Isla Genovesa
When I was 11 years old, my parents gave me a subscription to National Geographic magazine for my birthday. It was a good choice given my love of the outdoors in general and animals in particular, but little did they know what a wonderful thing they had done. I’m not certain whether I had ever encountered the magazine before, but it wasn’t long until I was waiting eagerly to see that shiny cover with the familiar yellow border in my mailbox. Maybe you’ve experienced the same excitement? For me, many of the feelings are the same nearly 3 decades later. I still feel the thrill of learning about far away places, shock and occasional dismay at our callousness toward other species, pleasure and amazement at having a ring-side seat as scientists uncover previously unimagined natural wonders and a sense of endless possibilities in a world full of adventure! I can’t help but believe that my choice to become a geographer and then a member of Lindblad Expeditions Natural History Staff was in part attributable to the hours spent pouring over the details of life in Papua New Guinea or the research efforts of Jane Goodall.
I’ve had some of the most moving, incomparable, beautiful moments of my life sailing in Baja, Alaska and on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, but there is something about Galápagos that makes me feel as if I had just stepped into the pages of that venerable journal. Perhaps it’s due to the history of the destination with its singularly pivotal role in the development of the natural sciences. Maybe it has to do with the “exoticness” of the location, echoed in everything from the numerous endemic species to the landscape to the shipboard menu. What I really think it is, more than anything else, is how other-worldly it feels to interact with animals who regard you with curiosity rather than concern. How many people have ever stood literally inches from courting Nazca boobies, watching their complicated yet somewhat comical dance routine? Can you imagine the fun of having a group of sea lion pups approach you on the beach to sniff your leg and tug on your sandal? Talk about amazing! On top of it all, the wildlife photography opportunities are phenomenal! You might catch a red-billed tropic bird in flight like the one above, or maybe, like some other guests did today, capture the emergence of young red-footed booby as it breaks free of its egg. Being here in Galápagos must be something like what a National Geographic researcher or photographer experiences when on assignment. What a great joy and privilege it is to be living a dream.
When I was 11 years old, my parents gave me a subscription to National Geographic magazine for my birthday. It was a good choice given my love of the outdoors in general and animals in particular, but little did they know what a wonderful thing they had done. I’m not certain whether I had ever encountered the magazine before, but it wasn’t long until I was waiting eagerly to see that shiny cover with the familiar yellow border in my mailbox. Maybe you’ve experienced the same excitement? For me, many of the feelings are the same nearly 3 decades later. I still feel the thrill of learning about far away places, shock and occasional dismay at our callousness toward other species, pleasure and amazement at having a ring-side seat as scientists uncover previously unimagined natural wonders and a sense of endless possibilities in a world full of adventure! I can’t help but believe that my choice to become a geographer and then a member of Lindblad Expeditions Natural History Staff was in part attributable to the hours spent pouring over the details of life in Papua New Guinea or the research efforts of Jane Goodall.
I’ve had some of the most moving, incomparable, beautiful moments of my life sailing in Baja, Alaska and on the Columbia and Snake Rivers, but there is something about Galápagos that makes me feel as if I had just stepped into the pages of that venerable journal. Perhaps it’s due to the history of the destination with its singularly pivotal role in the development of the natural sciences. Maybe it has to do with the “exoticness” of the location, echoed in everything from the numerous endemic species to the landscape to the shipboard menu. What I really think it is, more than anything else, is how other-worldly it feels to interact with animals who regard you with curiosity rather than concern. How many people have ever stood literally inches from courting Nazca boobies, watching their complicated yet somewhat comical dance routine? Can you imagine the fun of having a group of sea lion pups approach you on the beach to sniff your leg and tug on your sandal? Talk about amazing! On top of it all, the wildlife photography opportunities are phenomenal! You might catch a red-billed tropic bird in flight like the one above, or maybe, like some other guests did today, capture the emergence of young red-footed booby as it breaks free of its egg. Being here in Galápagos must be something like what a National Geographic researcher or photographer experiences when on assignment. What a great joy and privilege it is to be living a dream.
