After days spent wandering through isolated islands, where the silence has been interrupted only by the crashing waves of the Pacific, and spending time with iguanas, turtles, boobies, and other beautiful animals, we arrive to a real town. Puerto Araya is the largest settlement of the island of Santa Cruz, and of all the Galápagos. It is a town like many others, with houses, shops, cars, and people. It was a little shocking after days at sea, totally immersed in the beauty of nature.
Even here we are surrounded by our daily ration of wildlife. We begin by visiting the Galápagos National Park headquarters and Charles Darwin Research Station. Here we see giant tortoises of all shapes and sizes, from 400lb males to the nursery of palm-sized babies. We hear the story of Lonesome George, the most famous tortoise of Galápagos. He passed away in 2012...but there is a new “superstar” called Diego, who returned from San Diego. The show goes on with this success story of an individual who saved his species.
After concluding our visit, we roam free about the town on Avenue Charles Darwin. Among the people walking around, an iguana tries to cross the street. She makes me laugh. She looks carefully when to cross. She knows humans.
I keep walking to the fish market. Nothing is better than a street market for a photographer, and I know that this one will be promising. And it is! Beside the venders with their fishes, three sea lions and a group of eager pelicans wait for their lunch. It’s a fantastic show. The sea lions practice their daily routine of begging for scraps from the fishermen. While behaving like trained dogs, their noses only inches away, they jump into action with every tossed morsel. Other ship-friends arrive, and we share the stage with the pelicans and sea lions. We are all pleased with our action-packed subjects.
At a certain point, I become distracted by a group of teenagers around another vender. He is serving to them a white drink. “What’s that?” I ask. “Coconut Milk,” they answer, “sweet and refreshing, you have to try.” My new friend Kenneth, a photographer and a piano player, offers me a glass. It is only a dollar for this wonderful thirst quenching nectar. Never a gift has been so satisfying. Thanks a lot, Kenneth!
After a delicious lunch in the highlands, we embark on a beautiful walk in search of wild tortoises. We find many individuals roaming and eating, and we get amazingly close views. While these animals are wild and free to roam, they are at peace in this lush place. We get great photos of every individual. After a wonderful journey, we head back to our home aboard the National Geographic Endeavour.
