Hwange Game Drive

Posted May 24, 2024 by Jan
Zimbabwe

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

Posted May 23, 2024 by Jan
Zimbabwe

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

Posted May 1, 2024 by Jan
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

Posted March 8, 2024 by Jan
United States

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.

The Paro Valley

Posted December 14, 2023 by Jan
Bhutan

Paro City 

Pop 12,500

2200m 7218 ft

Paro District

The Kingdom of Bhutan

December 13, 2023

Hello,

No wonder my meals are all so delicious!

The variety of climate zones here produce rice, sugar cane, strawberries, broccoli, and potatoes.  At the local market, the colorful vegetables and fruit are fresh and crisp. 

In the afternoon we chance upon the entrance to a secondary school.  Headed for the school bus, the shy yet feminine young women giggle, and (seem to) avoid my camera.  The handsome boys follow my direction and line up in a proper attentive pose.  

At a  busy intersection in town, the charming policewoman smiles for me as she directs the traffic. There are no traffic lights in Bhutan!  In this country of hills and valleys, mountain rivers, and big city rush hour congestion, I never once heard the beep of a horn.

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