Santa Cruz Island
I’m still dreaming about yesterday’s sightings, with the taste of Isabela volcanoes in my mouth and in my ears, the sound of a male orca breaking through the flat crystalline ocean surface. However, this is distinct scenery; I realize it is indeed a new day, with completely different but equally amazing things to experience.
This is Santa Cruz island, home for one of the largest and healthiest subspecies of Giant tortoises; here we are, ready to learn about them and their habitat, keen to walk through the fields where they roam, breed and dream; eager to learn about the people of the island who harmoniously share this land with its gigantic creatures.
And we did it all: Tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station – National Park Breeding Centre, Tortoises in the wild, vermillion flycatchers and finches, and even a short-eared owl hidden in the lush of a Scalesia forest! What about the Galapagenians? Not only did we walk through their town and have a meal at a local lovely home-restaurant, but we also had Galápagos kids on board, from San Francisco School, 30 children participating in our “Kids On Board Program.”
While our guests explored the island, we showed Punta Estrada Point to the children. Only five of them had ever been riding along this area of their own home island. None had been on board a big ship, and all enjoyed our Natural History presentation, and of course, some pizza and ice cream that our hotel staff had ready for them.
Smiles, laughs and tenderness. Sharing, giving, receiving. Feeling what Galápagos is really about through the eyes of the children of this land.
I’m still dreaming about yesterday’s sightings, with the taste of Isabela volcanoes in my mouth and in my ears, the sound of a male orca breaking through the flat crystalline ocean surface. However, this is distinct scenery; I realize it is indeed a new day, with completely different but equally amazing things to experience.
This is Santa Cruz island, home for one of the largest and healthiest subspecies of Giant tortoises; here we are, ready to learn about them and their habitat, keen to walk through the fields where they roam, breed and dream; eager to learn about the people of the island who harmoniously share this land with its gigantic creatures.
And we did it all: Tortoises at the Charles Darwin Research Station – National Park Breeding Centre, Tortoises in the wild, vermillion flycatchers and finches, and even a short-eared owl hidden in the lush of a Scalesia forest! What about the Galapagenians? Not only did we walk through their town and have a meal at a local lovely home-restaurant, but we also had Galápagos kids on board, from San Francisco School, 30 children participating in our “Kids On Board Program.”
While our guests explored the island, we showed Punta Estrada Point to the children. Only five of them had ever been riding along this area of their own home island. None had been on board a big ship, and all enjoyed our Natural History presentation, and of course, some pizza and ice cream that our hotel staff had ready for them.
Smiles, laughs and tenderness. Sharing, giving, receiving. Feeling what Galápagos is really about through the eyes of the children of this land.
