Imagine receiving from an unknown person that has traveled from a little pacific island directly to your home, a letter written by a loved one who has used the same mail delivery system once used by sailors and pirates of the 18th Century. This is only possible in the Floreana Island, at a place called Post Office Bay that has been operating for two centuries.
In 1793, due to the sailors’ needs to communicate with their families back home while they were away hunting whales at the Galapagos Islands, the Royal British navy officer James Colnett decided to establish a letter delivery system based on a simple premise: “Everyone can drop off his letters, but he must also take the mail having his same destination and deliver it to its addressee”. Colnett installed a wine barrel as a mailbox and everyone followed his system. As they arrived to the island, the ships would drop off their correspondence and pick up the one they could deliver. Nowadays, that mailbox at the Floreana Island is still working, but this time the 217 years old tradition is kept alive by tourists.
Ironically, the Post Office Bay sometimes works faster than the normal postal service, and it is way more convenient because it is for free. So go on and send a letter to your loved ones while visiting the islands, it will surely be a nice surprise for them and become another reason to fall in love with the Galapagos Islands!
Photo: Pictures from Heather
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