Bartolomé & Santiago Islands
Bartolomé has always had a special meaning. It is the insignia of any trip to the Galápagos; but to me, it means full moon, fantastic marine life, underground magic, and it means Bartolo! Who or what is Bartolo? Bartolo is a land iguana I found fifteen years ago, behind thorn bushes, on the way to the southern beach. At that time it was my understanding that there were no land iguanas on Bartolomé. But to everybody’s surprise, there he was: a huge male iguana. To make a long story short, I must say that I kidnapped this poor creature, thinking I was doing something good for the Park. We got radio authorization for following such a procedure (there were no cell phones in those days), but later on we learned that the person who had answered the radio hadn’t been a Park employee, only someone passing by. I was very close to loosing my license as a naturalist guide, and Bartolo was very close to suffering a heart attack. But after being on board the ship for a trip, treated as a VIR (Very Important Reptile), he returned, safe and happy to his tiny island. I have not seen him ever since; but I am sure he probably does not want to see me either.
What about Santiago, the afternoon island? It also means a lot to everyone on board; it is a place very close to our hearts, as it is Lindblad’s adopted island, with achieved successful and amazing conservation programs. It’s been a great day, dedicated to good memories, to learning; we have been reminded once more that we can be truly optimistic about the future of these islands.
Bartolomé has always had a special meaning. It is the insignia of any trip to the Galápagos; but to me, it means full moon, fantastic marine life, underground magic, and it means Bartolo! Who or what is Bartolo? Bartolo is a land iguana I found fifteen years ago, behind thorn bushes, on the way to the southern beach. At that time it was my understanding that there were no land iguanas on Bartolomé. But to everybody’s surprise, there he was: a huge male iguana. To make a long story short, I must say that I kidnapped this poor creature, thinking I was doing something good for the Park. We got radio authorization for following such a procedure (there were no cell phones in those days), but later on we learned that the person who had answered the radio hadn’t been a Park employee, only someone passing by. I was very close to loosing my license as a naturalist guide, and Bartolo was very close to suffering a heart attack. But after being on board the ship for a trip, treated as a VIR (Very Important Reptile), he returned, safe and happy to his tiny island. I have not seen him ever since; but I am sure he probably does not want to see me either.
What about Santiago, the afternoon island? It also means a lot to everyone on board; it is a place very close to our hearts, as it is Lindblad’s adopted island, with achieved successful and amazing conservation programs. It’s been a great day, dedicated to good memories, to learning; we have been reminded once more that we can be truly optimistic about the future of these islands.
