Chobe National Park
Republic of Botswana
May 26, 2024
Hello,
Up before dawn. Camera and phone charged.
Buffet breakfast served.
Caravan departs.
Game Drive begins.
A Sedge of Cranes.
A Harem of Antelope.
A Parade of Elephants.
A Journey of Giraffes.
Dominant male lion cruises by our 4x4. Uninterested. Decamps to the river. Breakfast?
Hwange Safari Lodge
Hwange National Park
The Republic of Zimbabwe
May 24, 2024
Hello
The Game Drive this afternoon is a feast for the eyes.
(Game Drive: A multi-hour excursion in a four-wheel drive vehicle in search of wildlife or game.)
One carnivore today.
The Martial Eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus!)
Grazers and browsers.
Springbok. (Antidorcas marsupialis)
Kudu. (Tragelaphus strepsiceros)
Zebra. Specifically, Plains Zebra. (Equus quagga)
Hippopotamus. Hippopotamus amphibius.
Elephants. African Bush Elephant. (Loxodonta Africana)
Hwange Safari Lodge
Hwange National Park
Republic of Zimbabwe
May 23, 2024
“There’s no better place to be.”
So spoke Ingrid, a fellow traveler who I met on the grounds of the Hwange Safari Lodge. We chatted for a moment. Apparently, Ingrid is a digital nomad. She sits for hours at one of the shaded tables on the expansive lawn of the lodge, head bent over computer.
Me? I’m waiting for my sandwich, salad and coffee. The very young and cheerful waitress serves an attractive meal. French press!
At dawn this morning I encounter my first game in southern Africa. A troop of baboons scurry across a distant section of the lawn..........
Hello,
My friend Mark called me from London last week. He regrets he will not be coming to Thailand in April. Instead, he has accepted a lengthy assignment as a Production Manager in Tallinn, Estonia. He and a local crew will be shooting exteriors for an upcoming British television series.
Mark’s announcement prompted me to recall my own visit to Tallinn, and my extended trip to the Baltics: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
Jomtien Beach
Thailand
March 7, 2024
Hello,
My friend Gary here in Thailand presented me with a generous gift this month.
In his professional life, Gary was a Shipwright.
Now in retirement Gary builds model ships.
Gary knows that I grew up in New York City.
His gift to me is a model of a Moran tugboat, the everpresent M steaming on the waters in and around my hometown. A New York City Icon.
Paro City
Pop 12,500
2200m 7218 ft
Paro District
The Kingdom of Bhutan
December 13, 2023
Hello,
No wonder my meals are all so delicious!
The variety of climate zones here produce rice, sugar cane, strawberries, broccoli, and potatoes. At the local market, the colorful vegetables and fruit are fresh and crisp.
In the afternoon we chance upon the entrance to a secondary school. Headed for the school bus, the shy yet feminine young women giggle, and (seem to) avoid my camera. The handsome boys follow my direction and line up in a proper attentive pose.
At a busy intersection in town, the charming policewoman smiles for me as she directs the traffic. There are no traffic lights in Bhutan! In this country of hills and valleys, mountain rivers, and big city rush hour congestion, I never once heard the beep of a horn.
