虹在天涯 在寂寞行星的浪跡

Part II: Puerto Ayora, Isla Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, South America. December 2003 (下)

Checking in the hotel alone, looking onto the nice swimming pool, I pondered the next few days' trips. Well, I would have my own "personal guide" for those trips since I was the only person in my group!

I was actually put in the same yacht with a group of Ecuadorian school kids and their teachers. Besides a missionary couple from Arizona, I was possibly the only foreigners there. Since the missionary worked in Quayaquil and speak fluent Spanish, I might be the only person who doesn't’t speak Spanish there. We visited a very small island of Bartolome (with a nice Pinnacle Rock) and wandered around the pristine beaches, observing sea lions making out, and trying to find penguins (the northernmost penguin in the world). We climbed up to the top of the hill to have a great panoramic view of nearby Santiago Island, a barren and unhabitated island.

Next day, the school kids were gone, but replaced by a group of (British?) teenagers. We had chance to visit Plaza Island, seeing a much bigger sea lion colony, and a lot of endemic seabirds, including the beloved blue-footed booby (a lot of them) and masked booby (only one of them and hidden at the edge of a cliff). I also found ubiquitous swallow-tailed gulls, whose red eyerings are their most famous trademark. There are also a lot of brown pelicans and various species of birds whose names I forgot. It's’s really a birdwatching paradise!

While seabirds and sea lions are the most popular wildlife on the nearby small islands, I could see iguana everywhere on the main island of Santa Cruz, even right at the waterfront of the very developed Puerto Ayora.

Basically similar to lizards, iguanas are much bigger, fatter in sizes (should I also say uglier?). Galapagos has the world's only marine iguanas, which feed on seaweed and algae. Female iguanas are more slender and darker, less colorful (or should I say uglier?) than the male ones. If human species can be like that....

After touring different islands and highland ranch for three days. I finally had a half-day that no scheduled sightseeing was arranged. I walked to the west end of Puerto Ayora, found the entrance leading to a quaint beach. After 30-minutes' easy trekking, I arrived at the Tortuga Bay (Turtle Bay) Beach. Surprisingly, no turtles to be found here (maybe it is not yet the season for them come ashore to lay eggs). Only a couple was lying on the beach, enjoyed the faint sunshine. It was a little cool this morning for sunbathing, I thought. Another family of five were playing near water and kids was trying to have a better look at brightly red sand crabs.

I walked to the far end of the beach, into a lagoon area. Suddenly, I found those ubiquitous marine iguanas everywhere. And then, a pair of my favorite birds on the islands - Blue-footed booby!! They looked like they are mating but also ignoring each other. After a few minutes of such indifferent ritual, one just flew away alone. The other left, actually, less than a minute later, toward different direction. In such New York style mating, everybody ends up alone.

Back to my hotel, lying in my bed (it is a nice Spanish colonial styled room with a large painting of penguins), I looked at the spinning ceiling fan. I felt alone again. Sort of like the blue-footed booby that flew away, alone. I traveled to another new country, once again, alone.

I felt I am my own island here on the isle of Santa Cruz, Galapagos, Ecuador. But I actually enjoyed it. Simply by not waiting for a special someone to be with, I end up see more of the world.

(第二部完)