Galapagos - Charles Darwin Research Station

One of the main attractions here on Santa Cruz, Galapagos is the Charles Darwin Research Station.  We took a $1 taxi there, then realised it was only a couple of kilometres down the road.  It was very hot with no shade, so maybe our extravagance can be excused.  

The centre is another outdoor experience, with a scoria track around a large area that houses giant tortoise and lizards.  First stop was at the baby tortoise enclosure.  

Darwinism in action?

When we had planned our adventure back in 2011, we were really looking forward to seeing Lonesome George at the Galapagos.  George was the last of his tortoise species and was between 90 and 150 years old.  When he was discovered, every effort was made to find another of his species, but to no avail.  Unfortunately, Lonesome George died in June 2012.  Bugger.

The next enclosure had some fairly inactive Galapagos land iguanas.  I waited around to see one blink to make sure it was still alive.

There were more giant tortoise.  Apparently, the way you tell the girls from the boys is from the size of it's tail.  Go figure. 

The visitors centre was closed for renovations, but we wandered around some other buildings hoping to find something more to look out and discover.  Other visitors had obviously had the same idea. All we found on each building was handwritten signs saying "JUST OFFICES".

We decided to take the scenic route back, taking a walk along the main waterfront road.  I loved the architecture and took heaps of pictures.  I have spared you, and only added a couple.  

One thing we have noticed about our new anchorage is the lack of sea lions.  Where in Wreck Bay they were everywhere to the point of being a nuisance, they are comparatively rare on this island.  While we appreciate the fresh air that isn't tainted with sea lion stench, we are kind of missing the little guys.  

On our wander back, we were pleased to come across a couple of sea lions - playing amongst the pelicans at the fish market.