Imagine a place where animals and humanity prosper in peaceful harmony, living cheek by jowl and with mutual respect.
I have just returned from such a heavenly paradise – the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador in the Pacific Ocean.
The Galapagos archipelago is a natural utopia, brimming with life on land and under the sea, and the place where our understanding of the natural world changed forever following the visit of Charles Darwin in 1835 on HMS Beagle.
Charles Darwin recognised the significance of the finches on the islands, which had evolved through natural selection from a common ancestor into a number of different species, which led to his book ‘On the Origin of Species’, which sparked considerable controversy at the time.
Magical ambiance
It was against this background of wild riches that I arrived at the small town of Puerto Baquerizo Moreno on San Cristobal – the most easterly of the Galapagos Islands.
In an instant, I was overwhelmed by the magical ambience of nature and people living in happy co-existence.
Galapagos sea lions lazed on the street margins, barely giving a glance at passing people, and pelicans perched on quayside walls watching the world go by.
I soon learned to be careful where to place my feet in case of inadvertently stepping one of the many marine iguanas basking on the town’s pavements.
Abundance of life
Later that day, I plunged into a nearby bay with snorkel and mask and became enthralled at the abundance of colourful marine life.
Blue chin parrotfish grazed on the seabed and shoals of glimmering yellow-tailed surgeonfish parted before me.
A dark shape materialised at the far limit of my vision.
Intrigued, I flicked my flippers a couple of times to investigate and was rewarded with the magical experience of swimming with a sea turtle.
It swam with slow but deliberate purpose, breast-stroking its way through the ocean with poetic ease.
Suddenly, a sea lion zoomed towards me like an underwater torpedo and when it seemed a collision was inevitable, it pulled away at the last second, snorting bubbles from its nose.
It somersaulted below, before rising once more for another close pass.
This sea lion was having fun, and a wave of joy coursed through every sinew of my body at the close bond the sea lion and I had forged.
Gannet relatives
The following day, a visit to a nearby islet brought close encounters with blue-footed boobies and nesting frigatebirds.
The boobies are related to gannets and sport the most magnificent blue feet, whilst the frigatebirds have a prehistoric aura, their narrow-winged forms when in flight having a pterodactyl like appearance.
On the nearby island of Santa Cruz other natural delights unfolded, including giant tortoises, reef sharks and the islands’ famous finches.
During my short visit, I had become so consumed by the spell of the Galapagos that my heart heaved with sorrow on the day of departure.
This tantalising glimpse of the islands’ wild treasures had left an indelible mark on my soul, and as I write these words, my mind is still buzzing with excitement.
