Equatorial inspiration
Ecuador – a little microcosm of the Andean countries; with mountains, forests and wildlife, all within easy reach. But since you can effectively get all this in neighbouring countries, why must one go to Ecuador? Well, for me, the answer is very easily answered by one thing place along – THE GALAPAGOS.
There is no place like it on earth!
I had first heard about them at school whilst studying Darwin and have really wanted to visit every since. Now I wish that I could do these Islands some justice, but it is hard to describe another planet. That is honestly what it is like – some Islands look like scenes out of Jurassic Park, or mars, or what the earth must have looked like when it was forming – all rocks, or Islands have one thing in common – each has its own unique and bizarre species.
It is not easy or cheap to get to the Islands. As with everything, I was rather last minute. During my South American jaunt I was resigned to the fact that Galapagos was something I would come back for, once I had some real money to splash out on a 6000 dollar holiday. But as I approached Ecuador, I began hearing of lots of inventive ways of making the Galapagos happen. Once I had arrived in Quito, all hopes were dashed. All boats (for a cruise is really the only way to see the Islands) were booked months if not a year in advance, and there were no last minute cancellations for when I was there. Not surprising when you consider that there is a no refund policy. So, I was either to give up or to take a chance and just fly out to the Islands, in the hope of getting a place on a boat, despite the odds.
Course I decided to fly out there, but the risk was an expensive one. The flights are at least 400 dollars, because the Islands are a good two hours away by plane from Quito, and there are only two companies that offer this route. Plus, and most unexpected of all, is the fact that as soon as you land in the wooden make shift airport of San Cristobel (the airport on the main Island of Santa Cruz was being repaired over several months, you are charged 100 dollars on the spot, for stepping onto the National Park. The Galapagos are one big natural reserve, of which 97% is under some form of conservation project and only 3% is habitable. Saying that, the Galapagos has a population problem!
I do not think that before my flight I had even thought about there being people in the Galapagos, let alone there being a population problem! But when the aeroplane landed and I took a taxi to the harbour…to my surprise, there was a big populated town, and all the things that come with it…sanitation problems, pollution, noise, children, schools…need I go on! This is not the Galapagos I was expecting! I hoped that the other Islands were not like this, but then I took a boat to the main Island, where the population was even bigger! I do not want to sound unfair, someone needs to manage the Islands after all, but like most people, I was just expecting wildlife. The reality is that most Galapaganeus have escaped from somewhere. There is a significant German population who left Germany during the war, and are now on their third generation, and many Ecuadoreans, who come for the money, because of the boom in tourism. The wages are definitely higher than mainland Ecuador, for many people, but then the cost of living is so very much higher, because almost everything has to be imported, and migrants forget this fact. Once at the Islands, those that do not know English or least a second language, then find that the main way to survive is through fishing. Like everything else in the Galapagos, this is lucrative, especially when fishing for sea cucumbers (they are sea creatures that look like cucumbers with many little rounded spikes, big, fat, squeegee and squirmy), and fetch a really high price in the far East. Now the problem is that as the population of the Galapagos has expanded, so the resources have been stretched, and the wildlife has come into real danger. The fish are being depleted fast, and yet illegal fishing continues because this is the only way that many families are able to feed their families. Other people come to capture, and export exotic wildlife – again illegal and endangering. The Ecuadorian military come and stay for target practice, with little regard for the environment and then there are the never ending trail of tourist boats, and all the services that are needed for them. This is a tough one – for the government, the tourist trade and the conversationalists (the front runner of which is the Charles Darwin Foundation). What can you do? People have been here for generations, and if you ignore this fact and their needs, then you will find frustrated youth, as is the case, for no one invests in their education or future prospects. On average, upon leaving high school a 16 year old Galapagiean is two years behind the mainland Ecuadorian educational system, and they do not have the basic language requirements for jobs in tourism and replaced by yet more migrants from the mainland. Other industries can not really flourish because of the restrictions in space and resources – 97% of the Islands must remain untouched, and just as well. So what is the solution? Well, the authorities decided 6 years ago, that if you were not a permanent resident of the Islands, then you had to leave after the expiry of your visa, and today they are backing this decision up more forcefully, for I saw them take a truck around the streets, and literally hurl all the expired temporary residents that they had weened out, into the truck – and on to a four day cargo boat back to the mainland. You now can not get a one way to the Galapagos, and if you disappear during your stay, you can guarantee, that everyone in this very tight knit community where everyone knows everyone – will know about it.
Ok, so that is enough about the population. Now the real Galapagos, which after saying all that, is actually being preserved wonderfully! The Charles Darwin Foundation, National Park authorities and others are doing a great job of keeping the reserve as they found it. One of their biggest successes are their eradication programs. Almost every pest has been dealt with in order to preserve the Galapagos…pigs, rats, goats, have been hot of literally. Even harder animals, like ants – have been painstakingly trapped with miles of peanut butter covered sticks, hour after hour, every metre apart. And if a lady bird has to be bought over from Australia in order to eat the cottony cushion scale, so be it. There are three Islands that you can not step foot on. Although this may not sound like much fun – diving, snorkelling, swimming, or canoeing around them then remains exceptional. The clearest of waters, the sea life, the caves, craters, colours of the rocks and the vegetation is like none other in the world. Most of the other Islands have no inhabitants, and you can explore them through day trips from your boat. Each Island almost has it own set of species.
Flightless cormorants - flightless because once they were blown off route to the Galapagos, they found that they did not need their wings anymore, all the food they could every want was in the waters, and so they began diving for survival instead.
Marine Iguanas – which are so well camouflaged into their surroundings that you do not even notice them in your bath – even thought they are lying on top of one another for body heat, with their head at a perfect angel to the sun, in order to absorb as much heat as possible, that is until they do a large, grotesque sneeze!
There are also land and lava iguanas, which stop to look at you straight in the eye.
Sea life is out of the world. As you sail from Island to Island you see dolphins surfing the waves that your boat creates, hammer headed sharks in whole schools, and then the captian saw something in the distance. He had spotted it from the ship, because just its spout of water reached about 30 feet, and although it was at least a kilometre away, you could hear that spout miles away. It was the Blue Whale, and as it got closer we could see it clearly dive back into the water – and its endless back! It was huge, at least 100 feet – without exaggeration. Imagine an animal that ff it were just to open its mouth an entire double decker bus could slip in without even noticing. The largest animal on earth!
Blue footed boobies – these are the funniest looking birds ever! They have bright blue or purple feet, and are beautiful! They have the funniest habits, with dances and their own dance and monogamous habits. They also have a red counter part, called the red footed boobie, funnily enough!
I learnt a lot about birds during this trip, simply through observation. How flamingos do a dance that looks just like flamenco, with their wings spread wide and a spin following their tail. This is where the word and dance flamenco comes from!
You also realise that we glamorise nature and consequently get a reality check. For example, nazca boobies, like hyacinth macaws are really peculiar, they generally produce two eggs, but knowing that when they hatch they will feed only the stronger one, because two are not manageable. Nazca boobies also have a loyalty to lifelong monogamy, and take it in turns to look after the nest whilst the partner goes looking for food for them both. Women on the trip were very eager to point this out as an example to men! Meanwhile men would laugh at the efforts of the frigate birds, which blow up a red sac under their chin, into a big heart shaped balloon. They then sit like that for days during the mating season, hoping to attract a willing female!
Saw the warrior nature of mockingbirds, which literally will come and investigate everything in their territory, whether you are human or not, and if you do not come bearing food, then frankly you are not welcome. This is one thing that really startled me when I first arrived. The animals really make it clear that these are their islands, and they never run away in fear of you. The mutual respect makes for fantastic relationship opportunities; least I thought so until I came across the Sea Lions, who have other ideas.
Sea lions are everywhere, and look like the most lovable creatures, with their silky black coats and long sensitive whiskers…until you hear them snort at you that is, or waddle towards you, thinking that you may be their mother and a source of food. They have no shame, it does not matter how old they become, they think they can always go to their mother and suck for milk, no matter how much the mother protests. I have seen real fights between a thin mother and hungry children, and at the other extreme I saw a child, suckling its mother, who was suckling the Grandmother! They are not only aggressive when they are hungry, but also when they want to play. The only incident I have ever had in the sea or oceans happened at the Galapagos, when I was snorkelling off an Island, and as I turn around to see what moved behind me I see the teeth of a giant sea lion heading directly for my face! I could not believe it, and do not ever think I have swam so fast. I thought I had got away, and confused the sea lion by splashing lots, but no. The sea lion was again in front of me – with all teeth bared, and went straight for me. What? Can this really be happening? Is this not only in films? With a sea lion of all creatures? I could not believe my eyes, and it was not until the sea lion raced after me, making contact whenever it could, that I really got the message. The shore was too far so I made a bee line for people I knew from my boat. Bill was out snorkelling with his son, and as soon as he saw my white face heading right for me, he knew I was in trouble. 'Oh My God Daniel there is a sea lion chasing Mandeep. Come here quick Mandeep!' I did not need an invitation on this occasion, I was already there. The next thing I heard was 'Daniel that sea lion attracts, its just bit me!' Ok, that was it. A group of people were not enough to scare this sea lion, s/he was having a field day! All of us raced back to shore, with the sea lion at our feet or by our sides when it could. As we ran on to the shore, people on the beach were staring at them, with a 'What's wrong with them?' look. Thankfully, giving credibility to our fear, the sea lion did not stop in the water, it got out and flapped all the way up to the beach, with its mouth open wide still hungry for blood.
Apart from the animals, Galapagos is a world on to its own for many other reasons too. Like the fact that people tend to go missing, never to be found again. This happens a little but more often then I would like to mention. But whether you are diving, swimming or simply going for a walk, make sure there is someone with you, because the Islands do not belong to people, remember. The Islands have a very rich history of pirates, legends and scientific discovery, so they are great to explore and learn from even today, and many traditions remain. For example, on one Island is post office bay, where there is a post box that has been running since the pirates. As you come through the Islands, you leave your mail in the post box, and depending on the address you pick someone else's mail up – and hand deliver. The idea is that there are people coming from all over the world to the Galapagos, so frequently, that someone is bound to be coming from wherever you wish the postcard to arrive.
Ok, as you can tell, I could go on and on and on…but instead I will just create a picture with this poem type thing, below, in the hope that you all are inspired to jump on a boat and cruise around the islands. I promise you – no matter what the cost, every penny is worth it.
Golden Rays shining, Turtles grazing under water, Old Giant Tortoises lonely, Storm Petrols diving, Albatrosses feeding, Dolphins laughing, Frigates trying, Blue Footed Boobies incubating, Mockingbirds investigating, Sea lions demanding, Blue Whales spouting, Islands hiding, Cacti ruling, Colours surprising, Nazca boobies caring, Flamingos dancing, Red footed boobies parading, Cushion Cottony Scale dying, Australian Lady Birds thriving, Iguanas changing, Hawks watching, Owls howling, Hammer Headed Sharks speeding, and so much more as you stand there in the midst of it, invisible.
There is no place like it on earth!
I had first heard about them at school whilst studying Darwin and have really wanted to visit every since. Now I wish that I could do these Islands some justice, but it is hard to describe another planet. That is honestly what it is like – some Islands look like scenes out of Jurassic Park, or mars, or what the earth must have looked like when it was forming – all rocks, or Islands have one thing in common – each has its own unique and bizarre species.
It is not easy or cheap to get to the Islands. As with everything, I was rather last minute. During my South American jaunt I was resigned to the fact that Galapagos was something I would come back for, once I had some real money to splash out on a 6000 dollar holiday. But as I approached Ecuador, I began hearing of lots of inventive ways of making the Galapagos happen. Once I had arrived in Quito, all hopes were dashed. All boats (for a cruise is really the only way to see the Islands) were booked months if not a year in advance, and there were no last minute cancellations for when I was there. Not surprising when you consider that there is a no refund policy. So, I was either to give up or to take a chance and just fly out to the Islands, in the hope of getting a place on a boat, despite the odds.
Course I decided to fly out there, but the risk was an expensive one. The flights are at least 400 dollars, because the Islands are a good two hours away by plane from Quito, and there are only two companies that offer this route. Plus, and most unexpected of all, is the fact that as soon as you land in the wooden make shift airport of San Cristobel (the airport on the main Island of Santa Cruz was being repaired over several months, you are charged 100 dollars on the spot, for stepping onto the National Park. The Galapagos are one big natural reserve, of which 97% is under some form of conservation project and only 3% is habitable. Saying that, the Galapagos has a population problem!
I do not think that before my flight I had even thought about there being people in the Galapagos, let alone there being a population problem! But when the aeroplane landed and I took a taxi to the harbour…to my surprise, there was a big populated town, and all the things that come with it…sanitation problems, pollution, noise, children, schools…need I go on! This is not the Galapagos I was expecting! I hoped that the other Islands were not like this, but then I took a boat to the main Island, where the population was even bigger! I do not want to sound unfair, someone needs to manage the Islands after all, but like most people, I was just expecting wildlife. The reality is that most Galapaganeus have escaped from somewhere. There is a significant German population who left Germany during the war, and are now on their third generation, and many Ecuadoreans, who come for the money, because of the boom in tourism. The wages are definitely higher than mainland Ecuador, for many people, but then the cost of living is so very much higher, because almost everything has to be imported, and migrants forget this fact. Once at the Islands, those that do not know English or least a second language, then find that the main way to survive is through fishing. Like everything else in the Galapagos, this is lucrative, especially when fishing for sea cucumbers (they are sea creatures that look like cucumbers with many little rounded spikes, big, fat, squeegee and squirmy), and fetch a really high price in the far East. Now the problem is that as the population of the Galapagos has expanded, so the resources have been stretched, and the wildlife has come into real danger. The fish are being depleted fast, and yet illegal fishing continues because this is the only way that many families are able to feed their families. Other people come to capture, and export exotic wildlife – again illegal and endangering. The Ecuadorian military come and stay for target practice, with little regard for the environment and then there are the never ending trail of tourist boats, and all the services that are needed for them. This is a tough one – for the government, the tourist trade and the conversationalists (the front runner of which is the Charles Darwin Foundation). What can you do? People have been here for generations, and if you ignore this fact and their needs, then you will find frustrated youth, as is the case, for no one invests in their education or future prospects. On average, upon leaving high school a 16 year old Galapagiean is two years behind the mainland Ecuadorian educational system, and they do not have the basic language requirements for jobs in tourism and replaced by yet more migrants from the mainland. Other industries can not really flourish because of the restrictions in space and resources – 97% of the Islands must remain untouched, and just as well. So what is the solution? Well, the authorities decided 6 years ago, that if you were not a permanent resident of the Islands, then you had to leave after the expiry of your visa, and today they are backing this decision up more forcefully, for I saw them take a truck around the streets, and literally hurl all the expired temporary residents that they had weened out, into the truck – and on to a four day cargo boat back to the mainland. You now can not get a one way to the Galapagos, and if you disappear during your stay, you can guarantee, that everyone in this very tight knit community where everyone knows everyone – will know about it.
Ok, so that is enough about the population. Now the real Galapagos, which after saying all that, is actually being preserved wonderfully! The Charles Darwin Foundation, National Park authorities and others are doing a great job of keeping the reserve as they found it. One of their biggest successes are their eradication programs. Almost every pest has been dealt with in order to preserve the Galapagos…pigs, rats, goats, have been hot of literally. Even harder animals, like ants – have been painstakingly trapped with miles of peanut butter covered sticks, hour after hour, every metre apart. And if a lady bird has to be bought over from Australia in order to eat the cottony cushion scale, so be it. There are three Islands that you can not step foot on. Although this may not sound like much fun – diving, snorkelling, swimming, or canoeing around them then remains exceptional. The clearest of waters, the sea life, the caves, craters, colours of the rocks and the vegetation is like none other in the world. Most of the other Islands have no inhabitants, and you can explore them through day trips from your boat. Each Island almost has it own set of species.
Flightless cormorants - flightless because once they were blown off route to the Galapagos, they found that they did not need their wings anymore, all the food they could every want was in the waters, and so they began diving for survival instead.
Marine Iguanas – which are so well camouflaged into their surroundings that you do not even notice them in your bath – even thought they are lying on top of one another for body heat, with their head at a perfect angel to the sun, in order to absorb as much heat as possible, that is until they do a large, grotesque sneeze!
There are also land and lava iguanas, which stop to look at you straight in the eye.
Sea life is out of the world. As you sail from Island to Island you see dolphins surfing the waves that your boat creates, hammer headed sharks in whole schools, and then the captian saw something in the distance. He had spotted it from the ship, because just its spout of water reached about 30 feet, and although it was at least a kilometre away, you could hear that spout miles away. It was the Blue Whale, and as it got closer we could see it clearly dive back into the water – and its endless back! It was huge, at least 100 feet – without exaggeration. Imagine an animal that ff it were just to open its mouth an entire double decker bus could slip in without even noticing. The largest animal on earth!
Blue footed boobies – these are the funniest looking birds ever! They have bright blue or purple feet, and are beautiful! They have the funniest habits, with dances and their own dance and monogamous habits. They also have a red counter part, called the red footed boobie, funnily enough!
I learnt a lot about birds during this trip, simply through observation. How flamingos do a dance that looks just like flamenco, with their wings spread wide and a spin following their tail. This is where the word and dance flamenco comes from!
You also realise that we glamorise nature and consequently get a reality check. For example, nazca boobies, like hyacinth macaws are really peculiar, they generally produce two eggs, but knowing that when they hatch they will feed only the stronger one, because two are not manageable. Nazca boobies also have a loyalty to lifelong monogamy, and take it in turns to look after the nest whilst the partner goes looking for food for them both. Women on the trip were very eager to point this out as an example to men! Meanwhile men would laugh at the efforts of the frigate birds, which blow up a red sac under their chin, into a big heart shaped balloon. They then sit like that for days during the mating season, hoping to attract a willing female!
Saw the warrior nature of mockingbirds, which literally will come and investigate everything in their territory, whether you are human or not, and if you do not come bearing food, then frankly you are not welcome. This is one thing that really startled me when I first arrived. The animals really make it clear that these are their islands, and they never run away in fear of you. The mutual respect makes for fantastic relationship opportunities; least I thought so until I came across the Sea Lions, who have other ideas.
Sea lions are everywhere, and look like the most lovable creatures, with their silky black coats and long sensitive whiskers…until you hear them snort at you that is, or waddle towards you, thinking that you may be their mother and a source of food. They have no shame, it does not matter how old they become, they think they can always go to their mother and suck for milk, no matter how much the mother protests. I have seen real fights between a thin mother and hungry children, and at the other extreme I saw a child, suckling its mother, who was suckling the Grandmother! They are not only aggressive when they are hungry, but also when they want to play. The only incident I have ever had in the sea or oceans happened at the Galapagos, when I was snorkelling off an Island, and as I turn around to see what moved behind me I see the teeth of a giant sea lion heading directly for my face! I could not believe it, and do not ever think I have swam so fast. I thought I had got away, and confused the sea lion by splashing lots, but no. The sea lion was again in front of me – with all teeth bared, and went straight for me. What? Can this really be happening? Is this not only in films? With a sea lion of all creatures? I could not believe my eyes, and it was not until the sea lion raced after me, making contact whenever it could, that I really got the message. The shore was too far so I made a bee line for people I knew from my boat. Bill was out snorkelling with his son, and as soon as he saw my white face heading right for me, he knew I was in trouble. 'Oh My God Daniel there is a sea lion chasing Mandeep. Come here quick Mandeep!' I did not need an invitation on this occasion, I was already there. The next thing I heard was 'Daniel that sea lion attracts, its just bit me!' Ok, that was it. A group of people were not enough to scare this sea lion, s/he was having a field day! All of us raced back to shore, with the sea lion at our feet or by our sides when it could. As we ran on to the shore, people on the beach were staring at them, with a 'What's wrong with them?' look. Thankfully, giving credibility to our fear, the sea lion did not stop in the water, it got out and flapped all the way up to the beach, with its mouth open wide still hungry for blood.
Apart from the animals, Galapagos is a world on to its own for many other reasons too. Like the fact that people tend to go missing, never to be found again. This happens a little but more often then I would like to mention. But whether you are diving, swimming or simply going for a walk, make sure there is someone with you, because the Islands do not belong to people, remember. The Islands have a very rich history of pirates, legends and scientific discovery, so they are great to explore and learn from even today, and many traditions remain. For example, on one Island is post office bay, where there is a post box that has been running since the pirates. As you come through the Islands, you leave your mail in the post box, and depending on the address you pick someone else's mail up – and hand deliver. The idea is that there are people coming from all over the world to the Galapagos, so frequently, that someone is bound to be coming from wherever you wish the postcard to arrive.
Ok, as you can tell, I could go on and on and on…but instead I will just create a picture with this poem type thing, below, in the hope that you all are inspired to jump on a boat and cruise around the islands. I promise you – no matter what the cost, every penny is worth it.
Golden Rays shining, Turtles grazing under water, Old Giant Tortoises lonely, Storm Petrols diving, Albatrosses feeding, Dolphins laughing, Frigates trying, Blue Footed Boobies incubating, Mockingbirds investigating, Sea lions demanding, Blue Whales spouting, Islands hiding, Cacti ruling, Colours surprising, Nazca boobies caring, Flamingos dancing, Red footed boobies parading, Cushion Cottony Scale dying, Australian Lady Birds thriving, Iguanas changing, Hawks watching, Owls howling, Hammer Headed Sharks speeding, and so much more as you stand there in the midst of it, invisible.
posted by Mandeep Rai at 9:17 AM
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