Santa Cruz Island
There is a town in the heart of the Galápagos, which is in the heart of many of us. This is the hometown of some of our crew members and naturalists and it is the town where we find the headquarters of the Charles Darwin Research Station. This is also the town where our guests can get a feeling about life in the Galápagos. This town of Puerto Ayora, has a recently gotten a new wonderful park along its waterfront. This is a park that brings to life many of the characteristics of this village by the ocean, in these Enchanted Islands.
This park is known as the “malecon” and it is the doorway to town, if you come here by boat. The modern floating dock is the first thing that one encounters as you arrive. Then we see the native and endemic ornamental plants. By using the native plants they are encouraging people from town to employ the island species, and to forget the introduced, more aggressive ones. The naval architecture of the place reminds us of the many boats that have anchored in these waters throughout time, starting with the Academy, the sail boat from the Academy of Sciences in California that anchored in this bay in 1905-1906.
In the new park, there is an area with games and swings for kids. Because kids constitute about half of the population of Puerto Ayora, it gets a lot of use! For the grown-ups there is a volleyball court. One of the inhabitants’ passions is to play volley in the afternoons, right before sunset. This is a tradition that hasn’t been lost despite the arrival of television and cinema.
One of my favorite spots in the park is a fountain made of lava. This serves as a reminder that the islands are volcanic in origin. The “malecon” is a place for every one. Both visitors to the Galápagos and the island’s residents enjoy the beauty and friendliness of the park which is made even more gorgeous as it is surrounded by the turquoise waters of Academy Bay.
There is a town in the heart of the Galápagos, which is in the heart of many of us. This is the hometown of some of our crew members and naturalists and it is the town where we find the headquarters of the Charles Darwin Research Station. This is also the town where our guests can get a feeling about life in the Galápagos. This town of Puerto Ayora, has a recently gotten a new wonderful park along its waterfront. This is a park that brings to life many of the characteristics of this village by the ocean, in these Enchanted Islands.
This park is known as the “malecon” and it is the doorway to town, if you come here by boat. The modern floating dock is the first thing that one encounters as you arrive. Then we see the native and endemic ornamental plants. By using the native plants they are encouraging people from town to employ the island species, and to forget the introduced, more aggressive ones. The naval architecture of the place reminds us of the many boats that have anchored in these waters throughout time, starting with the Academy, the sail boat from the Academy of Sciences in California that anchored in this bay in 1905-1906.
In the new park, there is an area with games and swings for kids. Because kids constitute about half of the population of Puerto Ayora, it gets a lot of use! For the grown-ups there is a volleyball court. One of the inhabitants’ passions is to play volley in the afternoons, right before sunset. This is a tradition that hasn’t been lost despite the arrival of television and cinema.
One of my favorite spots in the park is a fountain made of lava. This serves as a reminder that the islands are volcanic in origin. The “malecon” is a place for every one. Both visitors to the Galápagos and the island’s residents enjoy the beauty and friendliness of the park which is made even more gorgeous as it is surrounded by the turquoise waters of Academy Bay.
