Bartolome, Santiago

Today was the last day of our family program expeditions. We enjoyed 5 great weeks with kids and grown-ups on board. We visited the islands, as we always do, then came back to the Polaris to find Linda and learn how to make new crafts, or to participate in a different educational game. We also organized some plays; kids got all dressed up in costumes of the Galapagos species: the plants, the animals, and also the crazy "species", as when we sketched the life of the eccentric "Mystery Island" inhabitants. Everyone has had great fun. Linda Burback, Lindblad's family program coordinator, is leaving us until next summer. She deserves special recognition for sharing with us all her skills. Even the crew found the time to learn knots and crafts that Linda was willing to teach. So tonight we gave her a certificate of recognition, declaring her a "Honorary Galapagos Naturalist". She also got a little tortoise on behalf of the crew and staff. Not a real one though, it was a balsa tortoise, a "Georgina". Linda will return next year, and new families will come to Galapagos to explore the islands, have fun and learn new games; to share new discoveries either in the tidal pools or the big ocean, and to enjoy the warmth of our big floating home, the Polaris.