Since I retired, I have always tried to start my day with a good walk, but my current walks are probably the most enchanting I have had.
I begin by walking to a place called Concha La Perla, along a short boardwalk that is often blocked by sleeping sea lions. It is also necessary to step over and around marine iguanas, which appear to be sleeping much of the time.
Concha La Perla is a small lagoon with easy access to the water for snorkelling and swimming. After that, I visit other sea lions on the beach and in the water. Their barking can usually be heard from some distance. So ungainly on land, they glide gracefully and effortlessly through the water.
After a walk that leads to the town of Puerta Villamil, I walk along the deserted sandy beach for a few kilometres. The waves are crashing in from the Pacific Ocean and it’s not easy to swim here, but for the wildlife, the sea is bountiful. Pelicans and blue-footed boobies dive into the surf for the fish that are plentiful, sea lions can also be glimpsed in the water and, if I’m lucky, I will see a few Galápagos penguins break the surface briefly before diving down again.
Farther along, a careful study of the black volcanic rocks will reveal more marine iguanas, black crabs and the more elusive Sally Lightfoot crabs. These are red and yellow and were possibly named after a Caribbean dancer who wore a red and yellow dress and was quite light on her feet.
Depending on the time of day, iguanas can be seen entering or leaving the sea. When in the water, they don’t use their legs but rather move their bodies like an eel or a fish.
Soaring above the sea and the beach are frigate birds, waiting to pick up food from the top of the sea or to steal it from other birds. With a wing span of nearly two metres, they can stay in the air for weeks at a time, but they can’t land on the sea. Sandpipers and other wading birds like whimbrels scurry across the sand, finding their food. Regardless of weather or the time of day, the beach is alive with wildlife of all types.
I am living and working on Isla Isabela in the Galápagos for three months. My wife and I were here in March and we met a guide, Daniel, who is also something of an artist, activist and visionary.
While chatting, he asked me if I wanted a job — “pero no paga” (a volunteer position) — and we stayed in touch when I returned to Canada. The non-profit organization of which he is president is called Uniendo Fuerzos Formamos Futuro (UFFF) — Uniting forces we shape the future — and is dedicated to education, the arts, women’s programs, social justice and other goals here on Isla Isabela. There is a staff of volunteers who offer programs and workshops for children and adults in the community.
Isla Isabela is the largest island in the Galápagos, about the size of Simcoe County, but there is only one town, Puerta Villamil, which has a population of about 2,000. Most of the island is uninhabited and there is only road access to one of the island’s six volcanoes, Sierra Negra, about 20 kilometres away. Five of the six volcanoes are active, but they are all shield volcanoes, which means the lava flows out rather than erupts. The last significant eruption from Sierra Negra, the largest volcano, was in 2018, when lava escaped through fissures on the north side and flowed harmlessly into the sea.
The island and the community are fascinating in so many ways and I am grateful to have this opportunity to explore and learn, and to share so much.
Peter Gumbrell has been a resident of Orillia for more than 40 years. He is a former teacher and principal with the Simcoe County District School Board.