2017-01-29 Galapagos Cruise: February 1, Wednesday – Galapagos, Ecuador

This morning we took tenders to the dock in Puerto Aroya, Santa Cruz Island. The bus took us part way through town and dropped us off for a walk to the Charles Darwin Research Center. It was sunny and hot and the walk took us by a very pretty cemetery with beautiful bougainvillea trees in bloom.

At the Darwin Center we learned about some of their breeding programs. We saw a number of giant tortoises

and some Land Iguanas.

Some of us took a shuttle into town. Mary opted to walk and was able to see a bit more of the town (and more bougainvillea).

She also stopped by a fish market that was set up just beside the bay. Very fresh fish.

Our stop in town was for cold drink (sodas and juice) in an interesting bar.

We then headed into the highlands to a coffee farm. There we saw them squeezing sugar cane and boiling it down to make sugar

A still for making the local moonshine and coffee beans in their various phases of processing. Then everyone got a chance to sample the coffee and a drink of sugar juice and lime.

Paul and one of the other ladies was feeling pretty bad (Paul just had severe bloating, not any vomiting or diarrhea like others were getting, so we think Paul had trouble adjusting to the food, while others seem to have gotten a stomach virus) so Lynn, the head naturalist, got a taxi and took them back to the boat while the rest of us went to lunch at a restaurant up in the highlands set in a beautiful lush garden.

The skies opened up just as we were getting ready to leave but the outburst only lasted for about five minutes, so we didn’t get too wet.

We then stopped at El Chato Ranch, a private ecological tortoise reserve, to go through a lava tube and to see the giant tortoises. On the way to the farm the bus had to creep around a tortoise in the middle of the road.

Our visit to the farm included a walk through a lava tube.

At the farm there were lots of tortoises everywhere you looked and they were all busily eating the lush green grass. Our guess is that the farmer makes more money from tourist tickets for viewing the tortoises than from farming.

****************************************** 0560 ***************************************

Watch video in a new large window

They had a large veranda where one could buy drinks. And they had a number of large tortoise shells.

We also saw an Ani...yet another of the interesting birds around the islands.

When we got back to town, most of us headed to the pier to catch a zodiac back to the boat. There we were greeted by sea lions on the docks and even one on a park bench. Seems they have the run of the place.

In the evening we had a great performance of Ecuadorean music and dancing. Many missed the performance as everyone seems to get tired out from the day’s activities and head to bed early. We stayed up and enjoyed the performance.

****************************************** 0665 ***************************************