Isabela Island
What an impressive day we had today!
We had visited the largest of all Galápagos Islands, Isabela. We were in the southwestern part of the archipelago and today we disembarked on a platform which was underwater for many years up until 1954 when a magmatic pressure uplifted this underwater realm to reveal an impressive ecology. This immediately started to change for new plants and animals are colonizing such a brand new niche. We were in Urbina Bay.
Today we searched for land iguanas and coral heads. It sounds hard to believe but this is (I think) the only place to have such a duality. Today the sky was blue and the sun shone and so while walking along the coastline we felt a comforting breeze we took for granted. Then we started walking inland. We lost the breeze and felt hot and as we continued on the trail, we realized this is a very tough place to colonize, live, and to protect. Today we had a taste of what the National Park rangers do in order to protect such a wonderful place for human kind by patrolling and eradicating invasive species.
Today we saw land iguanas, giant tortoises and many more plants, different lava formations and birds, but there was a reward waiting at the beach, a cool ocean to embrace. It felt like heaven and some guests mentioned it was a highlight.
Back onboard we had lunch and, soon after, an optional presentation about Charles Darwin while our Captain repositioned the ship for our next site.
On Punta Moreno, “lava-land,” we saw an impressive array of lava formations of different kinds, colors and textures, some smooth like boulders and others sharp as a razor. We imagined miles and miles of this poetic contouring frozen rock and yet, after a mile, a miracle of life appeared in front of us – an oasis of green vegetation and pink flamingos. All this under a bright blue sky.
Isolation, silence, breeze, warmth and colors; all taken in, a place which could be cruel and also so inspiring and moving.
We are headed back onboard as the sun sets with a gradient of warmth. The ocean call us for a new adventure, the stars welcome the night. Tomorrow will be another impressive day in the “Enchanted Islands.”
