It’s back to work tomorrow. Unlike the majority of people at the station, I do not have a bicycle, so I walk to work. Here’s what I see during my 15 minute commute.
Sometimes Roger walks with me and then cycles home. We cut through the little park that has a basketball court and a playground.
We walk down the hill to Charles Darwin Avenue where there is steady stream of taxis (white pick-up trucks). This morning there is just a lone rider.
We turn left and head towards the Park headquarters and the research station.
We pass a small cemetery with lots of flowers, both real and plastic. I’m interested in seeing what the cemetery will look like in early November when they celebrate el Dia de los Difuntos (Day of the Deceased as it is called in Ecuador).
Most vehicles are not permitted in the park, so motorcycles are left at the gate. Roger eyes them enviously.
We walk along a new yellow and red brick sidewalk with thick vegetation on either side. On the way, we see finches, small lizards, and other people heading to work.
Typically there are one or two groups of tourists returning from an early morning visit to the station where they’ve seen Lonesome George and his cronies.
We pass the staff entrance to park headquarters. There are washrooms here for visitors, and across the road is a boat ramp with a view of the ocean and lounging marine iguanas.
Staff and volunteers wear t-shirts with the research station logo. I have five, one for every day of the week. I no longer agonize over what to wear to work.
Around a bend in the yellow (and red) brick road are the administrative buildings for the station.
A few steps further is the entrance to the library.
