GALAPAGOS – Preserving Nature’s Wonders – July 21

7/22/2015

Hi from Quito! Despite a delayed flight, late night arrivals and rain the gang is all here, happy and healthy. We tour Old Town Quito this afternoon and depart for Isabela tomorrow morning.

Here’s the group as they design their community contract during Orientation.

7/23/2015

Everybody arrived to the Galapagos after some delay with the planes and we are now on the way to Isabela and our base. 3 kids are sitting with the captain so they are not missing any action 😉

-Hakan

7/24/2015

The group arrived on Isabela Island yesterday!

We started off our day with breakfast at 7:00 that contained eggs, fruit, cereal with yogurt. At 7:30 we left for service at Camp Duro: Eco Lodge to help build lagoons and help the vegetation. We had freshly picked oranges they were delicious and wishing we could take the tree with us home. We worked too about 11:15 then played soccer with no rules.

At 1:00 we had lunch at the hotel which contained rice, beef, soup and lentils. At 2:00 we left for a 5 mile bike ride to the Wall of tears and learned about the history. We also went to the view point and saw an amazing view. After we went to the view point we went to the mangrove to go swimming and while at the mangrove a sea lion came right up to the group. When we biked back to the hotel we saw an incredible view of the beach. When we came back to the hotel we had dinner at 7:00 which contained chicken, rice and vegetables.

-Erin & Korra

7/26/2015

Today was different than what we have been doing for the last couple of days. We woke up extra early because we had a ten mile hike ahead of us. After visiting the tortoise breeding center and the flamingo lagoon, we set off on our slightly damp trek up Volcan Chico. Once we got to the top, we saw the other four spectacular craters. When we got back, we went out exploring and we finished off the day with a delicious dinner and went to bed.

-Sean & Kevin

7/27/2015

Some of us started the day at 5:45 by going to the beach and swimming. Others started the day of at 6:30. Everyone came together and had breakfast at 7:00. And then we went to a school called esperanza where we built a living fence and planted trees for 2 hours. Then we went to Camp Duro: Eco Lodge and made marmalade, played soccer and other fun games. When we came home, we played a scavenger hunt and after that we had some free time. At 6:00 we cooked dinner ourselves and had bacon, scrambled eggs, toast and more. After that everyone went to bed.

-The group will depart to San Cristobal tomorrow morning, where internet is spotty. We will try our best to continue the blog efficiently!

7/29/2015

We slept in today, beginning the day at 7:15 instead of the usual 7:00. At 8:00 we boarded the bus to head down to the mountainside work site. The bus dropped us off halfway up the hillside and we continued up the rustic pathway surrounded by forest to the work site. Along the way we encountered cows projectile pooping in response to our blocking the path and a couple of dog friends. After climbing what is known as “Killer Hill” (appropriately named), we arrived at the shack at the top where we rested and observed the panoramic view which included the ocean and the cloud-covered mountain.

We began work at 9:00 on clearing a space to plant trees that block invasive species so that the tortoises would return to our side of the island. We concluded our service at 12 and had a snack of freshly plucked oranges. We then began our trek down the hill back to the ranch. At the ranch, we ate an eagerly anticipated lunch of fish, rice, and soup. Following the lunch we boarded the bus bound for the beach for a snorkeling adventure! In a turquoise cove lined with rocky broccoes we played with sea lions and swam with sea turtles, as well as many exotic fish. After a much enjoyed snorkeling experience we headed to the beach for a few games before heading to the town for some shopping and free time!

The authors of this post are about to enjoy some delicous margarita pizza at Calypso’s, a beachside pizzaria in town!

-Madison MacWade and Hannah Stuart

7/30/2015

This morning, we were awoken early by noisy geese having an argument. After breakfast, we went to the work site and planted coffee and other plants on the hillside. When we finished working, we played Mafia and wink murderer. Then we came back to the base for lunch. After lunch we went to a beach, La Loberia, and saw some pretty lazy sea lions. Once we dried off, we walked around town, where we went souvenir shopping, and tried some local cuisine (I ate some pretty great lava cakes at a pizza place). After a long, fun day, we are now heading back to the ranch for dinner and group time.

– Ananya

7/31/2015Today, we had cereal for breakfast, which is a change from the usual eggs and toast. Unfortunately, I woke up late today and ALL THE TRIX WERE GONE. Needless to say, this put a damper on the start of my day, but i put extra butter on my toast to make myself feel better. After that, we took a short hike to the school house nearby, and spent an hour picking out invasive species while attempting to avoid indigenous, good species (emphasis on “attempting”). After this, most of us played soccer, futbol, etc. until about 11 o’clock. We had lunch, and then afterwards we went to the beach. There was not much snorkeling at this beach, but I think it was actually a pleasant change, because it ment more time for us to simply relax and enjoy our last moments in the galapagos. After 2 hours on the beach, we headed back to base where we were treated to a most excellent barbecue chicken, which was followed by smores by the campfire. All in all, it was a really nice, relaxing day, one where we could enjoy the company of friends and revel in our last moments in the Galapagos.

– Christopher

8/1/2015

Today we said our final goodbyes to the Galapagos. We slept in late and had breakfast at 8. From there we departed for the San Cristobal airport. We were in the plane for around 3 hours and arrived at around 6. To conclude our travel day, we took a shuttle back to the hotel, had dinner, and went to bed.-Avery

8/3/2015

All students have departed and are on their way home!

GALAPAGOS – Preserving Nature’s Wonders – July 21 – August 3, 2015

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