Silver Island

Here's a little more from our earlier beach vacation........................................

Now you might think because we are so close to the Galapagos Islands that it'd be affordable to visit them, but you'd be wrong. The Galapagos are over 600 miles off the coast and a trip out there is neither short nor inexpensive. Plus, because people come from all over the world to visit the islands Charles Darwin made famous the tour companies can charge whatever the market will bear and in this case world wide demand equals high prices.

So, the Ecuadorians (and minimum wage Gringos) go instead to the poor man's Galapagos, Silver Island, which is only an hour away and costs just $35. Besides being economical, the Silver Island trip includes lunch and a stop to dive on the reefs with snorkles.

Around here Sea Lions are called "Lobos del Mar" or Sea Wolves and from up here on the cliff edges you can see the Bulls below on the rocks, each with his own harem of 4 or 5 naked females. I've been told by older, wiser men (Glen DJ) that this was God's original plan for all the male species here on Earth, but most women seem not to have gotten the message other than a few tribes in Africa and the Mormons.

Next , is one of Jo's photos showing the famous Blue-Footed Boobie you may have heard of before and as you can see his feet are indeed quite blue. What you will see next after the aforementioned, back scratching bird is how barren this treeless rock of an island is; but, what you won't feel is how hot the hiking was going up and down the numerous hills looking for birds. Beauty has many Pros, here now are the Cons of reality.

Zoom in on the next shot for a look at the zig-zagging trail to the top of a hill where a roofed shack without walls awaits the hikers who don't wilt from the oppresive heat. I have never in my life desired a man-made construction so sincerely and in my delerium began to relate with all lizards who were also looking for shade to hide under till nightfall. You could feel each degree of the temperature climb as you climbed. Step by step by step it became viscerally hotter and hotter. What are you laughing at Masked Boobie? (Next picture).

The first explorers called it Silver Island because of how pretty it appeared from a distance. The name stuck even though now it is associated with the color of the devil's horns. It was hot as hell out there and I didn't have white feathers to absorb the equatorial sun's heat like all the noisy %$#^&* stupid birds. So, I had to roll up my shorts and continue slogging along which made me look like a senior citizen from St. Pete, Fla going out to the beach wearing his "Depends" . Of course, this sight of a ridiculous human only made the Masked Boobies and friggin Frigates laugh louder all of which only made me hotter and madder and hotter.

Before you go crediting Joella with being smarter than me for wearing a long sleeve "wicking" shirt (and please note it is not blue), she forgot to put sunblock on the top of her ears and they got burned. Whereas, because I literally bathed in #80 sunscreen and zinc oxide my fair skin remained undamaged. Even though, I will admit, later in the delicious cold shower I did look something like a white-footed boobie.

Joella has additional images of these same birds hatching eggs and babysitting chicks that she captured on our trip across the river Styx to Hades. However, I believe she is saving those for a gallery opening in the future. So, I'll leave you with my favorite bird who reminded me of Robert DeNiro in The Taxi Driver asking "You talking ta me? Hey, you talking ta me?"

Anchovie,

Anton