As the voyage comes to an end, we have finally arrived at the island of Santa Cruz and our guests have had their first encounter with the “other side” of the Galapagos. The city of Puerto Ayora has the largest human population of the archipelago, while nature is still the main component.
In spite of the fact that we already had a great encounter with tortoises, the visit to the tortoise rearing center to see these gentle giants was outstanding. It provided our guests with the essentials of the protection project for giant tortoises that has been practiced successfully here for the past 25 years. We all admired the little tortoises that hatched just a couple of weeks ago and that held our attention in a very special way.
Soon after that heartening experience, we boarded buses that brought us to the highlands. Although most people took the whole ride on the big vehicles, some adventurers decided to take their chance with a short but intense bike ride to a farm where some artisan processing on sugar cane and coffee beans takes place. This activity, which is developed in its totality by a family, consists in transforming the sugar cane into sweet molasses that will later on take the shape of an exquisite morsel that accompanies a very well-brewed cup of Galapagos coffee. We explored the different areas in which these familiar entrepreneurs work, and paid some very special attention towards Angelito, the cute and strong donkey that is the motor of such activity.
Soon after we had lunch, which was welcome as most of us had worked off much of the energy provided by our breakfast.
After the respite provided by a beautifully marinated chicken and an exuberant banana cake with a rich vanilla ice cream, our expedition continued deeper into the highlands where the emblematic giant tortoises live in the wild, in a perfect and harmonious balance encompassed by the natural forces of evolution.
We walked through the vegetation, intruding for a brief moment into the space of nature that transported us to the primitive stage that enhanced our comprehension of the necessity of protecting the Galapagos islands as well as our already tired planet.
When the night came, our dinner was enriched by the presence of a local musical group. They played nice music that made our tired bodies jump and our souls fly. But the most important thing was that we learned how they are working on the establishment of a cultural identity through music all around Ecuador by teaching the local kids how to perform—an advancement to us all.
