After one more night in Majunga, we were back on the plane headed for Fort Dauphin, 620 miles to the southeastern coast of Madagascar. Three days at Berenty Wildlife Reserve promised a good dose of lemurs habituated to people, plus an introduction to birds of the dry southern climate. Rice fields outside of Antananarivo When […]
Willing to try anything during my Peace Corps service, I applied to be a temporary instructor at the Outward Bound Mountain School. Located in Loitokitok, Kenya on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the school courses were for men with one exception. Once that year, young women from secondary schools throughout East Africa participated in the […]
Harriet with a Baby Wombat Two birding friends of Steve’s who lived in Mole Creek, a small township north of Hobart, had invited us to a real Australian barbie—their version of a barbeque. Mole Creek is conveniently located not far from Cradle Mountain National Park, the final stop of our tour, so we headed north […]
Harriet, Still Travelling Those years in Tanzania were historic not only for me but for the country. Two years before my arrival, Tanganyika joined Zanzabar to form the new country. Mwalimu (teacher) Julius Nyerere became the first president, a brilliant and peace-loving man doing his best to guide his country through the pitfalls of independence. […]
For years just a reference to the Okavango Delta made me long to witness Botswana’s magnificent and massive wildlife habitat. This legendary phenomenon is the largest inland delta the world, over three million lush acres when the surrounding areas have become dry. Called the “Jewel of the Kalahari,” this delta teems with more than 530 […]
On international birding tours, we are after birds. Any cultural experiences must fit into our packed birding schedule. In my travels, these exposures to local customs have been fascinating, educational and sometimes frustrating. One dinner in the Okavango Delta was not one of the best. Lilac Breasted Roller Our first dinner at !Xigera Lodge in […]
My fellow birders and I settled into life at sea, bound for Antarctica. Ahead of us lay Drake Passage, one of the most formidable and dangerous bodies of water, known for the worst storms on earth, and at times, icebergs. This tempestuous passage is located between Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and The Falkland Islands to the […]
Chapters: Meeting Damiana | Going Fishing … or Not | Exploring | Camp Life | Trips to Town | Looking Back We awoke the first morning to soft music from the family’s sleeping quarters. High and low voices and lots of giggles drifted our way as they came to life. Robert bounced out of his sleeping bag as soon as the crewmen stirred in […]
Bhutan held its first countrywide general election in December 2008, a year after my visit and after the coronation of Fifth King Jigme Khaser Namgyel Wangchuck. I hoped the transition to a democratic constitutional monarchy would help diffuse the internal tensions. The elected members of the new parliament agreed that the conflict between the Drukpas […]
Cuba lies so close to our shores and yet has been shunned by the US for most of my life. It was on my list of places to visit one day because of the contradictions that make it so fascinating. Is Castro an idealist or cruel dictator? Is he Communist or populist? Why have successive […]
At the airstrip in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea, a family group stood next to the small bus awaiting our arrival. A young boy played with a long stick, pointing it and stamping his feet. Then he raised it like a spear, bowed his legs and stood on his toes, elbows out, jabbing […]
At the morning meeting of instructors, John announced our first expedition. My heart flipped. When he announced this to the students, the room started buzzing with excitement. A few were quiet, though everyone had been told the agenda at the beginning. In any case, being active at the higher altitude of the school had given […]
After our tasty Thanksgiving dinner, we moved to the comfortable lounge where Julio prepared us, once again, for shore visits. The small craft landings in the Falkland Islands were practice runs, trials for proper clothing, transportation, and discipline. The mild consequences of mistakes during the Falkland shore landings were minimal. Now, anyone who wandered off […]
Our three a.m. wake-up call the next morning came all too early. Mark had arranged for passable breakfast snacks for the bus ride, and most important, coffee. We drove southeast from Majunga, located on the western coast of Madagascar, and inland about 64 miles toward Ankarafantsike National Park. Before humans inhabited Madagascar, tropical dry forests […]