Santa Cruz Island
We had a very gratifying day on board the Polaris, not only because our guests got to see tortoises both in the wild, and at the Charles Darwin Research Station, but we also contributed in the learning experience of people from the Galápagos Islands. And here I am once again, talking about the local people, those who have the future of this archipelago in their hands.
We invited the 23 kids from El Cascajo School to come on board the ship. El Cascajo is a tiny village in the highlands of Santa Cruz inhabited by Ecuadorians who migrated from the Andes, farmers who in most cases saw the ocean only when they came to the Encantadas. Their kids are growing on an island, however only in rare occasions they visit the coast.
Today, these kids were invited to see a ship for their very first time, as part of Lindblad “Teachers on Board program”. Our captain Wilfrido Chavez and first officer Edgar Torres showed them every corner of the good Polaris. Sofia Plonski, our hotel manager, had her staff ready in the lounge with pizzas and ice cream, and I took them for a Zodiac ride and a glass bottom boat tour to Caamano, a small islet south of Puerto Ayora.
How can I describe their joy, their smiles lighting up their faces, their amazement when damsel fish passed underneath the glass of our boat, or their sparkling laughs when sea lions splashed them with water as an open invitation to join them in the fun of an aquatic existence.
It is with opportunities like this one that I feel completely fulfilled with delight. I believe that the real secret for a happy and good life is to share with others. Sharing love, sharing knowledge, sharing thoughts, what can be more rewarding? And specially sharing with young souls who are avid for learning and exploration. These kids from Cascajo School, our new friends, left the Polaris gleaming with joy. If they were gleaming, you should have seen us on board, resplendent and luminous with the contentment of having shared.
We had a very gratifying day on board the Polaris, not only because our guests got to see tortoises both in the wild, and at the Charles Darwin Research Station, but we also contributed in the learning experience of people from the Galápagos Islands. And here I am once again, talking about the local people, those who have the future of this archipelago in their hands.
We invited the 23 kids from El Cascajo School to come on board the ship. El Cascajo is a tiny village in the highlands of Santa Cruz inhabited by Ecuadorians who migrated from the Andes, farmers who in most cases saw the ocean only when they came to the Encantadas. Their kids are growing on an island, however only in rare occasions they visit the coast.
Today, these kids were invited to see a ship for their very first time, as part of Lindblad “Teachers on Board program”. Our captain Wilfrido Chavez and first officer Edgar Torres showed them every corner of the good Polaris. Sofia Plonski, our hotel manager, had her staff ready in the lounge with pizzas and ice cream, and I took them for a Zodiac ride and a glass bottom boat tour to Caamano, a small islet south of Puerto Ayora.
How can I describe their joy, their smiles lighting up their faces, their amazement when damsel fish passed underneath the glass of our boat, or their sparkling laughs when sea lions splashed them with water as an open invitation to join them in the fun of an aquatic existence.
It is with opportunities like this one that I feel completely fulfilled with delight. I believe that the real secret for a happy and good life is to share with others. Sharing love, sharing knowledge, sharing thoughts, what can be more rewarding? And specially sharing with young souls who are avid for learning and exploration. These kids from Cascajo School, our new friends, left the Polaris gleaming with joy. If they were gleaming, you should have seen us on board, resplendent and luminous with the contentment of having shared.
