Our tour guide told us that florals were the number one export, with the country raising most of the world’s long-stemmed roses. He gave credit to the great number of sunny days and the location near the equator to make the beauties grow straight and strong. We were surprised to learn that Russia imports huge numbers of roses averaging a price of $180 a dozen. The same dozen would bring $80 in the US, and there were locals selling them on every corner there, $5 for 25 roses. The same guide said it’s cheaper to fall in love in Ecuador.
My
National Geography idea of what was in Ecuador and especially the Galapagos
Islands consists of two things, the giant tortoise and the Blue Footed Booby
bird. After that, I planned on being surprised. We joined a lovely cruise ship
that was home to around 100 guests. Lucky for us, there were only about 75
cruisers onboard so we had plenty of room to take advantage of the hot tubs,
exercise room and lounge area. More and more people are heading to the isles;
they have about 300,000 visitors a year. With the increased traffic comes the
need to monitor and control the impact on these small islands. Permits are
limited. The islands existing in the Pacific Ocean have been declared a
National Preserve since 1959. Only a few have any residents on them.
The rest
are totally natural; no electricity, no buildings, no sidewalks, no docks. They
are remains of volcanic activity and the soil and rocks have that pumice look
and feel. I expected jungle growth, but I was wrong. Some of the islands barely
have trees. I couldn’t help but think if I was shipwrecked and landed on a
deserted island… this would be it.
Because
it’s a National Preserve, the birds and wildlife have no fear of humans. Sea
lions lounge around like teenagers even making similar grunting and grumbling
sounds. Some curious ones would venture right up to us for a closer look. We
got some fun underwater pictures while snorkeling of one particular nosy guy.
He seemed quite happy to swim with us. We tiptoed around ground nests of Blue
Footed Boobies and viewed the Red Footed Boobies in their tree nests. Only
found here and quite different in how they survive on these rock piles with
giant iguanas as neighbors.
The
Frigates were a favorite. The large black feathered bird has a long split tail
which reminded us of the Oklahoma Scissortail Flycatcher. But these bad boys
are the birds you’ve seen on nature programs that have the HUGE, bright red
balloon under their beak that they puff out to impress the girls. We must have
been there on a Saturday night because the males were really strutting their
color!
The big
tortoises have been secluded to a sanctuary to help them repopulate. They can
live to be 100 or better but they have been over-harvested like other creatures
on the planet. Seamen discovered they could keep them alive without food or
water while being hauled to Europe to be used for lamp oil. Of course, this no
longer happens, but the sanctuary gives the little guys a head start by keeping
them safe from birds to pick up and chomp down.
We will
probably not be able to enjoy a zoo again after having the opportunity to
explore some of these interesting creatures in their natural environment. We
loved the passion the guides and naturalists had as they shared our
experiences. We should all be so committed to our corners of the world.
