tunel del amor or: how not to take photos in a cave • 15 comments • The taxis in the Galápagos are unmarked, white, pick-up trucks. After finding one of the guys that drove one to give us ride, we took a 20 minute drive to some lava tunnels that we had read about in a guide book. Do not be fooled by the title, this was no tunnel of love. We arrived at a woman's house, who thought that I was from Ecuador, and gave me a local discount, even after she realized that I wasn't. We followed her as she led us to the tunnels and gave us directions that we didn't understand because she didn't speak English and was speaking far too quickly for us to pick up any Spanish. She pointed at some "stairs" (loose rocks) that we climbed down to get into the tunnel. The tunnel is named after the entrance, which, allegedly, looks like a heart - it doesn't. (Well, maybe, if you squinted and were also drunk). Please excuse the terrible quality of these photos. We were totally unprepared for everything that day. We didn't bring our headlamp, let alone any flashlights or our tripod which is why all the photos are terribly blurry. Also, we walked home in the rain, without an umbrella. Thankfully, the lady there lent us some flashlights. It was a good thing she did too, because 20 minutes into our walk, the lights went out and we had to find out way back in complete darkness. At times we felt we were in a bad horror movie but mostly, we were just bored. Although it was kind of neat to see what a perfect hole the lava made, it wasn't a particularly interesting activity to walk through the tunnel. Walking through a muddy, wet, cave, in the dark is not my idea of fun. Unless you're a lava tunnel enthusiast, we would recommend skipping this spot if you ever head to the Galápagos. - Mina
