2013-04-06—2013-04-07

【Aiden in English】

        Santa Cruz Island was the second-largest island in the Galapagos and home to Puerto Ayora, the largest town. In 1959, the Republic of Ecuador declared all the islands, except areas already colonized, as the Galapagos National Park. In the same year, the Charles Darwin Foundation was founded to promote scientific research and ensure the conservation of the Galapagos. Not until 1978 were the Galapagos Isl

2013-04-05

【Aiden in English】

        In the northeast of San Cristobal Island, we lined up on the deck for a chance to see Kicker Rock in an odd form. It was a remnant of a vertical tuff formation, abruptly rising almost 500 ft/152 meters from the Pacific Ocean.

        Kicker Rock looked sharp and massive, and nearly bare rock pieces protruded from the ocean. Only the birds seemed to be able to scale the sides. Even though there was li

2013-04-05 

【Aiden in English】

        San Cristobal Island was the easternmost island in the archipelago and one of the oldest eroded volcanoes, ascending to moist highlands nearly 2,400 feet/730 meters above sea level geologically. It was the first island Charles Darwin visited in the Galapagos in 1835. Several endemic species and subspecies of flora had evolved in San Cristobal. Still, the human impact had ruptured much of the island; the once exte

2013-04-04

【Aiden in English】

        North Seymour Island of the Galapagos was formed through a series of uplifts of lava that originally erupted underwater because marine fossils were discovered on its plateau, surrounded by low cliffs. These sporadic uplifts took more than a million years to bring the island to its present level, and it is now home to abundant and diverse wildlife.

        After lunch, we lined up for deep-sea snorkel

2013-04-04

【Aiden in English】

        Santa Cruz Island was the center of the Galapagos archipelago, where volcanic activity had long ceased. Among the few islands that people inhabited, it had the most significant human population.

        By 9:00 a.m., the sun was already steaming hot. We had just begun to walk along the northeast coast of Santa Cruz Island. There was a hideout where two US military barges from WWII broke their moorings and ran aground on

2013-04-03

【Aiden in English】

        In the Galapagos Islands, Bartolomé Island is an extinct volcano that features a unique mix of colors, including red, orange, green, and black volcanic rock formations, reminiscent of those found on Mars. It was considered the most spectacular setting in the Galapagos. As one of the relatively younger islands, its volcanic origins were quickly seen as an excellent example of volcanism.

        This afternoon, we took a

2013-04-03

【Aiden in English】

        Here, we had the opportunity for a morning hike over a blackened landscape that was nothing less than a geologic wonderland in Sullivan Bay, northeast of Santiago Island. At every step, we would see the hardened twists and turns of Lava that flowed during a volcanic eruption in the 1900s.

        If you were talking about an "evil island," would it be jagged rocks, skeletons, scattered bone

2013-04-02

【Aiden in English】

        After I went outside, my first statement was: "It's foggy." And that was true. The fog wasn't what you saw every month in your front yard. It looked like a white pillow on top of everything in sight. Even in the old days, superstitious pirates called the Galapagos Enchanted Islands because the islands would disappear into the mist for no reason.

        Today, w

2013-04-01

【Aiden in English】

        Mom and I had a quick lunch and began preparing for our afternoon activity. This time, we visited Rabida, an uninhabited island of red sand, rocks, and dirt made of iron-rich lava.

        Rabida Island looked like the top of an old volcanic cone bathed in crimson. The bright red ground sat amid coves and lagoons with clear blue water. All exotic wildlife lived in their spectacula

2013-04-01

【Aiden in English】

        The rocks crunched beneath our feet as we walked through tropical forests with singing mockingbirds and buzzing insects. This morning, we took our first shore excursion to the west bank of Santiago Island, in the center of the Galapagos archipelago.

        Puerto Egas was one of the most popular sites in James Bay of Santiago Island, where salt mining operated until the 1960s. After a wet landing in

2013-03-31 Easter

【Aiden in English】

        I yawned loudly as Mom and I entered our Celebrity Xpedition cabin. For the whole morning, we were sitting on a seat of LAN Ecuador, traveling from Quito, the capital city, to the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean after stopping over Guayaquil, the largest Ecuadorian city.

        The Galapagos Islands are a volcanic archipelago about 500 miles/926 km west of mainland Ecuador and hav

2013-03-30

【Aiden in English】

        Pew! Pew! Pew! It went to my 3DS XL as Mario got zapped by Bowser Junior's Waldo magic for the fifth time. Mom and I have been waiting for our tour guide for about 10 minutes, and we're getting awfully bored. We were going to cross the equator and head to the northern Sierra for Otavalo, a two-hour drive north of bustling Quito, to see the famous market, particularly on Saturday.

2013-03-29 Good Friday

【Aiden in English】

        Today was Holy Friday, and we stayed in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.

        At 9,350 feet/2,800 meters above sea level with a latitude of 0^o15"S, Quito was the highest and only capital on the Equator in the world.

        After I put on a new set of clothes, Mom and I went down for breakfast. Our hotel was Patio

2013-03-27

        每年三月底或四月初，适逢星期五耶稣受难日─复活节宗教活动，我家娃儿所在的北宾州学区都要特别选定这个时段，停课休学放羊三天，从星期四至星期一囊括周末，春假满打满算少说足有大半个礼拜。

        坦率地讲，我做梦都没有想到，但凡适龄青少年儿童都可以向春天讨价问假。在国内，我从未经历这般欢度春假的学生时代；来美后，虽然早有听说，南边墨西哥坎昆“蛇巢”城可谓女生笑傲加勒比“勇者”海的胜地，而东面佛罗里达“花”州代托纳“白日镇”海滩(Dayto