Puerto Ayora received National Geographic Endeavour II with an overcast sky that threatened rain. A couple hours later, the grey sky was replaced by a sun.
We arrived in our buses to the entrance of the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre managed by the Galapagos National Park. We saw many tortoises, from very small to very large and talked about the efforts in which the Galapagos National Park and other such institutions are engaged in trying to help tortoise populations heavily affected by humans. The program is a success, with several thousand tortoises already being incorporated back into their natural habitats.
After a stop to refresh, I took a group of brave expeditioners to visit El Trapiche, a farm where the owner began producing sugar in a most artisanal way in the mid-60s. The original sugarcane press is still in place and used. Don Adriano produces sugarcane and transforms it into brown sugar and (deliciously strong) alcohol. He also grows coffee and cocoa beans and transforms them into coffee and chocolate, using his imagination and very old techniques.
The day wasn`t over yet. We went to El Manzanillo, a private giant tortoise reserve where we had an amazing lunch followed by more giant tortoises. This time, in the wild.
We still had to stop by Puerto Ayora and let our guests enjoy a few minutes of shopping and sightseeing before going back to enjoy some music and dancing from our local artists. What a day!
