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San Cristobal Island was not only the easternmost island in the archipelago but also one of the oldest eroded volcanoes ascending to moist highlands nearly 2,400 feet/730 meters above sea level geologically. It was the very first island that Charles Darwin visited in the Galapagos in 1835. Several endemic species and subspecies of flora had evolved on San Cristobal, but the human impact had ruptured much of the island, the once extensive Scalesia daisy forest had been choked out by introduced guava and the iconic zone was only a remnant of its former extent.

In the morning, Puerto Baquerizo Moreno looked like the sleepy capital of the Galapagos Province. Artisan fishing and tour boats moored along the coast. A large colony of playful Galapagos Sea Lions was walking all across the beach and even on the boardwalk.

Mom and I went onshore and steadily trotted through the Galapagos National Park with our naturalist to a trial on Frigatebird Hill where it had a rich diversity of flora and was blooming with endemic flowering plants across the vegetation zones in the Galapagos.

In the coastal zone, vegetation was influenced by the presence of salts like mangrove trees and salt bushes. In the arid zone, the giant saguaro and prickly pear cacti were tall enough to shield us from the blistering hot sun. In a transition zone, tall trees were replaced by low and dense bushes, Pega Pega (Pisonia floribunda) grew abundant while Cacaotillo (Miconia robinsoniana) was in danger of extinction. In the humid zone, the Pawpaw tree grew predominantly up to 66 feet/20 meters tall, together with the Guava tree. The trailing vegetation was made up of bushes, lianas, bromeliads, numerous species of ferns, orchids, mosses, liverwort, and lichens that grow on trunks, branches, stems, and even on leaves of some species symbiotically. Monarch Caterpillar catholically fed on green leaves. Passion Flowers, Petunia, and Morning Glories leaned everywhere and attracted Darwin Finch to dance and Chatham Mockingbird to sing in harmony.

There was an American-made cannon that stood in a vista. It had played an important part in protecting the Panama Canal during WWII and later taken by the Ecuadorian Navy in the early 1970s for military exercises.

A statue of Charles Darwin stood on the original site where he first disembarked in the Galapagos Islands during the voyage of the Beagle about 178 years ago. He left with "Origin of Species".

After a fast-paced walk along with Frigatebird Hill in the park, we entered the Interpretation Center that stated the history all the way back from a priest who came in 1535 and declared that the islands were cursed by God because there was no fresh water. It also exhibited the formation of the Galapagos, the variety of wildlife, the arrival and impact of man, and the importance of conservation. The displays made it the best visitor center in the Galapagos Islands.

Frigatebird Hill was one of the most popular places we knew better about the natural habitat of wild flora in the Galapagos.

【红霞译文】

基督使徒岛位于巨龟群岛最东面，地质上由最老的火山持续上升至潮湿高地，海拔2,400英尺／730米，1835年，查尔斯•达尔文首次从这里登陆巨龟群岛。繁衍在该岛的某些特有植物种属和亚种属随生长环境不同而出现表征变异，不过人为因素给当地生态环境带来的影响更大，岛上大片雏菊林已遭受外来引入的番石榴严重威胁，野牡丹植被带几乎濒于灭绝，发人深省。

清早，巨龟群岛省城巴克里索•莫雷诺港尚未苏醒，渔船游轮摆渡仍在码头集结待命，大批贪玩的巨龟岛海狮已经开始岸边活动，有的甚至爬到人行浮桥大摇大摆逛街溜弯。

我和妈妈随导游一行多人由此登陆后，便直奔巨龟国家公园军舰鸟山，观摩丰富多样的植被生态和无以伦比的珍稀物种。

沿海地带的红树林和耐盐灌木因受海水影响而具有高盐耐受能力；干旱区的巨型仙人掌和仙人球林顶天立地，为我们遮日挡阳，全然不在话下；过渡区中高大的树木林被低矮茂密的灌木丛取代，多花腺果藤盛开，罗宾逊野牡丹这种巨龟群岛特有的珍稀植物却越来越少。湿润区多姿多彩：木瓜树高达66英尺／20米；番石榴树欲与天公试比高；蔓生植物由灌木、藤本、凤梨、若干蕨类、兰花、苔藓、地钱和地衣混合组成，常常与某些种属的树干、树枝，叶茎，甚至叶片共生在一起，表现得亲密无间；斑蝶毛毛虫吃素，对具有光合功能的宿主并不挑剔；西番莲、喇叭花和牵牛花娇艳夺目，“林花长似锦，四季色常新”；达尔文雀欢舞，本土仿声鸟歌唱，“飘飘仙袂缕黄金，相对弄清音”。军舰鸟山因为“天北天南绕路边，托根无处不延绵”而生态济济，大自然到处温馨和悦。

美国制造的榴弹炮成为军舰鸟山旅游热线上的景点之一，二战期间不仅保卫过巴拿马运河，上世纪七十年代初期又参与了厄瓜多尔海军军事演习。

达尔文雕像矗立在伟人第一次登陆上岸的地方，178年前达尔文乘坐“小猎犬”号来到巨龟群岛，从此《物种起源》像星星之火，燎原了整个世界。

很快转完军舰鸟山之后，我们又来到公园展览中心参观，该馆上溯1535年第一位牧师来此布道，宣称因为上帝诅咒才使巨龟群岛缺乏淡水资源；下至巨龟群岛的由来、野生动物多样性、人类的出现及影响与巨龟群岛自然保护的重要性，图文并茂，内容丰富，可以说是巨龟群岛背景介绍最全面的游客服务部。

“远芳侵古道，晴翠接荒城”。军舰鸟山是我们了解巨龟群岛野生植被生态最佳去处之一。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2013: Kicker Rock/Witch Hill, Ecuador(厄瓜多尔睡狮岩女巫岭)

2012: 三年级春假(3rd Grade Spring Break)

2011: 埃及纸莎草纸画(Papyrus Painting, Egypt)

2011: 埃及孟斐斯和萨卡拉(Memphis & Saqqara, Egypt)

2011: 埃及吉萨金字塔(Giza Necropolis, Egypt)

Puerto Baquerizo Moreno (黑农民港)