Talk To The Animals Suspended In Time, The Galapagos Islands Offer A Magnificent Cast Of Creatures That Range From Amazingly Tame To Downright Friendly

I swam with a personable bunch of sea lions (eye contact, smile, everything but a handshake) and one rather skittish penguin. The penguin was congenial enough, just a bit frenetic. He (or she) was probably still a bit unnerved by the evolutionary turn of events that placed him smack dab on the Equator.

The entire week in the Galapagos Islands I kept humming, “If I could talk to the animals,” but there was no “if” about it. I talked to animals every day. I said “excuse me” to a marine iguana after almost stepping on it. “Your mom will be back soon,” I assured a newborn fur seal.

I encouraged the male frigate bird to persevere. Poor thing. He had blown his scarlet balloon of a chest so much that he looked as though he would pop at any moment. The soaring female frigates above him were playing very hard to get.

I nearly left my skin when a male sea lion beside me barked. Of course I said I was sorry. “You looked like a rock,” I explained. I had long conversations with redfooted boobies, short ones with bluefooted boobies, and a comment or two for the masked boobies. And then there were the tortoises - ancient, wise and very hungry. When you arrive at mealtime, you probably shouldn’t expect an in-depth conversation.

There is no place like the Galapagos anywhere else on the planet. Isolated, remote (600 miles from the Ecuadorean coast) and directly on the Equator but swept by both cold and warm ocean currents, this archipelago is a Noah’s ark of bizarre creatures. Virtually half its plant and bird life and all its reptiles are found nowhere else in the world.

Charles Darwin, a 26-year-old “observer,” came here in 1840 voyaging on the Beagle. He marveled at 600-pound tortoises, marine iguanas (the world’s only seagoing lizard), flightless birds and an incredible variety of tool-using finches. They became pieces in an intricate cosmic puzzle that led him down a controversial path to his theory of evolution. The publication of his “Origin of Species” in 1859 turned the biological world upside down.

“Both in space and time,” wrote Darwin, “we seem to be brought somewhere near to that great fact - the mystery of mysteries - the first appearance of new beings on this earth.”

The islands have inspired writers and film makers as well as scientists. Herman Melville, visiting the Galapagos on a whaling ship in 1841, wrote that the giant lumbering tortoise “… seem newly crawled forth from beneath the foundations of the world.” Steven Spielberg used the Galapagos tortoise head and face as the model for the lovable alien, E.T..

Suspended in time, these islands offer a magnificent cast of creatures that range from amazingly tame to downright friendly. That alone is worth the trip. Birds go about their courting within arm’s length. Fur seals frolic in a jewel-like seaside grotto. A brilliant red Sally lightfoot crab sidles up to a marine iguana who is too busy munching seaweed to notice. A dragon-like land iguana dines on a succulent cactus bud with gustatory delight. “Bon appetit!” I whisper, between clicks of my camera.

Best of all, I swam with that curious penguin who kept circling and popping up for a closer look. No, it wasn’t the tuxedoed emperor penguin with the regal bearing that you see in National Geographic specials. The Galapagos penguin is smaller (the second-smallest of the world’s penguins) and less formal - more the sports jacket type.

This penguin distinguishes itself by being the most northerly of the world’s 17 penguin species. Scientists theorize it was swept in on the cold Humboldt current, took a good look at the plentiful supply of food and decided to stay. Several eons of Darwin-style “natural selection” adaptation didn’t hurt.

The 13 large islands, seven islets and 47 reefs of the Galapagos were formed by volcanic eruptions millions of years ago. Between misty volcanic peaks, lava moonscapes, cactus tree forests and sea-lion-studded beaches, each island has something unique to offer.

No wonder the archipelago was declared a national park in 1959, a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979 and subsequently a Biosphere Reserve.

Galapagos waters became a marine reserve in 1986 and a whale sanctuary in 1991.

The best way to experience the Galapagos is by cruising.

Most boats call at two islands a day so passengers can go ashore in small boats called “pangas” for guided nature walks, swimming or snorkeling.

Depending on budget, time available and comfort level, the cost of cruising ranges from $75 to $400 per day per person, meals included.

Our cruise was aboard the Eric, a spiffy 83-foot motor yacht carrying 20 passengers and a crew of 10, including two knowledgeable naturalist guides.

Three decks of outside cabins all featured private bathrooms. Hearty meals, a well-stocked bar, air-conditioning, large windows and a lounge with TV, VCR and stereo contributed to our extraordinary Galapagos experience.

We could not have asked for more congenial traveling companions. Two doctors and their wives from Germany, a college professor and one-time French Resistance fighter from Paris, a college president and her husband from California, a father and daughter from Texas, a flight attendant with her mother from Ecuador and a Chilean retiree made up our floating U.N.

Fortunately, our guides could shift language gears effortlessly. What never needed translating was everyone’s dawn-to-dusk enthusiasm for the magical time we spent looking at, and talking to, the animals.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO The Galapagos Islands are on the Equator, 600 miles west (a one-hour flight) of the Ecuadorean coast. The climate is subtropical. Generally, December to May is warm and sunny, June to November cool and breezy. Water temperature averages 75 degrees from November to June (the best time for scuba diving) with February to April the warmest time. Water temperature from July to October averages 70 degrees and can fall below 70 in August and September. Most birds nest year-round, so you can see courtship, mating and hatching throughout the year. Cruises leave year-round from the Galapagos port of San Cristobal. Twin rates per person for the three-night cruise aboard the Eric range from $650 to $750; four nights range from $850 to $1,000, and seven nights from $1,500 to $1,750. There is a $171 government/ park tax required of all entering and departing Ecuador. To enter Ecuador, travelers need a valid U.S. passport. No immunizations are required. “A Traveler’s Guide to the Galapagos Islands” by Barry Boyce is a good source of information, especially on trip planning. For more information, contact Galapagos Network, 720 Corporate Center Drive, Suite 309, Miami, FL 33126. Telephone: (800) 633-7972.