Galapagos Islands, Ecuador: Post Office Bay

For a country that doesn't have a postal service, it's odd to see a spot on the map in the Galapagos Islands called Post Office Bay. But the area is a place that has been involved with delivery of mail for hundreds of years (since the late 1700s). 

It's a great story. Way back when, workers on whaling ships and sailors would be away from home for months in a time. Obviously, it wasn't easy to tell loved ones what was going on back then. So a system was started in which a whiskey barrel was left near the shoreline of Floreana Island. Then when other visitors turned up at the same spot, they were welcome to look through the "outgoing mail." If they found an address close to their own, they were invited to take the letter with them and personally deliver it to the recipient - emphasis on "personally." You couldn't count on a speedy delivery, but it often did indeed arrive. 

Now in the 2000s, the tradition continues. Tourists visit the barrel (an older version is on display at an interpretive center on another island) and leave their post cards, and then pick up anything close to home. During our stay, one woman actually found a card addressed to her town in Florida. She scooped it up and planned on delivering it soon. One family spent three years delivering 22 different cards to people in 17 counties, learning a lot along the way.

It's the oldest mail delivery system in South America, and Charles Darwin supposedly even used it. And it doesn't cost the mailer a thing. During our visit, there were about five small plastic bags filled with cards. Most of them had been dropped off in the previous few days. I have no idea what the turnover rate or the success rate is, but it's a very cute tradition that's nice to experience. And we mailed a card to ourselves, so we'll see how that works out.