Subscribe To This Site
Galapagos Island Floreana and Post Office BayPost Office Bay  A beautiful Olivine beach (similar to Punta Cormorant) welcomes you, next to a dense salt-bush forest.A few meters inland you will find a series of marine objects, including boats names, and most important a wooden barrel that holds postcards and notes from the most diverse origins. The Galapagos history tells us that by the end of the 1700's some sailor nailed a wooden box to a tree, and called it Hathaway's Post Office. Soon Post-Office Bay became a mandatory stop to all sailors in Galapagos waters. In this vast and remote Pacific Ocean, it was the only official way to communicate with relatives, friends and governments. The system worked under a very simple concept: anyone could leave mail at the barrel, and a passing ship will collect it and hand-deliver it later. At the time, the Islands were well visited by ships navigating the world's oceans, and chances of getting your mail around continents was actually quite likely to occur. You could also receive your mail here too; if a ship brought mail, it will drop it at the barrel, and the recipient will collect it later. This was indeed a useful service, free of cost, and gave everyone a chance to communicate while in Pacific waters. During the war of 1812-1813 between the United States and England, Post Office Bay played a key role in these countries fate. The US Captain David Porter of the USS Essex, managed to capture over 30 British brigantines and frigate ships in Galapagos waters alone. Since the Galapagos islands' waters were common location for the British fleet (for whaling purposes), Porter read the mail at Post Office and figured out the possible locations of the wanted ships. Sadly, all these sailors did not know the war had ended about six months ago. Thus, this war is also known as the War of Mis-communications. Today, Galapagos visitors continue with the tradition (but don't read someone else's mail!), and take the postcards that match the country, state, city, even the same street. There are times that this system may be better than many regular postal services. Post Office Bay in Galapagos Island floreana also holds some unique wildlife sites, all with rewarding landscapes to observe. For instance, La Loberķa, has a large colony of Galapagos Sea Lions next to islets that still display the unique cacti of Galapagos Island Floreana. Also, along the shoreline marine iguanas, rays, sea turtles and even sharks can be spotted. Farther out, some smaller rocks show small colonies of Galapagos Penguins A site called the Baroness' Observatory show a breath-taking view of La Loberķa and the inland features of Floreana Island. Recommended Galapagos ReadingA Traveler's Guide to the Galapagos Islands This book reviews the Islands' history, explains its ecology and the evolution of its wildlife, and tells where to go and what to see and photograph. This guide to the Galapagos Islands is the ideal handbook for anyone thinking of going to the Galapagos Archipelago. (This is a helpful and easy to read guide) The Diving Guide: Galapagos Islands
See Beautiful Photos of Galapagos Galapagos Islands Information  Custom Search If you have questions about Galapagos Island Floreana or Post Office Bay, Please post them on our Galapagos FAQ Page and if you'd like to request more information about our recommended Galapagos Tours to visit this Archipelago, You can Contact us here
|
