Sunday, January 10
The highlands were like nothing I have ever seen before.
We woke up early, grabbed breakfast at the café next door (the waitress we had seen the night before at Iguana, not in the best of shape), then left. Our tour guides name was Danny. Carlos came, too. Danny spoke English really well, and was really knowledgeable. He was 25 years old, and a neuroscience major (a self-declared neuroscientist). We had tours of 2 different, but similar areas. The terrain was kind of strange… short plains, with small brush. We were at eye level with the clouds. Next we went to the tortoise reserve and breeding center. It was amazing to see them move- they command respect. The breeding center is necessary so that unnatural animals don’t kill off the population. They take good care of them, and the entire place is powered by solar energy. Last we went to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. The sand was amazing smooth. Washed up on the beach was a whale, which was a little sad, but the bones were really interesting to look at. The waves were perfect- fun but not overwhelming. We built a tortoise in the sand. Happiness couldn’t even start to describe how I felt. It really was amazing. When we got back, we showered and went on a search for empanadas. Unfortunately, everything is closed on Sunday. Luckily, we ran into Danny, who took us to a little restaurant that was open. We all ate together, and got to know each other. It was myself, him, Justyna, Megan, and Evelyn. We talked about his research, and our trip. It was really nice. He told us about this place his father used to take him on San Cristobal, and he agreed to take us tomorrow. We went to dinner, then we went to GAIAS to start working on our papers. I’m actually getting pretty into mine- its about obligate siblicide in Nazca Boobies. They have some pretty strange behavior. Anyway, bedtime. Regular day of class tomorrow- we plan on going kayaking after though. =)
