聖克魯斯島是科隆群島的中心，很久以前火山活動就已經徹底消聲匿跡，但島上人口總數在科隆群島為數不多的人居島嶼中名列第一。 

      Santa Cruz Island was the center of the Galapagos archipelago, where the volcanic activity had long ceased. It had the largest human population among any of the few islands that people inhabited.

      By 9:00 am, the sun was already steaming hot. We just began to walk along the northeast coast of Santa Cruz Island. There was a hideout where two of US military barges for WWII broke their moorings and ran aground on the beach. The name "Las Bachas" derived from the mispronunciation of the word "barges" by the local population during the 1950's. It was only wrecked with a few metal sticks offshore by now.

      上午九點正，我們剛開始朝聖克魯斯島西北海岸方向挺進，太陽早已熱氣沸騰。兩艘曾服役於二戰的美軍駁船在附近水域擱淺，其殘骸零亂地躺在沙灘旁。上世紀五十年代僅會講西班牙語的當地人因發不准英語中“駁船”兩字而稀里糊塗地創造出這麼一個非土非洋的生字，“駁船海灘”由此得名，並一直沿用至今。

      Bachas Beach was a gorgeous white sand beach made of decomposed coral in crystal water and became one of the biggest nesting paradises for the Pacific Sea Turtles to lay their eggs at night in March-April when we visited the Galapagos. The tour guide asked us to be cautious and stayed away from the white poles which marked the nests of the sea turtles.

      駁船海灘非常漂亮，白沙細灘全部由珊瑚分解而來，海水“萬頃深見底，清冰一片光照人”。正因如此，這裡成為太平洋綠海龜築巢產卵繁衍後代最受推崇的天堂之一。三、四月間我們來的時候，正好趕上綠海龜夜間生蛋孵化的季節，導遊特意要求每一位遊客多加小心，千萬不要越過插有白色標杆的地界，以防踩壞尚未出世的龜寶寶。

      Marine Iguanas enjoyed bathing on the beach and even lay in the sun all day. They were able to stay underwater for up to 45 minutes while feeding on algae. To get rid of the excess salt in their diet, they sneezed it out their noses. The largest marine iguanas were found on Fernandina Island and could reach up to 4 feet/1.2 meters long.

      海鬣蜥經常出沒駁船海灘，甚至整天躺在沙灘上曬太陽。逮到合口味的海藻時，它們可以深入水中長達45分鐘之久。為避免攝入過多的鹽分，海鬣蜥靠打噴嚏，將多餘部分由鼻子排出體外。迄今為止，科隆群島最大的海鬣蜥約4英尺／1.2米長，產自費南迪納島。

      As we passed over some sand dunes, we were surprised to see a stand of flamingos. There were four whitish pink in their emblematic color, hopping from one foot to the other like a dance. Their long necks stretched down into a large brackish lagoon where the water was mixed with fresh and sea salt. It was uncommon to meet the wild flamingos in such big flock since there were only 400-600 flamingos spread in the entire Galapagos Islands. The only time they gathered was when they were mating and migrating. Fortunately enough for us, these beautiful birds seemed to have picked the perfect spot for our cameras.

      我們走過沙丘，出乎意料地與四隻火烈鳥不期而遇。白色羽毛透出嬌艷的粉紅色，兩腳交替單立，擺出舞蹈身姿，長長的脖子不時婉轉伸入略帶鹹味的瀉湖之中。儘管科隆群島約有400─600只野生火烈鳥，但它們一般並不喜歡群居，除非交配或遷徙季節，大家才為了共同目標走到一起。我們運氣不錯，一下子捕捉到事先憧憬的攝影對象。

      We returned to Bachas Beach for snorkeling. My first sight was a school of Rainbow Runners, zipping around faster than my head could turn. They were followed by a variety of Parrotfish, Chameleon Wrasse, and Pacific Creole Fish. Barber Fish swarmed rocks and Giant Hawkfish hid behind boulders.

      道別火烈鳥之後，我們又回到駁船海灘潛水。這時，雙帶鰤大隊魚群從眼前穿梭而過，令我目不暇接。各種鸚哥魚、變色龍魚、太平洋蝴蝶魚、約翰蘭德蝴蝶魚緊隨其後，圍着海礁轉來轉去；巨鷹鯛則躲在岩石後面不肯出來，獨享個“人”世界。我們觸景生情，津津吟唱漢樂府古辭《江南》山寨版民謠：魚戲岩礁間，魚戲岩礁東，魚戲岩礁西，魚戲岩礁南，魚戲岩礁北。

      What a wonderful morning!

      今早的日子多麼美妙！

(二O一三年四月四日，清明節)