Since I was going to be in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru I wanted to make sure I made it to the Galapagos National Park. I’ve heard such wonderful things about the Galapagos. I will admit that I got a little concerned about all the rules and regulations that could “stifle” a good time but, I was willing to surrender into the greater good of the collective… the land and its inhabitants.
What I saw was unbelievably amazing! Only the local indigenous people are allowed to be the national park guides. And in order to enter the national park, you MUST be accompanied by a Galapagos Naturalist Guide. What a great way to educate visitors from the locals who grew up there. Did you know that only 3% of the Galapagos islands are inhabited by the 40,000 residents? And there are 150,000 visitors annually.
There is a wealth of information to take in about the Galapagos… the volcanic nature of the islands which erode over time, the shifting of the tectonic plates that send the islands eastward and underwater and the animals that have adapted to their environment by changing their physical characteristics. Even the extinction of some animals because they could not adapt and the humans decided they would take 700 giant tortoises off one of the islands to near extinction.
The combination of the conservation efforts and the responsible tourism in the Galapagos has led to the preservation of the area and allowed most of its human, plant, and animal inhabitants to thrive. The only other place I have seen this kind of conservation effort is in the Grand Canyon. And even the Grand Canyon I saw more evidence of humans’ impact on the delicate ecosystem than here in the Galapagos Islands. I think they are doing something right here. This has been the highlight of the Galapagos trip for me, above and beyond the rare animals that I have seen.
The park rules here in the Galapagos can easily be seen as over the top. As a challenger of the status quo, I was able to really sink into some of my perceived limitations about the restrictions and accept them for the good of the whole ecosystem. It was a great decision to take an 8-day cruise to see a lot of the islands as it can cost hundreds of dollars to hire a guide and a boat ride to one of the islands you may want to see. Sometimes it was a bit difficult for me because I wanted to spend more time onshore and not on the boat. I knew my surrender was imperative to have the most positive experience, to honor and respect the land and animals. The park rules are the best for the good of the whole. I wish there was more conservation and sustainable efforts around the world somehow.
I am completely awe struck. The landscape and the animals that are just as they were when Charles Darwin was here at age 22 in 1835 (and even for many centuries before that). There is evidence of how creatures had to evolve and adapt in order to survive on these islands with limited natural resources. The different species of Galapagos finches, with their specially evolved beaks that allow them to eat specific foods, helped Darwin understand that organisms can evolve over time to better survive in their environment. Darwin developed his theory of evolution here in the Galapagos. The adaptation and survival of the species of animals were clear to him here.
There is such a wealth of information to learn here, and I’ve only scratched the surface in the 8 days I have been here. I’ve met wonderful people on the boat… and even some who I am embarrassed to say represent the loud and entitled sector of the USA which I was hoping to get away from.
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