巴托洛梅島實際上是一座死火山，紅橙綠黑，絢爛多彩，好像火星再現，被視作科隆群島最為壯觀的島嶼。地質上，因為該島形成較晚，人們容易了解火山起因及火山活動。 

      Bartolome Island consisted of an extinct volcano that mixed its colorful with red, orange, green, and black volcanic rock formations like Mars. It was considered as the most spectacular setting in the Galapagos. As one of the relatively younger islands, its volcanic origins were easy to be seen with the excellent example of volcanism.

      This afternoon, we took a short but steep hike on slopes of this spatter cone which consumed around 380 steps. The Tiquila grey matplant throve in sand, ash and volcanic tufa accompanied with Opuntias and Lava Cacti. I decided to count along the way up. At about 100, we inspected how different forms of lava weighted differently in basics of physics. At about 200, we stopped to see the view of the volcanic formations of Bartolome and the lava flows on nearby Santiago Island where we came across the ocean in the morning. But what really blew my mind was the scene at the top. After 380 steps of a wooden staircase, a narrow isthmus came out in between two golden sand beaches, back to back with tropical bushes separating from meeting.

    “赤日炎炎似火燒，野田禾稻半枯焦”。今天下午，我們從陡峭的寄生熔岩錐坡出發，徒步攀援380級台階。除了灰氈草紮根艱苦環境之外，火山沙、火山灰和火山岩上沒有其它生命跡象。我決定清點台階，從頭數到尾。走過100級左右，大家你一言我一語，試圖搞清楚熔岩重量與熔岩結構之間的物理關係；當登至大約200級時，我們又停下來着重觀看眼前巴托洛梅島層出不窮的火山景色，同時還遠眺對面聖地亞哥島黑如烏鴉的熔岩荒野──我們上午剛剛涉足的地方，由衷感嘆大自然鬼斧神工。此時此刻，我巴不得趕快登上巴托洛梅島屋脊飽覽無限風光。爬完380級木梯，巴托洛梅島終於盡收眼底，地狹兩側的金色沙灘在碧水藍天下緊緊地環繞熱帶叢林。

      The best known Pinnacle Rock jutted out to the south at the height of 374 feet/114 meters above the sea level. The landmark symbolized the remains of an eroded tuff cone of an extinct volcano. It was the very place that attracted Hollywood to make a movie of "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" starring Russell Crow in 2003.

      舉世注目的“尖礁”從地狹南側海平面突起，直上雲霄374英尺／114米。這個奇觀異景原為死火山凝灰岩錐，後來風吹雨打日熏月陶，既歷盡了大自然的磨礪，又承載了恆古歲月，才使其變成當今具有紀念意義的地標。2003年，由羅素•克勞主演的好萊塢大片《怒海爭鋒：極地遠征》曾以尖礁為中心，將巴托洛梅島的美貌秀容融合到電影情節里去，並展示給全球觀眾。

      I took an advantage of Bartolome pristine beach for snorkeling among exotic Bumphead Parrotfish, Eagle Rays, Green Sea Turtles and Galapagos Sharks. Mom waded along California Sea Lion on rocky shores, Brown Pelicans on cliffs, Galapagos Dove on lava stones, and Ghost Crabs in sandy holes.

      參觀之餘，我抓緊時機跑到巴托洛梅島尚未開發的原始海灘，忙着跟隆頭鸚哥魚、鷹魟、綠海龜以及加島鯊一塊潛水。媽媽則情願去前海沿慰問岩灘邊加利福尼亞海獅、懸崖上褐鵜鶘、熔岩角加島哀鴿以及細沙魔洞裡鬼蟹。

      On the horizon laid the natural beauties in the middle of the world. 

      在世界中央的地平線上，巴托洛梅島顯得自然清雅。

(二O一三年四月三日，國際兒童圖書日)