Galapagos travel tips

Here is some useful information about travel to the Galapagos;

Money:
 Ecuador has switched to the American dollar as a currency. So there is no
need to exchange any money. The smaller denominations the better. $10 bills
were the easy to use. $20 bills were sometimes a problem due to lack of
change.

Travelers checks:
 Nice to have, difficult if not impossible to use, especially in the
Galapagos. However there is a bank on the island where they will cash them.
They charge $5 per transaction, regardless of the amount. This was the only
place we found that would accept the checks.

 Credit cards:
 Credit cards are accepted at some of the restaurants and stores. Master
Card being the most common by far. However they charge a "fee" for the
transaction which can be as high as 8%. I was able to purchase some
souvenirs at one store using Visa with no "fee".
 Cash advances off most common credit cards (I used Visa) is also available
at the bank. They charge a $4 per hundred fee.

ATM:
 There is an ATM at the bank. It took only Master Card as far as I could
tell.

Internet:
 There is a cyber cafe in town which charges $4 an hour. It is a very slow
dial up connection, adequate for email though.

Water temp (I have a thermometer on my watch) ranged from a low of 70F at
Loberia to a high of 78 at Tongo Reef. The average was 75 F.

Crowds
We caught very fun surf on both sides of the island ranging anywhere from 4
to 8 foot faces.
The most crowded it was 7 guys. The common crowd would be 3-5 guys. When
Corolla gets big the mainland Ecuadorians and the Peruvians will hop a plane
and get on it. I hear that crowd would be 15 or so.
 
Accomodations:
We stayed at the Casa Blanca Hotel. It is a very cool place with a view of the
harbour.It became surf central while we where there. Teclas and Eddie have
done a great job on the place in such a short time with more improvements to
come.

Food
 There are several good places to eat. Including the Albacora and Rosita's.
Rosita's is a must to view the wall filled with epic surf shots.
Lots of fish/shrimp with rice dishes. Prices range from
$2.00 to $9.00 for a heaping plate full of food.

As Fast Eddie Salazar would say "Cool Bananas

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