Iguana Rehabilitation Center

Author: Emily L.
Location: Anegada
Today was a fantastic day in my opinion. Rising at 6:30 to prepare breakfast, we packed our stuff and got ready to head to the Anegada Rock Iguana Rehabilitation Center. The sole purpose of the center is to give Iguanas a safe environment to grow up in away from predators. When grown, they are let out into the wild and are able to fend for themselves. This facility has helped conserve the population of Iguanas in the BVI's because less have died and been hunted. Since most people in the BVI's operate on "Island Time" the man in charge of the facility was about an hour and a half late to meet us. We didn't mind. Our group took the free time to relax and have a fun and in-depth conversation about what is more important: the environment or the economy. When we finally got started, our first task was to clean the Iguana plates and then prepare their lunch. Anmargaret and I looked into the barrel of food tentatively. We were told to add water and transform the ball-like flakes into an oatmeal consistency. We both tasted it and it tasted like Grape Nuts cereal. After forming the mixture, Anmargaret, Sara, Allison, and I decided to get creative and assemble the food in star-shapes, hearts, swirls, etc. After this service activity, we went into town and ate a yummy lunch (that we didn't have to make). Wooo! We were given until 3 o'clock to eat hang out on the beach and snorkel according to what we were in the mood to do. I spent most of this time goofing around and sharing laughs with Danielle. The relaxation ended when Hannah STEAMROLLED me in the sand. Someone needs to teach her some manners :) . At 3, we all took a cab back to the dock where we were allowed to call home and go to gift shops. There was a local BVI kid who had two baby bunny rabbits that we all played with. They basically were the size of my own two hands! Coming back to the boat an hour before the sunset, we had some time to kill before dinner was started. Torin toke Danie and Anmargaret to learn how to drive the dingy. They were gone for ages exploring the nearby waters. The others took showers and chilled on the catamaran. It is easy for the group to just chill together, because now the trip is half way done we are past our awkward stages and we all goof around together. The sixteen o f us on the boat have become such a tight knit group, every one contributing their own unique qualities. Dinner was served around 7:30, Chicken Caesar Salad, Corn and Rice. The chefs of the day, Allison and Sara, did a beautiful job preparing the meal. We gobbled the food quickly after having a long discussion spewed from my two skipper questions: What was your favorite part of the day and who is the most influential person in your life. After dinner, me, Danielle, and Sara had a fun time practicing some dance moves and seeing if rice would float (it doesn't). What a fun day!!

Flickr Photos from Today
Flickr Photos from this Voyage