Photographing Galapagos Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands

Santa Cruz Highlands Tortoise Fence-2
Highlands fences must be high enough for tortoises to crawl under

by Linda O’Keefe

Photographing giant tortoises in the wild

After our visit to the Los Gemelos craters, it’s back on the bus for what I hope is an exciting afternoon with giant Galapagos tortoises in the wild. Our Lindblad Endeavour naturalist for the afternoon, Walter Perez, doesn’t share my confidence. He continually cautions us “all we can guarantee you’ll see is lava rock and plenty of it.” Still, I’m optimistic we’ll find some giant tortoises without many problems.

Walter advises us how to track one of the huge tortoises in its natural environment: walk quietly through the forest, listening for sounds made by an 800 lb., five-foot long reptile as it flattens the underbrush in search for food.  Fortunately, our search turns out to be incredibly easy.

After our bus turns onto a small winding dirt road and we head toward two small farm buildings in the distance, Walter excitedly points ahead of us. “Look there’s one–and there’s another! Oh boy, I can’t believe this!”  Ahead of us, on both side of the road, are what look like large clumps of rock moving through tall grass just 10 to 15 yards from us.

Santa Cruz Highlands Tortoise fence-1  Galapagos Giant Tortoise Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour

Santa Cruz highland tortoises are Galapagos’  largest

We quickly climb out of the bus. Walter divides us into two groups, one to view the tortoises along the long road and the other to descend the hill behind the farm house.  Tim decides to stay with the first group where he knows he can photograph tortoises. I decide to venture off with those going down the hill with Walter.

 The slope is surprisingly steep but I glance in the distance to spot what look giant, gray pith helmets scattered across a field. The closer I get, the more I realize the enormity of these creatures. Santa Cruz Island with its humid, grass-rich highlands is home to the largest of all Galapagos Tortoises.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise Lindblad National Geographic EndeavourTortoise walks along the edge of pond.

                            Different tortoise shell patterns inspired Charles Darwin

These have a domed shell and short neck unlike the tortoises in the dry lowlands with a saddleback shell and longer neck. When Charles Darwin visited the island the vice-governor told him he could tell which island a tortoise inhabited by looking at it. Darwin was astonished by this statement. Yetas he traveled from island to island he realized the shell patterns did vary from location to location. Those distinguishing features were one of the many facets that compelled Darwin toward his theory of natural selection and adaptation.

As impressed as I am with their size, the huge tortoises are not impressed with us at all.  In fact, they seem truly oblivious to our presence, continuing to eat, drink and simply wander around. Their movements are slow and deliberate and their legs, feet and toes are enormous, resembling tree trunks with huge toenails.  Each toenail is approximately the size of my fist. One tortoise walking through the field reminds me of an alligator back home in Florida as it “high walks” one leg at a time over the ground.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise Lindblad National Geographic EndeavourThese feet are big!

Tortoises gather at a pond

As the tortoises shift to drink at a small pond covered with pink tiny flowers, I expect to see them drink with a cat-like behavior, lapping up the water. Instead, they barely open their lips as they gently suck in the water.  The tortoises share their water hole with a several white-cheeked pintail ducks. We photographers are thrilled by the juxtaposition of the tiny ducks with the giant tortoises. We have an amazingly harmonious portrait of nature not often seen in the wild.

Galapagos Giant Tortoise Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour
Tortoise sips water with grass still in its mouth

We have only a 45-minute window to photograph the tortoises and much too soon it’s time to return to the bus. My group lingers longer than we should, trying to get that last perfect shot. I could stay here for the rest of the day watching these magnificent creatures loll about but the time crunch is sounding.

As we walk up the hill, Walter comments, “You don’t know how lucky you are!” I leave with mixed feelings: lucky to have witnessed so many tortoises with perfect sunlight but also a little sad to know I probably will never have this kind of opportunity again.

Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Blog Links

The Galapagos Experience                              Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                  Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos               Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                        Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                  Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                          Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                               Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                       Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                         Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

Lindblad Endeavour Santa Cruz Highlands Tour

Santa Cruz lunch sugar cane-2

A triple header shore lunch

Before we set out to find Galapagos tortoises in the Santa Cruz highlands, the Lindblad Endeavour has an extended lunch break planned that is surprisingly varied. One stop I did not anticipate: a visit to a still–what we Southern boys would call a moonshine still–and the option to sample its product.

Here’s how it happened. From Puerto Ayora, we drive for 30 minutes into the highlands and stop at an old sugar estate called El Trapiche, Spanish for sugar mill. A local Galapaguenos family still works the property, with an older gentleman and a younger man turning the sugar cane press when we arrive. A donkey, on the other hand, is tethered to a fence off to the side taking what is probably a rare opportunity to relax.

galapagos santa cruz  el trapiche sugar mill-1  galapagos santa cruz  el trapiche sugar mill-2
El Trapiche sugar mill donkey; old fashioned sugar mill press

We are all invited to take a turn at the press and several fellow passengers step forward for what is fun for a few turns but would be a long harsh day for real. The long green sugar cane leaves roll through the press with the sugar juice spilling into a pail for processing into large cubes of natural brown sugar sold in the sugar mill gift shop. As we will discover, some of that cane juice will be used for making hootch, English word for cheap whiskey. That was not for sale.                                   

               Pounding the coffee beans

On the way to a shed to sample some of the sugar products we’re offered a brief demonstration of how coffee beans–also grown here–are pounded with a huge mortar and pestle. That may seem a strange thing to do with coffee beans but some connoisseurs consider pounding the coffee beans superior to grinding them since the powder from the pounded beans retains all the volatile oils, which give coffee its flavor. Heat–apparently produced through grinding–dissipates the volatile oils. (And that is the end of today’s informative lecture.)

Galapagos Santa Cruz El Trapiche sugar mill electric sugar press-1  Galapagos Santa Cruz El Trapiche sugar mill still on fire-3 El Trapiche electric sugar mill press; the spurts flames after a douse of moonshine

From the coffee grinding demo we enter a small shed and find a still operating. Obviously distilling your own drinking alcohol isn’t illegal here–as it wasn’t in the U.S. for most of its history–and the elderly gentleman is more than willing to waste his alcohol by throwing it on the still and having it blaze briefly for us to take photos.

Then with some slices of cheese we dip into a bowl of sweet molasses, a by-product of processing sugar cane. Fittingly, the word molasses comes from a Portuguese word for “honey.” This stuff is delicious. Then, an Endeavour guide I’ve rarely seen quickly points out several small bottles of moonshine that he invites us to sample. I’m one of the few interested. I went to graduate school in North Carolina where moonshine and grape juice was a favorite drink. This elixir has to be sampled straight without a mixer. Quite good. And, thankfully, not as potent as I feared.

galapagos santa cruz altair restaurant-1  galapagos santa cruz altair restaurant pool-2
The Altair Restaurant in the Santa Cruz highlands;  pool at the restaurant

                                       From lunch to the Los Gemelos craters

From the sugar mill, we go to a restaurant named Altair and dine on freshly grilled chicken and, if anyone was interested, take a swim just outside the restaurant. Or relax in one of the too few hammocks behind the pool.

The final stop of our triple-header lunch break is at a place called Los Gemelos, the twins, which are two huge craters formed by the collapse of a magma chamber. The craters, on opposite sides of the Puerto Ayora-Baltra road, are quite impressive. They look more like meteor impact craters than the results of some random ground collapse.

galapagos santa cruz los gemelos crater-1  galapagos santa cruz  scalesia cloud forest-1
One of the Los Gemelos craters; a tree in the cloud forest around Los Gemelos

The walk from crater to crater leads us through a cloud forest called a scalesia forest filled with epiphytes, ferns and orchids. This endangered ecosystem also supposedly is rich with birdlife such as Darwin’s finches including the woodpecker finch and the rare vermillion flycatcher.

                                                             Too much sun?

Unfortunately, with the sun out for the first time all day, the forest and the branches are beautifully lighted. Maybe all that sun is bothering the birds because none of us–including our guides–can sight a single bird anywhere. The guides say this is unusual.

I can live with it. I just want the sun to stay out for our next stop where we hope to find giant tortoises in the wild. No wild creature can be relied on to appear where or when you expect it. We can hope we find them. Wildlife photography largely is based on hope.

Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Blog Links

The Galapagos Experience                                             Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                                 Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                              Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                                       Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                                 Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                                         Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                              Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                                     Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                                       Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                              Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

National Geographic Endeavour Port Call: Puerto Ayora Walking Tour

Puerto Ayora blog2

Your one & only Galapagos shopping stop

The stop at Santa Cruz Island by the Lindblad Expeditions’ National Geographic Endeavour is an unusually full, busy day. Following our tour of the Darwin Research Station and seeing Lonesome George and Diego, the station’s most famous tortoises, we’re given a little over an hour to tour the waterfront of Puerto Ayora, largest city in the Galapagos. With a population of more than 10,000, Puerto Ayora contains about a third of the islands’ total human population.

Leaving the Darwin Research Station, we turn right onto Avenida Charles Darwin, the port city’s main street which ends at a plaza where buses will take us to the highlands for the rest of the day. It soon becomes clear that almost all the businesses along the street are intended for tourists. Although I spot a few hotels, restaurants and dive shops along the route, they are overwhelmed by the surplus of t-shirt shops.

Not necessarily a bad thing since this is the first and our only real opportunity to shop for Galapagos and Ecuadorian souvenirs. One of the first places we encounter is the Galapagos National Park store, which has a huge selection but whose prices are 2-3X as much as the items at the small shop at the Darwin Research Station. Too bad the Darwin Station’s shop isn’t larger; its offerings are fairly limited.

Here’s a photo scrapbook of our Puerto Ayora walk.

Along Avenida Charles Darwin in Puerto Ayora

Santa Cruz Natl Park Store-1blog  Santa Cruz store-1blog
              National park souvenir store solid as a rock; typical city souvenir store

Santa Cruz dolls-1a  Santa Cruz cemetery-1blog
Souvenir handmade dolls; city cemetery

Santa Cruz  Darwin mural-1                   Charles Darwin Arch, a major landmark on the outskirts of the city.

Santa Cruz woman shopper -1  Santa Cruz girl on booby-1
Shopping stop; mother & daughter on booby statue at Charles Darwin Arch park area

Santa Cruz fishing boats-1blog  Santa Cruz torotise statue -1blog
Marina with fishing boats; metal statue of a Galapagos tortoise

Santa Cruz outdoor restaurant-1blog  Santa Cruz handicraft market-1blog
Outdoor café empty between breakfast & lunch; handicraft market sign

Santa Cruz colorful store-1blog  Santa Cruz street scene-1blog
Candy-striped convenience store; yes, there is Internet!

Santa Cruz blue art gallery-1blog  Santa Cruz iguana statue-1blog
Some stores really try to stand out; iguana statue across from water taxis

Santa Cruz pier to water taxis-1Pier to water taxis—and cruise ship Zodiacs—fronting Academy Bay

Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                                                  Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                     
Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                    Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                             Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                       Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                               Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                    Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                            Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                              Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                     Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

Meeting “Lonesome George,” the World’s Rarest Tortoise

Lonesome George Galapagos tortoise Darwin Research Station Santa Cruz Island
                           Well, would you be happy to be the last of a rare species?

Poor old “Lonesome George”

When Lindblad’s National Geographic Endeavour anchors off Santa Cruz Island, we go ashore to see the world famous giant tortoise known  as “Lonesome George.”  As the last member of his species, he is considered the world’s rarest torotise.

Of the 15 different species of tortoise that once lived on 15 different islands of the Galapagos, three are now extinct. A fourth species is about to disappear.,

Lonesome George, estimated at 100 years old and considered in good health, is the last remaining member of the Pinta Island species.  The Guinness World Records calls him the world’s “rarest living creature.” The very last of his kind. He supposedly was named after a popular 1950’s comedian, George Goebel, whose nickname was “Lonesome George.”

Considering the near extinction of the tortoises on Pinta Island, it’s hard to comprehend that giant tortoises were once commonplace throughout the world. They lived not only in the Americas but Europe and Asia, going back to the age of the dinosaurs. What depleted Lonesome George’s race is what killed off almost all the world’s giant tortoises.

Galapagos Santa Cruz Darwin Research Station Breeding Center sign-1

                                  Darwin Research Station Captive Breeding Sign

Giant tortoises lose out to invasive goats

Scientists say the huge tortoises of eons ago were unable to compete successfully with the many herbivores found on the continents.  This is why today they exist only on isolated islands where they  have no competition folr food.

Thanks to Charles Darwin’s writings, the Galapagos tortoises are the best known of the remaining giant tortoises. Yet they also survive on the islands of Madagascar and the Seychelles, both in the Indian Ocean.

The Galapagos, of course, owe their name to the giant tortoises, taken from the Spanish word Galápago meaning saddle. Saddleback tortoises aren’t as large or as impressive looking as the bell-shaped shells of animals like Lonesome George. The smaller saddlebacks,  however, enjoy a shell shape that allows them to extend their necks higher to feed.

Saddlebacks tend to reside on islands with less vegetation compared to the bigger, dome-shaped tortoises. The larger torotises are still common on islands like Santa Cruz, where the vegetation is relatively rich.

Finding Lonesome George the right mate

Lonesome George is from Pinta Island, where the vegetation was decimated by introduced, goats. Like the giant tortoises that once thrived worldwide, those on Pinta Island were out-competed. After Lonesome George was found in 1971, it  took 20 years to move him to the  to the Darwin Research Station. The first breeding attempt was in 1993.

Lonesome George pen Galapagos Darwin Research Station santa cruz
Lonesome George’s isolation cell. See any females? He doesn’t either.

                                         
George was provided with two female tortoises of different subspecies in an attempt to produce offspring. George and his revolving harem produced eggs but all to date have been infertile. Even if all the eggs did hatch technically the Pinta Island race still would be extinct once Lonesome George is gone. Any offspring would be of mixed, not pure, blood. (Shades of Lord Voldemort!)


$10,000 reward for Pinta Island female  torotise

To preserve the Pinta Island subspecies, Lonesome George needs offspring from a Pinta Island female. A $10,000 reward is available to any zoo or private collector willing to provide a Pinta female for Lonesome George to mate. Nonehas been offered. Ironically, it is possible there is a second Pinta Island male tortoise slightly younger than George which lives in the Prague Zoo.

World renown tortoise expert Peter Pritchard considers the shell pattern of the Prague tortoise to be similar to that of George’s but no DNA tests have been conducted to confirm or refute the possibility. For the time being, rescuing the Pinta Island tortoise subspecies is at a stalemate that may never be resolved.

Galapagos Santa Cruz Darwin Research Station torotise eggs incubating-1  Galapagos Santa Cruz Darwin Research Station tortoise breeding pen-1
                               Tortoise eggs being incubated; tortoise breeding pen.

                                              Meeting Lonesome George

Our walk from the Santa Cruz Zodiac to enter the Darwin Research Station and reach Lonesome George takes about 20 minutes. We pass several turtle pens where species from other islands are being effectively bred. Our view from an overlooking walkway into Lonesome George’s pen  is depressing. He has a huge space to roam, able to hold scores of giant tortoises.

He looks so large compared to the females offered  to entice him. No wonder George isn’t turned on by them. The pen itself seems to have everything a tortoise could want: lots of shade, vegetation and a huge concrete pond. From pictures I’ve seen of George on various web sites, he rarely leaves the pond’s edge.

Only a few steps away from Lonesome George is a crowded pen with an Espanola male tortoise named Diego. Far more energetic but lesser known, he is largely responsible for bringing back his island’s population.

                           How a tortoise named Diego revived his species

Only 15 tortoises remained on Espanola when the government began eradicating goats there.  The entire population was brought to the Darwin Research Station in hopes of increasing their numbers. But an unexpected problem cropped up. All of the males refused to mate.

Diego Galapagos tortoise Darwin Research Station

Diego, the studliest stud of Galapagos tortoises

The San Diego Zoo in California called the Darwin Research Station about a rogue Espanola male tortoise of theirs which was attacking all the other males. Did the Darwin Station want him? Yes, was the fateful answer. When this bully arrived, he was named Diego in honor of the zoo that donated him.

Diego promptly expended all his energy on the receptive females and quickly created a new generation of Espanola tortoises. Diego’s prowess inspired the formerly disinterested Espanola males. The resulting orgy sent more than 1,600 tortoises back to their homeland. Diego remains at the Darwin Station to continue his good work. He deserves a memorial, although I can’t think of a way it would be PG.

     Does Lonesome George need sex education?

Meanwhile, Lonesome George is rarely interested, perhaps due to “low T” or maybe he just needs to be inspired (instructed?) as Diego’s buddies were. From what I see, George’s pen is cut off from all other turtle breeding pens.

He has no opportunity to see what is going on around him. He lives in splendid isolation–like someone being confined to a large mansion with his two women. Meanwhile, Diego and his crew are out having fun in their back yard.       

George needs to be moved where he can watch Diego in action and get over his performance anxiety. Or performance ignorance. According to our Lindblad guides, they even played music to help inspire Diego. Well, show George some turtle porn. Do something to provide him the same type of motivation given to Diego, who was a bad boy and probably didn’t need it anyway.

Galapagos Darwin Research Station parque nacional national park sign santa cruz                          Lonesome George is part of the Galapagos National Park logo

A cynic might say the Charles Darwin Foundation which operates the Charles Darwin  Research Station deliberately keepis George lonesome and uninspired ito preserve him
as a powerful conservation symbol. Not only is George the Darwin Station’s most famous celebrity and its main attraction, he keeps both the Darwin Research Station and the Galapagos National Park in the public eye.

There can be no true happy ending to his saga without another Pinta Island female.


RIP


Lonesome George died June 24, 2012, without ever successfully mating. He was the last of his kind.

Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                                        Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                             Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                          Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                                   Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                             Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                                     Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                          Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                                 Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                                   Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                          Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

National Geographic Endeavour Galapagos Dining Recipes

Galapagos cruise food

I would swear that I took photos of some of these dishes on board the National Geographic Endeavour but I can’t find them.  My bad!

Shortly before the cruise, Linda found out she was allergic to wheat products and needed to be gluten free.  Among numerous other items, that really reduces the kinds of bread you can eat.  During the voyage, we met some people who also needed to be gluten-free and  especially for them the kitchen is making cassava bread.  Linda and I both try it.  Where has this been all our lives?

Linda asks Edison, the always helpful dining room manager, if she can be added to the cassava bread list. We have it for breakfast every morning from then on.  That’s how accommodating things are in Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Endeavour dining room.

Cassava Bread/Pan de Yucca

Ingredients:

2 cups   Cassava flour (Yucca or manioc)
2 cups   Grated mozzarella cheese
2   Egg yolks
4 Tbsp.   Butter
Salt to taste

Preparation:
1) Mix all ingredients until consistent and firm in order to form the dough.
2) Form little buns and let them rest for about 10 minutes.
3) Preheat oven at 375 F.
4) On a buttered pan place the buns and put it in the oven for 20-25 minutes until the tops are  golden.
______________

Brazilian Xim-Xim Soup

This is a wonderful soup but the recipe makes enough for all the diners at lunch. So, I would suggest you make one-tenth of what the recipe calls for. By the way, this recipe took almost an hour to translate the ingredient measurements (such as a “taza” of this or that).

Ingredients:

Group 1
1 cup   Butter
4 cups   Pearl onion finely cut
4 cups   Red onion, Cubed
4 cups  Green & red peppers, cubed
6 Tbl   Garlic, finely cut
1 cup   Ginger, finely cut

Group 2
4 cups   Tomatoes (Skinless & finely cut)
2 cups   Canned tomatoes
16 cups  Chicken broth
1 Tsp.   Turmeric
½ Tsp.  Cheyenne

Group 3
11 lbs.   Fish (wahoo), cubed
1.4 cups  Coconut , toasted
1.7 cups  Macadamia nuts, toasted
6 cups   Coconut milk

Preparation
1) Toast coconut and macadamia nuts in oven until golden brown.
2)  Sautee ingredients of Group 1 in butter.
3)  Add all ingredients of Group 2 and simmer at low temp for
about 15 min.
4)  Just prior to serving the soup, bring to a boil. Add Group 3, stirring
well until the coconut milk is dissolved. Cook until the fish is done

Salt & pepper to taste
________________

Carrot and Ginger Soup
Serves 10

This is a simple soup that anyone who likes carrots and ginger (one of my favorite spices).  This also is an easy recipe to reduce from 10 servings to five.

Ingredients:

10   Carrots
1/3 cup   Ginger
1-1 /2 qt   Chicken stock
1 cup   Onions, chopped
1 cup   Whipping cream
1/4 cup  Scallions chopped
1/2 cup  Parsley
3.50z   Butter

Preparation:
1)  Boil carrots until tender. Puree with hand held mixer or food processor.
2)  Sauté pureed carrots with onions, ginger and butter.
3) Add chicken stock and bring to a boil for 30 minutes .
4) After carrots are cooked, liquefy through a strainer, return to pot and bring to a boil.
5)  Lower heat to medium and add whipping cream, parsley. Salt & pepper to taste.
_____________

Chocolate Decadence

For 12 people

I know there are photos of the Chocolate Decadence somewhere and when I find them I will add them and tweet their appearance. Again, this recipe needs to be cut for 4-6 people rather than the 12 this recipe covers. Add vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

11   Eggs
1 lb.   Semi-sweet chocolate
1-1/2 cups   Butter
1 cup   Vegetable oil
1 cup   Sugar

Preparation:

1) Melt together the chocolate, butter and oil, and let it sit until warm.
2) Beat the eggs with the sugar until the mix has become thick. Put it on low
heat for a couple of minutes and combine half of this mix with the melted
chocolate. Combine it slowly, and add the rest of the eggs.
3) Put it in the oven for approximately 20 minutes (350 degrees) When you take
it out of the oven the cake will be a little wet; put it in the refrigerator over
night or at least two hours.
4) Before serving you can pour on Grand Marnier or any kind of liquor on
top along with whipped cream, some chocolate sprinkles and raspberry coulis.

These recipes are a small sample why it can be so difficult to leave the Lindblad Endeavour’s dining room behind.  Not saying I wouldn’t have liked a hamburger or pizza at some point during the week. However, Linda and I always like to try new foods. And bring back recipes and see which ones we can incorporate into our lives. Cassava bread is the highest on our priority list.  As for the Chocolate Decadence, that will be treat for friends when we can be sure there won’t be any leftovers.  I need to lose weight.

Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                                       Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                            Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                         Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                                  Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                            Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                                    Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                         Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                                 Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                                   Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                          Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Friday Menu Finale

Friday Galapagos cruise dining

Friday night’s dessert menu features what many consider the best of the week: the chocolate decadence. Friday’s lunch and dinner menus feature different presentations of amberjack but don’t overlook the beef filet with caramelized onions and wine sauce.

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Friday Lunch Menu

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Friday Dinner Menu

 Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                      Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming
                        Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                     Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                              Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                       Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                               Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                    Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                            Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                              Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                     Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

National Geographic Endeavour Galapagos Thursday Menus

Galapagos cruise dining 

There is no Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour lunch menu for the day spent on Santa Cruz Island. This is Galapagos tortoise day, with the morning exploring the Charles Darwin Research Foundation and the afternoon in the highlands watching tortoises roam in the wild.

For lunch is at the Ranch Altair restaurant/hotel in the highlands we had BBQ chicken prepared in a huge traditional oven. The atmosphere, and ready availability of the local beer from the bar made for a relaxing lunch.  I turned lazy, not thinking ahead of how I should record everything in notes and photos for this blog.  I went into vacation mode. Obviously, Altair is a very satisfying stop.

Thursday’s dinner menu was a buffet BBQ. It was the perfect way to end  an outstanding day following our interactions with the Galapagos tortoises. The amberjack was my favorite but the steak was very good, too.

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Thursday Dinner Menu

 Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                                   Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                       Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                    Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                             Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                       Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                               Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                    Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                           Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                             Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                    Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

Lindblad Galapagos Cruise, Endeavour Wednesday Menus

Wednesday Galapagos cruise dining

The lunch highlight today on the  National Geographic Endeavour is the traditional Spanish paella. Other options are also available.

food Lindblad paella-1
Paella is a highlight of every Endeavour cruise

Wednesday Lunch0001

Wednesday Dinner0001

 Lindblad  Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                                     Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                          Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                       Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                                Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                          Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                                  Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                       Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                              Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                                Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                       Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

National Geographic Endeavour Tuesday Menus

Tuesday Galapagos cruise dining

The Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour’s Ecuadorian lunch buffet is perhaps the most colorful and flavorful of all the buffets. If you want to photograph it, be first in line. And shoot quickly. Many of the first for lunch lunch crowd are ready for a feeding frenzy.  (The dinner crowd is more mellow.)

One of lunch items, mote pillo, is unusual. Mote is the Ecuadorian word for hominy, made from white corn kernels. Hominy is a staple throughout the Andes. Mote pillo by itself can be served for breakfast. At lunch it becomes a side dish.

   Roast suckling pig  Wahoo covered with coconut sauce
Roast suckling pig; steamed wahoo in coconut sauce.

 Roast suckling pig is a common offering in Ecuador’s highlands. The crackling, (the crisp and tasty roasted skin) is highly prized by Ecuadorians and tourists. It is one of the first things to disappear. Oh, so good!

Wahoo is a hard-fighting fish that every serious salt water angler wants to find and then dine on. Today is wahoo day, served at both lunch and dinner. Do it! The Endeavour chefs do a fine job.

 Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Tuesday Lunch Menu

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Tuesday Dinner Menu

 Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                                         Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                              Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                          Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                                   Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                             Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                                     Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                          Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                                  Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                                   Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                          Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Monday Menus

Monday Galapagos cruise dining

Monday had one of my favorite lunches on the National Geographic Endeavour. The Brazilian Xim Xim soup and the pasta with a trio of sauces were excellent.  An unexpected surprise were the cassava fries. Cassava–also called yuca, mogo, or manioc—makes a wonderful bread but we had no idea it could be turned into fries, too.  One fry goes a long way, as this photo demonstrates:

Lindblad cassava fries-1Cassava fries for Monday’s lunch.

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Monday Lunch Menu

Lindblad National Geographic Endeavour Monday Dinner Menu

Lindblad Endeavour Galapagos Cruise Links

The Galapagos Experience                             Endeavour Dining
Galapagos Adventure Upcoming                            Sustainable Dining Policy
How Darwin Saved The Galapagos                        Saturday Dining Menus
Galapagos Photo Tips                                                 Sunday Dining Menus
What To Pack For Cruise                                          Monday Dining Menus
Getting to Guayaquil                                                   Tuesday Dining Menus
Las Bachas Shore Landing                                       Wednesday Dining Menus
North Seymour Shore Landing                               Thursday Dining Menus
Fernandina & Isabela Islands                                 Friday Finale Menus
Urbina Bay Shore Landing                                        Endeavour Recipes
Life Aboard The Endeavour
More About Life On Board
Puerto Egas Shore Landing
Endeavour’s Floating SPA
Meeting One of World’s Rarest Animals
Puerto Ayoro Walking Tour
Santa Cruz Highlands Tour
Hunting Tortoises in the Santa Cruz Highlands
San Cristobal, Endeavour’s final stop