March 30th
Today, after breakfast, I made my way to the Darwin Research Station. On my way there, I stopped at a little park that was called “Ceramic Garden”. Besides the trees everything in this park was made from little square tiles and some of the designs on the wall were very well done. This was a good stop on the way as it was shady and gave me a chance to cool down.
Once I arrived at the Darwin Research Station, they have a great number of tortoises on their compound and I wanted to learn something about them. My curiosity was arisen when I saw huge tortoise monuments around town and heard about Lonesome George.
After walking a short distance up the path called “Ruta de la Tortuga” (Path of the Tortoise), I came across some unbelievably HUGE tortoises at what they call the Tortoise Rearing Center! I have never seen tortoises this big before.
Amazing to watch them eat and walk.
There were two different types of tortoises that I observed at this complex, that were quite distinct in the shape of their shell. The most common is the rounded shell and the other tortoise has a shell that is lifted and square shaped near its head.
The tortoise with the square shaped front also has a very long neck. Lonesome George was this type of tortoise.
To visit Lonesome George, you need to go into an entry way and wait to minutes for your body temperature to drop. Once inside there is a line that you are not permitted to cross and Lonesome George is in a glassed area. You are permitted to visit for six minutes and then must leave. When you leave you must wait in another foyer for two minutes before you leave. This complex was very interesting and certainly worth a visit.
After enjoying a couple hours here, I stopped at a nearby beach, Playa de La Estacion. It was nothing too special so I made my way back to my accommodation travelling on different side streets.
On the way back, I thought it was interesting Street Art on the walls of a cemetery. So nicely done.
