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Weird Science in the GalapagosBy Matt Bamberg
The Galapagos Islands, the land where Charles Darwin roamed, offers an opportunity to mingle with travelers from all around the world while tracing the steps of wildlife not seen anywhere else in the world.
One of the most popular ways to tour the islands is to take a cruise. Since most of the Galapagos Islands are part of a national park (of Ecuador), you have to have a guide to see them. There are a variety of tour packages—many of them, cruises—where guides are provided and that give you the option of visiting many islands in a trip.
My partner and I chose the biggest boat—the Galapagos Explorer II—decidedly the most comfortable (but most crowded) of all the options sailing around the islands. This boat offered a package with all meals and excursions included in one price, and the services provided were similar to those on the big ships that sail to the popular tourist spots around the globe.
After spending a few days in Quito Ecuador, we flew to Guayaquil on Ecuador’s coast to connect to the flight that goes directly to the Galapagos.
We landed at a desolate, barren island flooded with hundreds of tourists meeting the tour guides from the ships. The park staff took our entrance fee, a steep $200 for the both of us. At this point in the trip we had the same feeling you get at the entrance to Sea World, only way more expensive.
Moments later we waited with sleepy sea lions for small lifeboats to take us to the ship. The animals’ whiskers vibrated as they coughed, snorted and sneezed among the stiff breeze.
These would be the first of thousands of sea lions we would observe, step over, sit next to and photograph. I got kind of attached to some of them as they napped on the beaches, wanting to shake their fins and introduce myself. Not to bother though, because “ellos muerden,” the guides would warn.
Upon first inspection, I found the ship to be a bit tattered from wear, but it more than met our needs. Every room on the boat was a suite making the cruising all that more comfortable. The first of our landings took a couple of hours after we set sail.
Chinese Hat Island came into view as we cruised on a calm sea. Inflatable lifeboats took us to a “wet landing”, that is, one where your feet get wet (and sometimes more than that) as you jump off onto the beach.
It was on this island where Darwin’s spirit reined, an island covered with sea birds, sea lions, and big, ugly iguanas. I spent the afternoon peering at the groups of iguanas scattered both on the sand and on top of black boulders. Evidently these creatures came about from natural selection—meaning these are one of the few animals that have adapted to the dry (there’s little rain on the Galapagos) ocean side environment.
Darwin described this scene in his writings: “The black lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large (2-3 ft) most disgusting clumsy lizards.”
I’ll certainly agree, only to add that some of them had large maroon spots that covered more than half their body, and others a crusty rock-like surface that coated their heads. My favorite part of the animal, though, was the spikes that ran up and down its back, so primitive.
Most of the iguanas just lied there, but toward the end of our hike one got up and went for a swim. No wonder scientists gave them the name “marine iguana.”
The next day we found ourselves shelping among the rocks on Espanola, an island that hosts the blue-footed boobie. This bird is a must-see of the Galapagos, with its webbed feet a baby blue. It’s a look fashionable either when they are standing on them or when they flip them up as they fly.
As we hobbled among the rocky trail, the guide pointed out a freak, unexplainable occurrence that was going on with the boobie offspring, beautiful animals not yet endowed with feathers, but a white fur coat instead. We found out that they soon will die. For the past few years, most of them have. Seems as if the species lay their eggs from which the young emerge, and then they die off mysteriously not reaching adulthood. Of course after that information was dispensed a chat about global warming occurred.
After the trekking on isolated islands, the boat took us to two Galapagos towns--Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It was refreshing to see civilization. Animals and flowers that I hadn’t seen on the other islands warranted dozens of stops on a long walk around the town. Also, just about every human I passed offered a smile.
As I traveled with my partner, we found ourselves among a diverse crowd. We met a young couple with a child and an elderly gay couple (must have been in their 90s), both of whom toured with us on the excursions. We spent much time with them discussing many things from the sex life of sea lions (the males are polygamous and dominant) to the food and service on the boat.
The Galapagos lie very close to the equator so that one would not think it would be a late summer respite from our sizzling temperatures. Similar weather conditions that exist on our coasts in summer appear on the islands, offering a cool escape from Palm Springs.
This is the type of place that spurs scientific interest in the natural world. I, for one, tripped up in scientific thought just about the whole time I was there. From natural selection to cool South Pacific ocean currents, a trip to the Galapagos opened my eyes to a wide host of issues, spurring my awareness that might even turn my next vacation another void of city lights.
One of the most popular ways to tour the islands is to take a cruise. Since most of the Galapagos Islands are part of a national park (of Ecuador), you have to have a guide to see them. There are a variety of tour packages—many of them, cruises—where guides are provided and that give you the option of visiting many islands in a trip.
My partner and I chose the biggest boat—the Galapagos Explorer II—decidedly the most comfortable (but most crowded) of all the options sailing around the islands. This boat offered a package with all meals and excursions included in one price, and the services provided were similar to those on the big ships that sail to the popular tourist spots around the globe.
After spending a few days in Quito Ecuador, we flew to Guayaquil on Ecuador’s coast to connect to the flight that goes directly to the Galapagos.
We landed at a desolate, barren island flooded with hundreds of tourists meeting the tour guides from the ships. The park staff took our entrance fee, a steep $200 for the both of us. At this point in the trip we had the same feeling you get at the entrance to Sea World, only way more expensive.
Moments later we waited with sleepy sea lions for small lifeboats to take us to the ship. The animals’ whiskers vibrated as they coughed, snorted and sneezed among the stiff breeze.
These would be the first of thousands of sea lions we would observe, step over, sit next to and photograph. I got kind of attached to some of them as they napped on the beaches, wanting to shake their fins and introduce myself. Not to bother though, because “ellos muerden,” the guides would warn.
Upon first inspection, I found the ship to be a bit tattered from wear, but it more than met our needs. Every room on the boat was a suite making the cruising all that more comfortable. The first of our landings took a couple of hours after we set sail.
Chinese Hat Island came into view as we cruised on a calm sea. Inflatable lifeboats took us to a “wet landing”, that is, one where your feet get wet (and sometimes more than that) as you jump off onto the beach.
It was on this island where Darwin’s spirit reined, an island covered with sea birds, sea lions, and big, ugly iguanas. I spent the afternoon peering at the groups of iguanas scattered both on the sand and on top of black boulders. Evidently these creatures came about from natural selection—meaning these are one of the few animals that have adapted to the dry (there’s little rain on the Galapagos) ocean side environment.
Darwin described this scene in his writings: “The black lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large (2-3 ft) most disgusting clumsy lizards.”
I’ll certainly agree, only to add that some of them had large maroon spots that covered more than half their body, and others a crusty rock-like surface that coated their heads. My favorite part of the animal, though, was the spikes that ran up and down its back, so primitive.
Most of the iguanas just lied there, but toward the end of our hike one got up and went for a swim. No wonder scientists gave them the name “marine iguana.”
The next day we found ourselves shelping among the rocks on Espanola, an island that hosts the blue-footed boobie. This bird is a must-see of the Galapagos, with its webbed feet a baby blue. It’s a look fashionable either when they are standing on them or when they flip them up as they fly.
As we hobbled among the rocky trail, the guide pointed out a freak, unexplainable occurrence that was going on with the boobie offspring, beautiful animals not yet endowed with feathers, but a white fur coat instead. We found out that they soon will die. For the past few years, most of them have. Seems as if the species lay their eggs from which the young emerge, and then they die off mysteriously not reaching adulthood. Of course after that information was dispensed a chat about global warming occurred.
After the trekking on isolated islands, the boat took us to two Galapagos towns--Puerto Ayora and Puerto Baquerizo Moreno. It was refreshing to see civilization. Animals and flowers that I hadn’t seen on the other islands warranted dozens of stops on a long walk around the town. Also, just about every human I passed offered a smile.
As I traveled with my partner, we found ourselves among a diverse crowd. We met a young couple with a child and an elderly gay couple (must have been in their 90s), both of whom toured with us on the excursions. We spent much time with them discussing many things from the sex life of sea lions (the males are polygamous and dominant) to the food and service on the boat.
The Galapagos lie very close to the equator so that one would not think it would be a late summer respite from our sizzling temperatures. Similar weather conditions that exist on our coasts in summer appear on the islands, offering a cool escape from Palm Springs.
This is the type of place that spurs scientific interest in the natural world. I, for one, tripped up in scientific thought just about the whole time I was there. From natural selection to cool South Pacific ocean currents, a trip to the Galapagos opened my eyes to a wide host of issues, spurring my awareness that might even turn my next vacation another void of city lights.
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