Santa Cruz Island
Today we spent the entire day on land, starting with a visit to the tortoise rearing center. Here we saw not only the newborn and juveniles, but also various races, so we can compare size and shape. The tortoise pens are in typical dry forest of giant Opuntia tree cacti, Matazarno trees and incense trees. We saw several species of finches and spent a good two hours admiring this unique ecosystem.
After some time for leisure we had coaches waiting to take us into the hills of Santa Cruz, where a lunch buffet was waiting for us. But before that we entered a lava tunnel, which led to our restaurant. We walked about half-mile underground, enjoying the now solidified, subterranean lava river. The air was cooler in the hills, and we enjoyed our lunch outdoors taking in the ocean view.
After a rest we headed out to see giant tortoises in their natural habitat. We spent an hour walking in pastures under the canopies of big cedars. After this we took the coach to a primary forest, where we saw tree finches, a woodpecker finch and even a vermillion flycatcher. Two giant pit craters made for excellent scenery, and the sky was half-cloudy, half-sunny — ideal light for photography.
We spent almost an hour before we returned to the coach to ride back to town, where we had an opportunity to go shopping or just spend some time watching the local people tending their daily duties. The town was tranquil and colorful, for there were people of all nations there, and there was no rush.
Today we again experienced unique wildlife encounters in a dry forest, a lush forest and even in a small town, but also saw the impact of humans living in Galapagos. We talk about problems and solutions; about the two sides of the coin. It is not easy to point out culprits, for there is much complexity in this tiny society. Yet we see there are plenty of good initiatives, some of them getting momentum and gaining terrain. Fortunately it is only a small part of this archipelago where humans live.
