After so many days disconnected from civilization, it was time to be among people again.
Puerto Ayora is the harbor where our ship (now, our home!) stopped and also where more than half of the islanders live. It hosts the two most prestigious institutions on the Galapagos, which are the National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Research Station. We had the opportunity to visit the latter one and enjoy some great moments.
Around the Darwin Center there is a breeding program for the famous giant tortoises. Everyone had the opportunity to see them a second time, as they were found a couple of days before. There’s nothing like finding several species of the massive creatures. They spend their very first five years here until they reach sizes big enough to be released. Their numbers were decimated during the 17th and 18th centuries by pirates and sailors from all over the world who needed a source of food that could last for several months. Later, our guests took the opportunity to hang around the highly populated harbor and shop along the “t-shirt street.” Some stopped by the fishermen’s market to enjoy a magnificent show full of lively birds and the omnipresent sea lions.
We had done so much already, and it was just the morning! Later we divided the groups into people who wanted to bike, those who wanted to visit a school in the highlands, and those who preferred to experience a short trip around a sugar cane mill. The third group saw demonstrations of several items produced out of sugar cane like molasses, brown sugar and moonshine. We also saw the process that coffee must endure before we consume it.
The time for lunch arrived and we all met at a restaurant with delicious food. Then, we got ready for the last activity. There are quite a few properties on Santa Cruz where you can find some of the largest wild giant tortoises on the islands. Even more incredible is that during this time of the year there are so many that you can really find one for yourself and just relax close to an ancient species.
