The World Through Our Lens
Fiordland National Park on the South Island of New Zealand abounds with picturesque landscapes. While there, several stops to appreciate the scenery also rewarded us with a couple of special bird sightings. One pullover afforded us the encounter we had hoped for. Several Kea, also known as New Zealand Mountain Parrots, flew in to greet us. Read more
Bob and I arrived at Hilltop Camp in Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park exhausted after an extremely long day that saw us traveling from Kruger National Park and across Swaziland to get there. Over dinner, we had views of the Park from the expansive restaurant patio that overlooked muted silhouettes of undulating mountaintops while an armed guard sat unobtrusively in the shadows and watched for wildlife like Vervet Monkeys that might cross the thin electric wire just below the terrace. Read more
It was one day as Bob and I sat in the car alongside a gravel road in Kruger National Park that we saw this prime example of an African Bush Elephant. We had pulled to the side of the road to sit for a spell and eat our lunch when this behemoth stepped from the cover of thick vegetation onto the road right in front of us. Talk about lunchtime entertainment! Read more
After reading Ken Follett’s novel, Pillars of the Earth, which loosely parallels the construction of Salisbury Cathedral, New Sarum, and having completed Edward Rutherford’s book about Sarum, it was a consensus between Bob, me and our son that we should visit Old Sarum, the location of the original Salisbury Cathedral in England.
I couldn’t help myself but every time that Bob and I saw warthogs in South Africa, I thought of Pumbaa, the warthog in the Disney film The Lion King. And when Bob and I were conducting our self-guided safaris within Kruger National Park, we saw our fair share of these unusual looking animals. Read more
Waking at Skukuza Rest Camp the first morning after our arrival, and having just coped with a bout of stomach and intestinal distress, I was in no shape for any physical activity requiring stamina. So Bob and I set out on a self-guided safari that spanned the course of several hours. Among the wildlife seen within Kruger National Park that day was this astounding Southern Ground Hornbill. Read more
As Bob and I toured the small town of Ajijic, Mexico, also known for its heavy contingent of resident Canadians, we soon discovered why it is referred to as a Town of Murals. Read more
Our long-anticipated arrival at Kruger National Park was like a dream come true. This journey, for me, had its roots tied to historical accounts of explorers Dr. David Livingstone and Sir Henry Stanley and their exploits on the Dark Continent. Add to that a detailed look at Kenya in one of my high school science projects, and a life-long passion to travel to the deep, dark “jungles” of Africa was born. Travel to the sub-Saharan region of the continent personified my imaginings of an exhilarating trip complete with risk, daring, incomparable wildlife adventures and unique landscape. We had to conquer our fears and fan the flames of our adventurous spirit. As we entered through the Phabeni Gate, our excitement was palpable even though I was withstanding a bout of stomach and intestinal infection that had arisen that afternoon. Read more
After spending 3 hours hiking coastal trails near Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Bob and I hastily changed out of wet gear and drove south for lunch in Petty Harbour. From there, it was a short jaunt to Ferryland and the location of the Lost Colony of Avalon. Read more