LAND AND SEA IGUANAS DIFFERENT

              IGUANAS AND MORE IGUANAS

land iguana

There are land iguanas and marine iguanas and I did not know the difference until I visited the Galapagos Islands. It was so exciting to see our first iguanas up close. As our cameras clicked away out guide  told us, “Calm down, calm down, you’ll see lots of Iguanas.”

Land iguanas are red, green, and black/brown with a jagged tooth-like spine. They are good size and blend into the terrain unless they are walking on the sandy beach. We needed to watch where we stepped. On South Plaza Island they were everywhere and amazingly we could get within three or four feet of them. Often they would be still and pose as if saying, “Okay---snap away.”

Another day we landed on Espanola Island where the main inhabitants are marine iguanas. The marine variety is black and blends right in with the lava rock. They are a lot smaller and closer to the ground than the land iguana. Again we had to be careful walking on the slippery rocks. The marine iguana is a vegetarian. They live on the algae found in the shallow waters.

marine iguana

Marine iguanas are flat to the ground and sort of spidery and no where as cute as land iguanas.

I’ve seen many different varieties of land iguanas that tend to be much smaller than the land iguanas in the Galapagos.  They ran in the sand along the beaches in Costa Rica.  Even smaller ones ran around our lodge site in Belize.

Sally Lightfoot crabs playing with marine iguanas

QUAINT COLONIAL TOWN

     EL FUERTE, MEXICO

El Fuerte, Mexico is the southern terminus of the Copper Canyon Railroad. We arrived in the lovely colonial city after our week in the Sea of Cortez and after a short flight from La Paz to Los Mochias.

 El Fuerte is a small, old, quaint town which we easily explored on foot.  The city was established as a fort in the late 1500’s to protect the colonists from native North American attacks. We arrived on  some kind of a holiday so we were lucky enough to see a parade and some native dancing in the street. It doesn’t take long to see most of the town as it is pretty small. Many of the stores were closed for the holiday which precluded any shopping which disappointed us not a bit. There was a lovely gazebo in the small town park.

            We took some pictures after the parade and then  decided to walk up to the old fort. It wasn’t very far. At the top after a fairly easy hike I gasped, “What a gorgeous view! I’m so glad we didn’t miss this. That’s a pretty good size river running down there.”

            Lake Miguel del Hidalgo is a man-made lake 15 ½  X 6 miles. The dam  built in 1956 was  expanded in 1963. The lake holds 350 million cubic meters of water and houses a hydroelectric plant which generates 270 million kilowatts of electricity a year.

            Before dinner we returned to the El Fuerte Lodge to enjoy margaritas in the lovely courtyard before dinner.

            The train was due at 7:30 AM the next morning so that meant an early start to have breakfast, check out of the hotel and get to the station.

BORA BORA, TAHITI

                          Photo Op Around Every Curve

Bora Bora is every bit as beautiful as the PR pictures profess! It is an incredibly gorgeous island with a photo op around every turn of the 22-mile long and mostly paved circumference road. I was taking pictures just as the sun was peeking over the low part of the island as we approached on a beautiful sunny day.

            Our guide told us, “Bora Bora means first born and in this part of the world is pronounced Pora Pora as there is no ‘B’ sound in Polynesian. Capt. Cook sighted Bora Bora in 1769 on his first voyage. Bora Bora refused to accept French sovereignty when Tahiti became a protectorate in 1842 and remained independent until France annexed her in 1888. Her last queen died on Tahiti in 1932.”

            He continued, “The main island is 6 X 3 miles and is surrounded by coral islets. Two smaller islands are separated on the west by the channel. The east side of the island is barren. The fertile west side's main crops are vanilla and copra.. Tourism is also a major industry. The population is 4500.”

The interior of the island has slopes, hills, cliffs, and U shaped mountains with deep gorges  covered with native vegetation. Captain Cook named the islands the Society Islands because of their close proximity to each other. It is home to 400 species of native flowering plants including more than a dozen orchid varieties.

            Here we were introduced to our first ride in the colorful les truck.   Our les truck was decorated with life hibiscus and the poles of the open air vehicle were wrapped with palm fronds accented with the lovely red torch ginger.

            The population inhabits the perimeter of the island. Each house has a  little house that looks like a mailbox at roadside, but it is  for their French bread which is baked by Tahitians and delivered daily by Chinese.

We made many stops and ate tiny thumb-size bananas, which were very sweet and sampled fresh taro and poke, an island tapioca and papaya pudding.

The island has one physician, one pharmacy, and one hospital—clinic really as it is only able to handle minor problems. Tahiti has no dangerous animals, no snakes nor scorpions. The beaches were gorgeous. The first hotel was built here in 1961.

For the friendly people life moves slow. What a great place to relax!

FIT FOR A QUEEN

                                                        The Queen’s Staircase

         In Nassau, Bahamas,   the 65 steps in the valley were carved by hand out of a natural limestone wall by slaves between 1793-1794. The staircase is 102-feet tall and was named in honor of Queen Victoria. Slavery in the Bahamas was outlawed 31 years before the US abolished slavery.

            Originally the staircase was built to provide British troops a protected route to Fort Fincastle, and the slaves used were local people from the island. At the top of the stairs, on the island’s highest point sits Fort Fincastle established by Lord Dunmore  in 1793. It is situated on on Bennett’s Hill as a lookout for pirates and invaders. The fort, shaped like a paddle wheel, was never used because Nassau was never attacked. Three cannon are still in place, although are not original.

            Later the fort was used  as a lighthouse and then later  as a signal tower.

When I had my granddaughter on a trip to the island I hiked her to the staircase and then to the top. As we approached the bottom of the staircase a local fellow met us, introduced himself and said, "Welcome to my home." He then continued to give us a brief history of the island and the fort. When he was finished we tackled the 65 stone steps to the top. It was an easy climb and a popular attraction. There also is a 128-foot high round concrete water tower in the area. The view from the fort is spectacular.

ICELAND

WATERFALLS AND HOT SPOTS

            We spent a full day driving Iceland’s picturesque countryside. We were not disappointed when we arrived at the Gulfass, meaning golden waterfall. The beautiful 105 feet high two-tier waterfall, where a rainbow often shines through the mist and spray, was flowing huge amounts of water. The wind was blowing and we got a pretty good shower of spray, but we did see a gorgeous rainbow which seemed close enough that we could reach out and touch it.

At one time a hydroelectric plant was proposed, but there was such an uproar from the citizens that the government bought the land to preserve it.

West of Gulfass is the Strokkur Geyser, known as the churn.  It spouts a 60-100 foot jet of water about once every five minutes. The geyser performed for us a couple of times as we walked by.

I’m always on the outlook for the unusual, odd or whimsical feature when I travel. I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this funny  little guy in Hveragerdi on our ride through the countryside.

Since 1902 natural thermal heat from springs in the center of town has heated greenhouses at Hveragerdi’s, Greenhouse Village. Artificial light and hot water prolongs the growing season for flowers and produce. A thin layer of soil covers boiling water underneath. Not unexpected, it was humid and very warm inside.  This was an interesting project, a bit different from hydroponics. Many residents make regular treks there for fresh produce long after the normal growing season is over. That southern low plateau region is an agricultural area.

A UNIQUE SCHOOL

                                   School of the Air

Before the internet, smart phones, Skype or text messaging Australia had a unique school for its children who lived in the outback where distances are indeed great.  In Alice Springs we were fortunate to visit the School of the Air headquarters  that was established in 1951.  

With a broadcast area of 1.3 million square kilometers, the equivalent.  area the size of central Europe, they reach school children living in isolated areas in the outback.

At the time of my visit there  were 120 children enrolled, ranging in age from 4½ to 12 or 13. The average enrollment is 150; at the peak 180 children were enrolled. One-third of the children are aboriginal. There are several such schools in the country, each covering up to 100 kilometers.

            A guide told us, “The cost is $80 a year per child, plus an $80 one-time fee for equipment and a $50 computer fee. The children see the teacher and their classmates three times a year. Each child has a home tutor, often the mother, in addition to the teacher. Materials are mailed to the child every two weeks with assignments, and in turn all work is mailed back to the teacher in Alice Springs. The majority of the children are in the top 10% of their grade and 90% go on to college. Class size is 8-15 children.

“After age 12 or 13 the child has to come to Alice Springs to boarding school, which consists of four ten-week sessions and costs $10,000-15,000 a year,”the guide told us.

When the guide was finished, before touring the facility, we looked at some photos. Most of us made a donation to the school for school supplies.

We all were impressed with the facility and the neat program. But what a lot of work for mom, who already has plenty to do!  

AN UNUSUAL ANIMAL

Tasmanian Devil

Tasmania Devil Park is a delightful little park. Having only heard about the devil, I was anxious to see one.  There were three or four of them in an enclosure. It was fun to watch them run around and play.

A park guide told us, “The Tasmanian Devil is a wolverine-like animal extinct on the Australian mainland and found only in Tasmania. It is a carnivorous marsupial. The size of a small dog, black in color, it has a spine tingling screech. Its powerful jaws can crack bones so when feeding it can devour the entire animal. It is fearful rather than aggressive. A picture showing its teeth is usually a yawn rather than an aggressive act. Aggression is shown with loud noises.”

      Tasmanian Devils are synchronous breeders, mating in March, the babies are born in April/May. A female can have 6-8 pups, but she only has four nipples so only four pups can survive. The gestation period is only four weeks, but the pups suckle in the pouch for another six months. They generally live about five years. Inhabiting virtually all of Tasmania, they survive any and all climates, sleeping by day, and eating at night.

        Devils raiding poultry yards were a nuisance to early settlers . At one time there was a bounty offered for them  driving them to  remote areas. When protected in 1941, they had been hunted almost to extinction. The population has survived, and today is a healthy one.

The guide continued, “Although they have a reputation of killing sheep, they are rather inept killers, preying on small animals when they do kill. They prefer to scavenge, and are very good at it.  When under stress they produce a rather unpleasant odor, but when calm are not smelly but   rather tidy animals.”

    After watching the devils for awhile we strolled off and came upon a park guide who was holding an animal neither of us had ever seen.

It turned out to be Lilly, a baby wombat, who was just as cute as can be. About 18 months old she was still small enough to be held in a caretaker’s arms.

We were told, “Wombats grow to about the size of a pig, and they can do a lot of damage to a car if one is unlucky enough to hit one on the road. They burrow. See how their front and back claws are different. They dig with their front claws then throw the dirt back with the hind claws. A marsupial, they suckle in the pouch for six months, then stick around with mom for another twelve months. Related to the koala, wombats are vegetarians, and are nocturnal. In the wild they live 5-8 years, about 20 years in captivity. They have a hard steel-like back plate. When threatened, they head into their burrow, placing the hard plate at the entrance, which protects them, as nothing can penetrate it.”

Interesting animals indeed, and probably a couple we may never see again.

AN ANCIENT TEMPLE

                                             Jokhang Temple

This 1300-year-old temple is located in the oldest part of Lhasa, Tibet. What a cultural event! We saw  people walking around twirling prayer wheels and people chanting as they fingered prayer beads. Prayer beads contain 108 beads and the chant sounds like Om Mani Padme Hum which in Tibetan refers to the precious pearl on Buddha, the red water hill, and a clean heart to take me home.

            Seeing the throngs of pilgrims was a peek into a totally different culture. Outside the temple were two prayer poles covered with prayer scarves and prayer flags. On each side of the temple huge incense burners belched smoke. The aroma of incense permeated the whole city.

            Our Tibetan guide explained, “Tibetans pray with their thumbs inside the palms with palms together. Then they touch the forehead for mind, the lips for speech and the chest for the body. The motion is quick from forehead, to lip, to chest.”

            We observed many outside the temple prostrating themselves to Buddha. Shoes were removed. Women tied their skirts. After doing the prayer bit they fell to their knees, usually on a mat, put their hands palm down on pads and slid forward  flat onto the pad. That was repeated over and over. Later when walking the square we saw pilgrims prostrating themselves every few steps. People paid no attention and simply walked around them.

            The main gate of the temple faces west toward Nepal. The door fronts of the inner chapel date to the 7^th century. In 1950 Red Guards shelled and ransacked the temple. Part of the damage has been restored. The present temple dates to the 17^th century.

            As we walked clockwise around the inner of three halls we passed long long lines of pilgrims waiting to put yak butter into various burning candles and to peek into the many small chapels that were off the hall. We were told it was not uncommon to take 4-5 hours to complete the circuit.

            Large metal vats of of yak candles with 5-6 wicks the size of my little finger burned all over the temple. Many find that aroma offensive, so we all took the advice of our guide and used the tiger balm under our nose we’d purchased at the herb market. However, I found the incense aroma a lot more troublesome.

            It was very dark, dank and damp inside the temple. Wall paintings depicted Tibetan history. The inner hall murals date to 1648, while the murals on the outer walls are 19^th century.

            Large baskets, bigger than a bushel basket, filled with money, were located in many areas in the temple. Most of the bills were small, but people could make any donation that they desired. We were assured  that no one would steal money from the temple. In 2001 Jokhard Temple was designated a UNESCO site. Some restoration has taken place since then.

            Originally it was undecided where to build the temple. Some high priest threw a gold ring which landed on a sand bar in a swampy area. This was considered a good omen. Goats carried dirt in baskets to fill in the swamp so the temple that was originally called the goat dirt temple.

            Eventually we worked our way around to the 7^th century golden Buddha for which the temple was built. I was actually glad to see sunlight as we left the temple.

            Surrounding the Jokhang Temple is the Barkhor Baazar. Most of the venders and hawkers displayed the same merchandise. Prayer wheels, prayer beads, jewelry (junk) and small brass objects dominated the marketplace.

            This was an interesting visit. One I’m glad I did as it gave me a better understanding into another culture and religion.

FUN TRIVIA

Useful Trivia

            Traveling around it is always nice to know where the American Embassy is located. Absolutely the ugliest one has got to be in Warsaw, Poland. One had to wonder who the architect was for that big concrete box. By now I surely hope the stars and stripes are flying in front of a more appropriate building.

            The most beautiful American embassy is in Australia’s capitol, Canberra, where major public buildings are built on low knolls around the lake. One exception is the ten acres the US embassy sits on. Australia deeded this land to the US for our help in World War II. The embassy is the largest and sits on the highest knoll. All of the red bricks in the colonial building were imported from the United States.

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            England has a creative smart idea of putting clean well supplied restrooms in their carparks. You always know where you’ll find a ‘loo’ as the Brits say. They are stand-alone buildings. Wonderful

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We looked out the airport window on Kangaroo Island in Australia to see several small planes lined up with EMU written on their tails. A gal standing beside me said, “Who would name an airline after a flightless bird?”

We were weighed with our packs and then led out over the tarmac to two small planes. I remarked, “Well I think I’d rather fly back than take that ferry back across that rough channel.”

The pilot took our packs and stuffed them into the end of the wing.

The pilot placed the biggest fellow in the co-pilot seat. We were all seated and bucked up when we watched the pilot crawl up over the wing and through a window into the cockpit.

This seemed like a good alternative to the ferry?. What was I thinking?

A good part of the short flight was above the clouds. When I could looked down on the water, the white caps looked like wiggly little viruses look under a microscope. When over land the sheep in the pasture looked like little golf balls.

It was a smooth flight, but I was happy to have my feet on firm ground again.

A GORGEOUS CATHEDRAL

Yorkminster

York, England is on my list of places to return to, not only because it’s a fun interesting city but because of it fantastic cathedral of which we only had a cursory visit. Like Westminster and Salisbury one should pick up a docent to really appreciate the wonderful features of these churches.

 During a walking tour we walked around the outside of the cathedral as our local city  guide told us, “This cathedral is the fourth building on this site and was built in 1220 in stages until completion in 1472. It is the largest medieval structure in England and the largest Gothic church north of the Alps.”

            The Minster contains 128 stain   glass windows and one half of all the stain glass in England. John Thornton created the east window in 1405-08. It is the largest stain glass window in the world. Its 117 square panes represent 1680 square feet and is the equivalent size of a tennis court! It is truly a gorgeous window. Thornton’s work surely was a labor of love as his payment was 50 pounds.  The five sisters window, completed in 1260,  consists of five lancets, each of which is fifty feet high and five feet wide, and contains more than 100,000 pieces of glass. It.is the oldest window in the Minster.

            The Chapel house  built in 1280-90  contains fine carvings and medieval glass. The central tower of the 15th century is built in the perpendicular style. The original tower collapsed in 1407 and was rebuilt in the form of a lantern tower.

            The ceiling wood in the nave is painted to resemble stone, and it sure fooled me.  On one wall, 400 year old oak figures strike a charming clock every fifteen minutes. The clock movements date to 1749 and the clock needs to be wound every two days. The 15^th century screen is decorated with statues of fifteen kings from William I to Henry VI.

St.  Stephen's Chapel is dedicated to healing and peace.  A short healing service is held here at regular intervals. A portrait bust of Mother Teresa of Calcutta is in this chapel. It also houses a terracotta reredos (the decorative screen behind the altar) which depicts the first hour of the Crucifixion. 

Prince William of Hatfield's Tomb is the only royal tomb in Yorkminster. Although the tomb figure is that of a young boy, William, the son of Edward III, actually died as a baby. The tomb has been moved several times. It was placed here in 1979, in what is thought to be its original position.

There are two fonts in the Minster: a permanent one in the eastern crypt and a movable one in the nave. Traditionally a font is placed near the western door of a church to symbolize entry into the Christian faith.

            The 1291 nave, in  Decorated-Gothic style, is the widest Gothic nave in England. Nave is derived from the Latin navis, meaning a ship and compares the Church to a ship in which the faithful will be saved. The pulpit commemorates Archbishops Temple and Lang. The brass eagle lectern has been used for bible readings since 1686.

There are many points of interest within the magnificent Minster.   

HAVANA'S FORT

      A Tradition Continues

Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabana

In Havana, Cuba there is a nightly cannon ceremony at the old fort known as Castillo de San Carlos de la Cabana. Many years ago the cannon designated the nightly closing of the city’s gates at 9:00 PM. If one was not inside the walls by then he stayed outside until morning when the gates opened again.

The massive fortress, built 1764-1774, occupies 10 hectares on a hill at the north side of the Havana's harbor. It is a huge complex. It was dark when we arrived and walking was a bit hazardous. After we found our way to a good viewing area I mentioned to our guide, “Next time you might mention to your people to bring a flashlight so they can more easily see where they are walking. Some of that ground is pretty uneven and there is very little light.”

She thanked me for the suggestion. Dah! This was a pro who led such excursions frequently!

The castle was always heavily armed and by the mid 19^th century one could count 120 bronze cannons and mortars and a compliment of 1300 men. However, the garrison was designed to hold 6000 men if needed. Perhaps its sheer size was a deterrent, as the fortress never had to defend itself.

Today one passes by 18th century clad sentries guarding the moat bridge. Ten minutes before the hour there is a cry announcing the procession of costumed military men as they march across the plaza carrying muskets and flaming torches. They march to the cannon where they load and ram rod it ready for firing at exactly 9 PM.

The flash was quick and the noise loud when the cannon went off. It is a popular ceremony with hundreds attending nightly. We carefully walked down the ladder/stairs to the plaza below and after a short walk stopped to listen to musicians playing in front of the barracks.

It was a fun evening and at an interesting age-old evening event. 

ODDS AND ENDS KNOWN AS TRIVIA

Unimportant but Fun Tidbits

            In Texas, towns are spotted from a distance by their water towers. In much of Europe towns and villages are spotted by the church tower. The church is usually built on a hill and the tower generally is built on the west side of the church.

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When biking in Germany and Austria I was standing outside a coffee shop in the village of Aschach.  I had finished my lunch shopping and was admiring the houses that were painted in pastel colors in this little village. A little old man approached me, “Are you American?” he asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“I was in America once,” he said. “During World War II, I was a prisoner of war at Fort Smith, Arkansas. I’m sorry my English is not so good.”

How I wish I had had more conversation with this gentleman. I was just so shocked to learn that we had POW camps on American soil. He did tell me he was treated well.

It’s a small world!

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As we approached Land’s End we lost the trees and the landscape became quite barren. Land’s End is the most westerly point in England. The area has been turned into sort of an amusement area, but it’s one of those places that if you’re near you should at least take a look-see.

A friend and I walked down to the first and last point gift shop where I bought a couple of post cards.  There’s not a whole lot to see other than shops and some amusements for kids.

One of England’s rescue lifeboats was on display near the parking area. All men who operate the rescue boats are volunteers, and they are kept pretty busy at times.

It was very windy and I suspect it most always is. The coast is very rugged. Nasty waves were splashing over the rocks where the lighthouse stood as a steady warning to all who sailed those choppy seas along the  rocky coastline.