Riding a Camel

                                      Not the same as riding a horse

     When we were in Alice Springs in the Australian Outback, to break up the long ride, we stopped at a camel farm where I learned Australia is the largest producer of camels in the world, and they are exported all over the globe.

    My travel  buddy and I are always ready to try anything new, so we decided to take a camel ride. Even if either of was an equestrian, this would be a different experience. The animal handler gave us advice on what to expect when the camel got up or down.

    For easy mounting the camel was lying down. We each took a seat on a double saddle. A camel stands on his hind legs first giving one a slight thrust forward, but nothing to get excited or shout about.

    One does not bounce in the saddle like on a horse. The ride was a rather bumpy one and we agreed that an all-day ride on a camel would seem very long.

    Back in the corral the camel went down on command, The fore-legs go down first creating a sizable jolt that produced a spontaneous, simultaneous whoop from both of us. However, we did manage to survive that forward thrust and stayed in the saddle. The hind legs going down was tame in comparison.

    As  I wandered into the museum I remarked  that it  had been a different kind of ride but a fun experience.

    A couple years later I rode a camel at a local ranch, but that time boarded the camel from a platform which was easier and the camel was a single hump one. That ride reconfirmed that I would not want to ride a camel all day long. They make wonderful pack animals and I’m willing to leave it at that!

Hitchhiking Birds

                                                   Smart Birds

    I saw a lot of neat animals and numerous birds when in the Galapagos Islands.

     We left Santa Cruz Island in the evening for an all night cruise to Tower Island. Our guide sent us to bed with the promise of a surprise in the morning.

     When I walked out on deck, with my first cup of coffee in my hand, the next morning I suddenly stopped, mesmerized by the sight of two red-footed boobies perched on the boat ‘s bowsprit. Their red webbed feet held tight to the rails and with the wind blowing in their beautiful faces, the birds looked very regal.

    They sat there in all their splendor for a very long time. My son had been up for some time and had taken pictures. He walked very slowly over to me and said, “Aren’t they wonderful, Mom?”

    We all were very quiet, speaking in hushed tones and moved very slowly, if at all. We learned that red-footed boobies feed far out to sea in deep waters. After a night of fishing and feeding the birds often hitch a ride back to shore on boats that sail the islands.

    The birds posed like it was expected of them. We were all excited and enjoyed the birds’ company for a long time. Everyone had a chance to get their photos and to enjoy the up close encounter with the red footed boobies.  What a way to start the day!

TORTUGUERO NATIONAL PARK

                                          Turtles Are The Attraction

            It was not until my third trip to Costa Rica that I got to Tortuguero National Park, located in a remote area on Costa Rica’s eastern Atlantic coast. The park, covering 47,000 acres, was established in 1970, although regulation to protect the turtles and control visitors started in 1963 when turtles were nearly extinct. Trade in turtles has gone on since 1541. Tortugas, in Spanish, means giant sea turtle. Turtles are the main attraction in the park.

Of the eight species of marine turtles, six nest in Costa Rica and four species nest in the park. The green turtle is the most common. Hawksbill turtles are also found in the park. The Loggerhead is the rarest, and the giant Leatherback is the most spectacular and largest of all the species. It can grow up to six feet and weigh 1000 pounds. 

Raffia palms line the jungle canals and lagoons that lie behind beaches. These canals are the main highway, as no vehicles or paved roads exist in the park. Boats, skiffs, dugout canoes ply the canals and transport goods and people. Such water crafts are often referred to as pangas. Many say the lush tropical jungle is similar to the Amazon.

Tortuguero is home to spider, capuchin and howler monkeys as well as the great green macaw, green iguana, toucan, three-toed sloth, and the endangered manatee. The area receives 200-inches of rain a year and is the rainiest part of the country, resulting in a healthy mosquito population. We were very lucky as far as both rain and bugs were concerned. Although we were prepared with long sleeves and long pants we had no need for them and we never did use any of the bug juice! It was VERY humid and smothering hot though.

The rain forest protects 350 species of birds, 110 specie reptiles, 57 species amphibians as well as butterflies, jaguars, anteaters, and peccaries. The lowland rain-forest is a true tropical jungle.

While in the park we took three additional boat rides for nature watching. Our guide checked in with the park rangers each time before we went exploring various canals. The palm canal (Cano Palma) totally fascinated me. Palms contain a lot of tannin, and with many dead leaves on the bottom, the water appears very black and was mirror calm. The reflections were so incredible that it was hard to determine what was real and what was reflection. When we did turn up the speed, the boat’s wake was a marked bronze color instead of white.

It was common to see monkeys playing in the trees and sometimes teasing us as we walked along the paths. Iguanas and small lizards were seen often so it was wise to watch where you stepped. Our cabins were individual, enclosed and you could see nothing but lush foliage when looking out the screened open-shuttered ‘windows’. Ceiling fans were helpful at night as there was no air conditioning.  Being a naturalist I thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the park as did the rest of my family. Rain forests are neat areas, and having stayed in several, I’ll take one every chance I get.

THE EDEN PROJECT

                      An Amazing Exhibit

        I had read about the Eden project in the paper a few months before a trip to England. We arrived just at opening time. Some waited for the little cars to take them down into the crater, but I walked it.

It took two and a half years to build the Eden Project, which did not open until Easter 2001. It created so much interest that 500,000 people visited during the six month period of May-November to view the construction and progress of the project. The mission of the Eden Project is, “To promote the understanding and practice the responsible management of the vital relationship between plants, people, and resources leading towards a sustainable future for all.”

            The popularity of the $150 million (US) Eden Project far exceeded expectations, and 300,000 people visited in the first ten weeks after opening! The project had large umbrellas in many locations. I grabbed an umbrella as it looked very threatening, and at the very least it would make a nice walking stick. I had no more than entered the first biome when it started to rain, and it continued to rain very hard all day.   

            Space age technology meets the lost world of a giant abandoned 50-meter (163’) crater china-clay quarry. The size of 35 football fields Eden houses two gigantic geodetic domes housing thousands of plants. These biomes are the largest in the world, covering over two acres, and are made by joining 800 huge steel hexagons. Each hexagon is 25-feet across. If tears or holes appear in the solar paneled roofs they can be repaired with a special tape. This remarkable engineering feat uses no internal supports.

            One dome contains a humid tropical rain forest, complete with waterfalls and ponds. The plantings were grouped in nine different areas designed as Madam Wealth, Dr. Health, Mother Nature, Lady Beautiful, World’s Feast etc. Plants were clearly marked, and periodically there was a small about 18 X 18” canvas bulletin board with drawings and interesting facts. In the 17^th century a cargo of cloves was a king’s ransom, pepper could pay the rent, and a packet of nutmeg could buy a mansion! The temperature in this biome was 98 degrees with humidity of probably 90%. The crowds here prevented anything but a leisurely amble.  Droplets of water were beginning to accumulate on me as I neared the end and the exit!

            The other biome was a bit cooler, but still demanded the peeling off of outer garments. This biome was also divided with winding paths, up, down, and around. Someone had a very creative mind and a good since of humor as whimsical decorations were found in various nooks and crannies.

            I managed to stay dry as I walked back up the hill to the coach. It is a very steep incline in and out of the project as you walk to the bottom of the quarry. Little Disney-like trains run back and forth, but we walked it faster than the line waiting for it, and the umbrellas were nice and big.

            The complex is an educational facility, museum and display area. There also are three indoor cafeterias and an outside café.  Benches surround an outside pool. One could easily spend all day here. The parking lot sections were labeled with fruit names (banana, apple, etc) as well as with numbers, the theory being that it is easier to remember a name than a number.

            The tremendous popularity of this project, I think, says something about our concern for the future. The project was a gigantic undertaking that is proving to have been worthwhile.  Now a decade later I’d like to revisit the site. It is an amazing place.

KENYA TID BITS

Kenya Trivia

 

On a picnic one day by the Mara River I watched our guide take his cold soda and place it in the sun on the hood of the van to warm up. I know Europeans know chilled but  are Americans the only people who like their cola cold?

*****

 While in the Mara we were awakened each morning by the black faced monkeys squabbling outside our tent. It was as if they were saying ‘okay, it’s daylight now, it is time to get up’.

                                                                                    *****

It is impossible to trap a lion as they are too cunning and if you move one, the whole pride needs to be moved which is almost impossible to do.

                                                                       *****

The morning  we drove out from the Ark a beautiful spotted leopard crossed right in front of our van. He was going home to rest after a nights hunt.  He was beautiful. Lucky us!

                                                                       *****

On safari,  game runs are done early in the morning (6:30) before breakfast and late afternoon/early evening. These are the times of day the animals are most active as they rest in the heat of the day.

                                                                       *****

My son returned to our cabin after photographing Mt Kilimanjaro at dawn asking, “Did you hear the zebras barking?”

            “Is that what that noise is? I thought maybe it was dogs.”

            “Nope. There are a bunch of zebras down in that marsh just beyond the path outside our cabin.”

                                                                      *****

The Carnivore Restaurant is located just outside the city in Nairobi’s outskirts. The Carnivore is a popular and famous tourist restaurant. A large cooking pit is in the center of the restaurant where all kinds of wild game is cooked. Waiters come to the table to serve you. They will tell you what the meat is and you may try anything you want.

                                                                      *****

The Somali ostrich differs from other ostriches in that it has a blue head and legs. They are not numerous in Kenya, but we did see several of them.         

WITLESS BAY ECOLOGICAL PRESERVE

                                  Puffins on a Cold Day

It was a cold windy day in Newfoundland when we set sail for the Reserve. I was grateful my jacket had an attached hood!

Three islands make up the reserve where the largest sanctuary of Atlantic puffins is located. Approaching Green Island the good natured fellow on the mike warned, “If you look up, keep your mouth shut as the birds fly overhead. There are thousands of birds here and they do not discriminate when it comes to expelling that little white stuff!”

            He continued to describe, “Puffins are small birds, only about eight inches long, and most people are surprised by their size. They have orange feet and  beak that has   gray .triangle  that is bordered with  a white stripe.  Their white breast is topped with a black coat. They are good swimmers and divers. Some people think they are penguins, but they are in no way related. They can hold a dozen fish in their beak when feeding their young.”

            Puffins live in burrows and that tends to kill tree and other roots. All the guano doesn’t help either. They mate for life and both parents sit on the egg and take care of the chick. The chicks are taught to toilet close to the burrow entrance, keeping their living quarters clean. The parents abandon the chick after 40 days. A week later the chick wanders out of the burrow and fledges in the moonlight under the cover of night. Their wings beat 300 times a minute to keep them in the air. An adult puffin returns to the same burrow year after year to lay one egg.

            The island is barren several meters above the water, but green after that with a few straggly trees on the top that provide nesting areas for storm petrels.

            The narrator continued, “Murrens nest on the ledges of Green Island and all over barren Gull Island. Murrens have no nest; they just lay their eggs on the edge. The eggs are sort of triangular shaped so they don’t roll around like oval ones do. The birds also cement the egg to the rock with guano. They live in huge tight-packed colonies on coastal cliffs and on other off-shore islands.”  The sky was covered with these little birds as we approached Gull Island.

            A large colony of kittiwakes also lives in the reserve. The smallest of the gull family, they appear to ski on the water. They are often referred to as ticklers as a pair of them fly so close together it seems as if they are tickling each other.

            Three kinds of whales migrate through the area. The captain was determined to find whales for us. We saw several blows. He said, “Whale watching is 90 percent patience and 10 percent luck. This morning the whales are diving very deep and blowing only about every half hour or so. They can stay submerged 35-40 minutes.”

            Toward the end of our cruise a momma and her calf played near the bow of the boat. The narrator commented, “Humpback whales are very social. Their average length is 35-40 feet, and the rule of thumb is they weigh 1000 pounds for each foot of length, so these whales weigh 35,000-40,000 pounds. They make quite a splash!

            “Fin whales, the second largest whale, are also found in the area. Their head is the size of a VW bug! We haven’t seen any yet this year. Grey whales migrate through these waters. They move fast and straight and care nothing about socializing.”

It was worth the breezy, rather rough ride to see all the birds in their natural habitat and it was a thrill to watch momma whale and her calf play off our bow!