As promised - a brief overview of my sweet field trip that I took!
The field trip was for my political ecology class. We were going to take a look at the agriculture and farming on the island.
Our first stop was in town where we had the chance to sample some delicious Galapagos coffee and watch a movie about how the coffee is made. We'd be going to that same planation in the later in the day which was exciting.
After we got a little boost of caffeine we headed up to the highlands. Stop one was the Hacienda - the same one that we made delicious pizza at a couple weeks ago. It was my third time there but this time we got to learn about their sustainable practices. We saw how they had a whole mini farm area where they teach farmers how to get good produce without pesticides and use land in an efficient manner. This way, instead of just telling farmers that something works they can demonstrate how it works
A flower growing on the grounds
I have no idea what this structure actually is but it was fun to swing on! The view behind me is another part of San Cristobal with Leon Dormido (the place I went snorkeling) in the top right corner.
After our Hacienda tour, which also included munching on some fresh blackberries, we headed out to that aforementioned coffee plantation. The drive up there was really pretty. However, we did see some abandoned farms which was depressing. In the Amazon when someone abandons a farm the natural plants overtake it. Unfortunately, in the Galapagos, invasive plants (like blackberry) take over. This means the land is now unusable since it's usually too expensive for people to clean and reclaim.
At the coffee plantation we took a twenty minute walk through the plantation on our way to see where they actually processed things.
At the place where they process the fruit they gave us a 'cherry' to try. I ate the whole thing - I can't say I really liked it all that much. I'm not the world's biggest coffee drinker but I have to say I think I prefer the drink over the fruit.
We also learned a lot about their regulations, how the coffee can be labeled as organic, what their growing season is like, etc. It was pretty neat.
From here we continued further up to go to "El Junco" - a lake that we had head was very beautiful. We noticed a decline in temperature and a light mist as we got farther up but it will still comfortable weather.
When we arrived we saw the hillside was covered with miconia. Miconia is a native plant and volunteers have been removing blackberry and planting miconia instead. El junco is a minor tourist destination and so for that reason this is one of the only parts of the island that the government has been trying to make a concerted effort to reclaim the land. Otherwise, it's just not a priority....
This is me taking a rest break at the top. The lake is fresh water so a lot of birds come here to wash their wings. Its actually a little creepy when they call come swooping overhead but neat to see.
This is looking down to the ocean from El Junco. The mist was rolling in and everything was getting covered with fog. It felt a little like Lord of the Rings (the tropical version)
After this we got to head to lunch which was good because everyone was extremely hungry. We had rice (of course), delicious juice, an omelet type thing, fried plantains, and bananas. We even got ice cream for dessert which was a nice treat!
The end of the day was the most fun. Out first stop was at the Galapaguera - a breeding area for giant tortoises. These were the guys I'd been waiting to see! They were amazing! This place raises little tortoises to protect them from wild animals. They keep them until they are about 5 and then send them into the wild. A tortoise born at the same time as me could easily outlive me so 5 really isn't that old. They also keep some big ones around 'just in case' something wipes out the species. There are 11 species currently (and when Lonesome George on Santa Cruz dies there will be 10) but not all of them are endangered.
Hanging out with a 60+ year old turtle
These guys are so cool! The one on the left is just five years old and the one on the right was having a mid-day snack.
Our final stop was... THE BEACH! No.... I don't think this had anything at all to do with farming but it was definitely a really awesome beach.
Jac and I after swimming. The waves look small but the big ones were well over my head. There were turtles floating in the waves and when the big waves crashed in you'd wonder if the turtles were going to fly right into you. It was so fun to play here!
On the way home we were treated to a beautiful beautiful sunset. It was an excellent day and a great field trip!!
Now I'm off to finish up all my homework (presentation tomorrow, paper du Friday, and summer papers due Friday too). Then on Friday I'll be off for a week island hoping with GAIAS and Jon comes next Saturday!!!!! So exciting!
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