We travel to different places for different reasons. Many people have their own bucket list of places to visit before they die. Many want to see as much of the world as possible. Now, with Instagram taking centre-stage in social media, stunning photographs and videos have encouraged many people to explore places beyond their homeland.
I must have been in school when we first came across the Galapagos Islands while reading Darwin’s theory of Evolution by Natural Selection. I wondered what he saw on those islands led him to derive such an important theory. How did he even manage to reach so far, away from the mainland on those islands? What inspired him way back in the 1800s to undertake such a risky travel? All these questions created a mysterious aura about the islands. Will I ever be able to reach there and experience those things?
And I did get an opportunity to explore the Galapagos!
The Galápagos Islands are a cluster of islands formed due to repeated volcanic activity over millions of years in the Pacific Ocean. Lying about 1,000km off the coast of Ecuador, it has provided isolated space to diverse species of plants and animals, many of which are not found anywhere else.
What are those species? Well, we saw the Giant tortoises, sea lions, equatorial penguins, marine and land iguanas, blue-footed booby birds, and many other land, marine, and bird species.
And I got to see the finches, birds that Darwin observed on the islands with various beak shapes that led him to postulate that finches evolved based on available food sources — long, pointed beaks for snatching insects while broad, blunt beaks work for cracking seeds and nuts.
What struck me the most was the fact that these birds and animals do not seem to know the concept of fear and suspicion as they have lived and evolved without any fear of large predators. So you can walk beside a sea lion or an iguana on the beach or over the volcanic rocks or even sit beside the nesting birds without them scurrying away to hide. In fact, some are curious enough to approach you to have a good look at you. The experience is surreal.
Barring a few islands, the government has been continuously striving to keep these islands free of introduced and invasive species. Thanks to their control and international interest, the islands are still pristine.
Not just on the land, even in the waters, I did not find the Galapagos wildlife aggressive. We did see a few reef sharks, but they were busy with themselves, staying away from people. The sealions are playful, so we need to be careful around them, but they mean no harm.
In fact, snorkelling became the highlight of our trip as it gave us an excellent opportunity to view the immensely colourful and wonderful marine life up close and have a much better understanding of the Galapagos' ecosystems.
I can only feel grateful to the universe for conspiring this opportunity for me.
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