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 little chance, from slim to none, erosion had split the rock, presenting it in an emblematic shape, like a shoe, its original name being Kicker Rock, or a sleeping sea lion. The rock was divided into two parts, forming a channel beyond my imagination. Our cruise from one side of this tuff cone provided us with a close-up view of seabirds along the cliffs.

        Late in the afternoon, I decided to swim on the Coast of San Cristóbal Island. Before I could jump into the water, Mom commanded, well, told me, but it sounded like a command to explore a long and wide, white coral-sand beach at Witch Hill, one of the first sites visited by Charles Darwin in 1835. Due to the hot weather, we didn't see much fauna except for a sea lion, a brown pelican, ghost crabs, and a marine iguana or Imp of Darkness sunbathing on the rocks. After being bitten painfully by the horseflies, I finally splashed among the people of our cruise ship in the warm water.

        After a delightful swim, I heard a little whimpering. I turned around and saw a baby sealion barking in the cove. The pups sounded hungry. Their mother probably went foraging. At that moment, the pup started to look for three other females for milk on the sandy shore. Unfortunately, the pup didn't get anything but a lot of yells. The sea lion mother seemed only to nurture her offspring by instinct in the Galapagos. The pup was wandering around the beach and anxiously awaiting its mother's return.

        We gazed upon the natural beauty of Witch Hill beach, where animal life was vivid, and Kicker Rock was situated in the backdrop.

【紅霞譯】

        “水是眼波橫，山是眉峰聚”。在途經聖克里斯托瓦爾“基督承載者”島西北時，我們直接從甲板上觀賞造型別致的睡獅岩，睡獅岩實際上是一個從太平洋海底直上直下凸出水面的凝灰石，海拔約500英尺／152米。  

        睡獅岩又尖又大，光禿禿地佇立汪洋大海之中，恐怕只有飛禽動物才可以“爬”上岩頂，儘管概率極小，睡獅岩最終還是被風化成兩半，形如一隻鞋，或像一隻睡獅，其本名“鞋石”和別名“睡獅岩”集中反映了這些特徵。兩部分岩石中間形成水道，實在超出我的想象。遊輪沿凝灰岩錐一側航行，雙岸青山從眼前相對而出，讓我們有機會與飛檐走壁的海鳥近距離接觸。

        傍晚前，我決定去聖克里斯托瓦爾島海濱游泳，未等下水媽媽便要求我先去女巫嶺又長又寬的白珊瑚沙灘感受一下“煙波不動影沉沉，碧色全無翠色深”的自然風光，1835年查爾斯·達爾文“自由人·親愛的朋友”成為最早涉足此地的先驅者之一。因為高溫天氣，我們並沒有看到很多動物，唯有海獅、棕鵜鶘、鬼蟹、海鬣蜥(黑暗惡魔)躺在礁石上曬着太陽，盡情享受“澄泓湛凝綠，物影巧相況”之美景，痛苦地經歷了馬蠅血咬之後，我終於可以跟同船來的夥伴們一起泡在暖和和的海邊共度快樂時光。

        好好洗過海澡後，我聽到輕輕的嗚咽聲，循聲望去只見一隻海獅幼子正在水灣吠叫，它好像餓了，小傢伙的媽媽可能出海覓食，撇下它嗷嗷待哺。正在此時，小傢伙開始從身邊尋找乳媽義工，試過三隻母海獅，都被毫不留情地罵了回來，看來巨龜群島母海獅本能上僅養育自己親生子女，沒轍兒小傢伙只好浪跡天涯，焦急地等待媽媽早點歸來。

        與睡獅岩遙遙相對，“上下天光，一碧萬頃”的女巫嶺海灘因為生機盎然而彰顯自然之美。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

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

2012: 三年級春假(Third-Grade Spring Break)

2011: 埃及紙莎草紙畫(Papyrus Painting, Egypt)

2011: 埃及孟斐斯和薩卡拉(Memphis & Saqqara, Egypt)

2011: 埃及吉薩金字塔(Giza Necropolis, Egypt)

San Cristóbal Island, the Oldest Permanent Settlement in the Galápagos

(聖克里斯托瓦爾島·加拉帕戈斯群島最古老的永久定居點 04-05-2013)

Kicker Rock, the Vertical Cliffs about 500 Feet／152 Meters

(睡獅岩·海拔約500英尺／152米)

Kicker Rock Silhouette (睡獅岩剪影 04-05-2013)

Water Channel through the Tuff Cone of Kicker Rock

(睡獅岩·灰岩錐間水道)

Another Side of Kicker Rock, Remains of a Volcanic Tuff Cone, Split into 2 Towering Rock Formations

(睡獅岩另一面·火山凝灰岩錐的遺蹟，分裂成兩個高聳的岩層 04-05-2013)

Erosive Kicker Rock (風化的睡獅岩 04-05-2013)

Sea Birds along the Cliffs (海鳥飛檐走壁 04-05-2013)

Witch Hill, One of the Visited Sites by Charles Darwin

(女巫嶺·達爾文成為最早涉足此地的先驅者之一 04-05-2013)

Witch Hill, an Eroded Volcanic Tuff Cone & an Iconic Feature of Galápagos Geology  

(女巫嶺·加拉帕戈斯群島地質的標誌性特徵：被侵蝕的火山凝灰岩錐 04-05-2013)

Sea Lion w/ Its Preference for Rocky, Sheltered Coastline @ Natural Trail of Witch Hill

(女巫嶺自然步道·對岩石密布、避風海岸線情有獨鐘的海獅 04-05-2013)

White Coral Sand Beach Praised for Natural Beauty @ Witch Hill 

(女巫嶺白珊瑚沙灘·上下天光一碧萬頃 04-05-2013)

Marine Iguana, the Imp of Darkness

(海鬣蜥·黑暗頑童 04-05-2013)

Marine Iguana & Fur Seal Encounters (海鬣蜥與海狗奇遇)

Sunbathing Galápagos Seal, the Smallest of the Eared Seals in Eared Seals

(曬太陽的加拉帕戈斯海狗·耳海豹科中體型最小的物種 04-05-2013)

Fur Seal, the Only Non-Migratory Species in Otariidae

(加拉帕戈斯海狗·耳海豹科中唯一的非遷徙物種)

Lost Fur Seal Pup (落單的加拉帕戈斯小海狗 04-05-2013)

Home Alone (獨自在家)

Fur Seal, the Lowest Reproductive Rate among All Seal Species

(加拉帕戈斯海狗·包括海獅和海狗在內的所有海豹物種中繁殖率最低 04-05-2013)

"Are You My Mom?" Female Galápagos Sea Lions Exclusively Nurse Their Own Pups

(加拉帕戈斯海獅·母海狗只餵養親生孩子)

Kids from Chicago and CA

(來自芝加哥和加州的同齡人 04-05-2013)

Ghost Crab, the Painted Ghost Crab, or Cart Driver Crab

(鬼蟹·彩繪幽靈蟹或車夫蟹)

Horse Fly, Only Female Bites Land Vertebrates, Including Humans, to Obtain Blood 

(馬蠅·唯有雌性叮咬包括人類在內的陸生脊椎動物以獲取血液)

Galápagos King Angelfish w/ Monogamous Pairs

(加拉帕戈斯帝王神仙魚·一夫一妻制)

American Avocet, Sharing Their Habitats w/ a Variety of Other Unique Species, Including Marine Iguanas, Flightless Cormorants, Blue-Footed Boobies, & Giant Tortoises

(美洲反嘴鷸·與包括海鬣蜥、弱翅鸕鶿、藍腳鰹鳥和巨龜等其它各種特有物種共享棲息地)

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 04-05-2013)

Cacaotillo Shrub (城堡野牡丹 04-05-2013)

Galápagos Opuntia, an Example of Adaptive Radiation

(加拉帕戈斯仙人掌·適應性輻射的典範)

Galápagos Purslane, a Symbol of Resilience, Adaptability, & Enduring Life Force

(加拉帕戈斯馬齒莧·象徵韌性、適應性和持久的生命力)

Crosslinks(相關博文):

2013: San Cristobal's Frigatebird Hill(巨龜群島克里斯托瓦爾島·軍艦鳥山)

2013: N.Seymour Is, Birdwatch in Galapagos(巨龜群島北西摩島·觀鳥)

2013: St Cruz's Bachas Beach, Galapagos(巨龜群島聖克魯斯島·巴查斯海灘)

2013: Bartolome Is Pinnacled in Galapagos(巨龜群島巴托洛梅島·尖峰岩)

2013: Santiego's Sullivan Bay, Galapagos(巨龜群島聖地亞哥島·蘇利文灣)

2013: Isabella Is, the Largest & Wildest(伊莎貝拉島·巨龜群島最大最野)

2013: Rabida Is w/ Red Beaches, Galapagos(巨龜群島拉比達島·紅沙灘)

2013: Santiego's James Bay, Galapagos(巨龜群島聖地亞哥島·詹姆斯灣)

2013: Baltra & Daphine Is, Galapagos(巨龜群島巴爾特拉島和達芙妮島)

Ecuador(出遊厄瓜多爾)

South America(漂流南美洲)

小學四年級(4th Grade)