Finally, I reach San Cristobal; one of
the Galapagos islands, after three days on the road. Joining up with
a conservation project at Hacienda Tranquil.
13. February. Then we head up the huge hills. Where the coast was sunny and humid after the resent rain, the clouds are covering the higher altitudes. The hacienda is located in real lush surroundings, but before I explore them, I better get unpacked. I'm alone in a real nice house with two cats. The temperature is around 35C, but it drops to 25-30C at night, just perfect for me! At half pass eight, the girls invites me into town for a festival, where I can meet the other six volunteers. Just before we should leave, Ben turns up and tell; it is raining down town too. Plan B is having a cosy evening at home. Some coffee picking, then a serious game of Monopoly while the rain is coming down heavily. Ben and Hannah returns from the festival in town, and the house starts to feel alive. On the way to the bathroom and inside the
house, there are several huge hawk moths and large spiders. After I
have turned the light off, and trying to figure what is sheet and
what is mosquito net, something big moves around in my bed! It is one of the
cats: I throw it out of the room. 14. It is weekend, and I having a
slow start on the day due to
the rain. I take a chance at ten, and walk up the road behind the house.
Here are quite a few bromeliads and ferns on the trees, along with a
small endemic
I'm back at the house at twelve, just in time to join the others down to Port. I follow Ben down the the sea. On the lava rocks, numerous Lava Lizards; Tropidurus bivattatus are found. I find the entrance to something called Sendero a Tijeretas. It is probably a reserve, and here are lots of interesting plants and animals.
The first I see is a gecko, not sure
which. Then a Medium Ground-Finch; Geospiza fortis gets real
close. Several lady birds and other insects, and when I get down t
the sea, I see Galapagos Fur Seals; Arctocephalus galapagoensis
-or is it sea lions? -
and Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus along with some local
people. Here are a nice sand beach, and in some areas, it is mixed with huge numbers of sea ouches spines. Next to a light house, I spot some Brown Pelicans; Pelecanus occidentalis urinator and a Blue-Footed Booboo; Sula nebouxii. They share the rocks with Marine Iguana, Amblyrhynchus cristatus and Galapagos Sea Lions. Over my head, The Magnificent Frigate Bird; Fregata magnificens ridgwayi patrols. Two sun bathing girls insist I take their photo as well. I follows a I find the beach where Ben and Geovanny are
surfing on, and have a good chat with Geovanny. While we talk, I see
several Green Sea Turtles; Chelonia mydas. On the way back, we
walk along the sea promenade, and spots some large devil rays in the
water. Here are also Marine Iguanas and sea lions along with many cabs and two
species of herons.
We head back to the house after Geovanny
have found me some Aloe vera leaves for my hot-red arms and
neck. Back at the house, I start processing the 487 It have been an astonishing day, where I have seen half of the animals I have hoped to see the next three months! Once again, there is a cat in my bed, and it does not understand a friendly "thrown out the door" gesture: It just returns over the wall. 15. Geovanny comes at nine, and
give a presentation on the project for the new arrivalers. Among
others,
Then
thee volunteers go on a horseback ride while the rest start reconstruction the
pathways around the house. Little job, but it takes a huge effort:
The soil is clay-like and extremely sticky. After the path are
smoothen out, it get a topping of volcanic gravel. I clean up the
area for non natural objects. While we work, I get some photos of a
finger sized beetle and a snail. We stops at eleven, and we are
covered in mud, soaked by sweat and warn out. Guess the full days
are going to be real hard! Most of us head down to town at twelve.
It is a national holyday. I join Kirsten and
There are several Marine Iguanas along
with the coast, and sea lions in the pools and on the beach. I also
find a few new plants and beetles. Farina offered me some Factor 50,
but I still feel like I'm being roasted - which I probably am. Joins
the girl back to town at two, to do a bit of shopping, and then a
taxi home. Aloe vera on my neck, tea in my
cup and photos on the computer. Even though Geovanny have supplied
me with some great looking books, I just store the plant photos
without names. Either I will have the time later - or it doesn't
Around five, it starts raining, as it usually do in the rainy season. It will only be one more months, but the advances about being here now is the lush green vegetation and the temperature: Warmer. While I sit and try to sort and tag my photos of the day, two more volunteers turns up. It is the Spanish Jorge and Rachel from Australia. We Danes still over numbers! 16. A little pass eight, we start
planting seedlings in plastic bags. They was collected by the
horse-back riders When all seedlings have their own bag, we walk to the hill and start weeding with machetes. The whole area use to be forest. It was cut down by the first settlers, and some tall grass introduced for the cattle. We are now planting the original trees, and try to give them a good start, weeding around them. With a bit luck, they will re-establish the area and give the invasive grass and blackberries competition.
It starts to rain at eleven, and we
spent the midday inside till it almost stops While the I get home before the rest, and get a
well deserved bath. Then Jorge and
Great dinner followed by ten questions from Jorge, which makes at least me think. Which abilities would you like, where would you like to go, what would you like to be... 17. A bit late start on the day due to some showers. Then we walk up the hill to machete-maintain the path and open up an area that are covered in two meter tall grass and blackberries. It is a hard and warm work, but our effort can be seen - at least for a week or two... The
I look like a mess when we head down at
noon - feel that way too. Due to a football mach in Progresso; the
village half way to the port, we stop working at noon. The whole
week are more or less in the spirit of a festival, and I get a
needed slow start.
Wash some cloth - don't seem to dry, and
while the others relaxes or go down town, I head up hill. Passes the
place we worked - without finding my bottle - and further up. The
area is dominated by tall grass and blackberries with scattered
bushes. The sun have gained strength, and the temperature exceed
35C.
I reach one of the taller points of the island, and a farmer's grassing land. So much easier to walk through, and I follows it in the believe it might leave to the farm, and then its road to Progresso. The muddy gravel road serpentines through denser and denser forest, and I see some new trees. I reaches the main road, not that long away from the school. Back at three, and after a very deserved bath, I start processing the photos. So fare, I have been able to put name on half the plant photos, and I would like to give the rest a crack - although it might be invasive plants, I can' t find. Get rather early to bed, but are woken several times by some big insect sharing my bed. Finally, I catch it, and throw it outside the mosquito net. It felt like a cockroach, but bit hard to tell in the dark! 18.
We head up the farmer's road, I walked down of yesterday, and once again, I enjoy the forest and the view over the bay. Higher up, I spot a few new ferns and Lycopodiums way in on the fields, but find it a bit hard to make good photos from the horse's back. Back at the hacienda, the others have found some of the soil I have recommended. It is a loos and fine lava gravel which I think will be much better for both seedlings and cuttings than the dough-like clay which they use to fill the bags with. It might take some watering in the dry days, but the roots will receive so much more air then when they have to grow in the clay. And it will be so much easier to fill in the small bags! Once again, we get the afternoon off, due
to some publish holyday. We are invited down town to Geovanny's
house this evening to warm up for the city's big party this night. I
spent the afternoon with internet pages, and then some of us share a
taxi down to the port.
We buy some beers and rum on the way. Next to the shop, a group of people are gathered around some huge fishes, which are carved up on the sidewalk. A huge marlin, a giant potato grouper, some tunas and other I don't recognises. We arrival at Geovanny's great house, they are preparing some snacks: Fried slices of plantains (huge bananas) with a piece of cheese goes in the oven, salted and are served with guacamole: Great! Meanwhile, some large jaws of Mojitos are made, and it turns out real cosy. I join a taxi back with some, while the rest stay for the town party. 19. To judge form the look of
those who staid in town; I'm glad I returned early! Hannah is
leaving, but not It is a strange weather: Ten minutes with
real heavy rainfall, then 20 minutes with nice sunshine - on and on
again. No wonder there are this lush! It is perfect for
replanting small trees on the surrounding hills. They can establish
a sufficient rood system before the dry season.
I do some testing on our home grown coffee. It taste just GREAT prepared as Arabic coffee! Unfortunately, it take significantly longer to pick, clean, dry, remove the skin, roast it, grind it and cook it, than it takes to drink it. At twelve, I decide we have had the last
shower for the day, and head up hill and out towards the sea. I find
a few new ferns and other plants. Once again, I try to
I'm back at the hacienda just as the
taxi arrivals to pick us up. We was supposed to do some serious
weeding at the school down at the port, but it is closed. Instead,
some head for the beach, but I don't feel dressed for it:
Wellingtons and dirty working cloth.
Nor are I'm dressed for the internet cafe, but who cares? Unfortunately, I don't seem to get the uploading going: The internet provider have shot down gate 23. Then I go for a stroll around the centre to get acquainted. Find a food store and buy twelve litters of milk; then I won't be running out this week - or month. Meet the rest of the crew at the port, and with some snorkelling gear and buddy boards for tomorrow, we head home to the hacienda. We swap Hannah with an other American; Gin-Gin who have been away from the project to visit another island for a week. 20. Most of us joins a taxi to do
some exploring and relaxation. First we drive down to Progresso,
then inland and up to near the highest point. Near bye, one of the
Galapagos few islands' lakes are found; El Junco Lagoon. It is a The vegetation are marked by the grassing cattle, but I find some new herbs and to my delight; a tree fern. It sits alone in the gorge, draining the lake. There ought to be more around in this height, but I haven't seen any other. Frigate birds are coming here to wash of the salt from their feathers, and we see some real close. Ben and I take a walk around the lake.
Between clouds, it offers a great view over most if not all of the
island. The coastline with its white waves, the green hills and some
white beaches. And that is our next exploration point: Puerto Chino. A long and newly made path leads down to
a perfect beach with waves for body boarding. I carry one board down
to the beach, and continues further our along the water. While the rest relaxes on the beach, I head back the track to the car park. Here are a new finch who haven't heard they are not supposed to be afraid of humans, and some new bushes. Some large Opuntia megasperma have fears spines until they reach one or two metres. Then they get thin and almost curly. It is hot on the path; 35C I return to the beach where the crew are hazarded by horse flies. I have brought swimming pans, but I'm sure the intense sun will burn me to a crisp! We leave at two, and if I have known it, I would have jumped off at Galapaguera, where the tortoises are kept in semi-natural environment. I will have to go there another day. While some of the others head down to the port after a shower, I remains to sort out photos and do some reading on Galapagos nature in general. Then I sit chatting with Katarina and Farina the rest of the evening. The true workdays starts, but adventure is never fare away: Part 3 |