New-Yorker-blog-karenrobbins

The sun shone brightly but we were greeted by another wonderful breeze as we began our walk on one of the trails of Floreana Island. This island is named for the first president of Ecuador, Juan Jose Florence, who incorporated the islands as a part of Ecuador in 1832. It has a colorful history including pirates, whalers, and infamous settlers. The island is also one of the four islands that Charles Darwin visited on his trip aboard the HMS Beagle.

A frankincense tree that resembled a eucalyptus with its bark and leaves was oozing a fragrant sap. While we stopped to look at a plant that was kin to a sunflower, a small bird happened to perch on a branch. I thought it was one of Darwin's finches but upon later examination of the picture, I think it was a Flycatcher. 

Eggs laid in the hole are covered by the female as she begins to climb her way out of the nest. She pushes the sand behind her and thereby covers the eggs. The eggs are left to incubate in the sand warmed by the sun. When the turtles hatch, they have to make their way to the water on their own and hopefully before a predator can swoop dow

Sifting through the sand, you could see pieces of a green mineral that resembles the gem peridot. When the sun was at the right angle the pieces glittered in the sandy beach.

The Celebrity Xpedition positioned itself for our afternoon excursion at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island. The trail we were to follow for our afternoon excursion was 1.5 miles long over a lot of rough terrain. As we were briefed the night before, the trail would take us to a dramatic blow hole and for a view of spectacular cliffs. Along the way, the naturalists expected that we might be able to see the albatross who were due to arrive this time of year.

Guests were given the option of a long walk (2.5 hours) or a short one (2 hours), the difference being in the loop that would take you past the albatross if they were there. We opted for the long walk and were well rewarded for it. 

Along the way, we came across lizards and iguana and a mockingbird. It was always imperative to watch your step not only because of the boulders but because often there was an iguana tail or a small lizard darting by.

About a third of the way into our walk, we came across the albatross. The first sighting was in the sky and it was followed by two birds right in the middle of our trail.

The waved albatross is the largest bird in the Galapagos. While they are good sized, they are not as large as the royal albatross we saw in New Zealand whose wing span reaches 9 feet. The flying birds we saw here had a wing span of around 6 feet. Their bodies are about three feet in length.

The albatross live on Espanola (Hood) Island from late March through December and their return each year is only to breed. We saw several mating behaviors and quite a few nests already built. The male/female pairs are monogamous and they are usually together until death. They produce one egg and it is incubated for two months. One of the nesting females was kind enough to shift just a bit so that we could observe the reddish colored egg beneath her.

The Albatross will raise their young chicks here teaching them to fly for their migration back to cooler waters in January when temperatures warm in the Galapagos and food becomes more scarce.

Like the other animals we had observed so far, the albatross were unconcerned with us and let us pass quite close by them--even the ones nesting. That gave opportunity to admire their intricate markings and take some good close up shots.

Along a section where we climbed down closer to the shoreline, we found a flock of Nazca Boobies. They were nesting in the rocky area near the shoreline. Unlike the other species of Boobies, they have a set mating period and a unique complication called sibilicide or sibling murder. The female Boobie lays a couple of eggs but about five days apart therefore they hatch about five days apart. If the first one survives, it is of course at an advantage in size and strength to the new born and can overpower it to get to the food it needs for survival. Often this is accomplished by pushing the younger one out of the nest. It adds a whole new meaning to sibling rivalry, doesn't it?

Our path became very grassy after we turned away from the rocky beach and the Boobies. It made walking an adventure with the boulders and the ever present worry of stepping on wildlife. Little did I know, thank goodness, that some of that wild life might be a snake or two.

By the time we got back on board the Celebrity Xpedition, we had little time to do more than shower and dress for our briefing which preceded dinner. The nightly briefing at 7 told us of the next day’s excursions and allowed time for us to sign on for what we wanted to do.

One of the things that has stuck with me through all of the Galapagos trip is the poison apple tree we saw. I thought about it yesterday again as I spoke to a group of ladies at their Mother's Day Dinner. I was talking about princesses and finding a prince (the Prince of Peace) and told the story of Snow White who takes a bite of a poisoned apple offered by her evil stepmother, the queen. Disney certainly took politically incorrect views of stepmothers back in the day of the early films.

Poisoned apples are certainly dangerous whether they be offered by a stepmother casting a spell, inviting a taste as it hangs deliciously on a branch or encouraged to be indulged in by a charming snake. Eve learned a tough lesson in the garden but I can't help but wonder how that lesson served her in raising her children. Was she a more careful mother? Did she take more pains to be sure her children didn't make a similar mistake?

As we got to more public areas of Galapagos, wherever a poison apple tree grew, there were signs posted to warn visitors. You see, if you even touched the leaves you were in danger of getting a rash or worse depending upon your allergic reaction. And eating the apple? Well I don't want to even imagine what may have happened.

What if God had put sign up as well as telling Eve? Would it have made a difference? Probably not. He gives us signs and warnings all the time but so often we just plunge ahead anyway. Hopefully when we realize our mistake, our sin, we know to repent, to correct, to take measures to keep from repeating it over again. Maybe even make a sign ourselves to warn us not to indulge in the harmful ways but rather to live in the nourishing fruitful ways He has provided.

Espanola Island is the southernmost island of the Galapagos and at approximately 4 million years old, one of the oldest in the archipelago. Gardner Bay on the island’s north side, our morning destination, is one of the longest beaches in the Galapagos.

But wait! Someone forgot to tell the sea lions! As we stood there one rather large sea lion ambled up and slid between the legs of a couple of us. So much for the 8 foot rule (stay 8 feet from the animals).

Young pups find their mothers and vice versa by the guttural sound they make. Then when they are in close proximity, the mother can smell the young one and recognize that it is hers. Only then will she allow the young pup to nurse. The pups nurse until they are about a year old—some longer if the mother allows it.

As we walked down the beach, I could see an area that looked speckled with black objects. I thought at first it was a larger colony of sea lions but the nearer we got, the more I realized it was an outcropping of lava rocks. Suddenly, as we neared one large one, wet from the sea, we could see bright orange colored Sally Light Foot crabs climbing all over it and between them, a host of marine iguanas.

The iguanas are vegetarians and the crabs, scavengers, so they got along just fine. The colors of the crabs were phenomenal. There were fine lines of yellow mixed into the orange and blues and turquoise. Patterns emerged in their coloration as you examined them closer. Alexis mentioned something about how they got the name Sally Lightfoot but there was no way to take notes and by the time I got back, I'd forgotten. Of course with Alexis' sense of humor it may have been just a funny comment.

The marine iguanas were not what I call a beautiful animal but then beauty is in the eye of the beholder. There were some red tones on their backs that reminded me of molten volcanic lava running between and under lava that has cooled. Perhaps that made them indicative of the Galapagos Islands since the islands are all born of volcanoes. The iguanas have huge sharp claws which enable them to climb the slippery rocks and cliffs on some of the islands. They eat algae off the rocks in the water tearing and scraping it off with their sharp teeth. They were very benign creatures just mostly basking in the sun. As they swam in the water they used their tails much like a crocodile or alligator does to propel them along.

When our walk was done, we donned our dive skins and wet suits and wandered between the sea lions to the water. Unfortunately, the surge and the waves did not make for good snorkeling. The water was clouded with sand and particles kicked up by the wave action. We saw some fish but they were more like shadows. Disappointed, we gave up and opted for a return to the ship. Watching all those sea lions lolling in the sun had made us tired too.