Disaster Relief Efforts in Galapagos

With our study abroad programs cancelled, we are struggling to stay in business and depend on you more than ever. We are so grateful to those who have donated, spread the word, and participated in our fundraising efforts. A big thanks to UM alumni Carley Belanger and Sam Waddell for getting our first fundraiser started in May!

With your financial support, we have been able to donate basic 'food kits' to the families of the Galapagos initiative "Sustainable Isabela". These food kits, with staples like oil, rice, and lentils, are used by families in addition to the produce from their gardens.

In addition to providing 'food kits' for our families, we have also put together agricultural kits. These kits were donated to farmers in our sustainable agriculture program guarantee continuous local production and quality of local produce. The resulting produce is commercialized at the local outdoor food market in a continuous effort to ensure food security on the island.

This project is carried out in agreement with the Governing Council and the technical assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture.

You can be a part of it by signing up for a future trip (send us an email to hear about our great offers), you can donate, or simply spread the word! (@ioiabroad on social media)

GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE, SOLD!

We're excited share our newest interactive fundraising campaign -- an ONLINE AUCTION!

Our team and our community came together to donate their time, expertise, art, and merchandise to help us raise money to stay open and support our communities. The auction has a variety of items, including online classes and experiences, art and jewelry, travel experiences, books, and more! There is something for everyone! 

The auction is OPEN and will close on JULY 29th. In the meantime, make sure you're following us on social media for daily updates and "staff picks"! 

With our fall study abroad semester cancelled, we are dependent on your donations. You can learn more about IOI's disaster relief efforts on our blog, in our latest newsletter, and on our COVID-19 response page.

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OUR VALUES

Dear IOI Community -

It has been a challenging year. The compounding circumstances of the past 12 months have given us numerous opportunities to meet long-standing challenges head-on, at last! We saw the next generation, led by Greta Thunberg, start to turn a corner on an issue that former generations had ignored or paid lip service to for too long. Climate-anxiety and eco-paralysis came to the forefront as problems for an entire generation, sparking them into action. 

Then came the all-encompassing Covid-19 pandemic, which showed us the fragility of our well-being as a species. As the world economy ground to a halt, it became clear that our globalized world was vulnerable. Governments all over the world struggled to keep their economies afloat, risking future financial stability. However, the pandemic has also given us a chance to stand still, reflecting on our values and on what is important in life. 

Such reflections have led me to write to you today. While IOI has always had a very diverse staff and community, operates under non-discriminatory policies, and has implemented strategies to become carbon negative by 2022, we have not been vocal enough about our values or our support for causes outside our direct mission. That will change! While our mission will continue to focus on sustainable development through education abroad, recent events have renewed our enthusiasm for the change we can effect in the world when we come together in common, just cause.

Our past communications have taken for granted that a sustainable development organization implicitly stands for a certain set of values. That was wrong! Starting today, we will be more vocal about what we stand for and the change we want to see for a more sustainable tomorrow. We will more explicitly add our support to other valuable causes, to change, to a new future for the next generations. As such, we stand united with Black Lives Matter. We stand against racism, against structural inequality in the US, against complicit silence. 

It seems that society has begun to reflect upon environmental stability, economic prosperity, and social justice at a never-before-seen scale. While the struggle for a more equitable, prosperous, and stable future is ongoing, today feels like the beginning of a more sustainable tomorrow—and I know the IOI community will rise to that occasion! 

Encouraged,

Johann Besserer
Executive Director

IOI Needs Your Help

All of our summer study abroad groups and volunteer programs have been cancelled due to COVID-19.
We need your help to be able to continue to serve our communities and the families you love! 

Until now, IOI had been the only organization in the Galapagos working to increase food sovereignty from continental Ecuador while reducing the carbon footprint of products sent to the archipelago. Amid the crisis, the gravity of the islands' dependence on external provisions became abundantly clear, and the government is launching a program to strengthen local production.

In turn, our sustainable agriculture and urban gardening project is now the model for the statewide implementation of similar initiatives. IOI will be the coordinating agent of this government effort in Isabela County, reducing dependency on mainland shipments by 15%. Additionally, IOI staff and members of our Isabela Sostenible group will lead an effort to triple the amount of urban gardens in Puerto Villamil to 75.

As part of this effort, IOI will additionally coordinate the government’s disaster relief efforts in Isabela, serving as a food bank for local residents. The program will distribute weekly market baskets of produce from the agricultural program to 60 families in economic distress.

Our host families and community members update us through a WhatsApp chat about their harvests!

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CONTINUE TO FIGHT THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC.

100% of your donations will go directly towards supporting IOI's food production and disaster relief efforts. Our committed front line staff and your host-families depend on your donations. Please help the survival of IOI during this crisis!

Learn more about how IOI is working through the pandemic in our May Newsletter and on our COVID-19 Response Page

IOI Cuba Program Update

How much do you know about our Marine and Coastal Habitat Conservation Volunteer Program in Cuba? Learn more about the program and current updates during the COVID-19 pandemic from IOI Cuba Staff, Reinaldo Borrego:

In the coastal community Cocodrilo, located in the “Managed Resource Protected Area of South of the Isle of Youth, Cuba,” a joint initiative is being developed in collaboration with the NGO IOI to contribute to the conservation of coastal marine ecosystems of the region.

Through this collaborative project, environmentally focused visitors participate in the initiative and voluntarily carry out various activities such as:

• Land and marine environmental clean up and restoration;
• Removal and ongoing management of exotic and invasive species;
• Coral restoration initiatives;
• Reforestation with native species of coastal areas;
• Intercultural exchanges with residents of the community.
• Monitoring and conservation of nesting marine turtles, during nesting and hatching season.

The beginning of our native plants garden at Villa Arrecife

From January to March 2020 a total of 9 volunteers, keen conservationists eager to learn from local experts, helped to achieve and complete all planned activities. However, the beginning of the spread of COVID-19 in the world caused the Cuban revolutionary government to adopt appropriate measures to prevent its spread in the Cuban national territory and thus safeguard the health of the people.

The National Action Plan implemented on March 24 proposed a series of actions, including the prohibition of accessing Cuba via international flights.

Volunteers work to pull invasive species that prohibit sea turtles from digging nests and laying eggs

Because of this, a logical and expected negative impact is, and will be, caused in the continuity of the activities carried out by environmental tourists that were systematically being developed in the first months of 2020.

Among the activities most affected are terrestrial and marine environmental restoration, the management of exotic and invasive species and reforestation activities, since they require a daily and active presence for their effective implementation and efficiency. Another activity that will likely be negatively affected by the lack of international participants will be the monitoring of locally marine turtles, that come to the shores of Cocodrilo and nearby beaches every year. 

A volunteer helping with coastal clean up of trash

It is known that a continuous dragging of solid waste in the coastal line, as a result of the marine currents, is one of the most significant polluting actions, both on annual level but also when assessing its cumulative effects. In turn, exotic and invasive species are rapidly spreading and their effects are devastating when their numbers increase significantly. Not reforesting affects the deterioration of the coastal landscape and the consequent erosion of its dunes and soils.

It is also recognized as a positive effect that the confinement has had an impact on the proliferation of marine species since there has been a decrease in human pressure on fishery resources. In addition, transport at the territorial level has been reduced by more than 80%, which has influenced the decrease in the emission of CO2 and other polluting gases into the atmosphere. 

The presence of environmental tourists in the community has proven to be excellent for fulfilling the general objective of the initiative and has proven to be an example for its residents who have assimilated it with gratitude and has been a successful way to motivate children and young people to carry out proper management and sustainable use of natural resources.

Global Competency Certificate: A spotlight on one of IOI's online courses

New research validates the use of the AFS Global Corporate Certificate on short term international programs

A recent study from Purdue University has revealed that adding the AFS Global Competency Certificate (GCC), a course that IOI offers as part of our online add on options, to short term study abroad and international experiential education opportunities has an astonishing effect in the participant's Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), a widely used instrument of intercultural competency measurement.

The GCC is an 18-module video-based digital learning aid to developing intercultural competence. Combining video-based modules with facilitated reflection and discussion sessions, this course helps students move beyond their comfort zones and start to see common features across different cultures as well as different ways of thinking or behaving. The GCC course has recently been updated to take into account not only global cultural differences but an in-country perspective to help gain cultural awareness closer to home.

““I have seen this course develop and improve throughout the years. The combination of top-class videos and resources, with guided reflection sessions makes this a very effective tool for educators. I have seen how impactful this course can be on students, and now we have data to prove this! As a trained GCC facilitator I always encourage our partner institutions and our individual participants and volunteers to consider adding this course prior to their international educational component””

— Daniel Ponce Taylor, Director of Operations and International Partnerships at IOI.

As part of our commitment to offering impactful experiential education opportunities in Cuba and the Galapagos, IOI promotes the AFS GCC as part of our pre-trip tools, and when discussing faculty-led and study abroad programs, we suggest this course when the institution does not offer a similar course to their students. “Study abroad and internationalization programs at universities are often designed on the assumption that participants learn simply through reading about culture or by coming into contact with the new and different people and situations,” said Linda Stuart, Head of Global Competence at AFS Intercultural Programs. “Research has concluded otherwise – that global competence, the capacity to communicate, collaborate and lead effectively across differences, is developed through intentional, facilitated learning.”

IOI offers several online courses and we encourage you to consider these as options prior to your trip with us or during these next weeks whilst we spend lots of time at home!

Outside the IOI EcoGarden

Although we do not currently have participants at IOI, we have plenty of wonderful stories and memories from previous volunteers.

A sustainable agriculture volunteer wrote this lovely post about our EcoGarden at IOI:

While working in the IOI EcoGarden I heard a cacophony of chirping and noticed a finch flying into a nest built into the cactus in the IOI yard. It is a beautiful nest with lots of small twigs and natural cotton – did you know there is a native Galapagos Cotton Tree? Cactus finches nest in these Opuntia and they are back this year.

Can’t wait to see the babies!

Photo descriptions in order from left to right — Photo 1: Dad standing guard over the nest — Photo 2: Dad paying a visit to hatchlings — Photo 3: A protective mama chirps warnings at us when we get too close — Photo 4: The softest nest of cotton on a bed of needles

Just a few days later after they hatched, the finches have fledged!

I walked out of the second floor dorm room at IOI and looked at the beautiful Miyuyo tree, a native of Galapagos, with its beautiful yellow flowers. There in the top branches were two baby finches! They were a little wobbly on their legs and awkward as they few/hopped across the branches as they gave their wings a try. One male, one female, it appears. They are too cute!

Photo descriptions: Babies out of their nests and working on hopping! Did you know baby finches have pale beaks that will grow darker over time?

Quick Tips from IOI's EcoGarden

A big “thank you” to social media volunteer, Stefan Ascherl for these tips and photos!

As spring ends in the southern hemisphere, and approaches in the northern hemisphere, we'd love to share some quick gardening tips from our EcoGarden in Isabela Island, Galapagos. This garden, right outside of our IOI office, is used as a model for our urban farming program and for hands on activities/learning for children and adults!

What is an EcoGarden? It's gardening with the environment in mind - gardening sustainabily and with native plants. Interested in gardening, farming, and agriculture? Check out our sustainable farming and urban agriculture volunteer program!

Empty egg boxes are the perfect base for growing young plants!

Flowers are always appreciated, so we give them some space in our garden between all the green vegetables to give our garden a pop of color!

Although we don't encourage using single-use-coffee-cups, if there are any around, then use them to grow young plants like we do!

You can upcycle empty plastic bottles to grow plants in them. Just cut them in half and color them up!

Stay tuned TO our social media for your chance to win an IOI t-shirt with quick quizzes from our garden!

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Exploring Isabela Island

We often get asked by potential volunteers "What is there do to in Isabela Island? Are there free activities? Are there tours? When is there time to explore?" The answers are: There's lots to do! There are free activities as well as tours! And we want to make sure you that as a volunteer you're able to experience the beauty of Isabela in your free time (afternoons and weekends).

Our incredible social media volunteers have put together a list of things to do in Isabela! Read on to learn more about their time exploring Isbabela Island. Thanks to Nicole, Rolph and Michelle for their input and photos!

Have questions? Contact us and we'd love to answer any questions you may have!

Free Activities:

Concha de Perla:

After taking Saturday to relax and walk around town, we decided to go snorkeling on Sunday. The best spot to snorkel in town is a small, sheltered lagoon called Concha de Perla, and is located next to the pier, about a 15 minute walk from IOI headquarters. It is free to get there and IOI has some extra snorkel equipment for the volunteers to borrow. Be careful walking down the path because you might find your way blocked by a sleeping sea lion or a stray iguana! 

I had been snorkeling there once before starting with IOI, and had been lucky enough to spot several beautiful eagle rays, dark colored rays with white spots. The second time I went (the first for the other volunteers), we got even luckier. We went at low tide, when the water is supposed to be much calmer and clearer. We spotted more eagle rays, a turtle, a sea lion, some iguanas, and, best of all, 5-6 tiny Galapagos penguins! The penguins were super fast, darting around and catching fish. They seemed quite unphased by the groups of people oggling them, and we got to watch them up close for almost an hour. One member of our group wasn’t a super confident swimmer, but at low tide the water was calm and shallow, and with her flippers and snorkel she didn’t have any difficulty. So far, this has been my favorite day on Isabela!

The Giant Tortoise Breeding Center:
Centro de Crianza Arnaldo Tupiza

We have a volunteer program at the tortoise center! Want to learn more? Visit our website: https://www.ioi.ngo/tortoise-center

Run and maintained by Galapagos National Park, the tortoise center is about a 30 minute walk from IOI headquarters.

In November 2019, IOI, Galapagos Park rangers, and Galapagos conservancy specialists, participated in a repatriation of 309 giant tortoises! This means that 309 giant juvenile tortoises were repatriated to their natural habitat in the south of the island of Isabela! This program of captive breeding and subsequent repatriation of tortoises is one of the most successful in Galapagos, and several populations of different species of tortoises have recovered. 

The tortoise center is in a sunny area with limited shade, so wear sunscreen and bring plenty of water! Visit our website for more information on our tortoise center volunteer program: https://www.ioi.ngo/tortoise-center. And check out the blog post from January with the inside scoop on volunteering at the center: https://www.ioi.ngo/blog/allageswelcome

Laguna Salinas:
”Flamingo LakE”

For an easy walk and great bird watching, you can head to Laguna Salinas, accessible in town down a road near Isabela Grill. There are various salt and brackish lagoons all over Southern Isabela where you can see a variety of coastal and sea birds. There are many brackish lagoons allowing Southern Isabela to be known for the largest concentration of flamingos in Galapagos!

Beaches:

There are beautiful beaches right in town, only a couple minutes walk from the main square! These are long, white sand beaches with beautiful blue waters. On most beaches you can find lots of crabs and iguanas on the rocks and you can (almost always) be guaranteed a beautiful sunset. Don’t expect to find a seat on the bench as the sea lions have usually snagged them!

El Muro de las Lágrimas: 
The Wall of Tears

We rented bikes for this excursion. The trail is 5km long and starts just past the trail to the Giant Tortoise Center. In total, the wall is about 6.5 km from IOI. I listed this as a free activity as it is possible to walk/run the trail, but it is somewhat long and hilly, so I would highly recommend renting a bicycle. The bicycles are generally $3 an hour or $15 per day, so they are still quite budget-friendly. Our trip took about 3.5 hours (although we made several lengthy stops along the way), so we paid $10.50. It is a fairly long ride with a lot of hills, so be sure to bring lots of water and try to go in the morning or late afternoon, when the heat is less intense. We left at about 3pm. It was still somewhat hot when we started but the weather cooled down pretty quickly and was a very pleasant ride after the first 45 minutes or so. There is also an option to take a taxi to the head of the trail to at least chop off the first 1.5km.

The wall rises from the middle of barren wilderness, near the base of a mountain. It was built from 1946-1959 by prisoners in the Isabela Penal colony as a means of keeping them busy. Many died during the harsh labor conditions surrounding the wall’s construction before the colony was eventually shut down for inhumane treatment of prisoners. The wall now stands in tribute to those who lost their lives to build it. 

Behind the wall there is a trail up the mountain to a lookout point at the top. There is another lookout just before the last stretch of the bike trail which offers similar views of Isabela.

Tours:

NOTE: All of these activities must be done with an organized tour agency as they are part of the Galapagos National Park. Prices below are based on Natural Selection tour company, near IOI, and tours can be arranged once in Isabela.

Las Tintoreras:

Price: $40
Approx. time: 3 hrs

Our first day in Isabela, we took a boat out to Las Tintoreras. This tour can also be done by kayak. Las tintoreras are a series of islets just south of Puerto Villamil. It is about a 10-15 minute boat ride to get there. We spotted a penguin on our way there! We did a short hike around the islet. We spotted several turtles and a couple of golden rays from the land, and we saw two turtles mating! The snorkeling was beautiful, with crystal clear water. We saw lots of turtles and starfish, as well as a couple of swimming marine iguanas. I also spotted a large, alien-looking yellow striped lobster, and one member of our group saw a shark!

Sierra Negra volcano:

Price: $40
Approx. time: 5 hrs

Sierra Negra, the Second Largest Crater in the World! One of five active volcanoes on the island of Isabela, Sierra Negra, is one of the oldest of the island and the largest in the Archipelago. It was about a five hour hike round trip, with a bit of an incline on the way up. We first hiked up to Sierra Negra to view the large, lava-filled crater at the top. Beyond Sierra Negra, the landscape grows more space-like with black reddish lava rock spread out in every direction, dotted with cacti. Volcan chico is smaller but more colorful, and just past it is a beautiful lookout over Isabela, from which you can spot Fernandina and Elizabeth Bay. I would recommend bringing sturdy hiking shoes, sunscreen, and LOTS of water for this tour, as the hike is fairly long and the heat may make you dehydrate quickly, maybe bring a layer as well since the area can be a bit cool and misty.

Los Tuneles:

Price: $110
Approx. time: 5 hrs

Our Los Tuneles tour was incredible. Los Tuneles are a series of lava rock tunnels about a 1 hour boat ride to the west of Puerto Villamil. We went on a short hike around and spotted lots of blue-footed boobies, and even a couple of their babies! The snorkeling here was also superb. We saw some white-tip sharks asleep in the caves formed by the tunnels, as well as rays, tiny seahorses, and several turtles, one of which was almost as big as I was! 

This was my favorite tour on Isabela and I would highly recommend it.

Tortuga Island Diving:

Price: $170
Approx time: 4 hrs

I went scuba diving on Tortuga Island with Isla Bella dive center. Both of our guides were friendly and experienced and went over the briefing in great detail. All of the equipment was functional and safe. I had found it hard to believe when the woman working at the dive shop told me I had a 90% chance of spotting a hammerhead on the dive, but we were not disappointed. We spotted 4-5 hammerheads, several giant manta rays, white-tip sharks, schools of barracuda, and lots of turtles! It was a drift dive so we were able to just relax and watch the wildlife as we drifted by. In between dives they gave us sandwiches and took us around the island to see the frigate birds, which were in their mating season, with the male frigate birds having huge inflated red chests. It was overall an incredible experience and a must-do for divers!

We hope this was helpful for potential and future volunteers! There are lots of other things to do in Isabela and on other islands, so make sure to only use this as a guideline and do research before you visit us.

Make sure to check out all of our volunteer opportunities in Galapagos: https://www.ioi.ngo/volunteer-galapagos and contact us with questions or to sign up for our newsletter!

Jamie Preira, Reflections on Cuba

Growing up in Miami, Florida I was constantly surrounded by Cuban culture – the coffee, the music, the language, and the people. Cuba has always felt like a fairytale place that I would only hear stories about or see pictures of – it was this fascinating yet “forbidden” place in my mind. IOI broke down that barrier and helped me go on a trip that’s felt out of reach my entire life; doing something I love doing – SCUBA DIVING! All of this while volunteering for a wonderful cause – restoring coral reefs!

Having lived in Colorado for 7 years now, my biggest fear heading into this trip was the language barrier and that I was traveling alone. Not to mention I felt a little rusty with my diving skills. Being forced to overcome my fears, because that was my new reality, those fears actually became the most empowering parts of my trip. Everyone I met in Cuba was always willing to help in any situation and everyone was very patient with my Spanish. The community of Cocodrilo was especially patient, kind, and friendly. My fear of traveling alone was quickly overcome by all of the new friends I was making in Cocodrilo. Reinaldo (aka Nene - the dive master and IOI representative for the project in Cocodrilo) was an amazingly patient and kind dive instructor. My fears of being rusty at diving were also quickly overcome the second we got into the water.

Getting to Cocodrilo is definitely an adventure and if you go into that with that mindset, you will enjoy the experience so much more. Knowing that the small airports, possible airplane delays and long bumpy car ride will take you to one of the most beautiful and unique places on earth is the right mindset to have. I spent a few days before my travels to Cocodrilo in Havana and Vinales and I enjoyed experiencing Cuba in this way before heading to Cocodrilo. The best part about traveling with IOI on this adventure was how supported I felt. It can be daunting thinking about arranging car rides in a foreign place, getting to the airport, traveling around an unfamiliar country in general, and dealing with delays in another language. But with IOI, I was taken to the airport by Enrique when it was time to fly to Gerona, and then received the same phenomenal service when I was arriving and departing from Gerona. It made my travels so much easier knowing that I was always going to have someone waiting for me on the other end of a plane ride.

The Havana terminal for domestic flights is smaller than for international flights and does not have much to it - there is a place to grab snacks and water, but I would recommend doing that before you arrive at the airport. The plane ride itself was short and sweet. The Gerona airport is quaint - you walk off the plane and into a small room with one baggage carousel. Once I got my bags, I left that room, found Reinaldo (a different Reinaldo from the dive master) and we were on our way to Cocodrilo! It’s about a 2.5 - 3 hour drive on a very interesting “road.” My excitement had me uninterested in the amount of time it was taking or the bumpy nature of the ride but rather taking in my surroundings and the cool, salty air. We stopped after about 30-45 minutes in the car to head to the local immigration office where I had to show my passport and my slip of paper authorizing me to head into this part of la Isla. I felt, and still feel, so lucky to have been granted access to this remote part of Cuba that most Cubans don’t even know about!

Dinner was waiting for me when Reinaldo and I arrived at “Villa Arrecife” and I quickly learned that I was going to be very well accommodated. Between having a comfortable room in a beautiful house and eating SO WELL for every meal, I was able to completely immerse myself in the experience of being in Cocodrilo.

The town of Cocodrilo is small. Really small. My favorite part of it being so small was not only interacting with locals, but really getting to know the people of the Cocodrilo. I made some great friends that I know I will maintain contact with for the rest of my life. Everyone I met was genuine, helpful, friendly, and outgoing. Living in a small town means lots of time together, sitting on the porch, walking to the beach, or watching/participating in a pick up soccer game. You get to spend lots of genuine time together - not looking at cell phones or distracted by computers - it’s magical! One of my favorite parts on the weekend was heading to the "circulo" to listen to music and talk to locals, folks from Gerona, and others from La Fey. Making sure you’ve got everything you’d need is going to be key before you head to Cocodrilo. Being in a small town means there’s not much to buy besides chips, soda, rum, and other things like this. I highly recommend following the IOI packing list and not skipping over anything!

An average day consisted of a morning dive volunteering and free time in the afternoon. Diving with Reinaldo (Nene) is a great experience. He’s patient, slow moving, and very communicative which makes it easy to feel comfortable in the water regardless of how much time has passed since your last dive.  My 3 weeks volunteering consisted of completing fish counts, conducting trash pick-ups, hunting lionfish or cleaning the PVC pipes underwater where the corals were growing. Afternoons were free time and self-driven. There’s great snorkeling and exploring around Cocodrilo. If you interested in exploring more, going snorkeling or doing more than that, there’s usually someone there who’d be happy to go with you - all you have to do is ask! I was in Cocodrilo for 3 weeks and I was never bored, and I read more books than I have in 3 years! Cocodrilo is the perfect place for disconnecting from technology and the fast-pace nature of your life. It’s a great place to reconnect to nature, recreate those genuine people to people interactions and focus on yourself!

I had such an incredible, life changing experience on my trip with IOI to Cocodrilo. Pre-Trip communication was clear and my pre-trip questions were quickly responded to. I felt extremely prepared and well informed for my trip. During my trip I felt well taken care of and supported by the IOI Cuba staff. The volunteer opportunities were very accurately advertised and the diving and snorkeling around Cocodrilo were breathtaking. The house (Villa Arrecife) is very comfortable, the community is nice, safe, and engaging. The food was amazing - delicious, filling, and healthy! It felt so empowering to be a part of this program and to be able to help. There is so much to do and so much to see in this small town! I cannot wait to be involved in another program and return back to Cocodrilo!