On Location: Essequibo River
April 13, 2012Ornithologist Pepper Trail was so inspired by his time on our Jungle Rivers of South America expedition, he wrote a poem during his time in Guyana.
Essequibo
Night comes on, beyond
The black ragged palms
Behind the fading sky
Mango, and near the horizon, lime
Two by two, the parrots
Fly to the safety of their islands
In the Zodiac, talk falls quiet
Talk of mangroves, orchids, caimans
Stops
As darkness takes us, we fold in and
Open out, complicated flowers
Under the moon and her companions
We listen
The river is never silent
Galapagos Your Way - When Jack Grove Officiated a Wedding
April 12, 2012Another typical day in the Galápagos. We started the day nestled between Isabela and Fernandina looking for whales and watching the sun rise. After finding a few whales, we continued with our daily activities of hiking, snorkeling, and exploration. At the end of the day, we had our customary cocktail party hosted by Zegrahm. Everyone was looking forward to a tasty beverage, when Jack announced that he had a little something special up his sleeve. Robert and Karin were going to be married at the equator, onboard the Isabela II, and in about 15 minutes! Jack and the captain performed the ceremony with Karin's extended family in attendance. As the sun set at the equator, we witnessed a lovely ceremony with many toasts to the bride and groom.
On Location: Devil's Island, French Guiana
April 9, 2012Written by Pepper Trail
In the early morning we dropped anchor off the Iles du Salut archipelago of French Guiana, home of the infamous Devil’s Island Prison. Our Zodiacs landed first at Ile Royale, the largest island and home to the majority of the prisoners, as well as the prison hospital, church, and administrative buildings. On our arrival, we were greeted by a squirrel monkey sprawled nonchalantly on his back high in a coconut palm. We soon spotted more squirrel monkeys, as well as capuchins. The monkeys are not hunted or disturbed on the Iles du Salut, and are very tame, delighting everyone. We explored the prison complex on our own before being joined by two excellent French guides who put the history of the prison system in context - and in the process debunked many tales of Papillon.
We then transferred to the smaller Ile St. Joseph, where more dangerous and/or mentally disturbed inmates were kept. Here, the ruins seem to grow organically out of the lush, unchecked vegetation at the top of the island, the battered stucco walls painted in startling shades of orange and blue by mold and mildew. The entrance to one cell was nearly blocked by the enormous trunk of a tree, whose roots wound down the narrow corridor like a heavy serpent. It was sobering to imagine the hardships suffered by these men locked in their tiny cells, as the guards walked back and forth on the bars above them, their only roof.
Next up—Suriname!
On Location: The Amazon River
March 29, 2012Written by Pepper Trail
Today we awoke early as the Clipper Adventurer prepared to enter the famous Narrows of the Amazon River delta. Most of the passengers gathered with the naturalists on the top deck to welcome the tropical dawn and watch the early morning activities of parrots and other birds. We were rewarded with wonderful views of chestnut-fronted macaws, the energetic calling for a red-billed toucan, and most spectacularly, the sight of a magnificent king vulture, drying his wings in the crown of an emergent rainforest tree. Shortly before breakfast, we also spotted a tucuxi, the smaller of the two freshwater dolphins of the Amazon, breaking the muddy waters.
After breakfast, our first Zodiac excursion brought us close to the forest and to the houses of the caboclos, the local inhabitants of the river banks. At the door of every small house, children smiled and waved – and many pursued the Adventurer during the course of the day, shrieking with laughter as they “surfed” our wake.
Following an afternoon rainshower we had our first recap from the expedition team, and a leisurely passage through a narrow channel at sunset, with the naturalists pointing out a variety of hawks and other birds, with several sightings of boto, the large pink Amazon river dolphin. Then it was time for the captain’s welcome cocktail party; the animated conversations filling the dining room reflected everyone’s excitement at our first full day of expedition cruising.
Las Islas Encantadas
March 19, 2012Written by Jack Grove.
Herman Melville referred to the Galápagos Islands as Las Islas Encantadas in 1856. When I arrived 120 years later and experienced the enchantment of this archipelago, I understood why Melville chose this title for his short story. However, I believe his choice of title was not simply because the islands were thought to disappear in the night—I believe that Melville felt the magic of the Galápagos Islands.
Early sailors proposed that there was an enchantment to the islands—the seamen would mark the isles at dusk off the bow and find them in a completely different location at dawn. Sometimes the islands would appear to have switched places and other times, they had seemingly disappeared into the sea.
While Galápagos remains mysterious, the islands appear to be staying put. The marine life, however, has begun to fade. Recently, I co-authored a paper on the threatened species of Galápagos; as many as one in five of the threatened marine species may be extinct. Despite this, I am hopeful that we can preserve the islands for future generations and if tourism is properly managed, visitors can serve as a force for good.
I am privileged to serve as a naturalist for small groups of travelers who wish to know these islands. These are not superficial visits; they afford the adventurer an opportunity to delve into the mysteries, the complexities and the challenges of one of the great natural wonders of the world. I am thrilled to be accompanied by Greg Estes, a Darwin scholar and leading authority on the natural history of the islands. Join us this June for a comprehensive, eventful, and exciting sojourn to Las Islas Encantadas...the Galápagos Islands.