Pulau Lintaang - Somewhere in the South China Sea

First snorkeling day. P L is one of the thousands of islands making up the archipelago, South China Sea Islands. There are hundreds of them. Most are uninhabited and various countries lay claim to them. Countries which border the SCS include China, Taiwan, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.

We went over on zodiacs. Beautiful pristine beach - spotted some bright blue fish and some yellow ones. Found some amazing clams and lots of flying fish behind a rock. After lunch - a gorgeous BBQ on beach I tried out kayaking. Not a bad beginning try - will try again.

Great and friendly group on ship. 50% Aussies who I love traveling with, friendly, funny and easy going. To night is Captains cocktail party and I will sit with the expedition leader Tom. Off to have tea then take some photos when the sun becomes let intense.

So happy about the Scottish vote. Was awake in the night worrying. In my heart I felt that it would not pass but it was so close. The ramifications would have been horrendous. I ran into this young woman at Jogia airport in Java. She had no idea what the sweater meant - just thught it cool.  It was an omen for me.

More later TTFN 

THE ROAD TO MANDALAY

Down and out in Bangkok

“Is the hotel safe?”

“I think so.”

I am at Bangkok Airport. Its 2 am.   I have just flown 21 hours from San Francisco. My luggage is lost, the airport hotel claims they have no record of my reservation and are completely full. I am exhausted and because there is no room at the airport inn, I have no where to go.

The desk clerk on the graveyard shift tells me he knows of a great hotel and his friend can take me to The Princess. 

“I hope it is safe and what am I doing?”  I think to myself as I climb onto the shuttle. The driver gives me a toothy grin.

Fairy Lights, garden gnomes and plastic herons 

The Princess is further away from the airport than makes me comfortable.  We drive through dark streets with low squat buildings. We turn into off into a lane under an arch decorated with fairy lights and pass a pond with garden gnomes and plastic herons. We pull up outside the Princess, a rectangular modern building - about 6 stories high. There is a plastic Christmas tree with flashing multi colored lights in the lobby.  I thank the driver and push through the doors.

“We are waiting for you.” Said the man behind the desk. He has dyed blonde hair styled so a huge bang hangs over one eye. He seems kind and his blue eyes, the one I could see, was friendly.

“$60 for the night including hot breakfast and free internet. You are on the 6th floor.”  I took the key and the elevator.

No cockroaches and Scarlett O’Hara

Room was clean but sparse. The overhead light worked if you put the card attached to the key in a slot by the door.  When it was lights out you had to remove keycard and find your way to bed in the dark. Water was cold, bed looked clean and I could see no cockroaches.

At 3:00 am after a catnap on the rock hard bed I remembered free internet. I logged on, pulled up the Peninsula hotel, booked a room for later in the day and tried to get some sleep. I had fond memories of the Peninsula overlooking the Chao Phraya River - it was part of a family Christmas trip one year.  They would sort the missing bag. Bed would be comfy, shower hot, linens smooth.  Ah tomorrow! I closed my eyes and thought of Scarlett.

Wheels, tires and an aborted United Flight

This story has a happy ending, though it took a long way to get there.  A United plane with a faulty tyre returning to the terminal in SFO meant I missed my international connection and a series of flights to Rangoon. The following day I returned to SFO to begin the journey over. My luggage however had gone on ahead of me.

“You will go through customs in Narita, Tokyo, and get it there!” I was told. An endless series of inaccurate statements.  The night before I was told by United

 “That bag is in Grover”

“What does that mean?” I asked

“I have no idea.” said the agent.  I decided to get to SFO 3 hrs before my flight the next day to find it.

“It left for LA at midnight I was told.” the next morning

There were no customs and no bag in Narita - it was still in LA I was told. No bag in Bangkok either.  I cannot remember how many hours I spent at desks at various international airports trying to explain.  Repeating my story until I was hoarse from talking and air-conditioning.

Deep Fried Sparrows

At one airport lounge I picked up a copy of Saturday’s financial times.  Description of the train from Rangoon to Mandalay.  Since I was now several days late and my friends were already in Mandalay I looked at this with interest.   A great rail link built by the British years ago.  Ancient rolling stock.  You can hang off the sides the story said. Lunch time - a wok in the middle of one of the cars and Deep Fried Sparrow on the menu. Maybe not

In the end I took Bangkok Airways to Mandalay.  They use Bulgarian Air and the theme Fly Boutique, Feel Unique.  Last time I was in Burma it was a Focker Friendship plane. We were delayed while a mechanic walked the length of the plane with a large ball of twine.  When we finally took off vibrations caused bugs to emerge from the cracks in the cabin.   

No obscene or immortal materials, or endangered wildlife parts

I filled out the customs form and marked “Toutist” as reason for travel. The customs form prohibits Psychotropic substances, articles which injure public security or morals, obscene or immortal materials, endangered wildlife parts. It also says prosecution will follow if one does not follow exciting laws.

Ah a new world. Burma has opened up.  Three tall blonde New Zealand girls were chatting to a small asian man on the bus between the terminal and the plane.  They were planning to take a local bus from Mandalay to Inle Lake.   

“How is it?” they asked

“Bus is long and not so comfortable” he replied

“I have business in Inle lake.You can drive with me if you like”

“Oh wow! like really?” Go the girls

Ah Mandalay where the flying fishes play. 

I think of both Scarlett and Rudyard Kipling.

JANUARY 2014

Christmas Day 2013

This was the view from my window on Christmas Eve.  I have never been anywhere more photogenic in my life.

Today is Christmas Day.  We went on an 8K walk this morning - gentle moor-land.  Green and mossy with so many wild flowers.  Yellow and white and purple, swaths of flowers. We were up close and personal with guanacos who are having their babies - soft fluffy big eyed creatures which wobble on long legs. They are cousins of camels - much prettier and more appealing though. Also saw Adean deer, silver fox and pups, caramel coloured skunk, rhea birds (kind of pigmy ostriches), and masses of birds, swans with black necks, geese with babies, condors and many other birds.

Lunch was a Gaucho Asada.  Lambs on spits, and so much else, empandas, pisco sours, sides of beef - on and on - What a Christmas lunch.  All in a lodge around a roaring fire it was a Christmas to remember.  In the afternoon another 8K through fields of daisies, more guanco

Now it is cocktails and we are planning what to do tomorrow.  An all day hike for our last day.

More later.  TTFN

Christmas Eve 2013 - Greetings from Bottom of the World. Part 1

The plane landed by the Straights of Magellen. One of those places like Samarkand and Timbuctu which I once thought lived only in the imagination.

It was windy and white caps frothed briskly across the water. There were a couple of wrecked boat hulls and not much else. A scene changed little since Magellen went on his world exploration in the 16th century. A masted schooner here… in full sail...this wind…? Doughty sailors indeed.

We deplaned, found our contact, clambered into vans and began the five hour drive to Torres del Pines National Park and the Explorer Lodge - our home for the next six nights.   This has been a long journey.  9:45 am SFO. Stop over at LAX. Unscheduled plane change at 3:00 am Lima. Upside of that was a chance to fly on the new dreamliner. On takeoff and landing lights change from pale blue to pink to red to orange.  Comfortable seats too. Arrival at Santiago 8:00 am.  Guide wanted to change city tour to morning from afternoon.  Nothing doing we were headed to hotel for shower and nap.

Two days later on our way again - a 4 hour flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas stopping once along the way. Breathtaking views of the Andes from my window.

Now, destination Explorer soon.  Can't wait.

TTFN

African Diary

The following seven posts on Caves and Hills were written during a recent three week Safari in Africa.

With guides at Richard's Camp, Masai Masai

From Nairobi we flew to Amboseli in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro.  Onto Tsavo by road. The main Mombasa highway was a white knuckle ride as the two lane road was heavy with container traffic from the port of Mombasa. At speed bumps women selling tomatoes clustered around our vans.

Bush Breakfast after Game Drive at Galdessa

In Tsavo we stayed at Galdessa on the banks of the Galena River, then flew to Masai Mara for four nights.  After Masai Mara onto to Laragai flying over infamous Happy
Valley. The pilot, Kathy regailed us with gossipy details.

From Laragai we drove to Lewa Wild Life Conservancy for the last four nights.

Brunch at Borana Ranch

The journey was planned by Linda Dyer Millard who introduced us to her cousins, 4th generation Kenyans, and to Lewa Wildlife Conservancy where, until recently, she was a board member.



Here is my thanks to Linda, read on the last night at a spectacular Bush Dinner in a quarry at Lewa.

Dear Linda, our Oddessy is almost complete

So what can we say of this glorious treat

An inside look at an amazing place

That in your heart has a large space

You’ve guided us through desert, swamp and forest

Always ensuring we see the best

Your enthusiasm is contagious and care unsurpassed

And the breadth of your knowledge of Africa vast

Amboseli was such a good place to begin

In the shadow of Kili we all settled in

Then drove through salt flats where dust devils danced

Watching ellie and hippo, we were entranced

To Galdessa where Mugabe greeted us all

And our first bush breakfast you did call

This lifestyle we took to very fast

Sundowners, bush dinners - the die was cast

At Roberts Camp a suit of armor watched us all

While lion, leopard and cheetah had us in thrall

Onto Laragai and a wonderful change of pace

How we enjoyed that beautiful place

Then Lewa rendezvous so special to you

Created by a dedicated band of a few

Schools, rhino, poaching we have learned so much

And more, Lewa has your unique touch

So thank you dear Linda from the depths of our hearts

For your inspiration, guidance, every part

Kenya now is a sweet memory for us too

we can’t thank you enough - and Steve too

Angela Neal Grove, Lewa, October 3, 2012

Into Battle: Man's Best Friend

Tony, Tiba, Toffee and Tash are a crack K9 patrol of bloodhounds working on the front lines of the poaching battle in Kenya.

With elephant and rhino poaching now in the hands of organized crime the war is high tech.  Drones, helicopters and Google earth are among sophisticated combat tools.  However man’s best friend has a role. There is still a need for paws on the ground.

I visited these professionals on the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.  I wanted to see them at work.  Before I got out of the Land Rover Tony was on his hind legs with a large soft chestnut-colored paw through the netting of his pen in greeting. These are not attack dogs. The work of Bloodhounds is tracking. It is fun for them and they excel.

With three handlers we set off to track a quarry. A footprint of a poacher is all that is needed. One handler played poacher. A piece of sterile gauze was placed over his footprint, then taken to Tony for him to get the scent and we were off.

Tony was focused and fast. I was trying to take notes and photographs which was a challenge as he raced through the knee-high grass and brush. He did some circles and some back-tracking which enabled me to catch up. Favorite hiding places for poachers are trees and warthog dens. Toby has seen and tracked it all. We were off again, even faster this time.  Then, success.

Tony was on his hind legs with his huge paws on the shoulders of the “poacher” who was hidden in a dense thicket. There was no escape for the quarry. Tony got a treat and let go. He seemed to be smiling.

Of the four blood hounds at Lewa Tony and Tibia are males and Toffee and Tash females.  They live in large grassy pens and are taken in at night to protect them from predators. Their diet is rice and meat.

Bloodhound training begins at 7 months.  They begin work after 9 months and are perfect at 12. They train daily with rotating handlers to learn different scents. They work for 8 to 10 years then retire.

This team at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Northern Kenya, close to the lawless Somali border, is sometimes borrowed and deployed by Kenyan police. They are used to track robbers and criminals. In crowded situations they are especially good as they are  friendly and non-threatening.  Its all about nose to the ground and getting the job done.

I was impressed. This quartet of consummate professionals is highly trained and effective.  When I drove out of the compound they all galloped to the end of their pens in a farewell gesture. Man’s (and women’s) best friends to be sure.

There will always be an England

A 16th century suit of armor stands on the verandah of Richard’s Camp in the Masai Mara, Kenya. This is the heart of big-game country where hunters once gathered over sundowners to discuss the day’s trophies.  Today it is the long lens hunters comparing  notes on images of the big five. Silently watchful the suit of armor has witnessed it all and so much more.

What medieval craftsman created this suit?  For which war?  Did it protect its owner from a lance-weilding French horsemen? Was the suit used in the War of the Roses?

The owner was clearly diminutive and it was made to measure, no doubt. The craftsman must have painstakingly hammered the pieces into shape on a wood-fired anvil, knowing that the owner’s life depended on his work.

And what fine craftsmanship. In 2012 the suit still stands ready for action, shipped out from England, along with the ancestral coat of arms. It is a shadowy presence at dusk when a roaring campfire throws off welcome heat for the cluster of sundowner sipping guests. This is when bullfrogs croak, crickets rhythmically clack and hyena’s who-hoop.  Masai escorts with spear and red shawls escort guests to tents through the latern-lit trees. 

This treasured, quintessential piece of family history clearly could not be left behind in England gathering dust or sadly placed, forgotten, in a museum glass case. Here among the lion, elephant, and hippo, which neatly munch and crop the lawn during the night, the suit is right at home, again part of the action. Along with afternoon tea on the verandah, egg and bacon breakfasts, Marmite, and claw foot bath tub in the trees the proper and expected status quo is maintained. To a Brit it is very comforting, however incongruous. Qintessential Keep Calm and Carry On.

TTFN