Elephants in the Wild It’s such a privilege witnessing these magnificent African bush elephants (Loxodonta Africana) lumbering across the Masai Mara‘s open savannas in Kenya. I couldn’t help but smile every time I saw them – especially when I watched the females interacting with the young calves.
The grass was as high as an elephant’s eye.
Well – as high as a young elephant’s eye, at least.
The rains came early to the grasslands of East Africa this year. In Kenya’s Masai (Maasai) Mara, February and March were exceptionally wet, and April followed suit (see: The Governors’ Camp Blog). When I arrived in May, rains continued sporadically, the grass was lush and tall, and water sat in puddles on the saturated ground.
Driving south from Nakuru, where we had spend a day following the birds and animals around Lake Nakuru National Park (see: In Search of the Five #1 and #2), most of our four-hour drive was on paved roads – first the local C57, then onto the Chinese-built C12 Highway. These roads worked their way through small villages, lush farmlands, and colourfully painted cement-block shops with corrugated metal roofs. In contrast to our relatively smooth paved motorway, the rainy weather had reduced most of the frontages and slip roads into a patchwork of ruts, mud, and puddles.
Once we entered the Masai Mara National Park, all semblance of paving disappeared. It is no surprise that only 4WD vehicles – most of them specially-adapted safari Toyota Land Cruisers – can navigate the difficult terrain. To prepare passengers for the extraordinarily rough rides that are the consequence of these dirt roads, drivers promise customers a ‘free Kenyan massage’.
Do join me!
Morning at Ziwa Bush Lodge Our day starts in a breakfast room just outside the Lake Nakuru National Park. Soft rains keep the dust down and the temperature lower.
Colourful Buildings and Tin Roofs The morning drive takes us past simple settlements of wooden shanties with corrugated metal roofs.
Scenes from a Land Cruiser Nakuru County includes high-altitude agricultural zones with rich and fertile soils.
Shop Fronts : Njoro Nakuru County I am fascinated by the simple row-buildings with their fancy names – like this strip of ‘hotels’ and food outlets.
Safety First? Different rules are applied to Occupational Health and Safety standards in many countries.
Tano Bora Curio Shop Decorated with animal murals, this souvenir shop not far outside the Lake Nakuru National Park is a popular stop – and not only because it offers tourists clean and working toilets.
Carved Heads The inside of the dark store is packed wall-to-wall with all kinds of arts, crafts, and trinkets.
More Scenes From A Land Cruiser As we continue south, the road is bordered by large acacia trees, rustic outdoor stalls, parked motorcycles, and utility trucks.
Narok Roadside We cross into Narok County and the rains start again. The ramshackle shop fronts continue and the litter increases.
And the Road gets Worse! Once we cross into the boundaries of the Mara Conservancies, the asphalt disappears. Surprising, really, considering that tourism is one of the core contributors to Kenya’s economy.
Maasai Cattle We share the road with Maasai, who live in traditional tribal communities and herd their precious animals the way they always have.
🎶 ‘I’m a GNU – How do you do?’ 🎶 We cross into the Masai Mara National Park – and while the road doesn’t improve, herds of animals now surround us. The first to greet us were the wildebeest. One of the Ugly Five, these are known to me from childhood as gnu, thanks to the amusing song by Flanders and Swan.
Topi Antelope – Damaliscus Lunatus Thanks to the rich grasses, the animals don’t need to concentrate at the waterholes. Instead, many are not far from the main roads.
Masai (Maasai) Giraffe – Giraffa Tippelskirchi Who knew there were four species and seven subspecies of giraffe? I didn’t! These ones, sometimes called called the Kilimanjaro giraffe, are found across East Africa.
Ostrich – Struthio Camelus The only ostivhes we saw were quite distant.
Lioness (Panthera Leo) in the Grass The lions, on the other hand, pay us no attention as they go about their lives. There is also a male here – hidden by the grass. During their mating season, lions pair off for days on what the guides call their honeymoon. They will mate as often as the female allows until she knows she has conceived.
Sharing Information Everytime we pass another Land Cruiser, we stop, and the guides chat. They share what they have seen, or ask about the whereabouts of particular animals. My guide was in search of more lions …
African Bush Elephants – Loxodonta Africana … even though I’m just as happy to watch these gentle giants as they make their way across the landscape.
An African Savanna Elephant These elephants are the largest and heaviest living land animals. It was once believe there was only one species of African elephant; today, however, these bush or savanna elephants (Loxodonta Africana) are recognised as separate from their much smaller forest cousins (Loxodonta cyclotis).
When your Driver Misjudges the Size of a Mudhole … In his determined search for lions, my driver managed to get bogged. We were a long time stuck, in spite of the help of two other safari vehicles.
Another Safari Vehicle All the customized Toyota Land Cruisers are much the same. This one, who tried to come to our aide, belongs to the same company I was travelling with. After an hour or so, a large truck manage to extract our 4×4 …
Lioness on the Dirt … and we continued on to find the lion pride that my driver was in search of.
Sleeping Lion Unless you catch them at a hunt, or in the midst ot mating, most of the time lions are simple conserving energy.
Sleeping Lioness
Another Bush Elephant The light was falling as we made our way back to the park gates.
Black-Backed Jackal – Lupulella Mesomelas A pretty little jackal was my last sighting before we exited the park and drove the rocky road to my overnight accommodation.
Truly a memorable day!
I had to pack myself off to bed, as we had an early start – back into the wet grasslands – the next morning for a full day of game-driving.
Trees Reflecting in Berman Lake Berman Lake Regional Park is just off the highway, 45 km (29 mi) west of Prince George, British Columbia(BC), just off Canada’s Highway 16. It is just a small park – but it promised some short walking trails to break up my driving day.
Thanks to modern technology, solo travel is so much easier than it used to be!
In the bigger picture, I was on my way from Jasper Alberta to the BC Ferries port in Prince Rupert, where I had a reservation on the ferry to Vancouver Island. I was working my way slowly west along the northern provincial highways in Canada’s British Columbia. I had phone data, GoogleMaps, TripAdvisor, Booking.com, and AllTrails at my command, and outlined my route and potential stops every morning before setting off in my rental car (eg: Long Roads and Short Walks #2).
On this particular day, I started in Prince George, BC, where I had stopped overnight. I had a roughly four hour drive west to Smithers BC, where a friend of mine was living. I wasn’t meeting her until the next day, so I could take my time on the road.
My first stop was at Berman Lake Regional Park, only 45 km (29 mi) west of Prince George. AllTrails had suggested some short walks, which turned out to be pleasant, but very overgrown. While the park is small enough around the lake and I was at no risk of getting completely lost, without the App on my phone, I would have certainly lost the trails!
A mere 40 minutes further west, I parked the car again: this time at the Vanderhoof Museum & Visitor Centre for an early lunch and a walk around the Heritage Trail. The museum website lists the trail distance as 1.25 km (0.78 mi), but I recorded 2.1 km (1.3 mi) of walking. Either way, it was a delightful and easy circuit on groomed gravel, past historic buildings, along Stoney Creek, and through a lovely lush birch forest. I was surrounded by afternoon birdsong and clouds of butterflies.
Join me for some short walks:
Berman Lake and Woods I have the Berman Lake Regional Park all to myself when I arrive. The lake has a scattering of fallen trees – as do the trails! Many of the tracks appeared on my App, but were too overgrown to be accessible. The clear water is a rich brown from the natural plant tannins that have run into the lake from the feeder streams.
“Salmon at Work” Now, that’s not a sign you see everyday! It was, however, the wong time of year; I saw no salmon.
Bunchberry – Cornus Canadensis Commonly known as creeping dogwood, I love these cheerful ground-covering plants.
Like a Painting: Reflections in Shallow Waters Wetlands at the edges of the lake feature fine green reed stems and small clusters of flowering aquatic plants.
Rushes and Reeds Bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) – also known as buckbean, grows in the shallow water at the edges of the lake.
Hookedspur Violet – Viola Adunca Western dog violets can be found in the shadows along the path around the lake.
Into the Woods This classic sub-boreal forest is a mix of tall paper birch trees, white spruce, and an understory of low shrubs and mosses.
Peeling Bark Birch trees are known for their distinctive thin bark that peels naturally. Inland First Nations peoples used this bark for everything from clothing to canoes.
Tiny Treasures : Arnica Cordifolia and a Tree Stump
Woods, a Bridge, and Reflections Beavers – which I never manage to see in the wild! – are at home here. This probably accounts for some of the fallen timber, and might be the reason for the metal bridges.
Woods Reflected The lake is surrounded by tall conifers, including lodgepole pines, hybrid white spruce, subalpine fir, and black spruce.
Young Pollen Cones Pine trees produce hard, woody, female cones which release seeds, and these smaller, colourful, male cones containing pollen.
Nature’s Artworks: Scribbly Trunk Insect larvae have left their mark in the sapwood layer of a fallen tree, just beneath the missing outer bark.
Another Small Bridge
Vanderhoof Museum and Visitor Centre Later the same day, I stopped into the Visitor Centre in the small municipality of Vanderhoof for lunch and a visit to the attractive and well-presented museum which outlines local First Nation and early pioneer history.
Smithers House The grounds immediately around the centre are dotted with preserved heritage buildings. This one was built between 1929 and 1935, and was wired for electricity – before that was a common occurrence.
Canadian National Railcar These boxcars were a common sight in my childhood, and always make me smile.
Wild Rose – Rosa Acicularis The beautifully groomed Heritage Nature Trail is short, but travels through different vegetation zones.
Make a Wish!
The Heritage Nature Trail The track is bordered by white-barked paper birch trees, alder, and towering evergreen spruce.
Red-Osier Dogwood – Cornus Sericea syn. Cornus Stolonifera Afternoon sunlight plays through the trees.
An Inukshuk with Heart These traditional Inuit stone landmarks have become more broadly known since one was used as a logo for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Western Tiger Swallowtail – Papilio Rutulus There were butterflies everywhere along the track; most of them were too quick for me!
On The Road Again Later in the afternoon, the stunning mountains around Telkwa come into view.
It was a beautiful, sunny day, with just the right balance of driving and walking.
Elder and Younger In the simple village of Desa Tumbur on the southern Spice Island of Yamdena, Indonesia, a grandfather cares for his grandchild while watching the visitors with friendly curiosity.
Head-hunters once lived here.
In spite of the inroads made by nineteenth century Christian missionaries, the men of the Tanimbar Islands were still known as fierce warriors well into the independence fights of the twentieth century. Today, local languages and many traditional beliefs, ceremonies, and dances survive. On the largest Tanimbar Island of Yamdena, the Yamdena language is widely spoken. Even though Christianity is the main religion, ancestor worship is still practised.
These islands are at the southern edge of the Moluccas, an archipelago of about a 1000 islands in the eastern part of Indonesia. Long known to European sailors for the nutmeg, mace, and cloves that were found exclusively there, they were once part of the Dutch East Indies. While most of these Spice Islands are forested and mountainous, the Tanimbar Islands are predominantly dry and hilly.
I was on a small ship – the Coral Geographer – on a trip through Indonesia’sSpice Islands and Raja Ampat. Our time was drawing to a close, and we were travelling southeast from Banda Neira (see: In the Historic Town of Banda Neira and A Rainy Morning on Banda Api) towards our home port of Darwin, Australia, a mere 550 kilometers (340 miles) – or roughly 285 to 300 nautical miles – almost due south.
We anchored for a few hours in Saumlaki Bay and those who wished to go ashore on Pulau Yamdena made use of the ship’s tenders.
This was to be the last Indonesian stop on our almost-three-week voyage, so I was determined to explore.
Catholic Church in Olilit Barat As our tenders head towards Yamdena Island’s administrative centre of Saumlaki, we have views over the harbour and up to the neo-Gothic church nestled in the tropical greenery.
Kids on the Waterside We are the main attraction! People have come out to watch our tenders tie up on the waterfront.
The Ursulas We are met by a number of local guides with very good English. I spot one with the same name as me, and we pose for a photo together.
Colourful Buildings Many of the buildings on the waterfront are commercial warehouses. It is a Saturday, so most shops are shuttered and quiet.
Banana Flower We were bused for a hot and stuffy 45 minute drive north along the island coast from Saumlaki to Desa (Village) Tumbur. The local guides on each bus gave a running commentary on local sights and history. This village is just 7° south of the equator; nothing says ‘tropical’ quite like a lush banana plant.
The Tumbur Village Gate We wait outside the arch leading into the village while we are treated to a ritual welcome, including song and dance.
Sacred Kingfisher – Todiramphus Sanctus This beautiful little bird had flown into our ship and injured itself; staff kept it safe in a box until we made landfall, where it could be released.
Tumbur Residents Our visit seems to be quite the event, and countless locals turn out to watch and greet us.
Mother And Child
Young Child The younger children especially watch us with some caution.
Market in the Schoolyard Desa Tumbur has a reputation for its detailed black ebony wood carvings and traditional weaving. Unfortunately, I didn’t see anything of particular note for sale at this impromptu market. I was (quietly!) taken aback by the availability of dead seahorses.
Boys on the Balcony Back in the village streets, young boys watch the goings-on from the upstairs terrace of a two-story building.
Local Shop Crowded little shops like this one are common all across Southeast Asia.
Tumbur Waterfront The beach was hardly salubrious; of course, I don’t know if the litter has washed down from the village, or in from the Arafura Sea.
Wash Day The village itself, by contrast, is tidy and orderly.
Breadfruit Tree – Artocarpus Altilis Food is all around in the tropics.
Basil in Bloom Some gardens are growing herbs and vegetables.
Legume Plant They did tell me what this was, but I have since forgotten!
Guava – Psidium Guajava
Down a Village Street According to one source, Tumbur was recognised in 2022 as the cleanest village in the Tanimbar Islands.
Boys on the Balcony The village lads continue to keep an eye on us from their perch as we leave the village.
The Locals Wave us Off Back in Saumlaki, we get aboard our tenders. The locals, …
Village Guide … including our guides, wave us off.
Drinks on the Deck On the ship, dinner drinks are at the ready. We continue south, with the sun setting on the Arafura Sea behind us.
Portrait of a Gujar Elder A semi-nomadic agricultural community of Gujar (Gurjar, Gujjar, or Gurjara) people make their home in the lush green meadows of Budgam District, high in the Pir Panjal mountains in India’s Western Himalayas.
Even today, scattered pockets of ethnic communities manage to live much as they have done for hundreds of years.
I was on a small-group photo-tour in India’s union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. We were staying in traditional wooden houseboats – albeit with hot water, electricity, and wifi – in the middle of Dal Lake in Srinagar. After days of enjoying life on the water (see: Water, Dreams, and Woodwork) and exploring the local markets and mosques on foot (see: Street Markets, Mosques, and Crafts), we headed into nearby hill station of Doodhpathri, situated at 2,730 metres (8,960 ft) above sea level.
There, above the Shaliganga River which flows out of the Pir Panjal mountains in the Western Himalayas, we met families of Gujar shepherds.
Traditionally, the Gujar (Gurjar,Gujjar, or Gurjara) people were semi-nomadic herdsmen moving between mountain pastures and lowlands of India and Pakistan. The Gurjara kingdom (Gurjaradesha) thrived in present-day Rajasthan and northern Gujarat from around 570 CE. The empire fell into decline in 1018, but by then, the Gujar had migrated to different parts of the Indian Subcontinent. Today, they can be found in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.
Gujars are linguistically and religiously diverse. In Jammu and Kashmir, most – like the families we met – are Muslim. They welcomed us into their modest single-room houses, where whole families stay during the growing months. As seasonal nomads, they follow their animals to grazing pastures in winter.
We then visited a shopkeeper and his family in the nearby town of Budgam (‘Big Village’ in Kashmiri), the headquarters of this district.
This whole region is known for its scenic beauty and historic sites (see: Directorate of Tourism Kashmir), but this visit was focused on the people. Come meet them:
Hut and Horses on the Hill Doodhpathri (Valley of Milk) is a scenic alpine hill station in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir.
College Girls Visiting Doodhpathri attracts visitors from all over India and beyond. These young women were on an excursion from a neighbouring district.
Young Woman in a Hijab We spent some time chatting and taking photos of each other.
Gujar Hut The Gujar people in Doodhpathri live in simple, low, one-room huts.
A Gujar Kitchen The only light inside the hut comes from the open door and the cooking fire.
Gujar Mum At first, Mum was a bit shy – but smiling behind her hijab.
In the Smoke As she looked after the fire, the light caught her elegant face.
Man in a Topi Like this Gujar patriarch, the shepherds in this region are predominantly Muslim.
Forests and Meadows This is a landscape of lush green grasses over vast meadows interspersed with tall stands of pine, fir, and deodar trees.
Collecting Water Doodhpathri means “Valley of Milk” which is a reference to the milky appearance of the fast-flowing streams that run through it.
Smiling Woman The Gujars are a proud and elegant people.
Young Gujar Woman in Doodhpathri Traditional dress is predominant, everywhere we look.
Young Woman
Gujar Girl
Gujar Boys
A Gujar Girl
A Woman in Gojari Dress The traditional clothing worn by the Gujar people is an expression of their identity. The hat, known as a laska, lachka, or lashki, is a handcrafted, brimless skullcap with a flat or rounded top and vibrant multi-colored thread embroidery.
Mohammed Iqbal The elder of our host family, like other men in GujarBakerwal communities, has grown his beard long and dyed it with henna.
A Horse and Rider in Main Street Nothing says ‘anachronistic’ like a man on his mobile riding his a horse through town.
Shopkeeper in Budgam In the district’s administrative capital, we meet a shopkeeper and his family.
Women at Home The shopkeeper’s wife welcomes us into the home and prepares us tea.
Shopkeeper Our host changes into his traditional turban, which is embellished with small metallic studs and colorful pom-poms.
Young Woman Outside, one of the daughters poses …
The Boys … and the neighbourhood lads gather.
It was a brief – but wonderful – glimpse into a very different world.
Golden Hour over Bodrum Castle I was treated to some glorious Aegean sunsets while I was in southwestern Türkiye – like this one over Bodrum Harbour and the medieval Castle of St. Peter.
Bodrum, a port town – or city, depending who you talk to – on the Aegean in the southwest of Türkiye was not on my travel radar.
But, it is on other people’s!
Conde Nast calls it: the most glamorous hangout in the Mediterranean. According to AI, it is often: dubbed the “St. Tropez of Turkey.” And, it turns out that a friend-of-a-friend lives there.
I flew into Bodrum from Istanbul for a small-ship cruise around the Gulf of Gökova (see: the Gulf of Gökova). Before and after my sail, I spent a few days this delightful port town.
The town’s main attraction is the historic medieval castle, built from 1402 onwards by the Knights of St John. Known as the Castle of St. Peter or Petronium – or simply Bodrum Castle, it sits on a small rocky peninsula set between two sheltered bays and houses the Bodrum Museum of Underwater Archaeology. I enjoyed a few hours exploring this Crusader site (see: The Castle of St Peter).
The rest of my stay, I wandered the streets: the postside streets full of wonderful food and tourist shop, and the more suburban streets of old stone housing and artists’ ateliers.
Join me for a visit.
Bodrum Harbour I arrived into Bodrum mid-afternoon, and the first thing I did was check out the port. The sailing gulet in the middle of the harbour is very like the one I would be cruising on.
Bodrum Waterfront This port used to survive on fishing and and sponge diving, but tourism has taken over – as you might guess from the beautiful waterfront developments.
Bodrum Castle in the Harbour I found myself a restaurant with a view …
Follow the Food: Something Turkish … and enjoyed a Mediterranean meal as the sun lowered over the water.
Sunset on Bodrum Castle
Masts in the Harbour The next day, I wasn’t due to arrive on my boat until late afternoon. I went to see where she was moored: I wanted to know how far I’d be dragging my bags!
Stone Carving After a late brunch, I paid a visit to St Peter’s Castle (see: St Peter’s Castle). This heraldic design is one of the 249 separate coats of arms found on the castle walls.
Shopping Street The shopping street running parallel with the waterfront was a delightful place to explore.
Nazar Boncuğu – Evil Eye Protection Traditional glass amulets to protect against negative energy and the “evil eye” (nazar) come in all forms and sizes.
Follow The Food: Turkish Delight Food is everywhere! I could never quite get a handle on what is – and isn’t! – a Turkish delight.
Follow The Food : More Turkish Delights They seem to come in every shape and colour!
Life In The Street The shopping street was a great place to people-watch. These shopkeepers kept each other company as they waited for customers.
Setting Sail out of Bodrum Harbour Mid-afternoon, our gulet pulled out of its mooring and made its way through the harbour.
Boats in Bodrum Harbour We are not the only gulet on the move.
Another Gulet Gulets are a traditional style of two- or three-masted wooden sailing vessel built in the coastal towns around the gulf. Today, they are popular for tourist charters and use diesel power. On many, the masts are purely for show and are not properly rigged for sailing. We never tested ours!
Night Lights on Bodrum Harbour We found an anchorage far enough away from town that the lights were visible but the shore-front discos were just a faint thud.
Back into Bodrum Harbour A week later, under the watchful eye of that crusader castle, we were back in Bodrum Harbour.
Dalgiç – The Diver Our gulet is back in a mooring in Bodrum Harbour, so I went in search of solid ground. I found this work in bronze by Turkish sculptor Yavuz Tanyeli close to our vessel.
Afternoon over Bodrum I took myself on an afternoon walk, and found the town – like much of the Mediterranean – populated with white buildings.
“Dragut” Turgut Reis (1485 – 1565) A morning walk led me past an artists’ studio where a variety of sculpted heads were on display. I recognised Shakespeare, but the Turkish hero Turgut Reis – known as Dragut – was foreign to me. The name on his pedestal allowed me to look him up: he was born in 1485 near Bodrum. He became an Ottoman corsair, a naval commander, a governor, and a noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire’s maritime power was extended across North Africa.
Lines and Curves and a Metal Gate Once I’m up the hill and away from the port, the narrow cobbled streets are tidy and graceful – and the homes are behind gated fences.
Dappled Light in the Laneways Light filters through the trees, and people go about their daily activities.
Yeni Bodrum Otogarı – New Bodrum Bus Terminal After lunch, my bags and I are at the Bodrum bus terminal, ready for an eight hour bus trip east.
As sad as I was to leave Bodrum behind, the bus was clean and comfortable – and I was on the way to another adventure.
Until next time,
Happy Travels!
Pictures: 30September2022, 01October2022, and 07-08October2022.
- Performing the Ganga Aarti from Dasaswamedh Ghat, Varanasi
- Buddha Head from Shwedagon Pagoda, Myanmar
- Harry Clarke Window from Dingle, Ireland
- Novice Monk Shwe Yan Pyay Monastery, Myanmar
Packets of 10 for $AU50.
Or - pick any photo from my Flickr or Wanders blog photos.
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Until then,
Until next time,
Until next time,.jpg)
Until next time,
