Galapagos and Quito

 Galapagos is full of surprises, very dry areas showing its volcanic origins and lush forests where it rains a lot. No trees are indigenous to the islands they were brought by early settlers, farmers mostly, to supply wood for building. The islands were seen as a backwater area of little value, invasive species got established and caused difficulty for native species - the giant tortoise a good example. Pirates and other sailers took them for food as they can go up to a year without food or water, there were once thought to be over 10,000. Now only a few thousand and they no longer can breed successfully in the wild due to predators eating their eggs and very young tortoises. A breeding center now gathers and hatches babies releasing them at 8 to 10 yrs - they start to rat around 25 and can live to 150 or more. 

More pics below - sorry if I duplicate.

At a coca farm, coca beans make chocolate.

Beans sit in these boxes to ferment for a few day then move down to the level below.

Final step at the ferm is drying, then sold to chocolate makers, most of this goes to Switzerland, Ecuador’s cica considered high quality.

Large ficus tree.

Map of Isabela island shows volcanos.

Blue Footed Boobies.

Exiting tour bus to visit volcano caldera.

View of caldera 6 miles across, still active.

At the tortoise breeding center, newly hatched giant tortoises.

Seafood tower, albacore, shrimp and octopus.

Sunrise on trip back to Santa Cruz Island fro Isabela.

Naturalist at a farm where giant tortoises like to hang out, they may not be restricted on where they go in any way, only at the breeding center are they restricted. 

Hanging in a puddle.

Types of tortoiss, each volcano has a different species.

Now in Quito.

 Jew from hotel, Quito is in the Andes.