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 spectacular natural habitat.

        After a startlingly rust-red beach came, the volcanic mountain with the bright glowing sun beat down on us. The landscapes of Rabida Island were visually stunning and reminded me of the Savanna, with a green fringe of straggling opuntias or paddle cacti featuring yellow flowers. I noticed something different. The arborescent cacti on Santiago Island in the Galapagos grew tall to escape from animals that ate their fruits. In Rabida, the shrubby cacti were short, and barely any animals ate the fruit. Most of the cactus fruit was still intact, even though some were ripe. It seemed as though the plants were well-adapted to natural selection.  

       As we walked on a trail inside the mangroves, I heard a lot of chirping. When I looked up, there stood a mockingbird. Another bird I recognized was the finch named by Charles Darwin, the author of The Origin of Species. Every island had finches, but all were different in texture, color, or beak; on the salt bushes that lined the shore, several couples of pelicans nested even in the wet season, which was not usual.  

       We made our way back to the red sand beach for snorkeling. There were more tropical fish on Rabida Island than on Santiago Island. They swam in schools, gathered in groups, and darted off together like a family, but would disperse immediately when a large fish came. Then I stopped dead. In front of me was a shark! Yes, I meant about a meter-long, white-tipped reef carnivore shark. Now you might be thinking, AHHH! Or something was like that. This cute guy was roaming around like any other fish. Occasionally, he would take a snack. Ok, that would be scary and gross. But it could be an incredible experience for me. I quickly swam to the shore and would tell Mom about it. As I approached, she squealed with delight like a child and guided me to where some sea lions were bearing their babies and others were basking or just playing on the beach. I stood behind her, by her side, kneeling, and in many more poses, as she requested. I always did what Mom would want me to do with her pictures. But them what? I was going to ask Mom about it. However, we had to return to the ship. So, I decided to leave it as a surprise after we embarked on the boat. 

        Rabida Island was an admiring place to explore the natural beauty.

【紅霞譯】

        我和媽媽匆匆吃過午餐，立刻加入下午遊覽活動隊列之中，這回我們要去拉比達“前哨”島，島上無人居住，紅岩、紅沙、紅土等火山地貌富含鐵質，似有“炙翻四海波，天地人烹煮”之勢。

        拉比達島實為老火山錐，山上山下渾然一色，表面被太陽烘烤得紅里透紫，火辣辣的色調將碧波蕩漾的海灣與瀉湖襯托得迤邐多姿，這裡的珍禽異獸全部生活在照此風景如畫的自然環境中。

        血紅般的海灘和火山組成一條亮麗的風景線，當頭的烈日好比“火輪杲杲懸中天，下鑠大地生青煙”，我們渾身有股燒焦的味道。拉比達島的景致讓我聯想起大草原遍地生長着綠莖刺毛黃花，我注意到聖地亞哥“後繼者”島的仙人掌樹狀高大，這樣動物才不會輕易吃到果子；而拉比達島的仙人掌灌狀低矮，因為幾乎沒有什麼動物來吃果子，所以大部分的仙人掌果仍然完好無缺，儘管其中一些瓜熟蒂落。物競天擇適者生存，看來植物依賴本能，在自然選擇中茁壯成長。

        我們繼續深入紅樹林，此刻百鳥爭鳴，循聲向上望去，只見仿聲鳥正在歌唱，我輕而易舉地辨認出達爾文雀，其名稱歸功於《物種起源》的作者查爾斯·達爾文“自由人·親愛的朋友”。加拉帕戈斯“巨龜”群島中雀科鳴鳥算得上相當普及的飛禽，但是各個島上的種屬不一，由於環境差異，造成達爾文雀的羽毛、顏色、喙形均有不同；成雙結對的棕鵜鶘巢居岸邊鹽生灌木叢中，這種現象在時下雨季並不常見。

        返程之前，我再度來到紅沙灘潛水，拉比達島水下世界要比聖地亞哥島豐富得多，熱帶魚群穿梭不止，似乎全家集體出動，一旦途中碰到大魚，它們馬上讓路，自動分散開來。眼前出現一條鯊魚，我驚呆了，的確沒錯，它是條一米長的白鰭礁鯊，這下你該明白哈！這個可愛的傢伙跟其它魚兒沒啥兩樣，在水裡游來游去，時不時會張口吃些茶點蠶食生靈，說起來不但挺嚇人，而且很噁心，當然給我增添了新鮮閱歷。我很快游回岸邊，等我剛走上前來正打算告知媽媽時，她卻滔滔不絕說個沒完，反倒像小孩子掩飾不住內心的激動，原來一隻母海獅正在海灘上餵養自己的寶寶，母子兩位勾肩搭背親密無間。這時媽媽抓緊拍照，一會兒指揮我站在海獅之後，一會兒命令我站到側面，一會兒要求我屈身彎腰，剎那間導演出許多姿勢，我儘量配合，因為機會難得，接下來咬它們一口？尚未來得及詢問媽媽，回程的時間已到，我只好留待上船以後再說。

        拉比達島的自然之美令我羨慕不已。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2013: James Bay of Santiago Is, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾聖地亞哥·詹姆斯灣)

2012: 演講訓練(Speech Practice)

Celebrity Xpedition Moored by Rabida Island

(“名人·遠征”號遊輪停靠拉比達島邊 04-01-2013)

Lunch @ Celebrity Xpedition

(“名人·遠征”號遊輪——午餐 04-01-2013)

Palo Santo Forest, Endemic to the Galapagos Islands, Associated w/ Healing & Cleansing Powers

(加拉帕戈斯群島特有的聖木·具有治癒和淨化功效 04-01-2013)

Rabida Island Boasting Several Volcanic Craters & Rugged Shorelines

(拉比達島·擁有若干火山口和崎嶇海岸線 04-01-2013)

Basaltic Lava Poured out of Scoria Cones in Iron Oxide & Magnesium 

(來自富含氧化鐵和氧化鎂火山渣錐的玄武石熔岩 04-01-2013)

Rocky Cove (岩石小海灣 04-01-2013)

Giant Prickly Pear Cactus Forest

(巨型仙人掌林 04-01-2013)

Endemic Opuntia 

(加拉帕戈斯群島特有的神仙掌 04-01-2013)

Galápagos Mockingbird w/ Inquisitiveness

(好奇心旺盛的加拉帕戈斯仿生鳥)

Galápagos Mockingbird in Fast-Flying

(加拉帕戈斯仿生鳥疾飛)

Red Sand due to the Oxidation @ the Moment of Its Formation 

(氧化作用導致沙灘呈紅色 04-01-2013)

Snorkeling (浮潛 04-01-2013)

Fur Seals Basking on Red Sand Beach

(海狗·紅沙灘上曬太陽 04-01-2013)

Fur Seal Pup Sucking Mom's Milk

(海狗寶寶吸吮母奶)

Mother & Pup Fur Seals Cuddled up Sleeping

(海狗母仔相擁而睡)

Maroon-Colored Beach w/ Fur Seals

(栗色海灘與海狗 04-01-2013)

Females Exclusively Nurse Their Own Pups

(母海狗只餵養自己的孩子)

Female Fur Seal, Bearing Only One Pup @ a Time

(母海狗一次只生一崽)

Saltwater Lagoon by Basaltic Lava

(玄武石熔岩邊海水瀉湖 04-01-2013)

Galápagos Brown Pelicans, a Living Symbol of How Successful Wildlife Conservation Can Be

(加拉帕戈斯褐鵜鶘·野生動物保護成功的鮮活象徵)

Galápagos Brown Pelican in Flight

(飛行的加拉帕戈斯褐鵜鶘)

Baked Sea Bass for Dinner @ Celebrity Xpedition

(“名人·遠征”號遊輪——晚餐烤深海鱸魚)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

2013: Santa Cruz Island, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾十字架島)

2013: Kicker Rock/Witch Hill, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾睡獅岩女巫嶺)

2013: Frigatebird Hill, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾軍艦鳥山)

2013: N.Seymour, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾北黑暗島)

2013: Bachas Beach, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾駁船海灘)

2013: Bartolome Island, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾農夫之子島)

2013: Sullivan Bay of Santiago Is, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾聖地亞哥島蘇利文灣)

2013: Isabella Island, Ecuador(厄瓜多爾伊莎貝拉島)

Ecuador(出遊厄瓜多爾)

South America(漂流南美洲)

小學四年級(4th Grade)