|
|
A Special International Report Prepared by
The Washington Times Advertising Department - Published on April 21, 1999
[Home Page]
|
| |||||
Advertisers
(1) Bell South
|
 |
Galapagos - The Enchanted Islands
As a young man, Darwin visited the Galapagos Islands as part of an around the world trip on the HMS Beagle. In late 1835, after exploring the coasts of Chile and Peru, he landed on the Archipelago of Ecuador as the Galapagos were then called. From his trip he realized that species did not change but evolved due to natural selection, the environment and genetics. His studies, mainly of finches, led to the theory of the Evolution of the Species. Twenty-four years after his visit to these islands, Darwin's book, The Origin of the Species by Means of Natural Selection and his theories rocked the world. Though Darwin spent five weeks on the Galapagos, our trip, on Klein Tours' Coral 2, would only be five days. During this time we would look for sea lions, hawks, marine and land iguanas, and blue-footed boobies. Boobies with blue feet? This I had to see. As the plane came closer to the Galapagos, we looked down into clear blue ocean. We kept an eye out for shapes that we thought could be sea lions, sharks and giant tortoises. The plane landed on the runway at Baltra Airport, our bags were handled by Klein and soon we were on Coral 2 their small, luxury yacht that we would call home for five days.
Soon, sea lions jumped into the water and the braver among us went to frolic in the water near them. Shouting at each other and diving down, we would try to catch the sea lions as they swam by. A warning: get out of the water when a larger male becomes possessive of his clan. The macho sea lions are a bigger danger than the four-foot whitetip reef sharks that swam within a foot of us. The sharks were curious, but harmless. Even so, when I saw the whites of their eyes, I decided to hightail it back to shore. Too bad, those that were more courageous saw puffer fish and mantas. We would do a lot of hiking and climbing on the islands of Bartolome, Fernandina, Rabida and Santa Cruz. Although the Galapagos is known for its wildlife, the terrain is equally as fascinating. On our first day, however, we had to don raingear to climb the 350 steps to the top of Bartolome. Normally we would have had a wonderful view of 19 islands across miles and miles of ocean. Captain Cook was among the English and British pirates who used the Galapagos as a hideout in the 17th century. But, not all sailors liked the islands. Captain George Vancouver and his crew visited the islands in 1795 and described them as "the most dreary barren and desolate country I ever beheld." On Fernandina, pirate graffiti from as early as 1826, can still be seen. On this island, we had a wet landing onto a small cove where a dozen sea lions of all sizes were resting near the pirate's signatures. We made our way around them, jumping quickly around the huge males and cooing over the babies. We wound our way up and around the island on a narrow, dirt path. At one point we looked down to see a green saltwater lake that was narrowly separated from the blue ocean. At the top of the island, we sat and looked over miles of lava fields, young enough to not allow any form of plants to grow upon it. Our favorite days were when we walked on the islands filled with life. Oystercatchers, flightless cormorants and yellow warblers searched for food in the little pools of water that gathered in the lava. Only a couple of feet from us, orange, land iguanas nibbled delicately at the grass. Galapagos hawks sat in trees, while colorful Galapagos grasshoppers startled us by jumping across the path. Bright red, Sally Lightfoot crabs scrambled along the black lava rocks. Like all crabs around the world, they scurried away as we came upon them. However, these were the only animals that knew fear. One morning, as the sun baked down on us, we jumped out of the launch to walk around James Island. Hundreds of marine iguanas awaited our arrival. From head to tail they were anywhere from one to five feet long. These slate-gray colored animals sunbathed on the rocks and each other, spitting salt onto their heads to keep them cool. When they got hot, they would slowly saunter into the water, walking with all the confidence of an animal who knows no fear. Once in the water, only their spiked crowns, tiny heads and long tails were visible. The tails swayed back and forth to propel them through the water. We headed over to take a look at Darwin's toilets, a set of holes through which the sea flushes. In the middle of the foam were furry sea lions, their long whiskers flowing from their noses. Years ago, tourists could swim with the animals. Now environmental concerns only permitted us to take pictures of the sea lions who appeared to be mugging for the cameras. The cutest animals of all were the tiny penguins, the second smallest in the world, after the Australian fairy penguin. Food was plentiful for these little guys who were hanging out in a pack. When life is tougher, they swim and feed individually. This rare glance of a group delighted even the guides, who report on what kinds and how many animals they see on each tour. Blue-footed (but not red or masked) boobies abounded on rocky ledges. Their feet, a bright baby blue color seemed incongruous next to their brown and white feathers. We sat in the dingy admiring the birds, who felt no need to move. A few feet above us, one male started the mating dance, hopping on one foot, the other and bopping up and down. His target female ignored his show, so he moved to another and began again -- throwing his neck back, opening his mouth, shaking his feathers and dancing. One foot, two foot, red foot, blue foot - perhaps Dr. Seuss had visited the Galapagos and seen these colorful creatures. On the last day of our trip we stopped at the Charles Darwin Research Station where we were both awed and saddened. Here rare, sub-species of giant tortoises are kept as breeders. There is a tortoise breeding house and a pen for baby tortoises to live in until they are five years old and can be released back to the proper island. But, one island will never get back its tortoise. Lonesome George, the last of his species, sits out his days (he is already almost 100 years old) on Santa Cruz, never to return to his homeland of Santa Pinta. The Galapagos is all about contradictions. Wonder and sadness. Beauty and beasts. Life and extinction. While a trip to the Galapagos is a treasured memory, it is important to realize that each footprint leaves an imprint that in the long run may be damaging to the animals and plants. The Galapagos should teach the tourist to respect nature. As the guides are fond of saying, "Take only memories; leave only footprints." |
|
Table of Contents (1) President Mahuad announces new economic plan |
|
"During my wandering I met two giant tortoises, each could have weighed at least 200 pounds; one was eating a cactus pad. When I approached, it stared at me conspicuously, then moved slowly away. These huge reptiles, surrounded by black lava, by shrubs with no leaves and tall cacti, looked like real antediluvian beasts." Charles Darwin, 1835
Our first stop that afternoon was on Bartolome Island where we snorkeled at Pinnacle Rock. The green bottomed ocean looked like a field. Hundreds of exotic fish swam by, around and through us. Moray eels peered out from crevices, but sharks, mantas and other more ominous creatures were nowhere to be seen.