This is one of the prompted writings I wrote in the summer of 2020 at Sunshine (online) summer camp.
The tropical islands of Galapagos are a province of Ecuador, which is more than one thousand kilometers away! It is located in the southern Pacific Ocean, close to the equator. There are many unique kinds of animals that have adapted to life on the Galapagos, including sea lions, lizards, and even penguins and other flightless birds. There are tortoises that can live to be one hundred years old and birds that can fly extremely long distances. I am interested in biology, and visiting the various habitats on the islands and the animals that call it their home will give me a lot to think about. I want to go to the Galapagos Islands because it has beautiful beaches, amazing forest trails and wildlife, and an interesting language. Going to the Galapagos will help me to learn a lot about its fascinating wildlife.
When I arrive in the Galapagos, the first thing I would want to do after going to our hotel is to make a trip to the beach. I love the feeling I get when I see a vast expanse of crystal blue ocean stretching endlessly in front of me. Some well-known beaches in the Galapagos I would like to visit are Tortuga Bay Beach, Santa Cruz Island; Gardner Bay Beach, Espanola Island; and Puerto Villamil, Isabela Island. Since these beaches are more famous, they are more likely to be bustling with somewhat more visitors. I would also like to visit some of the Galapagos’ more peaceful beaches, such as El Garrapatero, which is also known as “beach of the ticks,” is a less crowded beach on Santa Cruz Island – especially in the mornings, when you might be the first one to set foot there for the whole day. This beach is a thirty minute drive from Puerto Ayora, and sometimes you might even see a flamingo or two hanging around. After the cramped flight, all I would want to do would be to go to the beach and relax.
After roaming and learning about the Galapagos for a few days, I would like to go on a few hikes, whether they are on mountains and volcanoes, through flowery meadows and fields of lava, or simply through lush green forests. Some good hiking trails I’d like to explore include Santa Fe – a small island midway between Santa Cruz and San Cristobal. This place offers trails through a forest of Opuntia cacti, which can grow up to ten meters high, with Galapagos hawks circling overhead. Hiking through trails interests me because I can truly see the beauty of the wilderness without being locked up in a hotel all day.
The last goal I would like to accomplish would be to learn some of the native language. The official language spoken in the Galapagos is Spanish, and Kichwa is the second most popular language used there. I think being able to learn a little bit of a foreign language would be important because I could communicate with the people who live there and who know the most about the islands. Knowing the language would also help me understand some of the ancient stories about the Galapagos. Because I only know two languages, it would be helpful just to learn even the simplest words and get useful information.
Going to Galapagos would help me learn about it’s wilderness as well as its culture. I get to see how the Galapagos changed, and how white people affected the traditions of the people who live there, or if there were any people at all – it might have just been an isolated island, full of wonders waiting to be explored.