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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On The Road – arrieve – The Galapagos, part 3

On The Road – arrieve – The Galapagos, part 3

by WaterGirl|  June 25, 20215:00 am| 18 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Photo Blogging, The Galapagos

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

arrieve

Still on Española Island, now at Punta Suarez, otherwise known as Iguanaville.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 7
Punta Suarez, Galapagos

Another Hood mockingbird, on the park sign.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 6
Punta Suarez, Galapagos

Española is the oldest of the islands, with lava worn to smooth boulders. And at Punta Suarez, every one of those boulders was draped with at least one iguana. I took the allegedly “easy” hike over the rocks to the beach; we all had walking sticks and had to step from boulder to boulder, avoiding the iguanas who showed no interest in getting out of anyone’s way.

Though they can move quickly enough when they want to, basking on the rocks, draped over and around each other, they don’t move a single muscle. It’s almost uncanny, as though you’re looking at some very strange statuary.

Then one of them sneezes, blinks a few times, and freezes again, back to recharging the batteries. The “sneezing” is how they expel excess salt from their bodies.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 5
Punta Suarez, Galapagos

Darwin didn’t think much of the iguanas in the Galapagos either:

It is extremely common on all the islands throughout the group, and lives exclusively on the rocky sea-beaches, being never found, at least I never saw one, even ten yards in-shore. It is a hideous-looking creature, of a dirty black colour, stupid, and sluggish in its movements.

But he never made it to Española. The iguanas here are unique in having a vivid Christmas coloring during the rainy season, and they were in the process of changing color. And though I’ve never been that interested in reptiles, I found their faces fascinating.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 4
Punta Suarez, Galapagos
On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 3
Punta Suarez, Galapagos

This one is a little blurry, but you can really see the Christmas colors.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 2
Punta Suarez, Galapagos

There was also a sea lion nursery by the beach. Here two of the youngsters are having a disagreement.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3 1
Punta Suarez, Galapagos

One of the caretakers by the nursery.

On The Road - arrieve - The Galapagos, part 3
Galapagos

Someone needs a bath.

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Reader Interactions

18Comments

  1. 1.

    sab

    June 25, 2021 at 5:33 am

    These photos are amazing.
    Also too: sea lions are larger seals with tiny ears (actual seals have no outside ears.)

  2. 2.

    sab

    June 25, 2021 at 5:48 am

    @sab: amazing photos.

  3. 3.

    sab

    June 25, 2021 at 5:57 am

    • Squabbling with my new pitbull. Lovely sweet dog who wants desparetely to be loved. I phucked up so she sleeps in the bed. Summer in Ohio, so dogs are hotter than humans.
    • I want her at the foot of the bed, sleeping in overheated doggy dreamworld.
    • She wants to be in my life, 10 degrees lower.
    • Best girl ever. She is quite a dog.
  4. 4.

    sab

    June 25, 2021 at 6:02 am

    Could some Floridian please photo an anole.? Adorable lizards of my childhood.

  5. 5.

    Craig

    June 25, 2021 at 6:09 am

    Gorgeous photos. I went there once on a job. Absolutely an amazing place. We ran all night every night to a different harbor. I slept on deck on the scuba gear storage so I could see the dawn(and avoid my snoring cabin mates), my pal would bring coffee just before dawn-she’d wake when the engines stopped-, one morning we sat and watched as shapes appeared, then when color started to enter our eyes we saw that the cliffs of our anchorage were covered in graffiti. It was old 19th century whalers messaging each other. Mind blowing. I’d broken my camera 3 days earlier diving a foot or so too deep when a sea lion was playing with me and showed their teeth as it ripped by my head then spun around and laughed at me. They’re amazing. So smart, playful, and incredibly fast. Probably the best 2 week job I’ve ever had.

  6. 6.

    Laura Too

    June 25, 2021 at 8:13 am

    Beautiful, thanks!!!

  7. 7.

    Anonymous At Work

    June 25, 2021 at 8:29 am

    Pretty sure “Iguanaville” is a registered trademark of Miami-Dade County.

  8. 8.

    MelissaM

    June 25, 2021 at 9:27 am

    Funny how Darwin dismissed the iquanas as hideous and stupid. They aren’t my favorite creature, but I wouldn’t say hideous. Interesting at least, but with those colors which he missed, fascinating.

    @sab: We have a 24# rescue terrier/shih tzu who prefers our bed (much to my husband’s dismay. I just wasn’t up for the fight to relocate her repeatedly when she started.) But she’s a hot dog, so it’s mostly in winter that she’s on the bed. Except during thunderstorms, when I wake with all 24#s of her at my head needing comfort. Like last night.

  9. 9.

    TomatoQueen

    June 25, 2021 at 9:31 am

    Iguanas…smile. Oh.

  10. 10.

    arrieve

    June 25, 2021 at 9:34 am

    Thanks, all, for the kind comments. It is truly one of the most magical places and I love being able to share it while reliving the memories.

  11. 11.

    JanieM

    June 25, 2021 at 10:08 am

    Great pictures — the magic comes through loud and clear in both the pictures and the stories. Trying not to anthropomorphize the second to last, but the caretaker’s look just begs for a caption. It looks kinda like someone I know.

  12. 12.

    WaterGirl

    June 25, 2021 at 10:26 am

    @arrieve: The final 3 parts for Galapagos will all be next week.

  13. 13.

    arrieve

    June 25, 2021 at 10:36 am

    @WaterGirl: I’m putting together some more sets. Maybe 2?

  14. 14.

    CaseyL

    June 25, 2021 at 11:07 am

    Thank you for these photos, and the series to come! I went to the Galapagos in 2009, and it was pure magic. So many amazing sights!

    Magnificent Frigate (species name, not description, but they *were* magnificent, too!) birds followed our ship everywhere, and perched on every horizontal bit of ship they could find. One night, while sleeping on the deck, I could look up and see frigates roosting everywhere.

    Schools of brightly colored fish – trigger fish, parrot fish, I can’t remember what else – also followed our ship. Particularly during meal-prep times, when our chefs tossed scraps out the windows for them. It was quite a thing to see these animated rainbows swarm.

  15. 15.

    way2blue

    June 25, 2021 at 11:48 am

    Nature. Has a whimsical bent. I’d no idea that iguanas could dress up so fashionably. Thanks for the photos!

  16. 16.

    WaterGirl

    June 25, 2021 at 12:36 pm

    @arrieve: 2 more Galapagos sets, beyond the 6 you have already submitted?  (not judging, just trying to be sure i understand)

  17. 17.

    arrieve

    June 25, 2021 at 1:01 pm

    @WaterGirl: These would be 7 and 8. I could probably do more than that but everyone would be sick of the Galapagos by then.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    June 25, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    @arrieve: If you think there’s something new to share, by all means add the 2 posts!

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