Feb. 15 An Island Tour
After breakfast at Patagonia some of us decided to hire a taxi for a tour of the island, most of the taxis here are crew cab pickups so Dan and Richard had to ride in the back. The interior of the island is mainly brush land with some homes scattered about. We passed a banana plantation on the way, but other than that did not see much evidence of farming.
Our first stop was the crater lake located high in the mountains; this is the only fresh water lake in the chain, the vegetation gets most of its moisture from rain and dew. The trail up is very easy and kept groomed, with some steps for the steeper part, it is good to see that the $100 park fee charged to visitor on arrival in the islands is put to good use, we observed this at all the National Park sites. The view from up here is nice, rolling hills surround the area and the sea can be seen in the distance; the view is sometimes obscured by mist but it comes and goes so have patience if you visit, the mist and breeze are a welcome relief from the heat. We were treated to a group of Frigate birds soaring on the breeze and diving into the lake. The round shape of the crater is very distinct and you can walk around it in less than a half hour.
Back down we continued our ride through the countryside, the driver didn’t speak English but Sarah has a basic understanding of Spanish and was able to translate. We briefly stopped at the oldest tree in the islands, a huge specimen with a tree house built amongst the branches which you can stay in for $20 a night.


The crater lake


The tree house "hotel"

We then headed for the tortoise breeding center, also run by the park service. There are a couple building with displays and information; there is a marked trail through the brush where the tortoises roam freely leading to many encounters and photo opportunities. There are several species here, distinguished by differences in their shells; they range from all sizes including some with shells almost 5 feet from front to back. There are signpost along the way to point out some of the different types of trees that are growing here and many birds can be heard if not often seen.


A Giant tortoise


A close up


One of the many birds on the island

Our last stop was a beach at the end of a paved trail, the bay wasn’t very large but there were some sea lions basking on the surrounding rocks. We stayed here a while swimming in the surf, we didn’t try to snorkel but some people were.
After our tour we stopped at a cevchie restaurant a couple blocks from the main road; they had a nice selection and all were very good served in large ceramic bowls with homemade pico de gallo and plantain chips.

A giant prickly pear cactus, the paved path is typical of the park sites


The beach we stopped at


A sea lion trys to decide to go for a swim or not

The rest of the day was spent shopping for tee shirts and postcards, interspersed with stops at Patagonia for coffee and internet. We met the crew of another yacht for dinner, fresh grouper with fries and salad; then wandered around town checking a political rally at a local sports field where they had music and drinks. I finished up the night at a small pub, popular with the college students, where I had some drinks with the young lads off an Irish yacht that is in the rally. I walked back to the water taxi dock around midnight and hit the sack, anticipating tomorrows excursion to Kicker Rock.

Wiggo enjoys a bowl of cevchie and a cold cerveza

Now you're getting me excited for our October trip. Thank you!