San Cristobal Island, Galapagos, Ecuador

Many cruisers pass by the Galapagos on their way to French Polynesia. Not stopping because of the high fees to bring your boat in (for our boat and the time we elected to stay here the fee was about $1,300), or because they say they've seen lots of iguanas and rocks before. We feel that they have made a mistake.

Yes, there are iguanas and rocks here but there has been no place else in our nearly 4 years out that we could effortlessly swim with Hammerhead, Black Tip and Galapagos sharks, a school of Spotted Eagle Rays, and massive Green turtles all in one 45 minute smooth-water snorkel. We've also never found a community quite like this one. The town is full of parks (with clean, public bathrooms!!) where the locals gather each evening to socialize and let their children play. The only place we've been to that had that sense before was Zihuatenejo, Mexico (no public bathrooms there, though). We've felt so welcome here, too. The locals are genuinely friendly and have such a huge sense of pride of their community.

Ken and I are very impressed with town on San Cristobal, Galapapgos. We intend to head for another of the Galápagos Islands tomorrow. The town there is much smaller than here but I have high hopes of another fantastic stop.