The Galapagos is one of those places Paul put on his “list” when he was a little boy. I have to admit that the idea of it didn’t thrill me at first – lizards & iguanas are not my favorite critters, but I absolutely LOVED it! The wild life was fantastic & they are not shy of the people who come to gawk at them & take pictures! It was amazing that they would let us get so close, but the Galapagos National Park has very strict rules that protect the islands & minimize the environmental impact of the tourists. Groups are regulated, you can’t touch or harass the animals & you must be accompanied by official guides at all times. In general, the thousands of people who visit are respectful & the animals do not see them as a threat.
The Galapagos are an archipelago of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean about 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador. They are most famous for setting the stage to Charles Darwin’s studies that eventually led to his theories of evolution (& the backdrop to Russell Crow’s movie Master & Commander).
The majority of the area is a national park, a marine reserve, a biosphere reserve, & a World Heritage Site – working together to conserve & preserve these precious natural resources. They have some crazy endemic critters – unique & exotic! Here are a few of my favorites, in no particular order…
Although we didn’t see very many of Darwin’s Finches, we saw a lot of interesting birds - these are just a few…
American Oystercatcher uses it’s bright red beak to pry open oysters & such…
The Great Blue Heron is always impressive & regal-like…
I thought Penguins were only found in Antarctica, but the Galapagos have their very own variety...
There were tons of Pelicans! Even though we see Pelicans in California, these birds fascinate me by their size. I kept trying to get them as they plunge/dive into the ocean, fishing for dinner, but I don’t have the right camera or skills for such an image…
The Flightless Cormorant is unique because it is the only cormorant that has lost its ability to fly. This is the famous bird that the doctor is looking for in Master & Commander…
The Frigatebird is sometimes called a Man of War. Males have a distinctive red gular pouch that he inflates during the mating ritual to attract a mate. It was pretty entertaining to hear & see this up close & personal – they inflate their bright red pouch & spread their wings, doing their dance while making these clicking & cooing noises. We even came across some nests with hatchlings…
Blue-footed Boobies are probably the most popular birds to the tourists – I can’t decide if it’s because of their name or their brilliant aqua blue feet…
Galapagos Lizards are everywhere…
We were told that snakes like to hide in these cracks in the volcanic rock, but they are shy around people & tend to hide so they seldom see them. However, we were “lucky” because we saw, not just one, not two, but FOUR of them!!! Did not help to learn that the Galapagos Snakes are not poisonous – nope, didn’t help me feel better one bit!
Paul went snorkeling several times & saw a lot more sea life than I did, but I was able to spot a couple of sea turtles bobbing at the surface…
TONS of sea lions…
And Sally Light-foot Crabs…
What are those dinosaur looking things on the end of that rock, you ask? Those would be the popular (& plentiful) Marine Iguanas…
They also have Land Iguanas…
One interesting thing we learned is that Mother Nature is in charge. The naturalists do not interfere with the circle of life. If a critter dies, it is left for nature to dispose of it as it was intended & is not disturbed…
Sea lion bones & a dead sea lion with scavengers feeding on the carcass…
A pelican…
Whale bones (the naturalist was annoyed that the park decided to move the bones & "display" them in skeletal order - he felt that they should have been left on the beach where they were found)…
On our last day, they took us to see the giant Galapagos Tortoises. I was amazed at how GIANT these things truly are! They can live to be 150 years old! I seriously felt like I was in a scene from Jurasic Park when we came around the corner to see this creature!
It’s always an adventure, traveling with Paul.
We crossed the equator a few years ago on the Atlantic Ocean. This trip we crossed it on the Pacific Ocean…
I would sail into the sunset with him anywhere… Even in the Galapagos he gazes into the horizon, dreaming of what’s next.
As we headed home we made a stop in Quito and visited the “center of the world.” We actually straddled the equator…one foot in the northern hemisphere & the other foot in the southern hemisphere.
I not only survived this experience - I enjoyed it very much...on to the next adventure.
Life. Is. Good.
5 comments:
You guys are big influences on what I'm adding to my list :) Thanks a lot Dad! It's so interesting all the animal life. I have heard of these islands, but didn't know much about them.
That is the coolest thing mom! I love this post!!! Those iguanas are huge and so many! Love the blue boobie bird. SO NEAT!
You can tell by Dad's expression that he was SO EXCITED on the boat ride over! Love it.
I loved ALL of these pictures! You got some great ones. I loved the pelican pics, the crab pics, the iguana pics, and the frigate pics the best. That looks like an awesome trip. Thanks for sharing! And posts are NEVER too long - it annoys me that anyone would ever think so!
I love all your pictures! Thank you for sharing :)
I just love to armchair travel. Thanks for the trip. I loved it too except for those snakes. You got pretty darn close to those Iguanas. Don't they move fast? Anyway, what a lovely and interesting trip.
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