Day 9 in San Cristobal!

 Hey guys!

We started out the morning with a delicious breakfast made by Nelly, the sweet lady that owns and runs Canns House. Dr. M and Ella left a little earlier to map out the hospitals, clinics, and health related buildings around the island. The rest of us gathered our clip boards, iPads, and walkie talkies and set out to survey. There were less people out in the morning than there were the day before, but we still managed to survey over 40 people in just two hours. Dacey and I came across a kind elderly man who we talked to a bit after he took our survey. We talked about the importance of healthcare, and how the work we’re doing is impactful because of the lack of good healthcare in the Galapagos. We were able to speak to him and understand him thanks to Estefa translating for us. Our surveying for the day was cut short because we had more activities planned for the afternoon. We headed back to Canns House to change into our swimsuits, and then we headed to a dive shop to pick up our gear for our snorkeling tour. After we picked up our equipment, we boarded our boat that took us to a small island about 25 minutes away. Our guide David took us on a tour around the island, where we saw blue footed boobies, Frigatebirds, marine iguanas, crabs, and sea lions. We learned from David that there’s a problem on the island with giant black rats that eat small mammals and the eggs of the blue footed boobies. Afterwards, we had our snorkeling tour. We got to see many colorful fish, an eagle ray, turtles, sand dollars, and sea lions. The sea lions were very playful and would swim in circles around you. Sometimes they would even swim right at you then change direction at the last minute. After we snorkeled for 45 minutes, we got back on the boat and headed to a small beach at the tip of San Cristobal Island. We stayed there collecting shells and swimming in the water for a little before heading back. Some of us swam straight from the beach all the way back to the boat. Once we got back, we returned our snorkel equipment, then headed back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We ate at a local restaurant that was just a short walk from Canns House. Afterwards, we got ice cream then walked around a bit before heading back in for the night. 

Hasta luego,

Liana Rodila