Lietuviskas aprasymas zemiau
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Day 96: Islas Galapagos. Where did 200 000 tortoises go?
May 14, 2006
Long live TAME's pilots, who manage to find the way to the tiny "enchanted islands" 1000 km west of Ecuador's coast, and safely land the jets on one of them, Isla Baltra - an island so petite that it barely fits the runway! Of course, the biggest part of the credit goes to modern technologies which help us find our way on the planet, but it is surprising indeed how Fray Tomas de Berlanga, a Spanish bishop, stumbled upon the Galapagos in 1535. The size of the Pacific Ocean is about 30 times bigger than the territory of the entire USA, and the chances of finding a little unknown archipelago for early settlers must have equaled a likelihood of discovering an oasis while riding a horse across the Sahara Desert. Luckily for us, de Berlanga's ship became becalmed on the intended course to Panama and was carried west by the strong currents of the Pacific. Thus, by pure chance, the Galapagos Islands were discovered.
Sadly, some of the darkest ages followed the discovery - the three disgraceful centuries, during which pirates, whalers and absent-minded colonists destroyed most of the Galapagos wildlife. More than 200 thousand giant tortoises were killed and used as a source of meat and oil, as were enormous numbers of whales, sea lions, iguanas and birds. Many local species suffered from the introduced varieties, mainly domestic animals: on some of the islands, rapidly multiplying goats devoured all the grass, leaving the native herbivores, like giant tortoises, to starve to death; pigs found iguana eggs particularly yummy; while dogs went after the iguanas themselves… Had the people of those times paid at least some respect to the fabulous nature they accidentally came across, we would be met by real tortoises and iguanas, and not by the plastic mock ups which today greet the visitors at the Baltra airport.
Although no incredible animals made themselves available for our arrival (definitely expected to see at least a couple of giant Galapagos tortoises roaming around the airport!), everyone on the plane got nearly euphoric as we touched the ground, especially the two scientists, who had been passionately discussing the discovery of a minuscule marine creature for the entire duration of the 1.5-hour flight. From what we heard, the new life form was very similar to the one already documented, but had a blue dot instead of a red dot! With a bit of luck, we might get to see both kinds :)
After paying the National Park entrance fee (USD100 per person, cash only) and getting our luggage checked for the prohibited stuff (no animals, plants or fresh food can be brought to the islands from the mainland), we were finally free to step outside the airport. Since there was nothing to see or do on Isla Baltra (apart from the airport, bus stop and passenger ferry terminal, which appeared to be of little interest, there was hardly anything else on this tiny island at all) we just followed the crowd straight to the bus, which took us to the ferry, which transferred us to Isla Santa Cruz. After another 1.5-hour bus ride, and we were finally in Puerto Ayora, the largest town of the Galapagos.
To tell the truth, Puerto Ayora, which was supposed to be the main tourist
center of the archipelago, made us a little anxious. Not only couldn't we
find any miraculous wildlife species (except for some more dummy tortoises
and iguanas, very similar to the ones we had already seen on Baltra), we also
had a hard time finding any Homo Sapiens! At the time we got there, which
was 2 or 3o'clock on Sunday afternoon, all the restaurants, cafes, shops and
tour agencies were closed, and there was almost nobody on the streets... We
spent an hour and a half in the hotel lobby watching Ecuadorian cartoons until
the owner finally showed up (woke up?) and checked us into our room…
Yet, apart from being slightly dead on Sundays, Puerto Ayora appeared to be
a neat little town, which later at night (much later, after 9PM) suddenly
sprang into action: the oceanfront street filled up with people, all the restaurants,
bars, shops and discos reopened and started hopping, and the party went on
until 4AM (got lucky with the hotel again - had a room with the view to the
loudest disco in town!).
Guide your mouse pointer over the map to see our route or click to enlarge
Noredami pamatyti musu marsruta, nuveskite pelyte virs zemelapio. Noredami zemelapi padidinti, spustelkite kaire pelytes ausele.
Click on the pictures to enlarge
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First encounter with the Galapagos wildlife
Baltros saloje turistus pasitinka izymioji Galapagu fauna |
Puerto Ayora. Monument to the famous Galapagos iguana.
Puerto Ayora. Paminklas iguanai. |
It started getting suspicious... do they have any real animals at all??
Pradeda kilti itarimas... kazin, ar cia yra nors kiek gyvesniu gyvunu?? |
Nuvesk pelyte virs paveiksliuko, spustelk jos kaire ausele, ir paveiksliukas padides
96-oji diena: Galapagai. Kur dingo 200 tukstanciu vezliu?
2006 m. geguzes 14
1535-ieji. Ispanu vyskupas Fray Tomás de Berlanga isplaukia is Panamos i Peru. Stiprios Ramiojo vandenyno sroves laiva neplanuotai nunesa 1000 km i vakarus nuo Ekvadoro kranto. Taip De Berlanga netycia atranda vulkanines kilmes Galapagu salu archipelaga. Islipe ieskoti gelo vandens, jureiviai pamato simtus tukstanciu milzinisko dydzio vezliu ir iguanu, bei daugybe kitu neregetu gyvunu.
16-18a. Piratu laikai. Prasideda masinis didziuju Galapagu vezliu naikinimas (vezliu mesa - maistui, o is tauku gamindavo alieju gatves zibintams).
1793-ieji. Piratus pakeicia banginiu medziotojai. Vienas ju - britu kapitonas James'as Colnett'as - sudaro pirmaji gana tikslu archipelago zemelapi ir isteigia legendini "zmoniu pasta" - Floreanos saloje pastato didziule statine, i kuria "komandiruoteje" esantieji jureiviai gali mesti laiskus namiskiams, o vykstantieji atgal i Anglija juos paima ir pristato gavejams i namus. Floreanos "pasto statine" tebeveikia ir siandien - tradicija paimti "pakeleivingus" laiskus dabar gyvuoja tarp turistu. Beje, tradicija reikalauja laiskus iteikti gavejui i rankas - parsivezti ir issiusti paprastu pastu - nevalia!
19a. Liudnai pagarsejes simtmetis, per kuri jungtines Europos pajegos (is ivairiu Europos saliu suplauke banginiu medziotojai) iszudo apie 200 tukstanciu didziuju Galapagu vezliu. Nemazai vezliu rusiu isnyko negriztamai. Masiskai buvo gaudomi ir kiti gyvunai: juru liutai, iguanos, pauksciai, ir, aisku, banginiai - maistui, kailiui, taukams...
1813-ieji. Vezliazudziams i pagalba is Anglijos atplaukia ozkos. Britu kapitonas David'as Porter'is i viena is salu is laivo pasiganyti paleidzia kelias ozkas. Ozkos pabega ir tokiu budu lieka saloj, kur pradeda stulbinanciu greiciu daugintis. Per vos kelis metus ozku saloje atsiranda apie 100 tukstanciu, jos nueda visa salos zole, ir saloje gyvene vezliai ima mirti badu. Didieji Galapagu vezliai katastrofiskai nyksta - kai kuriose salose, kaip kad Floreanoje, Santa Fe ir Rabidoj, nebelieka nei vieno vezlio.
1832-ieji. Galapagu salos tampa priklausomos Ekvadorui.
1835-ieji. I salas trumpam atplaukia 22-ju metu britu medicinos studentas Charles'as Darwin'as... ir pasilieka ilgam. Po 24 metu pasaulis gauna sensacinga "zinia" - Darwin'as paskelbia savaja evoliucijos teorija ("On the Origin of Species", knyga pirma karta isleista 1859).
1914-ieji. Panamos kanalas dar labiau priartina Galapagus prie Europos. I salas atsikrausto dideles norvegu ir vokieciu bendruomenes, kurios atsigabena net ir naminius gyvulius: karves, kiaules, sunis, kates, ziurkes ir peles. Sios saloms naujos gyvunu rusys, deja, turi tragisku pasekmiu - kiaules puola esti iguanu kiausinius, sunys vaikosi ir drasko pacias iguanas, karves eda vezliu zole, europietiskos ziurkes ima kariauti su baltosiomis Galapagu ziurkemis, kol pastarosios galiausiai isnyksta... Galapagu gyvunu situacija - katastrofiska, taciau niekam tai nerupi.
1942-ieji. Baltra saloje JAV ikuria karine baze. Po karo baze panaikina. I salas atsikrausto gyventi nemazai ekvadorieciu zemdirbiu ir zveju.
1968-ieji. Ekvadoras Galapagu salas pagaliau paskelbia Nacionaliniu Parku. Isteigiami pirmieji Galapagu ekosistemos globos fondai. Vezliu pagaliau niekas nebegaudo ir nebevalgo.
1971-ieji. Mokslininku globon paimamas netiketai Pinta saloje aptiktas Vienisasis Jurgis (Jorge Solitario). Apie 1,5m ilgio, 90kg sveriantis vezlys yra paskutinysis savosios rusies atstovas (ir paskutinysis vezlys, gyvenes Pinta saloje). Spejama, jog jam galetu buti tarp 60 ir 200 metu. Del nepaaiskinamu priezasciu, Vienisasis Jurgis ligi pat siandienos kategoriskai atsisako poruotis su damomis is jam genetiskai artimos Isabelos salos rusies, palikdamas mokslininkams vis maziau vilciu issaugoti nors kelis Pinta vezliu rusies genus.
1978-ieji. Galapagu salos tampa pirmuoju UNESCO Pasaulio kulturos paveldo objektu. Sparciai daugeja turistu. Nykstantys gyvunai ir augalai pagaliau deramai saugomi ir puoselejami.
2006-ieji. Galapagu salos visame pasaulyje garseja kaip ispudingiausias planetoje laukiniu gyvunu rezervatas. Salu simboliu tapes Vienisasis Jurgis gyvena Santa Cruz saloje, Charles'o Darwin'o moksliniu tyrimu stotyje, ir vis taip pat kategoriskai ignoruoja moteriska kompanija. Turistu skaicius isaugo iki 80 tukstanciu per metus.
2006-uju geguzes 14d. Aplankyti Vienisojo Jurgio atskrenda Zi ir Dovi :)
Pusantros valandos is Gvajakilio skrides TAME's lektuvas apie vidurdieni nusileidzia
Baltros saloje. II-ojo Pasaulinio karo metu cia buvusia amerikieciu karine
baze ekvadorieciai naudingai modifikavo ir paverte nediduku kurortinio stiliaus
oro uostu, mini autobusu stotimi ir keleiviniu keltu terminalu. Daugiau Baltroje
nieko nera, nes niekas daugiau cia ir netilptu - sala labai mazute. Susimokame
nacionalinio parko mokesti - po $100 zmogui - ir sedame i autobusa. Kelione
iki kitoje salos puseje esancio kelto trunka vos 5 minutes.
Keltas nuplukdo i zymiai didesne sala Santa Cruz. Dar 1,5 val. autobusu, ir pagaliau privaziuojam didziausia Galapagu miesta - Puerto Ayora. Kuri laika vaikstinejam po miesta, ieskom viesbucio ir smalsiai apziurinejam kiekviena skersgatvi ir uzkampi - kur garsieji Galapagu vezliai ir iguanos? Priesingai nei musu Galapagu vizijoje, Puerto Ayora gatvemis nei vezliai, nei iguanos nebegioja, o keli saulyteje snuduriuojantys Galapagu sunys nepasirodo labai skirtingi nuo iprastiniu kiemsargiu. Puerto Ayora irgi niekuo neypatingas - nedidelis, jaukus, svarus turistinis miestelis, tradiciskai pilnas viesbuciu, kaviniu, restoranu, suvenyru parduotuviu ir turizmo agenturu. Zodziu, kol kas jokios egzotikos.
Nustebina nebent tai, kad miestas sia sekmadienio popiete - kaip ismires. Toks ispudis, kad cia ne tik kad nera gyvunu - siame mieste taip pat nera beveik nei vieno zmogaus! Pusantros valandos sedim viesbucio foje ir ziurim ekvadorietiskus multikus, kol pagaliau pasirodo apsnudes seimininkas ir ileidzia mus i kambari. Lauke tvanku - akivaizdziai ruosiasi lyti... Kas per keistas miestas - arba visi zmones miega, arba ju cia paprasciausiai nera!
Taciau apie 9 valanda vakaro mieste ivyksta netiketi, bet labai teigiami
pokyciai - staiga atsidaro visi restoranai, kavines, parduotuves ir diskotekos,
ir Puerto Ayora gatves prisipildo zmoniu, surmulio ir muzikos. Linksmybes
tesiasi iki ausros - aktyviausi sokejai namo patraukia apie 4 valanda ryto.
(Mums ir vel be galo "pasiseke" su viesbuciu - si karta gavome kambari
su vaizdu (ir ypac garsu) i veliausiai uzsidarancia miesto diskoteka :)).
