DAY 19 IN ECUADOR!

 Hola Amanda here to share our experience with you!

Today was one of my favorite days so far. We started the day by visiting El Trapiche, a family-owned sugar cane and coffee farm. There we were able to learn about the process of sugar cane juice production, the process of making chocolate, and roasting coffee beans. This was a very interactive activity. The owner of the farm told us how around WW2 the access to sugar, coffee, and cacao products was limited to one boat that came to the island every 6 months. After that specific boat broke down, the owner began to sell and send his products to other parts of the island to make sure residents had access to these resources. I was able to turn the sugar cane juice wheel which used to be operated by the owner's best friend who happened to be a donkey. After we headed to Garrapatero Beach with our favorite tour guide Rafa. He gave us very informative and cool facts that I would like to share with you. Sometimes at this beach, you can see flamingos (we didn’t) but we learned that they are the only birds who produce milk, and that is how they feed their babies. The other interesting fact that I found to be very important was that phenomena like El niño/La niña are natural controls for the overpopulation of species here in the Galapagos. El Niño affects the islands with warmer ocean temperatures and increased rainfall which leads to a decrease in marine species due to a decrease in availability of food. La Niña is considered to bring drought and dryer seasons which leads to a decrease in terrestrial animals. These two processes working together help the species across the Galapagos maintain a population balance.

I enjoyed today and I could not be more grateful for the knowledge that all the guides and naturalists share with us. I hope you also enjoyed some of my favorite facts and are encouraged to learn more about Galapagos. Come back tomorrow to learn more!