Blackwattle in the Enchanted Islands
by Nancy Knudsen on 16 May 2007
Sea-lions with attitude BW Media
Some people dream of going to Galapagos for a lifetime – for us, well, it just happens to be on our sailing way across the Pacific. So, suddenly, almost without thinking about it, we are here, and seeing the sights that have intrigued people for centuries, turned scientific thinking on its tail, and over the years brought millions to witness with amazement the unique and unafraid animals of these enchanted islands.
But nothing prepares you for the reality. It's impossible to imagine, without seeing it, animals in the wild with so little fear of man. For the birds, you might as well be invisible, for all they take note of a group of humans passing by. As for the sea-lions, they behave with all the charisma and innocent curiosity of puppy-dogs you might meet on a street.
But so strange these animals, and so so fragile is their environment, as we learn from the excellent naturalist guides. So many hundreds of unique species, so easy to see that the place seems like a giant contrived zoo, yet we know it's not.
We join day tours, of which there are plenty – the airfare from Quito is a mere US$400 return, so there are many free-wheeling tourists wandering the streets, filling the hotels, and taking day tours to the various islands, each with its own brand of unique plants, marine life and land animals.
We join these with increasing enthusiasm as our wonder – just an intellectual thing in the beginning- takes shape and grows with the gaining of knowledge, until we are searching out and buying naturalist books. We also start to learn about the problems that face the the archipelago – these are many, and serious, but that's for another tale.
I take photos with increasing fervour, to catch each moment that I know I may never see again. In groups of from 4 to 16, we are guided through the sensitive areas, wandering among the sea-lions, snorkelling as they zoom between the swimmers.
When walking, we are careful to stay within the carefully maintained paths, but the animals know no such delicacy, and invade our human path with the greatest of ease. Birds so rare and unique that we are breathless in their presence sit determinedly in the middle of our path so that we have to brush around them.
If Galapagos were not so famous for its unique environment, it would be by now famous for its beaches – they too abound around the islands, white sand amid the black volcanic rock, aqua seas – everything you imagine in a Pacific Island.
We've had such experiences that we feel as though we've been here for months, but it's just been a few days.
There's still maintenance to do on Blackwattle, getting her ready for our longest sailing journey so far - it's just on 3,000 nautical miles to our next stop, the Marquesas, and we anticipate that it will take at least three weeks to get there.
We scrub, do emails, provision, a million small tasks before we're off, ever chasing the setting sun. I'll be reporting during our journey, so stay tuned.......
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