PUERTO
VILLAMIL
,
sitting
under
the
cloud-draped
slopes
of the
huge
Sierra
Negra
volcano,
was
founded
at the
beginning
of the
nineteenth
century
and
named
after
the
general
who
annexed
the
islands
for
Ecuador
in 1832.
Now home
to
around a
thousand
settlers
who fish
or farm
coffee
and
fruit in
the
highlands,
the
quiet
port has
barely
been
scratched
by the
tourist
industry.
Visitors
still
stick
out here,
in this
small
town of
sandy
roads,
simple
houses
with
fences
of woven
branches
and
cactus.
The
beautiful
palm-fringed
beach
escapes
even the
presence
of a
single
souvenir
shop,
and
there
are
several
good
attractions
nearby,
which
can be
seen
without
guides.
A small
dusty
square,
fronted
by the
municipio
and a
simple
church,
fixes
the
centre
of town
a block
back
from the
waterfront,
dock and
Capitanía.
Heading
north of
the
square
takes
you out
of town
towards
the
airport
and
highlands.
On
Avenida
Antonio
Gil, the
road
heading
west out
of the
town
centre,
passing
small,
secluded
lagoons
(
pozas
) where
you can
spot
waders,
shore
birds
and
sometimes
flamingos,
you'll
see a
sign for
the road
north to
the
Giant
Tortoise
Breeding
Center
("Centro
de
Crianza
de
Tortugas
Gigantes"),
which is
a
twenty-minute
walk
from the
town
centre.
Work is
ongoing
here to
repopulate
the
island's
five
unique
tortoise
subspecies,
each
based
around
the five
largest
volcanoes.
On show
are the
rearing
pens for
the tiny
hatchlings,
and
corrals
for
adult
tortoises
taken
from the
wild,
including
the
rescued
Cerro
Azul
tortoises
and
those
saved
from a
serious
forest
fire on
Sierra
Negra in
1994.
Two-hours'
walk
west
along
the
coast
road
(ignoring
the
turn-off
to the
tortoise
centre)
beyond
several
peaceful
beaches,
brings
you to
El
Muro de
las
Lágrimas
(The
Wall of
Tears),
a
testament
to the
suffering
of three
hundred
prisoners
who
toiled
here in
the
1940s
and
1950s.
They had
the task
of
building
their
own
prison,
using
the only
material
to hand
-
sharp-edged
lava
boulders.
Driven
on by
guards,
they
made a
wall
some
190m
long, 9m
high and
6m wide
at the
base,
but many
died in
the
process.
The
prison
colony
was
closed
down
after a
revolt
in 1959,
the wall
unfinished.
The
best
place to
see
marine
life is
at
Las
Islas de
los
Tiburones
(also
known as
Las
Tintoreras),
a
handful
of
ragged
black-lava
grottoes
poking
out of
the sea,
a short
boat
ride
from the
port
($10-15).
From the
natural
dock a
trail
leads
past
scuttling
marine
iguanas
up to a
lagoon
and a
narrow
channel,
where a
"viewing
gallery"
allows
you to
see the
sleek
shapes
of
white-tipped
reef
sharks
cruising
back and
forth.
You can
swim and
snorkel
in the
lagoon -
though
don't
swim in
the
channel
itself
as it's
not big
enough
for both
you and
the
sharks -
or back
at the
landing
site. If
you're
lucky
you may
see
rays
and
marine
turtles
.
