Bartolomé is middle aged in terms of the Galápagos with 2-3 million
years under its belt. This small island was formed when the Earth's
crust moved over the Galapágos hotspot. Well before daybreak we headed
there on another Jaws-style vessel, although this time with decidedly
less powerful engines. After two hours on board the island appeared on
the horizon. I've never seen an island that looks more like a volcano
that this. The landscape is totally rust coloured and almost completely
barren. The only plants that live here are hardy xerophytes, like the
desert cactus that needs no rainfall whatsoever and completely recycles
itself, thereby needing almost no mineral input. The only animals are
crabs and the odd lizard. A big mammal like me whose body is 70% water
would last a couple of days, especially given the fact I'm the sweatiest
person within a thousand mile radius.
This volcanic gem isn't actually one volcano. It is comprised of many
parasitic secondary cones which are part of two overlapping volcanoes
which together form the nearby Santiago island. The evidence of
volcanic activity is very clear and omnipresent. There are two
main types of rock formation: the smooth lava flows with tunnels; and
the far more jagged deposits known as 'Ah Ah', so called as people make
this sound as they walk on it with bare feet. Despite having had at
least two million years of evolution, this landscape showed little
evidence of succession. It lies naked in stark contrast to the
rainforest in which plants and animals can colonise denuded areas in a
couple of decades. Nearby, on Santiago, a lava field can be seen which
was the result of an eruption in the late 1800s. This black, bleak
expanse of rock was bereft of any vegetation. It made me appreciate the
time needed for the arrival of seeds by wind, water or winged-deposits
from above. Add to this the painfully slow process of soil formation and the time needed for Darwin's theories to play out can be appreciated.
We clambered up the specially made stairway to the summit. An
impressive effort to protect this environment, not a single tourist has
to set foot on the island. From the top the most photographed part of
the Galápagos Islands was visible, the view of the rock known as the
Pinnacle. I had to slap myself across the face to check I wasn't
dreaming. This was a landscape straight from the Pixar Animation
Studio. At any moment I expected Godzilla to appear from the
surrounding waters and feast on our little group of pesky tourists.
Just to check there were no giant lizard threats, we nipped into the
water for a little snorkelling. The best I've ever had, on a par with
the waters around Malta. After the guide and I were both stung on the
lips by jellyfish we returned to the boat for a beer and the ride home.
On the way we were joined by a school of dolphins who decided to show us how pitiful our velocity was. They swam before the prow of the vessel before veering off jumping out of the water. Before long all aboard were smiling and laughing. "It's amazing the power dolphins have over people," someone correctly commented as this grumpy bunch of gringoes had been transformed into delighted children. Back in Puerto Ayora we asked if the ever-absent Andrea had left us a
message but no such luck. Who was this enigmatic tour rep?
We clambered up the specially made stairway to the summit. An
impressive effort to protect this environment, not a single tourist has
to set foot on the island. From the top the most photographed part of
the Galápagos Islands was visible, the view of the rock known as the
Pinnacle. I had to slap myself across the face to check I wasn't
dreaming. This was a landscape straight from the Pixar Animation
Studio. At any moment I expected Godzilla to appear from the
surrounding waters and feast on our little group of pesky tourists.
Just to check there were no giant lizard threats, we nipped into the
water for a little snorkelling. The best I've ever had, on a par with
the waters around Malta. After the guide and I were both stung on the
lips by jellyfish we returned to the boat for a beer and the ride home.
On the way we were joined by a school of dolphins who decided to show us how pitiful our velocity was. They swam before the prow of the vessel before veering off jumping out of the water. Before long all aboard were smiling and laughing. "It's amazing the power dolphins have over people," someone correctly commented as this grumpy bunch of gringoes had been transformed into delighted children. Back in Puerto Ayora we asked if the ever-absent Andrea had left us a
message but no such luck. Who was this enigmatic tour rep?
No comments:
Post a Comment