圣克鲁斯岛是科隆群岛的中心，很久以前火山活动就已经彻底消声匿迹，但岛上人口总数在科隆群岛为数不多的人居岛屿中名列第一。 

      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.

      上午九点正，我们刚开始朝圣克鲁斯岛西北海岸方向挺进，太阳早已热气沸腾。两艘曾服役于二战的美军驳船在附近水域搁浅，其残骸零乱地躺在沙滩旁。上世纪五十年代仅会讲西班牙语的当地人因发不准英语中“驳船”两字而稀里糊涂地创造出这么一个非土非洋的生字，“驳船海滩”由此得名，并一直沿用至今。

      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.

      驳船海滩非常漂亮，白沙细滩全部由珊瑚分解而来，海水“万顷深见底，清冰一片光照人”。正因如此，这里成为太平洋绿海龟筑巢产卵繁衍后代最受推崇的天堂之一。三、四月间我们来的时候，正好赶上绿海龟夜间生蛋孵化的季节，导游特意要求每一位游客多加小心，千万不要越过插有白色标杆的地界，以防踩坏尚未出世的龟宝宝。

      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.

      海鬣蜥经常出没驳船海滩，甚至整天躺在沙滩上晒太阳。逮到合口味的海藻时，它们可以深入水中长达45分钟之久。为避免摄入过多的盐分，海鬣蜥靠打喷嚏，将多余部分由鼻子排出体外。迄今为止，科隆群岛最大的海鬣蜥约4英尺／1.2米长，产自费南迪纳岛。

      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.

      我们走过沙丘，出乎意料地与四只火烈鸟不期而遇。白色羽毛透出娇艳的粉红色，两脚交替单立，摆出舞蹈身姿，长长的脖子不时婉转伸入略带咸味的泻湖之中。尽管科隆群岛约有400─600只野生火烈鸟，但它们一般并不喜欢群居，除非交配或迁徙季节，大家才为了共同目标走到一起。我们运气不错，一下子捕捉到事先憧憬的摄影对象。

      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.

      道别火烈鸟之后，我们又回到驳船海滩潜水。这时，双带鰤大队鱼群从眼前穿梭而过，令我目不暇接。各种鹦哥鱼、变色龙鱼、太平洋蝴蝶鱼、约翰兰德蝴蝶鱼紧随其后，围着海礁转来转去；巨鹰鲷则躲在岩石后面不肯出来，独享个“人”世界。我们触景生情，津津吟唱汉乐府古辞《江南》山寨版民谣：鱼戏岩礁间，鱼戏岩礁东，鱼戏岩礁西，鱼戏岩礁南，鱼戏岩礁北。

      What a wonderful morning!

      今早的日子多么美妙！

(二O一三年四月四日，清明节)