It’s been a whirlwind. The Amazon jungle seems like a lifetime ago. Our dream time in the Galapagos went by in a blink. And here we are, the last time we’ll wake up on the Sirius. If we get up really early, and half the passengers do, we can hop on the 6am panga to Cerro Dragon on Santa Cruz Island. Here at the equator, sunrise and sunset is always the same time, 6am and 6pm, so we watch the sunrise as we board the little boat. The blaze of fiery yellow hair on the sun portends the heat of the coming day.
When we disembark the sun is hidden behind the tall volcano
at the center of Santa Cruz, the same one responsible for this island’s
existence. This gives us an opportunity
to see an entire second sunrise from behind the mountain as if a single dawn
was not enough to say goodbye to us.
We’re greeted by a female sealion. She’s clearly exhausted, but her social
instincts are stronger. She addresses us
several times, plopping face down between each greeting in fatigue. We say hello, then stay with her in silence
for a few minutes of peace for us all.
Take it in. Breathe. Be.
The colors of the world are rich and deep this morning as if
the photo saturation slider was turned up in real life. Browns glow gold. Blues are bluer. Landscapes look like golf magazine
covers. Wildlife appears to be cut from
1960s puzzle boxes as a great blue heron crosses our path.
It is still.
Quiet. A few black winged stilts cause
the only ripples in a puddle-depth lake.
We only walk a few hundred yards to take in our surroundings. No one speaks.
Our walk continues. We step quietly as to not disturb the Sunday morning vibe.
We walk back to the beach as the island begins to wake. Our sea lion friend is still there. In the background a blue footed boobie sails close to the water's surface, tracked by its ripply reflection.
The sea lion give us a deep courtsey as a farewell. In her meditation voice, our guide Fernanda
says a few words to encourage us to imprint this moment, this place, this time
on our mind. It’s 7am.
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