Today we arrived at the economical capital of the Galapagos: Santa Cruz Island. It has the largest population, with close to 30.000 people.  That’s about fifty percent of the total population of the Galapagos. It also is home to the main headquarters of the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Research Station. During the morning we visited the breeding center for the giant tortoises next to the Darwin Station. There we learned a little more about the process these animals go through to avoid extinction. Their numbers decreased drastically since the 17th century when people discovered they can survive months or years without food or water. That fact made them a very convenient source of meat onboard, in addition to fish. We found the giants alone and in groups, and observed all kinds of tortoise behavior in captivity. Afterwards we had some time to enjoy our only opportunity to see how life goes on in populated areas and to shop to help the local economy. Before lunch we saw some traditional products made on the islands in a traditional way at “El Trapiche”, a sugar cane farm. Then we went to a local restaurant up in the highlands and later we continued our tortoise adventure with a walk on a property located in the middle of the wild giant tortoise migrating route. Back on board, and after a great dinner, local musicians came aboard to entertain with dancers and Galapagos music. It was another great day in paradise.