Galápagos Islands

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The Galápagos Islands: Where do I begin? The wildlife outnumber the humans easily and have no fear or trepidation of them. I noticed this on my first day as I saw hundreds of sea lions who had taken over the public areas by the shore (four of the islands are inhabited). Not content with lying on rocks, they found comfort in a gazebo, on a slide or even on small boats which were anchored just off the shore. One of these boats was actually sinking under the weight of these huge waddling and barking creatures, which was rather amusing.

I filled in my first full day on the islands by swimming in the ocean with the sea lions, who are so graceful and agile in the water, which is a direct contrast to their amusing movements when they are on land. Some of the sea lions which swam beside me were rather large, dwarfing me. Others were young and playful. One of the young ones was doing a few twisting movements in front of me before suddenly lunging its head right beside my face in an instant. My initial thought was to take evasive action, as I thought it was coming for me; however, the target was a fish that was next to my ear and the sea lion contentedly moved on with its meal hanging out each side of its mouth. This was an incredible experience for me, witnessing nature in such close and privileged proximity. So many of the sea lions are playful and curious, seeming to love swimming with you, even right up to your face. Sometimes it seems as if they are revelling in demonstrating how effortlessly they move in the water, showing off their talents. I should mention that I also swam with sharks, stingrays, eels, turtles and numerous fish during my snorkelling adventures on this and every other day that I have spent in these incredible islands. I must say, swimming in search of sharks goes directly against my upbringing in Australia, where there is not even the slightest possibility that I would swim around with a Great White, but I convinced myself that these sharks are well fed by the ample food on offer and that a human would not be a target as a result. The first sharks I saw were far below me and I was not in the slightest bit afraid. Instead, I marvelled at their graceful movement, which was like watching a silk ribbon flail in a gentle breeze. On my final snorkel on my second last day I was watching an enormous sea lion which had come up along my right hand side. As it moved past me I got an almighty fright and gasped loudly in my snorkel when I saw a fully grown Galápagos Shark swimming not more than a few feet from me. Ten minutes later my heart was still racing.

Another vivid memory is from an afternoon spent on an uninhabited islet, unwinding after hours of snorkelling and feasting on lunch (the seafood here is, unsurprisingly, diverse and delicious). The highlight came in the form of two enormous marine iguanas, which seemed to have stepped right off the page from one of the dinosaur books I read as a youngster. At first, I thought they were just going to remain motionless, warming up their body. I would have been content at this, as I got to study them and marvel at the prehistoric nature of their physical make up. As I decided to move on down the beach, to my great surprise, so did they! They walked on either side of me as I strolled along, swinging their legs in a windmill fashion as they did so, leaving behind a single track from their long tail. At one point, one of them took off for a short sprint and I marveled at its speed. What makes these iguanas truly unique is their ability to swim in the ocean. I was therefore thrilled when I saw one of these iguanas enter the water and begin to use its tail in much the same fashion as I have seen crocodiles do back in Australia. It really was an incredible day.

A fascinating fact that I was told by a guide whilst I have been here, is that many of the species of animals have been in this area longer than the islands. As these islands are formed by volcanic activity due to a hot spot in the mantle, they are not as resistant to wind and water erosion as continental land mass. As the tectonic plate inexorably shifts across the hot spot, new islands are formed. Thus, the two western-most islands still have active volcanoes, with the most recent eruption occurring last year. The eastern-most islands are much flatter and only have, at most, 10,000 years left before they are completely eroded. Over millions of years, the animals here have simply colonised the new islands that have formed, whilst the original islands are now below the surface of the ocean. On one day I went for a 16km hike up to one of the active calderas, which is the second biggest on the planet at 10km in diameter. Standing on its rim I marvelled at its size and was able to appreciate the power inherent in a volcanic eruption. As I strolled along this terrain I noticed how some of the rock looked as if it had solidified from lava whilst still in motion, due to its swirls on the surface and some sections looking like a static wave. This was a tiring day, but well worth the exertion.

One of my favourite islands would have to be Isabella. It is the largest island, yet the least inhabited. The township is small and consists of sandy streets and a relaxed feel. I spent my nights here at a bar that is located right on the beach. On one of these nights many locals turned up with their guitars and welcomed me to sit with them as they sang rhythmic Latino songs long into the night by the firelight with the waves gently rolling onto the shore ('La Bamba' was the only one I recognised, but I thoroughly enjoyed them all). As far as I was concerned, this was a perfect night and the sort of one that I have often hoped to stumble across.

I ventured to these islands on an organised Intrepid trip, as I thought it would be the best way to see and experience everything with minimum fuss. I had forgotten the aspect of group dynamics, which has been interesting to observe. One guy in particular is astounding. He is a loud and proud American who really seems to embrace life - and let others know just how he is doing so. One particular memory comes to mind. We were on a boat to travel between islands and he decided to listen to his iPod, which for him is a totally interactive experience. His whole body jolted to the music and his singing was impassioned. To give you an idea, I could hear him over two 200hp outboard motors which were at full throttle, the wake being created AND my own iPod which was playing at full volume! I could not help but notice the stark contrast between this guy and the English lady sitting next to him, with her perfect posture and who speaks the Queen's English. I wondered what she made of her current situation. The next day he took things a step further as we sat on a mini bus on our way to a volcano. He apparently forgot his iPod on this occasion, so he simply sang for all of us, playing air drums at the same time. Just when I thought he couldn't outdo this performance, he obviously got a little hot during the hike to the caldera, so he rolled up the front of his t-shirt and rested it atop his ample stomach, allowing his sweating keg of beer to lead the way for the next hour or so. Just incredible.

I came to these islands expecting my wildlife experience to be akin to going on safari in Africa, where you may see a lion or two, but it's not always going to be the case. I could not have been more wrong in this assumption. The animals of every species seem to be in abundance, maybe with the exception of the pink flamingo, yet I still saw them in the wild. I have had to watch my step for marine iguanas, which are absolutely everywhere along the rocky shorelines. Sea lions abound and the giant tortoises stop traffic. I cannot get over how enormous these tortoises are! They live for at least 200 years, can last an entire year without food or water (which is why the pirates used to take them aboard their ships so that they had fresh meat for the crew) and outweigh me considerably. Watching them move is enthralling. The sheer weight that they have to shift is remarkable and seems to cause them to move in a jerking, arthritic fashion. Even the young ones look old and weathered. Everything they do is very slow and deliberate, from eating to copulating. Speaking of copulating, did you know that marine iguanas have two penises? No wonder they have been able to survive so successfully! Anyway, back to the wildlife I have seen. We have had dolphins swim beside the boat, launching out of the ocean, albatrosses in the sky, blue footed boobies plunging like missiles into the water to catch fish and, quite frankly, too many birds, fish and reptiles to list. I feel so lucky to have seen so many of these animals which are only found in these islands. There are many species of the same animal throughout the islands, each with minor differences which suit their island, or even region of an island, thus it is little wonder that Charles Darwin began to have some concepts concerning evolution dawn upon him during his time here. For me, I think my fondest memory will be of my times spent swimming with the sea lions. I was filled with happiness and joy during these moments and that alone made the trip wholly worthwhile.

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Comments

[Dad]

Galapagos
Hi Bronson. Just read your interesting and most informative blog, particularly the physical make up of the male marine iguana! It's my last night here in Hong Kong before going in to China tomorrow for a 3 night Yangtze River cruise, so I probably won't get a chance to access the internet for that time. Hence I'm very glad you were able to write this blog before I go. Keep enjoying yourself, even with a loud American in your touring party. Cheers, Dad.