Santa Cruz and a steady bedroom
Santa Cruz and a steady bedroom
We got up at 5:30 and packed everything. We were ready for breakfast at 7 and on the zodiacs with our luggage for a 30 minute ride to shore on the Island of Santa Cruz. Next, we got on a bus, making sure our luggage was on the same bus, for another 30 minute ride to a caldera site from old volcanoes. We walked along the edge of one large caldera. I was nervous. We were too close to the edge for my comfort, especially since my inner ear had not recovered from several days of boat motion and I felt like I was moving side to side even when I was physically standing still. From the caldera we rode the bus for another 30-40 minutes to an old farm inhabited by giant tortoises. We saw dozens of them munching grass, sitting still, or walking on to the next grassy area. This is their natural habitat and some of them are very old and very big. We got more great photos. There was a brief restroom stop and time for a cup of organic coffee or lemongrass tea. From there it was back on the bus for the rest of the ride into town. We checked into the Silberstein Hotel. We have a large, pleasant room with air conditioning, a nice shower, soft beds, washcloths, and a swimming pool.
We had lunch in a home near the town. The hosts had limited English and the part of the group at this home had limited Spanish, but we managed to communicate and share photos of families. Lunch was a plantain patty with salsa, roast chicken, rice, potato, slaw, corn pudding cake, and cold lemongrass tea. It was a pleasant experience. We got back to our hotel about 1:30 and took a short nap and then went T-shirt shopping. We took a shower, went to the group dinner (fish) and then went back to our room to read and sleep. I am ready to go home.
Helen’s Journal
Friday, October 27, 2006