the nearest hospital or dentist (see response for 2) above);

10) I have a sleep disorder (but don’t tell anyone!) – I snore very loudly and have sleep apnoea but despite now wearing a mandibular advancement device (MAD) which apparently has reduced the decibel level, I still worry everybody within a 20 metre radius will want to kill me after the first night due to sleep deprivation.

I just don't know what to do!

Do you speak English?

Day 3: I procrastinate or in other words “try and talk myself out of it…”

Most evenings, after the day job I am too tired to do anything except to veg in front of the TV. I force myself to boot up my laptop and book my trip but by end of the third evening on the internet, my feet are seriously cold.

1) I would be travelling on my own;
2) I am female;
3) I am in my 50s and my bones hurt;
4) my knowledge of Spanish is limited to four words/phrases: Hola (hello), cerveza por favor (beer please), hablas ingles (do you speak English?) and gracias (thank you);
5) Galapagos is nearly 1000 miles from mainland South America and if something goes wrong it's a long way back to civilisation;
6) this trip won’t be exactly cheap and my retirement fund isn’t exactly brimming over;
7) in order to see as much of Galapagos as possible, I can’t afford to be taking my chances on trips to the islands without pre-booking;
8) there are too many tourists already in Galapagos;
9) my garden is looking seriously neglected – I could spend more than a month just chilling out at home or going on days out exploring my own beautiful county of Kent;
10) what is my elderly cat takes ill while I'm away?

I investigate a few organised trips but the cost is exhorbitant and going all that way for a boat trip that only lasts up to 10 days is not what I’m after.

Now, my sense of adventure is quite good but the more I think about it, the more I know I am right I can’t be a backpacker. Travelling on my own in a country where I have not enough language to get by is too scary to contemplate although I know it will be much the cheapest way to go.

Day One - I make a decision

I am going to Galapagos for my summer holiday. It's taken me 2 years to get round to this trip of a lifetime and I've given myself only 4 months to plan it. It's going to take one-third of my life savings (my retirement fund) to pay for it but you can't take it with you and I could be dead tomorrow.

This decision hasn't been made because I've been diagnosed with some terminal or debilitating disease, at least I bloody hope I've not got something nasty; I know only too well how short life is, and as I've been dreaming of this trip since I was twelve I thought it was about time I went.

I blame my granny. She told me I should travel while I was young and I have certainly travelled a lot in my life but Galapagos was always off my radar - too expensive, too far, too hard to get to and most recently, too many tourists.

In recent decades, I have turned into a self-proclaimed green goddess, outraged at the pillage and destruction of the world's rain forests, the loss of habitat for indigenous life and scouring of natural landscape by greedy mining corporations, loggers et al.

I wished I couldn't say, "I told you so" when the world's biggest economies finally agreed global warming had to be halted.

Once the BBC spread the wonder of these enigmatic jewels in the Pacific to the world with their unrivaled documentaries, more and more tourists flocked by the plane and boat-load to marvel at Lonesome George, to swim up close and personal with sealions and step over salt-spitting sea iguanas. The fine line between tourism propping up a relatively poor economy and destroying it with curiosity was enough to make me want to postpone my decision to hop on the next plane to Ecuador.

I watched another documentary with horror as island locals jumped on the bandwagon and plucked sea cucumbers from the sea bed almost to extinction to dry and sell this precious resource to the East Asian markets.

The shark population is also under threat as their fins, as always, attract huge financial gain for the fishermen in order to supply insatiable Japanese appetites.

Our ancestors also unknowingly helped to start the destruction of the bio-diversity of the islands of Galapagos by introducing unwelcome invaders: rats, fungi, viruses, goats and blackberry plants were just a few. Even dear old Charles Darwin, who apart from removing hundreds of flora and fauna from the islands to end up pressed, stuffed or preserved as exhibits in the Natural History Museum, also destroyed many tortoises by taking them as a source of fresh meat to nourish him and the crew on the voyage home.

I reflected maybe it was just as well I'd missed the boat to Galapagos. I wanted no part of its further destruction.

Then I read between the lines: tourism is actually helping the local economy. Money from tourists is helping to fund the Charles Darwin Research Institute which in turn is working on a program to rectify past mistakes.

And I am a writer. Maybe I could help stop the rot in some small way.

I wanted to spend a month on the archipelago but the longest trip I could find was a ten-day cruise which would take over half my life-savings. I'd be popping onto an island or two for a day then off to the next one overnight. A case of if it's Tuesday, it must be Isabella?

This wasn't my idea of travelling. I wanted to get down and dirty. I didn't want to spend my time trailing round with a bunch of tourists snapping and video-ing anything that moved (or didn't).

Too old to be a backpacker? Definately!

I will do my homework and spend many hours on the internet to finally find the solution: the clue is in the title.

What follows is my journal of the days of preparation for this trip concluding with regular posts of my experiences direct from Galapagos.