Elephant Drama and Delight

Chobe National Park

Republic of Botswana

May 26, 2024

Hello,

In my very limited experience, a Game Drive is certainly not a continuous stream of animal and bird sightings.  On the contrary, the day is usually a series of brief encounters.  And also, a matter of luck.  Of course, the Guide/Driver uses his knowledge of “the bush” to locate the animals.   Maybe we will see a giraffe today.  Maybe not.

Today the Main Feature is Elephants.

Hwange Game Drive

Hwange Safari Lodge

Hwange National Park

The Republic of Zimbabwe

May 24, 2024

Hello

The Game Drive this afternoon is a feast for the eyes.

(Game Drive: A multi-hour excursion in a four-wheel drive vehicle in search of wildlife or game.)

One carnivore today.  

The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus!)

Grazers and browsers.

Springbok. (Antidorcas marsupialis)

Kudu. (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)

Zebra. Specifically, Plains Zebra. (Equus  quagga)

Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus amphibius.

Elephants. African Bush Elephant. (Loxodonta Africana)

Hwange Safari Lodge

Hwange Safari Lodge

Hwange National Park

Republic of Zimbabwe

May 23, 2024

“There’s no better place to be.”  

So spoke Ingrid, a fellow traveler who I met on the grounds of the Hwange Safari Lodge.  We chatted for a moment.  Apparently, Ingrid is a digital nomad.  She sits for hours at one of the shaded tables on the expansive lawn of the lodge, head bent over computer. 

Me? I’m waiting for my sandwich, salad and coffee.  The very young and cheerful waitress serves an attractive meal.  French press!

At dawn this morning I encounter my first game in southern Africa.  A troop of baboons scurry across a distant section of the lawn..........

Keanu in Lombok

Lombok
West Nusa Tenggara Province
Indonesia
July 31, 2024
 
Lombok forms part of the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa to the east.  
 
Lombok is about 70 kilometers (43 miles) across and a total area of about 4,600 square kilometers (1,779 square miles) including smaller offshore islands. The provincial capital and largest city on the island is Mataram.
 
The island is home to 3,963,842 inhabitants including Sasak, Balinese, Mbojo, Chinese-Indonesian, Sumbawa, Flores, Arab, Javanese, Banjarese, Malay and Batak. 
 
In the Sasak language Lombok means straight, honest.
.......................................................................................................
 
At only nineteen (19 mind you!) Keanu represents a growing cohort of young women and men (and many older folks as well) who proclaim:
 
We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us.

New York City Icon

Jomtien Beach 

Thailand

March 7, 2024

Hello,

My friend Gary here in Thailand presented me with a generous gift this month.

In his professional life, Gary was a Shipwright.

Now in retirement Gary builds model ships.

Gary knows that I grew up in New York City.

His gift to me is a model of a Moran tugboat, the everpresent M steaming on the waters in and around my hometown.  A New York City Icon.

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