We left our anchorage in south James Bay, Santiago Island after the sky deck barbecue dinner had been cleared away and most of us were tucked into our beds. Much of the night’s navigation was through calm waters, but in the wee hours as we came around east towards Academy Bay there was some rock and roll. For some of us, this just helped us sleep – others were not as happy after a night with even slightly rough seas. In either case we all enjoyed a hearty breakfast of eggs benedict by 0700 and at 0800 we disembarked into the Zodiacs to motor to the main town dock of Puerto Ayora.
We took buses to the entrance of the National Park and Darwin Station headquarters and then we walked in past mangrove stands and tall opuntia cacti. The naturalists explained the CDRS/National Park’s captive breeding program which has been so successful and brought several species of giant tortoises back from the edge of extinction. We saw native gardens and a small museum featuring a whale skeleton. We then walked into town to shop and we went in the many colorful boutiques. We also stopped to take pictures of fat sea lions and juvenile pelicans begging for scraps at the fish market.
After fruit juice and a short rest at The Rock café we split into groups for outings to visit Daysi at her “paper to pearls” workshop and Clovis, who is a master glass engraver, or to learn about coffee and sugar cane production at a small family-run farm “El Trapiche.” Everyone had an interesting time and it was enjoyable to learn a little about some of the locals.
At lunch – after delicious grilled chicken and other selections - we had a chance to purchase the beads and glass works and after seeing how they are made (and in the case of the recycled beads, actually trying to make our own previously on the Islander!) we had a real appreciation for the efforts involved! Back on the buses we headed west and down the slope of the island to an area where giant tortoises have roamed for hundreds of thousands of years. We found dozens of these ancient reptiles, including some huge old males, and took many photos. Anyone not claustrophobic crossed through a lava tube that must have formed when the island was young and still erupting.
Back in the town of Puerto Ayora, half of us returned to the ship for a rest before cocktail hour and the rest of us continued shopping until the last Zodiac picked us up at the dock at 1800. This evening I talked more about Charles Darwin’s visit to Galapagos in 1835 and after dinner we thoroughly enjoyed EcoArte’s music and dance show. It has been yet another full and interesting day in these enchanted islands of Galapagos!
