After so many days of travelling around the islands and totally disconnected from the outside world, here we are. We dropped the anchor just before the day and the activities started. It was time to visit the biggest town in the Galapagos, and find more human beings after days on isolated islands. Santa Cruz is the commercial capital and home of the headquarters of the two most important conservation institutions of the islands. During the morning we went to the Charles Darwin Research Station. By the time we got to the corrals where the giant tortoises live, they had already eaten all the vegetation we give them. Without any fear to humans they started to stretch their necks and pose for our cameras. Saddleback and dome tortoise types were there, both of them relaxing and heating their bodies. Darwin finches and mockingbirds were entertaining our walk with their beautiful songs.
Later instead of walking around the main street of Puerto Ayora and having fun, some people decided to mount a bike and go uphill to the second excursion, El Trapiche. While there, a demonstration was offered showing the products obtained from sugar cane and coffee, with some meticulous but old and rustic techniques are used.
The lunch as always was waiting for our starving stomachs, tired from everything done in the morning. And to finish up this beautiful day we had one last outing. El Manzanillo, which is just ten minutes away from the restaurant, gave us the opportunity to find tortoises. This was a different experience due to the contact you can have with wild animals in a natural habitat.
This day couldn’t end better, after all the excursions which were terrifically successful all our guests had big smiles on their faces.
