north shore news NE a > TRAVEL Sunday, March 8, 1998 — North Shore News — 41.~ Strange creatures in a strange land Toni Datbs Contributing Writer “Watch your step,” said Cecibel Guerrero. She and Maria Espinoza seemed to start every shore excursion with those words. “Watch vour step. The lava stones are slippery.” “Watch vour step. The Masked Boobies build their nests right on the trail.” “Warelt your step. There's a Land [guana near your foor.” One of the most amazing things about the Galapagos Islands is the fearlessness. of the animals. Not only do they allow humans to approach them, but also they irequently approach humans. To protect the rare inhabi- tants of these islands 600 miles of f the coast of Ecuador, humans are allowed to walk among them only under the supervision — of licensed National Park Service guides—such as Cecibei and Maria, naturalists from Ecoventura’s 20-passenger yacht, the M/Y Letty. During cruises lasting three, four or seven nights, they take passengers ashore for close encounters with Red Footed Boobies, which manage to wrap their webbed feet around branches to perch in Mangrove bushes; Marine Iguanas, which swim in the sea by undulating their bodies; and the once plentiful Giant Tortoises, for which the islands are named. They lead visitors through landscapes that are sometimes bleak and sometimes bizarrely beauuiul—a crescent beach where turquoise water laps at white shell sand, a fevest of short silvery gray Palo Sanco trees and tall trunked Prickly Pear cactuses, a “moonscape” of vol- eanic rock and ash. No matter how many times the nvo women have guided groups over the same ground, they still get the occasional surprise—a pair of Pacific Green Sea Turtles bobbing in a small cove, pale pink Greater Flamingo swooping low over hikers’ heads to land in a quiet lagoon, a Skipjack fish springing in ares trom the water's surface full circle around a trio of snorkelers. These are the kinds of unique experiences that Cecibel and Maria are charged with pro- viding to Letty’s passengers today while pre- serving similar experiences for generations of visitors to come. Although they work as paid statf of cour operator Ecoventura, they must first complete a rigorous National Park Service training pro- gram and then enforce the park’s rules and reg- ulations —- even if that means forbidding a problem passenger from participating in further shore excursions. SENIOR TRAVEL CONSULTANT WANTED Busy North Shore GIANTS agency requires full-time senior agent who knows that atten- tion to detail, destina- tion knowledge, & good service bring excellent remuneration. Galileo. Fax resume, in confidence, to 980-5221 PTT ATLYNN WEED ee v- Ny. Van ATLYNN TRAVEL LTD. SYDNEY 'NEW YORK | LONDON *New Open* Park Royal North 913-1646 arse Open Sat/Sun 1365 Lonsdale Ave., RED-footed booby perched in a mangrove bush presents a mating display. “LOWEST. AIRFARES | GUARANTEED : FUGHT CENTRE guorantee’s to BEAT cay genyi ne, a quoted current price! PUERTO VALLARTA von 339 trom? 1 179: trom? 3 OB: From G39: 286-5855 All locations are reginmred with the 8.C. Travel Register HE DISCOUNT PLIGHT s VIEW from the top of Bartolome Island includes the sharply-pointed Pinnacle Rock, one of the Galapagos = and tsiands’ best-known landmarks. The rules maintain conservation measures and mastly area matter of common sense. For example, visitors to the national park portion of the islands must stay on the marked trails. They must neither handle or frighten any animal nor touch or remove any plant. They must not take food ashore, smoke while there, or leave any waste behind. Governed by Ecuador, the Galapagos archipelago consists of 13 major islands, six minor islands and seme 40 rock formations and reefs straddling the equa- tor in the Pacific Ocean. They are mainly vol- canie in origin and still contain a number of active voleanic sites. The national park covers approximately 90 per cent of the islands’ 7,882-square-kilometer land mass, The remainder is oc cupied by settle- ments and farms that existed prior to creation of the national park in 1959. In addition, the 50,000 square kilometres of ocean and seabed in which the islands are locat- ed plus a 20,000-square kilometer buffer zone was declared a Marine Resources Reserve in 1986. Among creatures native to the Galapagos Islands are: 38 species of birds, including the most northerly penguin in the world; 22 species of reptiles, including the only sea-poing lizard in the world; six species of mammals; and 307 species of fish. Because the islands are so remote virtually alt reptile inhabitants and about half of the birds are found nowhere else. The Galapagos [slands are probably best known for pwo reasons: Charles Darwin, who devel- oped his theory of evolution after observing variations in species on the islands in 1835; and Giant Tortoises, which already had been slaughtered to the brink of extinction by the time Darwin arrived. Yoday. tourists. can visit the Charles Darwin Research Stadion an Puerto Avora on _ Santa Cruz IMand, whee the endangered tortoises are being bred for eventual return to their home islands. The station is funded and staffed by various internation- al entities, including the Smithsonian Institution, the World) Wildlite Fund and UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientitic and Cultural Organization), which has designated the islands a World Heritage Site. Yraveiers embarking on a trip to the Galapagos Islands should have good mobility. To lessen the impact on the envi- ronment, only small vessels are permitted to operate cruis- es in the area. And smali crafts tend to be unstable in’ the Open sea, sometimes nraking it difficult just to walk on deck sometimes — causing ® motion sickness. Passengers go ashore in motor launches called pangas. For wet landings, they have to sit on the side of the panga, swing their legs over, jump into the water and wade to the beach. For dey landings, they have to step from the bow of the panga, which usually is being rocked by waves, onto piles of slippery stones. Deciding what to pack is fairly easy: shorts, tec shirts, 2 bathing suit, hat. sunglasses, ample sunsereen, a day pack, and a camera with plenty of film. However, shoes can take up a lot of suitcase space. The rub- ber soled sports kind will do tor mast activities, bur some visitors will also want to take shoes they can get wet for landings at beaches with sharp coral and sturdy hiking boots for long treks over rough lava stones. Arrangements tor visiting the Galapagos Islands can be made through: Galapagos Network, 7200 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 309, Miami FL 33126, telephone (800) 633-7972 or (305) 592-2294, fax (305) 592-6394. NEWS photos Toni Dabbs RUSSIAN RIVER CRUISE 12-days Moscow to St. Petersburg Special races —-Depart June 24 or Sept. 16 Experience the Russia of yesterday and today on Swiss-managed MV Kirov. VIDEO PRESENTATION Mar. 10 @ 7:30 PM 1716 Marine Drive, West Van Limited seating - please reserve + 926-8511 it’s an Exciting and Informative Day Devoted to Travel Saturday March 14, 10am - 4pm Free Admission Travel Agents AY = Tour Operators Cooking Demo with James Barber Gulliver’ Packing Demo Music ae Fashion Show West Vancouver Seniors Centre 695 - 2ist Street West Van 925-7280