Seeing may be believing, but I'm still a little uncertain that that enormous sea turtle swam only a foot beneath me. Under the water, there are brilliantly fluorescent rainbow fish mingling with an equally beautiful species that bears eyes the ebullient blue that one might find on the wings of butterflies in the mangroves. A fantastic aquatic world glistens underneath waters that look more as if they might be as cold as those in Puget Sound. From what I have seen so far, Isabela is not the glorious Hawaiian island that travel magazines airbrush to increase their income. In all honesty, the obsidian-black lava rock makes the island look more wasteland than evolutionary keystone of the world, but the beauty of the place really lies in the animals, and not just the ones that can be seen while snorkeling.
Sally Lightfoot Crabs
According to legend, Sally was an American spy during the second World War. She worked in Germany as a dancer and could thus glean information from the soldiers who frequented the bar that she worked at. She was killed, and when the American soldiers who were based at the Galapagos heard this, they named the crab in honor of her...because of its dance-like movements. Female crabs, according to our guide Julio, will eat their mates, so there is no such thing as "spending the night" after sex unless the male has a death wish. They are a daring fire-truck red, and yet the seabirds seem to leave them be.
Marine Iguanas
A tribute to the dinosaurs, piles of these charcoal-black dudes reside on the beach. They can live up to 30 years, and after 2 years, will gain their capability to dive for food underwater, during which time playful sea lions will swim past to pull up on their tails. Patrick asked if the playfulness of the sea lions was a sign of intelligence, which led to the notion that the benefits of intelligence could be a longer life span. Julio looked at him and said something surprisingly existential. "What is the purpose of me living longer? It would be better for the world if I were dead." It was something that I had never considered before...I guess that on top of developed freeways, health care, and drink-worthy water in every toilet, shower, and sink, another thing that we all take for granted in America is a long retirement.
Frigate Birds
The princesses of the birds here. They have no waterproofing on their feathers, so all of their food must be stolen from blue footed boobies who do the dirty work of hunting while the frigates relax above. Kevin calls them the "friggin frigates" but regardless of their survival methods, it is said to be good luck to have a frigate bird fly overhead.
If you prefer to stay away from the gringo restaurants, there are no menus here...only the promise of soup, a main course and fresh juice, all for four dollars. The rest of the day is for sleeping on the beach...well, and doing homework, we find time for that, too, ya know.
Last night was spent with piña coladas, dancing, and good times underneath millions of glittering stars. And just for that extra dollop of perfection, in the background you could hear the chorus of warm waves softly grooming the fine white sand of a sleeping Galapagos.
No comments:
Post a Comment