Floreana, Farms, and Finches - May 9-10

Every morning at Lava Lodge we were awakened by a flycatcher calling into our window, and while waiting for breakfast we observed a small ground finch building a nest in a large nearby cactus. Another full day ensued. Several of us were a little disappointed that the scheduled "hikes" in the highlands consisted mainly of standing around in the heat, sometimes viewing a plant or tree, or hearing yet another detail about the eccentric people who had populated the island during the early part of the century. The handsome mustachioed farmer, Claudio, who owned our huts and the farm and the outdoor restaurant where we ate meals, spoke in Spanish while our National Park Guide, Luis, translated. Our delightful young Ecuadorian Road Scholar guide Gustavo pointed out birds (mostly finches and yellow warblers) and took photos, seemingly oblivious to our discomfort. Still not fully recovered from sleep deprivation and seasickness, my patience wore thin. Finally, after returning, we cooled off a bit by following a path from our huts down to a small patch of sand between the lava rocks that lined the beach, and snorkeled, seeing our first green sea turtle, and getting some needed exercise. Thankfully, the weather cooled slightly during the night, breezes flowed through the open windows, and I had my first decent night's sleep. The next day we went back to the farm, passed by cows, pigs and piglets, chickens and roosters all running around free range, and watched Claudio wield his machete cutting bananas in his organic orchard and collecting other fruits and vegetables (watermelon, papaya, pumpkin, yucca, tomatoes, and more), some of which we were later served at a delicious farm-to-table open air BBQ lunch. We then walked to a pond and watched frigate birds fly in to feed. Later another opportunity to kayak or snorkel, the latter of which we both chose, to cool off again. A highlight tonight was stargazing (after a dinner which included our 1st beers, popcorn, and videos) on the Equator: saw the Milky Way, the Big Dipper, Gemini, the Southern Cross, and Jupiter, all in the same sky, and brilliantly.