2016-05-02 Mon

The post office at Galapagos is the weirdest post office of the world. First of all, it is in the middle of a jungle and secondly, the “post office” I am referring to is a barrel and pile of broken woods.

The Galapagos Islands are the group of Islands located near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean. Rich with flora and fauna, the island is a famous tourist destination; not just because of varied and diverse wildlife but also because of the Post Office Bay.

Post Office Bay, on Floreana Island, has origins in the 19th century. Great whaling ships would take to the seas to hunt whales. The ships would spend years at a time catching whales and processing them for their oil.

In the middle of the vast ocean communication was a problem. Hence, the whalers started using the wooden barrel. The letters were left in the barrel and were later picked up by the passing ships and the visitors headed close to an addressee will pick up the letters and take them home.

The visitors to the island can pick up the mail from the barrel and deliver to recipients. Even today, tourists ensure that tradition lives on, going through cards and letters to take back to their home country.