巴托洛梅岛实际上是一座死火山，红橙绿黑，绚烂多彩，好像火星再现，被视作科隆群岛最为壮观的岛屿。地质上，因为该岛形成较晚，人们容易了解火山起因及火山活动。 

      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.

    “赤日炎炎似火烧，野田禾稻半枯焦”。今天下午，我们从陡峭的寄生熔岩锥坡出发，徒步攀援380级台阶。除了灰毡草扎根艰苦环境之外，火山沙、火山灰和火山岩上没有其它生命迹象。我决定清点台阶，从头数到尾。走过100级左右，大家你一言我一语，试图搞清楚熔岩重量与熔岩结构之间的物理关系；当登至大约200级时，我们又停下来着重观看眼前巴托洛梅岛层出不穷的火山景色，同时还远眺对面圣地亚哥岛黑如乌鸦的熔岩荒野──我们上午刚刚涉足的地方，由衷感叹大自然鬼斧神工。此时此刻，我巴不得赶快登上巴托洛梅岛屋脊饱览无限风光。爬完380级木梯，巴托洛梅岛终于尽收眼底，地狭两侧的金色沙滩在碧水蓝天下紧紧地环绕热带丛林。

      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.

      举世注目的“尖礁”从地狭南侧海平面突起，直上云霄374英尺／114米。这个奇观异景原为死火山凝灰岩锥，后来风吹雨打日熏月陶，既历尽了大自然的磨砺，又承载了恒古岁月，才使其变成当今具有纪念意义的地标。2003年，由罗素•克劳主演的好莱坞大片《怒海争锋：极地远征》曾以尖礁为中心，将巴托洛梅岛的美貌秀容融合到电影情节里去，并展示给全球观众。

      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.

      参观之余，我抓紧时机跑到巴托洛梅岛尚未开发的原始海滩，忙着跟隆头鹦哥鱼、鹰魟、绿海龟以及加岛鲨一块潜水。妈妈则情愿去前海沿慰问岩滩边加利福尼亚海狮、悬崖上褐鹈鹕、熔岩角加岛哀鸽以及细沙魔洞里鬼蟹。

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

      在世界中央的地平线上，巴托洛梅岛显得自然清雅。

(二O一三年四月三日，国际儿童图书日)