Galapagos - Day 4

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This morning we had to say goodbye to the Queen of the Galapagos and her wonderful crew members.

Primicias Ranch

We rode the bus up to the island to go to a privately owned ranch which allows wild Giant Galapagos Tortoises to roam free in and out of the property. Javier showed us some giant shells from some tortoises that had died in previous years, and we tried them on. They weighed about 60lbs. The whole tortoise could weigh about 500lbs on average (most of the weight coming from their 30% bodyfat), and could live to an average of 150 years.

We explored the ranch, finding tortoises having mudbaths or snacking, or inviting Galapagos Finches to come clean them of pests.

The Twins

Next we visited the twins, where giant underground caves collapsed in on themselves, leaving huge holes in the ground. It looked pretty surreal. We had a great lunch at a nearby restaurant afterwards.

Tapiche

We visited a family owned Coffee Farm and Sugar Cane Plantation in the afternoon, and learned how to make coffee the old fashioned way. Justin said the coffee there was spectacular.

Justin and I turned the old Sugar Cane Press to extract the sweet juice, and then we tried fresh Molasses made from it. We even saw a barn owl hanging out.

They owners taught us how to make moonshine from the Sugar Cane extract, so of course we had to try some, and even throw some in the fire to see why it´s called ''fire water''.

Ayora Port

Back near the water, we picked out the Galapagos Lobsters that we would be eating for dinner (still alive and kickin´!) and then Justin and I went for some drinks (Tequila shots and Sugar Cane shots) before dinner.

The dinner was fantastic, the lobster smothered in garlic sauce and oh so fresh.

After dinner we invited the guide, Javier, out for some drinks. He kept saying he had work the next day, and Justin kept buying more drinks. We told scary stories and swayed down the portside streets, laughing all the way.

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