Ahhhh....! I've had a very exploratory weekend! On Saturday morning I met a Galapagenian gal from my office at the mercado Mira Flores. This is a gigantic market for fruits, vegetables, meat and fish that takes place every Saturday, and there are great deals to be found on lots of things! I was thrilled to be able to find a place to buy fresh fruits and veg that doesn't rely solely on the timing of a boat! Things like melons and pineapple were still expensive, but I bought a massive bunch of fresh basil (and I'm talking an armful!) for $1.50! So when life hands you lemons, get out your tequila and salt! I took my fruits and veg home, made a huge fruit salad, and then used a type of local fresh cheese to make 'ensalada caprese' for dinner later that night! 
After the market, my housemates and I piled on to our bikes and rode to a bus station on the edge of town, and then took a bus to the 'altaparte' or highlands. At the end of the bus line we took a short walk to 'los tuneles', which are the tunnels that were formed hundreds of thousands (or even millions!) of years ago when Santa Cruz was volcanically active. The tunnels run for 1-2 kn underground, and are about 100-200 m in diameter! 
We went though one which had a fee, because it was on private property, but had such a lovely charming family running a little flashlight rental. They had a collection of old tortoise shells on the terrace that you can crawl into and take pictures. People who had tortoise shells from many years ago are allowed to keep them as decorations, but of course now to acquire any more shells is illegal for obvious reasons. 
From there we took a truck-taxi to another spot that has laval tunnels, but somewhat more rugged. The entrance was a tight squeeze with no stairs and hand rails like the other one. This one had no lanterns inside either, so we needed our headlamps and flashlights! While walking through the dimly lit tunnel, the fellow from Columbia/U.S jumped back and shouted, which drew the attention of the rest of the group. Turns out, he had come across a skeleton, but luckily it has 4 legs instead of two...! 
Most likely it was a horse or cow that had stumbled in (God knows how throught that little passage!) and could not get out... 'pobrecito'. We pressed as far into the tunnel as possible before being turned back by a collapsed exit route, but not before turning off all the lights and standing there for a few minutes in the most complete and utter blackness I have EVER felt....
After this little exploration, we all stopped at a roadside cafe for fried empanadas and coffee! (there's a picture some where...) When we finally arrived back home after hitching a ride back to town, we dragged the spare mattresses into the 'dining area' and set up a laptop to watch movies and have dinner/drink cervezas.... carpe diem indeed.Much love from Galapagos!!
