Episode Transcript
Speaker 1 00:00:12 Migos welcome back to rewatch ology, where we explore conservation travel and rewilding the planet. I'm your host, Brooke Mitchell, Norman conservation, biologists, and world traveler. And this week's episodes. We're traveling to South America and the beautiful Galapagos islands to chat with my phenomenal friend, Josie Cardoso. Josie is a naturalist guide for the Galapagos national park and is very active in her local community. And part one, which had about what COVID has done to the islands and how she's been killing time while she waits for tourists to return what it's like growing up in a, working in an isolated paradise and why she decided to open a boutique hotel with her mother on Santa Cruz Island. I really didn't want this conversation to end because it was so good. I hope you enjoy it just as much as mean if you're liking the show so far, please subscribe and share wherever you're listening, sharing is the best way to help the show grow. And I promise to continue bringing on fascinating guests and sharing their inspiring stories. So now let's get to my conversation with Josie.
Speaker 2 00:01:16 My first question, how bored are you right now from the scale one to 10? Yeah. Uh, to be honest until October, I was minus a hundred, I think that's how bored I was. And right now these last months we'll be having some tourists here and there. Eh, more freedom to go out with friends. So I would say I'm about five, a five eight for them. That's that's a super big swing. That's awesome. So, um, being in such an isolated place, I mean, because I mean, for me, like being in a pretty big city here in the U S like, I mean, COVID was pretty boring for me as well. So how exactly did that islands handle it? Was it just no one allowed in no one allowed Al like, what was that situation? Yeah, it does. Let me tell you, I decided 10 years ago, not to watch TV at all.
Speaker 2 00:02:20 So I'm usually of what is going on in the world and all the news that I need to know our guests, I wear, my friends will inform me of what, because, you know, when we get into meetings, they're talking about, and I was like, Oh, really? When did that happen? So I decided 10 years ago, not to watch TV due to the, uh, to the precedent that we had at that time. That was brainwashing us a while you were watching TV. So I say, no, no. I mean, that can not be possible. These old bad news. So why taking that bad energy early in the morning or at any time of the day? So no TV for me. Great. And I remember that I was leading some trips in a Baja. Hey, we were very isolated in a camping area and people was talking about a virus, but I stay, you know, it's, it's another virus.
Speaker 2 00:03:10 And I don't want to know about that. So I was doing like, nothing was happening. And in lay, after we were done with the season, I was going back to Los Angeles and the stain some days there, because I had to do a wilderness first responder training. And then it's when, eh, my friend that I was staying with said, Josie, hopefully your training is going to happen because we're having this virus and it's spreading so fast. So once I, that was 19th of March, okay. Hopefully my training will happen because here in Ecuador, we don't have those trainings that often. And it was so complicated to make it match with our calendar. So at the end we had the training and then in my <inaudible> Josie, I hope you can go to act with her because it's, you know, leaving as they used to do say, well, yeah, I hope I can leave.
Speaker 2 00:04:03 You know, I have, uh, a trip to start in a few days and keep them, and I was able to leave. Of course, the airport was empty. Lax was no one there. I was kind of only me and a couple of other people. So I say, Hm. So I'm painting is really going on. I think I need to do it. Watch news or getting formal what's going on in world. And then I arrived to Quito. I met the group who was talking about it. So, you know, Galapagos and Equilar has not closed yet. I was the 14th of March 15 weeks. We flew to Ecuador. It was the 14, the 15 started to pick it up. And then I started getting messages in my phone saying maybe Ecuador is going to close. Maybe not things are going to be able to delighting a lap. I was, but I got those messages when we were already landing in Galapagos. So I said, okay, we need get the stuff or my word plane, and go to our boat because I prefer it. I used to be in the middle of the ocean, enjoying the islands that get stuck here at the airport.
Speaker 2 00:05:11 The next plane behind us was not able to land. It was sent back to Quito was good. We made it once we gave the back on board to yeah, to the boat. I told the captain, Hey, let's leave anchor. And let's get out of here because I prefer to be visiting the Island, clean swimming, walking than being stuck here in the main horrible or doing nothing. So that's what we did. And, uh, long story short, we, we had to find flights for the game. So the guests left the 16th after two days. I mean, we enjoy the islands two days, at least. And then they flew to the mainland and flew to back to the States on the 17th, Ecuador closed its borders, the 16 or 17. That was the last flights going out. So in Galapagos, we were shut down since the 17th of March a for tourists, you know, guests coming until the 3rd of August.
Speaker 2 00:06:11 That was the first airplane that landed here in between March and August. We had humanitarian flights bringing in people from the mainland, like, eh, people from Galapagos, like local residents that were stocking the mainland coming little by little to the islands because it much the school break, you know, the big school break of two months, the vacations for the kids in much of COVID time. So a lot of people, a lot of people from Galapagos were stuck in the mainland. So those were the only flights that we were having people have coming in and trying to get the futurist that were stuck here, going out. So those March, April, may, June, we were logged down. We were not able to go out of our houses at all. I mean, like, yeah, only was a stream necessary to go out, but we had, you know, the vegetable truck coming and we have some stores open.
Speaker 2 00:07:08 So people will only go for food supplies. So when we were very frustrated here with my mom, that we, we are workaholics, you know, we like to be active from the 24 hours of the day 27 or doing this stuff. That's how we, how busy we usually are. So it was very hard for us, very, very hard. And the third old Vegas, because we have a little hotel as well. We had our first guests from the mainland staying on our little hotel. So that seems then it has started moving slowly. You know, maybe since October, November, about 10% occupancy rate, 15%, which is still nothing. Right. But it gives you hope to, to continue. So that's how we manage, COVID the log down here and how the Island open. So for me in general, Ecuador managed very well. The, the problem, you know, close the borders right away.
Speaker 2 00:08:05 We were one of the first countries in South America to close borders. And, um, of course then the virus is spreading the big CDs. Eh, we had a lot of people dying, but as in any other country in the world, you know, so on the islands have managed very well. We have safety protocols, um, on a, we have some cruise boats going around. The good thing is that here, the cruise boats are another thousand hundreds, hundreds of passenger boats here. It's 16 passengers on the boats that are start moving right away on September where the diving boats divers were coming because it's the whale shark season. So we had several diving boats going around a until now actually we have divers, divers are brave ones to come here on removing.
Speaker 1 00:08:59 They have a little bit more general and going through their veins, they're like, Oh, I'll risk it. I got a negative COVID test. Let's go to the Galapagos.
Speaker 2 00:09:06 Exactly. And then you're in your little bubble of, you know, 10, 14, 16 guests on board of the boat. And everybody comes in with a negative PCR test and you're isolated in that Bible and also regular a cruise boats. The ones that you do not do dive in, but you explore the islands are also going around. And land-based reason, like as though we have a hotel, we have people coming and doing daily trips. There are a few days he treats available, but they are, I mean, they are going around and, uh, we have, uh, guests. So for me is, I mean, <inaudible> is always great to be busy. We don't have that many people around because how we manage the tourism, but right now it's empty. So it's even the best time to come.
Speaker 1 00:09:53 Yeah. So whatever this goes out, everybody go to the Galapagos, stay at Josie's hotel, take some day trips, get your negative tests. First of course, but let's get the islands back Hoffman again. Oh, that's exciting. Glad to hear that. Um, since it's just, it's just been very interesting as I connect and catch up with just some of my friends around the world, how different governments have decided to take care of COVID those best of their abilities and then how it's affected like local economies. Um, so that's my, kind of my next question. So, I mean, you own a hotel, you and your mother have this beautiful little hotel. It's super cute. This boutique hotel. Um, how has that gone through all of this has, I mean, obviously you're still running, so that's a really good thing. Has it been like a government support to help with that? Have a lot of businesses shut down because I mean, one of the main sources of revenue for the islands right. Is tourism. So how has that been balanced through all of this?
Speaker 2 00:10:56 Yeah. Hearing the lap, the 80% of the people works directly with tourism, right. And the other 20% works in the regular with tourism. So you can imagine how devastating was all the COVID and is, is still going on. Right. And most of us were doing nothing, just sitting around and waiting because that's when you realize we cannot depend on tourism a hundred percent and now we are thinking, okay, what else can we do in order to be creative and reinvent ourselves? But the being on an Island that the it's it's complicated, we have fishermen, you know, the other 20% I was standing here, you is a fishermen. I mean, and they're the ones that have been working and bringing us fish, you know, in the tough times that we had limited supplies and we have people that worked to the land in the agricultural sector, a producing some fruits and vegetables.
Speaker 2 00:11:52 Our main problem is that we don't have enough water to produce as much as we would love to produce. So we always have to bring things from the mainland. And then the other people, these people that work in the public institutions, the good thing is that they've always had a salary at the end of the month. They are the, the ones that have not been laid off by the government, because that's one of the things that government said, okay, no one is going to be laid off. So at least there is money moving the economy. Um, so now in terms of, uh, who is open, who's not, I mean, a lot of businesses shut down and a lot of hotels are closed because they cannot afford, you know, hearing a LABA was, everything is more expensive, like in Hawaii being far away from the mainland, not being self-sufficient, everything has to be important.
Speaker 2 00:12:43 So hunt labor is expensive. Eh, vegetables and fruit is expensive. So they have not been able to afford to open their business again. So a lot of restaurants closed down. A lot of shops closed down. So if you're going the main street here in the waterfront, there used to be more stores closed right now, like yesterday that was wondering around town in the waterfront. Now the souvenir shops are open because we're having restaurants that survive are open. And so we're trying, you know, what a government has not helped at all. We don't have the economy that you have for example. So once we are laid off, you are laid off and that's it. You know, it's not like you have a salary from the government that will help you for a few months. So a lot of businesses laid off their people because that was the only thing that they could do as, as a little hotel.
Speaker 2 00:13:42 Eh, we, we had to decide whether we have three employees, we have to decide whether to send them home or keep them. So then that's also a responsibility that we have because they're like family, right? It's you don't want to cause a bigger social problem here on the Island. So we decided to keep them and pay them, eh, eh, 30% of their salary. And when we were locked down, of course they didn't come to work. And then later on, when we were able to move around and they were able to come to the hotel, so they work 30% of the time, they get 30% of their salary at least to have food, food and medicine, you know, that's, that's what everybody needs right now in order to not to cause a social problem, most having that many people unemployed and maybe going to illegal activities.
Speaker 2 00:14:34 So that was our main concern as, as private, you know, as, as, as the private sector. So that's what we did with our hotel. We, we kept our employees all the time. We just hope the economy and tourism gets better. I have a lot of friends in the us that are senior to see if he says that they have already get their second shot, probably dying to come. Yeah. So it's like, it's it's yeah. Little by little it's, uh, I hope people is going to come down because of course you keep putting money from your savings in order to keep your business open. And right now what we're doing is putting a little bit less with a few reservations that we have. But yeah, there's always these decision whether you need to shut down and wait until everybody, everything recovers or you keep open in order to have the destination available for the future is that I want to come. It's hard. It's been very hard. It's been very challenging.
Speaker 1 00:15:36 It sounds like an insanely emotional roller coaster, especially with employees. Like I've not been put in that position before, you know, the burden that that must be being a business owner for you and your mom. I'm sure that you two sat down with probably some strong margarita
Speaker 2 00:15:54 And
Speaker 1 00:15:56 Pros and cons of, of what to do when, especially when that lockdown went, went down. And that's why I really wanted to take a moment for you to talk about that because there's so many of us like, you know, I lost my job, you know, I was laid off too, but I didn't own the business. And, but since I, you know, I come from a family of business owners and, you know, knowing friends like you, I can't judge anybody for that. Like I was, I'm an expense. Like my position was an expense. And I completely understand like when the world is shutting down and you're in a tourism industry, like you got to make cuts. And so it's pretty incredible that not only did you keep your staff, you stayed open and now hopefully you'll start reaping the benefits of that as well. Cause I knew that when we were chatting yesterday, you had a friend coming in and you were going to be, you know, hanging out with her and she's going to be staying in the hotel and stuff. So, you know, she wouldn't have a place to come if you didn't stay open.
Speaker 2 00:16:51 Yeah, exactly. So tough decisions have been made with a lot of margaritas or tonics next day. Yeah. And actually I remember also a lot doing a lot of lobbying, you know, the first two months we were a lot of that. That's when I, I, I realized that some exist, you know, March of last year, that's how out of technology. I usually happen to me and then lobbying with a lot of authorities, you know, the ministry of labor, the ministry of tourism, the banks, because our reality as Island, that depends a hundred percent of the tourism. It started different from realities of mainland, where they have other type of industries, you know, and they, they are going back. Of course not everybody goes back to their business a hundred percent, but they have all their ways to have the economy rolling in the mainland here. No.
Speaker 2 00:17:49 So authorities were making decisions without considering that islands, like the Galapagos are totally different. We're not going to recover in the next world. It's going to be already a year, at least in another year. So we were saying, we need two years to recover while they were thinking, okay, in the mainland in one year, everything is going to be ongoing. So that was hard. And it's still hard because they don't get it. They don't get it. And our local authorities are doing the best that they can by the, how far you can really have those regulations tailor made, tailor made for each destination is also complicated. So rhino it's okay. Whoever is open, you're getting tourists, we're getting a lot of Ecuadorians, you know, locals where else forgetting. We're also getting a Soma, some people from the U S our mainly our market has been mainly people from the U S and it kind of though, what are you getting? Some Germans also? Yeah. We used to get a lot from the UK, but of course they're very, very, very bad situation right now. Yeah.
Speaker 1 00:19:05 Well, that's great to hear. So I'm glad to hear that things are slowly starting to turn around and that's awesome. Um, so does it take, so let, let's hop back in history now, so like we're all caught up on today and I'm sure we'll touch on it again, because why not? It's so like interface right now, the very now that's going on, but let's go back in time. So you were born and raised on the islands, is that correct?
Speaker 2 00:19:31 I was born in Quito and I moved here to the islands when I was, uh, nine years old. And then I did my school and high school over here on the islands.
Speaker 1 00:19:42 Oh, nice. And what was it that brought your family from mainland to Galapagos? I'm pretty sure that was a pretty big hop rate.
Speaker 2 00:19:51 Yes. So my mom was Mary with my dad at that time. And my mom was an adventurous lady and she was a, when I was little, my first three or four years of life, we were living in the jungle because they bought a big farm in order to take a, you know, to have cattle there and, uh, to produce, uh, vegetables and fruits. Then that dream didn't last that long because my mother had to give birth of my sister after, yeah. In, in 86, 87. And we had a big earthquake that destroyed totally our farm. We were blocking off that we were not there. We weren't in the mainland because my mum was given birth otherwise would die right away because the river change the direction they all your pipe, eh, broke down. We had an oil pipe going through our property. So it was a mess.
Speaker 2 00:20:51 We were in Quito, living there on a, in the big city. And I guess my mom never liked that idea of living in a big city. And then she got divorced from my dad and she was offered a job. All the cruise boats here have an office in town that is doing the paperwork, the supplies. And then she was offered a position and she decided to come over here with her two little girls. So I was nine and there was seven, six at the time. And then we start, I mean, we've been living here in the Galapagos all this time. So I did my school here, my old, my school and my high school. And then I went to an exchange student program to the U S you know, I remember my mom brainwashing me since I was little saying, when you finish high school, you'll go to the U S to do an exchange student programs as all your uncles and aunts, eh, DEET.
Speaker 2 00:21:48 Uh, she did it as well. I mean, she didn't qualify for the, for the AFS that, that was the, the company that we were using in order to do the exchange program, but she still was sent to a family member, eh, on a New York in order to learn English. So I did that and as well, my sister did that. And after that, my mom said, uh, you know, I think you should go to Europe. And we had some, uh, an uncle that is the youngest brother of my mother and a nanny that she married an Italian long time ago. And you can go to Europe because we have an Italian password. We're so lucky before my grandma died. My grandma said, you know, I don't have money to leave, uh, to my kids or to my grandkids. But the thing that I will leave you, we will be the Italian passport because wow, that was Italian.
Speaker 2 00:22:40 And she did 10 years of paperwork. And to find out that she was able to get the passport. And then my mom was able to get the passport and we were able to get the passport with Italian passport. You just pretty much go you're right. It's, it's very easy. So I went to Italy to study university, eh, I was in the Northern part, which was very cold for me. People was not that friendly. I've always wanted to be a naturalist guide, and I've always wanted to study tourism. I knew that, you know, I knew that before I even graduated from high school. So when I went to Italy, there was no university that was offered hospitality. So I had to take international business or international commerce, something like that.
Speaker 2 00:23:27 Yeah. With a lot of maths involved and a lot of physics involved that I decided, eh, after a year saying, you know, this is not my place. I don't feel happy. It's way too cold for me, where I'm living. And I have to go back to my Island and hopefully wait for the training in order to become a naturalist guide. You know, that's what I wanted. So I came back after a year, year and a health being in Italy. And I started studying university in the mainland, in Waikiki, in the coast because I like how the weather, I'm not going to keep up, which is a Highlander, which I'm going to be so-called. And because of cold weather, I already had enough in Italy. So I'm going to Wagyu. And that's when I started setting university. It's, uh, my degree, my bachelor's degree to hospitality in a hospitality, hotel management and tourism.
Speaker 2 00:24:19 That's a, the degree that I got an in, in the first year, the national park here in the Galapagos, opened the training to be a naturalist guide. So I stopped my university for a little bit. And then I came here to the islands, did my training and became a naturalist guide. And in the process, you know, I, I was went to a private university and I was running out of money to pay my university. So I had to, which was great. My university, at that time, we were not by semesters. We were by by ministers. So every two months we'll start and finish the classes. And they allowed me to study for four months. I will be two by ministers. And in those four months, I will do all my university year. So I went from seven in the morning until 10:00 PM at night, every single day in university for four months, doing what a regular person will do in one year, I will study four months and come here to the Galapagos to guide eight months in order to be able to pay my university.
Speaker 2 00:25:23 And that's how I did it, you know? And then after 40 years and a half, I got my bachelor's degree in a hotel administration and tourism. So that's a little bit of my background, how I got involved with tourism and I always wanted to have a little hotel. So that was my, one of my projects at university to have a hotel. And then the house that we had, my mom being alone. So it was way too big. I say, mom, why would have been turned the house into an, a small hotel? And she says, okay. And then we built or tail that we have now, like six rooms on our, uh, on our home. Right. That's it, that's how we did it. And it, of course I started, I, I kept on guiding. I've been already 15 years and naturalist guide. That's my main job. And about 12 years or 10 years with a hotel.
Speaker 1 00:26:19 Wow. That's awesome. Cause I was going to ask you how the hotel came to be, and you were great at already answering that question because that's not something that I was able to ask you when I was there with you. We got to visit, I think we picked up towels, clean towels or something when we were with you before we had Margarita's assessee and, and we met your mother and she's just the cutest little thing. And I was so glad that we got to visit that. So thank you for sharing how that came to be, because that's so fun. You such an ambitious woman. It's, it's amazing. And I love knowing people like you, it's just so inspirational. So, um, let, let's go back to your naturalist guiding. How, when did you decide in your, like in your childhood, like, what was your childhood like to know that that is a path you wanted to take because, and also, did you have any like female heroes that you were looking up to that was doing that because just historically, you know, guiding and being a naturalist is usually a male dominant field. So how did you decide to get into it? Was it your childhood or, yeah. What was it who wants to get over here on an Island? Um, it might've been at that time. We hardly had to be, we didn't have
Speaker 2 00:27:35 Phones at home. When, when we came to live here to the Galapagos, it was no cell phones available and landlines were, were not available either. So I remember that you had to go to a place where you had like a Kevin boots where you had to go do a long line. I remember clearly, you know, in the hot weather at night and do the line in order to get the spot for you to get into the cabin booth and call the mainland. But because the connection was not that good. You could hear everything that six or seven people were talking at the same time. Privacy at all. No. Hello? Yes. I'm hearing, how are you doing? My mom used to call my grandma. Yeah, we're doing good. And we need these or that. And my grandma will send us always once a month, a package with things, you know, fruits, vegetables, or things that we were not able to find here on the Island.
Speaker 2 00:28:37 So that's how, how isolated and how remote we, where we used to go to school. And in the afternoons I used to play outside the whole time, you know, or, or I was at the ocean or I was in my yard playing with friends all year long. And then when we mature a little bit more in high school, my high school was riding the waterfront. So when we had the launch time, we will have, you know, some 15, 20 minutes off the, you go to the cafeteria, get some snacks, but it was everything in the open. So you could see the group of tourists passing by with of course, friends that you know, that they were guides. So we always used to wave and we used to see this dynamic, right of tourists, going back and forth with friends and say, that's so cool. I want to be a guide.
Speaker 2 00:29:32 I would love to do that job. And then, and before I graduated, my mom was working for one of the companies. And when she quaint they to give her two spots in order to go on a cruise, she could have sell it, you know, on her and make some money or she could have go with whoever she wanted. So she said, you know, you and your sister have to go because I, you know, you graduate, you are going abroad. And who knows when you both are going to be together. By that time? Me and my sister, like my sister and me, we were no good friends. I mean, I was an outgoing and my sister was always watching TV. So we didn't have friends in common. We didn't like to do things in common. Some say, okay, we're going to be stuck both of us for a whole week on board, over the boat. And I had the best week ever on my sister as well. You know? And so I was a guest. When you were, you know, when you came here, I was a guest and I had amazing naturalist guides. So I fall in love with the whole deal of leading groups on the islands. I was thinking, that's so cool. You know, you have, you get to swim with the sea lions. You get to walk among Marine, anyone, us, and you get to eat the Berry, the nation's food. You don't have to wash dishes
Speaker 1 00:30:56 Because everything is served.
Speaker 2 00:30:59 And no, I really think our guides at that time, our expedition leaders at that time, they played an important role on us. A and that's what make us love this type of job. That's why we were nature lovers. They did an outstanding job. So I said, you know, I want to be like them. I want to be like them because it's, it's a dream outing, nature being active. And it leading trips and mean leading people, trying to explain nature, just facilitate nature, you know, between nature and the guests you are there. So that's when I decided to become a guide. So before finishing my high school, I already knew I wanted to be a guide. And then, you know, I went to United States, I went to Italy and I had to wait five years from the graduation time of high school until I was able to become a guide because they don't know for the trainings every year. They usually offer every four or five years, according to the need or, and how many guides the, the, the islands need. And that's when, um, since then I still enjoy what I do. You know, it's, it's great. My office everyday changes, right?
Speaker 1 00:32:19 Yes. I just remember your beautiful voice coming on to the speakers in the morning and waking all of us up. And it was like the sweetest thing, just to wake up to you every morning, like good morning, time to wake up, um, cause you already up and you're planning another beautiful expedition on some amazing islands. And Oh my gosh, just thinking about it right now really wants to meet. You want to get on a plane and come like right now,
Speaker 2 00:32:53 Calm because everything was 50% off.
Speaker 1 00:32:58 That's true. That's very true. That's actually a really good point. Everyone listening, w we move with the times, right. Go to the Galapagos. Um, and also I was, so when I was on that trip, I was quite blessed to have used Ceci and Zopa so, um, to have two female guides and one male guide. Um, and so from, I'm just curious, just like I said, and traveling and a whole bunch of different places around the world where guiding and being a naturalist as a male dominated field, do you still, do you see that same ratio in the Galapagos islands? Is it mainly males there too? And you're the exception. Um, and if so, is that starting to change as the Sergeant balance out? Or, um, what are you seeing?
Speaker 2 00:33:42 Yeah. You know, I hear, it's not the exception. Yeah. It's a male dominated and feel. I really don't know the percentage. That will be something that the, for sure the national park knows about. Yeah. I remember when I was a guest for all of the guides, all of them were males. So like you have high chances to get a male guide here on the islands. But the girls that we are aware were very, very brave, very tough to get there and we can do the same job or even better than the males. But yeah, that's true. Even though we had some conversations that it's still, you know, in South America, we still live in a male dominant culture. So women like us, eh, it's a little bit harder to prove that you can do the same job or even better. It takes time. Right. It takes you more effort, which I hope, I hope things will change at some point because of these male dominant to a idea that all South America Haas, but, uh, yeah, we're here.
Speaker 2 00:34:56 I mean, if I would have to go back and choose what I wanted to do again, I will know. I have no doubt of being a guy also when we're on board, eh, we are usually one naturally guide on board and then you have 11 crew members and all of them are boys and you're the only female on board of the boat. So at some point and very well for me, it was not hard because we, we lived only girls, you know, my mom, I started me. So we were very independent, very, self-sufficient very tough when it needed to be. So for me, it's not complicated to deal with 11 or 10 crew members, uh, because of my personality, you know, it's like, they know that I I'm independent and I like to, to have the things done. Right. And most of the people knows my mom as well. And they know how strict and how firm she is, so they know, okay, this is the same as, as Joe mama Josie's or even worse, you know? So we have a history of being very tough ladies here on the islands, but yeah, I will not change it for anything.
Speaker 1 00:36:20 That's wonderful. No, there was no question whether or not you were in shock when we were on the boat, which was awesome. Now we had so much fun. So on that note then, so since, um, the islands are, like you said, tourism is 80% of the jobs. So for the other women that don't pursue guiding, what are some opportunities for, um, the other women on the islands? What do they usually go into here? You know, we have, uh, ladies,
Speaker 2 00:36:51 The public institutions, we have ladies working in the field. Even if you are a female, you still can do any job. Like all the jobs that boys do, the girls have to do it because that's the only thing, you know, there is no other option. And then a, some other percentage will stay at home and take care of the kids. Like, as you know, in South America, we have this big problem of girls getting pregnant early in their lives and then having to take care of three, four or five Gates, and then they'll have to stay at home. That's a, that's what we do. But we do have, uh, for example, the ministry of tourism right now, it's, it's, it's lead by a female. Oh, wow. So we do have institutions that the higher associations are also lead by by girls, which is, which is great.
Speaker 1 00:37:48 That's great. So it sounds like there's, there's a wave coming through, you know, slowly but surely powerful, independent women, like you are starting to, and also too, like that's an inspiration for the next generation. So if I'm sure there's little kids on the islands that know, you know, you and your mom, your sister, and they're like, I want to be like them, like, look at them, they're crushing it. The are independence. They're going around the islands, you know, they have their own business and they're still open even during these times. So I'm sure that you're, I mean, you inspire me. I don't even get to look with you. So yeah. You know, leaving here, it's, it's, it's,
Speaker 2 00:38:32 It's a big responsibility, uh, four, because Galapagos have gave us so much to my family. So, um, I feel the need. And um, I mean, for me, it's mandatory to give back to the islands. The islands is half eat me all these years. So I'm always in a, you know, a part of guiding and helping my mom with a hotel, um, uh, very involved with different projects here in the community. Like, uh, we have our guides association, we had a, these amazing project that guides like 20 years ago, they thought, and they saw the need of having a library in town. So those previous guides that right now they're retired. They were able to raise funds and build a library here in town at that time, you know, 20 years ago or more. And then that library was given to the municipality to, to, for them to administer it and run it.
Speaker 2 00:39:36 Things didn't go that well there. So few, eight years, seven years after I came back from my master degree in, uh, Spain. And we, we became part of the board of directors of these guide association with it. I all a friend and our main goal was to get back the library to our control, to the guides association, because we didn't have them. We didn't want the municipality to keep having it and having it close. I know the eh, doing what they were supposed to do. So that took us several years to get the library back and the new board of directors, when we gave them already, you know, we had to change directors. So we say, Hey, here's the library. Now we have to open it, you know, find funds in order to make it work. So these other group of friends were amazing and they were able to get funds in order to have the only public library in the Galapagos open and running.
Speaker 2 00:40:41 So, you know, all that activity also it's time consuming. Eh, before you, you know, you were guiding with no signal, you were in town, you had to take care of your family, do things because you wanted the library to at some point and be open. So in between we squeezed that social responsibility that we have with our islands. So now that is running, you know, um, okay. And as hotels as a hotel, also, we have the social responsibility with, uh, with a little school of children with special needs, but also with the library. So, you know, right now, in order to have more books coming to our, our project, every reservation that gets into our hotel, we send a message saying, you know, we are part of this project. If you want to bring a book to three or 10, whatever it feeds on your language, we'll be so happy to have him.
Speaker 2 00:41:35 And here's the wishlist on Amazon. So that's how we get books as well to have it in our library. So that's one of the things that in my free time, eh, I was doing and the library for Galapagos, I wish at nighttime when I was little, I would have a place to go and read. So we don't have the habit of reading. I mean, I do read, it takes me a lot of time, but because we didn't have that space or that habit of going to a place where you can find nice books and read, right. So we want to encourage that to the new generation, right. In that project, in that regards regards. And then also because of the hotel, I'm involved in the chamber of tourism in the board of directors for the hotel area. And there is a lot of meetings, a lot of law, because the main goal is to, to have the, a, an excellent service and to put all of the hotels at the same level.
Speaker 2 00:42:36 So that takes a lot of my time as well. Well, right now I have plenty of time to do all this, but not too much time, too much time on a regular time, I will squeezing time also to do that. So yeah, there's, there's always a lot of things to do here on the islands, a lot of things. And that's how you get to know people on going back to what you're saying. Yeah. You meet people and they see you working and you see, and they see you helping the community. And hopefully you are a good role model for them, right. To be an inspiration to whatever they want to do. That's amazing. And I'm just thinking, because when you were full-time guiding and we were going around the islands, like we were completely disconnected for days at a time. And it's just amazing that you were still found time being a full-time guide from being completely disconnected, not even having a phone signal of any sore and still able to contribute as much as you did. And you still do, um, is mindblowing. It's incredible.
Speaker 3 00:43:54 Hey, thanks again for listening to this episode of rewild ology, if you like, what you heard hit that subscribe button to never miss a future episode, do you have in full environmental organization, travel story or research that you'd like to share? Let me know <inaudible> dot com until next time friends together, we will. Rewild the planet.
