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The rocks crunched beneath our feet as we walked through tropical forests with singing mockingbirds and buzzing insects. This morning was our first shore excursion to take place on 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 the icy water on the dark sand of Espumilla Beach at James Bay, we started a hike in a steadily growing heat.

The first animal that would dare approach was a Lava Lizard. It ate insects and gained its popularity by crawling in every part of the island. I did think that lava lizards had a pretty easy life compared to how many bug bites I already got.

We soon visited Buccaneer Cove where had been cooled from lava and made a perfect ecosystem for marine animals to live. Life tended to be extremely abundant near the seashore. The morning glories covered volcanic rocks like blankets. A Large Ground-Finches perched on giant prickly pear. Marine Iguanas often shared the same playground with the brilliant Sally Lightfoot Crabs. Sea Lions, Galapagos Doves, American Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, and brown pelicans were also present along with the more unusual green turtles, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, and Lava Heron. Fortunately, Iguanas had no predators here. But for most baby Sally Light-foot Crabs, they had to be aware of many types of seabirds that enjoyed juvenile crabs for breakfast.

We continued to walk down a trail along the rocky coast that led to the extraordinary grottos, home to Galapagos fur seals. At that moment, the green turtle came to visit them and both buddies performed a talent show for their underwater acrobatics in perfect synchronization.

We talked about vegetation in the interior of the island that had unfortunately been decimated by at least 50,000 feral goats. It was said that goats had inhabited Santiago Island since 1813 when Captain Porter of the USS Essex allowed four of them to escape. Overpopulated goats resulted in unexpected loss of food sources that threatened not only the native vegetation but the native animals such as the giant tortoise and land iguana as well.

I didn't see many fish onshore until I went snorkeling. As soon as I put on my gear, I started to doubt. However, I pushed the bad question away and took a deep breath to dunk underwater. The coral appeared bigger than I thought! Hundreds of fish darted around a large rock covered with sea urchins and algae. Some fish swam in circles as if they were on a highway while others fed on seaweed. A Giant Hawkfish looked like a cat. It had blue and brown spots from head to tail with a giant eye. Then a large Bicolor Parrotfish moved beneath a rock. When I went closer, it had joined another fish that looked exactly the same. Probably it was its baby. They were small but never afraid of me. Both acted as I was some kind of new species of marine life. I broke to the surface just in time and saw the tour guide waving his hand to come off.

The black volcanic sand beach looked perfect for snorkeling. I would like to extend my stay and soak up the sun in this paradise.

【红霞译文】

行进在热带丛林之中，我们脚下的岩石有节律地发出嘎嘎响声，“鹤立花边玉，莺啼树杪弦”，仿声鸟高调欢唱，昆虫们窃窃私语。今天上午我们首次出游巨龟群岛，登陆中央腹地替代者岛西部海岸。

勇敢港实为上个世纪六十年代被遗弃的盐矿，如今可谓替代者岛追随者湾湾最知名的旅游胜地之一，泡沫海滨黑色沙滩宛若追随者湾晶莹闪亮的珍珠，十分诱人。我们涉水上岸，沿羊肠小道深入内陆，这时气温开始逐渐回升。

迎候我们的第一只动物是熔岩蜥蜴，它素以昆虫为食，走街串巷，无所不至。熔岩蜥蜴生活安逸，从来没有内忧外患；而我却不同，现已被蚊虫折磨得焦头烂额。

“百啭千声随意移，山花红紫树高低”。海盗湾别有洞天，由火山熔岩冷却后形成的海滩沙丘为海洋生物提供了优质的生态环境，因此招来了众多海洋生物驻足。牵牛花风华正茂，给黑色礁石表面铺上了厚厚的毯子；大嘴地雀自由自在，游刃于布满荆棘的巨型仙人掌茎叶之间；海鬣蜥出没的地方，必定有红石蟹矫健的身影；海狮、巨龟岛哀鸽、黄顶夜鹭、美洲蛎鹬、中杓鹬、褐鹈鹕优哉游哉，刻意坚守固有的地盘；绿海龟、熔岩鸥和熔岩鹭虽然难得露面，不过我们还是有幸目睹其飒爽英姿。值得一提的是，海鬣蜥没有自然天敌，因此能够随心所欲，想怎么生活就过什么日子；而红石蟹的年幼子女却要为如何生存煞费苦心，作为各种海鸟蚕食的对象，它们随时都会面对生与死严酷挑战。如果说弱肉强食符合生存竞争规律，那么适者生存在很大程度上成全了自然选择。

我们沿海岸线继续前进，小径的尽端便是有名的石窟，海浪长期冲击礁石，磨蚀了中央岩层，结果形成很大窟窿，巨龟岛毛皮海狮索性把它当成嘻水打闹的池塘。绿龟常常不请自来，相约毛皮海狮尽展才艺，有节奏地表演水下杂技。

巨龟群岛的植被环保是我们关心的话题之一，听说早在1813年，美国“东撒克逊人”号舰波特船长途经此地曾有意留下四只山羊，结果其列子列孙超生超育，羊口一跃成为当今巨龟群岛首当其冲的老大难问题。以替代者岛为例，野山羊泛滥成灾，当地仙人掌产量因此急剧下降，不但破坏了大自然食物链，而且还直接威胁着赖以生存的巨龟和陆鬣蜥性命。

随大家信步漫游岸边，我并没有察觉鱼翔浅底，可一旦等我全副武装潜入水下，才发现海底世界五彩缤纷，珊瑚比我想象的还要大！海胆喜欢栖息在海藻丰富的礁石周围，数以百计的鱼群竞相飞舞，有的热衷兜圈子，好像行驶在高速公路；有的爱好吃东西，没完没了。大飞鹰鱼外表像只猫，全身上下间或有蓝褐色斑点，一只贼大的眼睛直挂脑门中央。双色鹦哥嘴鱼在岩石下游动，当我凑上前来，它跑去找跟自己模样相仿的同伴，也许这是它的宝宝。鱼小胆不小，它们在我面前毫不畏惧，保不准儿，我被当成它们的同类。这时我浮出水面，正好看到导游招手示意返航。

黑色熔岩细沙特别适合潜水，我真希望能多呆些时候，好好地在世外桃源里沐浴阳光。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2013: Rabida Island, Ecuador(厄瓜多尔野蛮岛)

2012: 演讲训练(Speech Practice)