African Adventure Trip

If you missed the first series and entry of my trip to Africa please click here : African Adventure Blog Post #1


I woke up today and I’m pleased to say I feel human again. I’m not sure what it is, but traveling east is much easier for me than the jet lag traveling west. Needless to say I feel partially refreshed right now, and when you have three young children that’s about as good as it ever gets.

I have been doing my best to catch up on my work, respond to e-mails and phone calls and of course enjoy walking back through my trip and the images I captured. It’s been really fun going through these images and I’m hoping people will continue to follow the updates as I’m holding a few images close and will display them later as I had waaaay to many favourites to show all at once.

The fuji x100 is quite easily the single best camera I have ever purchased! This is my personal opinion of course but I used this camera for 50 percent of the trip and love it so much. It’s so light, fun, practical and the best part of all, unassuming! The image quality is very good but I value it’s use as a travel camera more than anything else and when you walk into a village or a market with it you get a far better reaction than if you are carrying the paparazzi barrel lenses on a dslr. For the price, you can’t beat it!

A few people have asked me how I made some of the trip possible, sleeping with the Mursi tribe, camping near the Hamer tribe and I could not have done it without the help of Steven Olson and Ethioguzo. Colleen and I were solo traveling in Africa years ago and when we had our crappy tent set up in the Simien mountains one cold night I noticed a guide and his group setting up his trusty canadian MEC tents not too far from us. I immediately liked this guy! We chatted just a little and over the last 7 years kept just enough contact that when I was making the leap to go back to Africa and had these plans in mind I knew exactly who to call. Steven is extremely socially conscious and his team made this possible and better than I could have imagined.

One other question people have been asking me was about my gear and packing. I intend on doing a full blog post on how to pack for a trip like this but until then I’ll let you know that I carried two cameras, a d800 with three lenses, nikon 24 1.4, sigma 35 1.4 (my go to lens) and the nikon 70-200 2.8 and my fuji x100. I have owned the d800 for about two years now and practically never shot with it until this trip. It was incredible, small, durable in very severe conditions and looking now at my files I could not be more pleased with the image quality and size. I’ll never ever complain about large file sizes again. I’m cropping images that are still large enough to print at large sizes, that is so wonderful. I would personally never bring the 70-200 again. I love to pack very light and this monster is not and never will be a lens that I use often enough to lug around with me. I did use it but not enough to justify it taking up more room than most of my clothes combined. For me there is nothing more freeing than one small bag with everything you need in, including clothes and gear.

Please enjoy another set of images from the adventure and the captions provided. It was an incredible personal journey for me and I’m proud to share it with you. As well, I have begun selling prints and pieces from this series and although they are not on a public gallery as of yet (they will be) please don’t hesitate to contact me if you would like to see this art in your own home.

Paradise Bird in Cambodia

The Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft), they are conspicuous and iconic species of open wetlands. The Sarus Crane is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by the overall grey color and the contrasting red head and upper neck. They forage on marshes and shallow wetlands for roots, tubers, insects, crustaceans and small vertebrate prey. Like other cranes, they form long-lasting pair-bonds and maintain territories within which they perform territorial and courtship displays that include loud trumpeting, leaps and dance-like movements. In India they are considered symbols of marital fidelity, believed to mate for life and pine the loss of their mates even to the point of starving to death. The main breeding season is during the rainy season, when the pair builds an enormous nest "island", a circular platform of reeds and grasses nearly two metres in diameter and high enough to stay above the shallow water surrounding it. Sarus Crane numbers have declined greatly in the last century and it has been estimated that the current population is a tenth or less (perhaps 2.5%) of the numbers that existed in the 1850s. The stronghold of the species is India, where it is traditionally revered and lives in agricultural lands in close proximity to humans. Elsewhere, the species has been extirpated in many parts of its former range.

How to see Grus antigone or kril in Cambdia 

The main focus on birds have 2 places right now for doing boat trip overnight sightseeing with local lives and less tourists doing this tour, one is on Tonle sap lake , and the site is critical for the survival of several species of endangered water birds. The projects of Osmoses aims to link the preservation of the water bird colonies and the environment to the sustainable development of the local communities. In addition to saving seven bird species from extinction, over 130 families from the project.

The Prek Toal is one of three biospheres on Tonle Sap Lake and the establishment of its bird sanctuary makes Prek Toal the most worthwhile and straightforward to visit. It is an ornithologist’s fantasy, with a significant number of rare breeds gathered in one small area , Including the lesser and greater adjutant storks, the milky stork and the spot-billed Pelican.

The Best season going to visit bird sanctuary only from (November to March) because these months water is coming and flooded over and for the water birds will come to this place for making nest breeding also the best to time to see early in the morning or late of evening so have to stay one night in the floating guesthouse or in conservation guesthouse and dry season in (April to the of October) is fine to see also on the edge of the lake but not all birds close to take photos

One part of good sightseeing overnight with floating village and Bird nest with sunrise or sunset and the other bird place are at

Trapang Thmor in Banteay mean Chey province in Phnom Srok district around 2 hours by taxi cab or 4wd from siem reap so the kind of this birds call Grell birds the last of their lives in the world have only in Cambodia that birds conservation said.

For tour going to bird sanctuary and Prek Toal just mail to ask our information and I will give you the best quotation of the tour going there.

The Ang Trapeang Thmor trips

This is actually not in Sisophon in chom district and see one pavement small road on the right to north and you would get there in nice road and villagers and one direct road more is pumpy and difficult but you can go after one kralanh bridge called spean trapoun bridge and turn right you can reach there too and quite nice passing through green villages as well, our taxi driver know the direction and location very well. It's a two hour

drive from Siem Reap, but closer to Sisophon then Siem Reap.

we used to go there many times with family or many customers stay at Jasmine lodge guesthouse which I can really recommend when you want to do something organised, but not something mainstream in Northern Cambodia. Two things though: you have to love nature, and in particular: birds. I'm more of a general nature-lover, and the bird-watching was fun for most part, but I'm not really into it.

I did not went on their regular daytrips, but on one of the guide training trips, so I was basically in a car with seven of Cambodia's top birdwatchers. I quess even seven of Cambodia's only birdwatchers. Cambodians are generally not very interested in nature, they polute it, so these were some unique people.

And very nice people too. The trip was organised by an American professional birdwatcher/dentist that lived in Cambodia for a few years now.

The trip was real fun, only started really early at 5am. Then we drove two hours to the reservate, which is actually from the Angkorean times, but was abandoned and discarded. Pol Pot successfully opened up the reservoir again, causing a lot of people to die in forced labour. The reservoir has a lot of birds (ofcourse) and a lot of rare species sometimes show up there.

It was so funny to be in a car with so many birdwatchers. They see something flying miles from you and they can tell you exactly what bird it is, if it's a female or male, and where it comes from. At that point I still hadn't spotted the bird! And that while bouncing on Cambodia's famous unpaved roads.

Amazing people. Most Khmer just want to live in Phnom Penh, drive a shiney moto and watch television. These guys only want to watch birds!!

The Sam Veasna Center is a really good organisation if you want to participate in eco-tourism. They organise trips to remote villages in the dry season, and give them a chance to make some profit out of it. In the rainy season they often go to these villages and offer them training and workshops. they are also the only eco-tour operator that Wildlife Conservation International allows in their parcs. Sorry for the advertising here, but this is not only a commercial organisation and I hope it's allowed in this contexto .

The Ang Trapaing Thmor Crane Sanctuary:

is a protected area of Cambodia on the site of a large Khmer Rouge irrigation project built during the 1970's. The sanctuary was gazetted on the 1st of January, 1999 and covers an area of 10,250 hectares. The reserve was set aside to protect the rare Eastern Sarus Crane (Grus antigone sharpii). Prior to the discovery of the crane at Trapaing Thmor, there were thought to be fewer than 1,000 of the birds left alive in the world

The Crane sanctuary is located in north western Cambodia, not far from the border with Thailand. The entire 10,000 hectares of the protected area is contained within Phnom Srok District of Banteay Meanchey Province. Phnom Srok district shares a border with Siem Reap and Oddar Meanchey Provinces. Reading from the north clockwise, Phnom Srok borders with Banteay Ampil and Chong Kal districts of Oddar Meanchey province to the north. The eastern border of the district is shared with Srei Snam and Kralanh districts of Siem Reap province. To the south the district shares a border with Preah Net Preah District of Banteay Meanchey. The western border of the district joins with Svay Chek and Thmor Pouk districts also of Banteay Meanchey. The sanctuary can be accessed by road from Sisophon (70 km) or Siem Reap (city) (90 km) via National Highway 6 initially then via smaller unsealed district roads to Ang Trapaing Thmor.

The site of Ang Trapaing Thmor reservoir is also the site of an ancient Angkorian caus

The Sarus Crane, Grus antigone is an all-year resident breeding bird in northern Pakistan and India (especially Central India and the Gangetic plains), Nepal, Southeast Asia and Queensland, Australia. It is a very large crane, averaging 156 cm (5 ft) in length, which is found in freshwater marshes and plains.Ang Trapaing Thmor sanctuary is also an important conservation area for a number of other threatened species. One globally threatened primate species, the Long Tailed Macaque (Macaca Fascicularis) is found within the sanctuary. One globally threatened ungulate species, the Eld's Deer (Cervus Eldii} and three globally threatened turtle species, the Asian Box Turtle (Cuora )

On the way to visit the Ang Trapeang Thmor commune in Phnom Srouk district.i was really happy to recommend you to visit my grand father house projects(pteah ta kyoum school as wel in kralanh district in sompov lourn villagel.it is the school just started to open in January in one rural and further from Siem reap town and are needing some books and pencils donations.

Wild Cattle in Cambodia

Wild Cattle in the Seima Protection Forest

Wildlife surveys in the newly e

xtended core area of Seima Protection Forest started earlier this year and they have been yielding exciting results. One of the most interesting of these has been an unusual encounter with a large herd of one of SPF's most endangered species, Banteng.

In his accounts of expeditions to Northern Cambodia during the 1950's, biologist Charles Wharton likens the landscape to the game lands of Africa as he describes huge herds of wild cattle, including Banteng, roaming the savannah forest. This is sometimes difficult to imagine today as Cambodia's wild cattle have been subjected to many of the same pressures affecting the species elsewhere in the region. Despite this there are parts of the country, in particular the open forests in the northern and eastern provinces, which still retain populations of wild cattle.

Banteng, one of Cambodia's three species of wild cattle, once occurred from southern China across mainland Southeast Asia, Peninsular Malaysia and parts of Indonesia. However, the species now persists only in greatly reduced and isolated populations, many of which are in decline. Banteng have been heavily hunted over the last few decades, for meat, trophies and medicinal use, and these threats are exacerbated by rapid habitat loss. The species is listed by IUCN as Endangered and, although the exact number is not known, it is probable that there are less than 8 000 individuals remaining in the wild.

Wild cattle such as Banteng play a crucial role in many ecological processes, such as large seed dispersal and the maintenance of habitat structures. In addition to playing the part of "ecological architects" Banteng constitute a critical food source for many carnivore species, such as Tiger, Leopard and Dhole. The probable extinction of the Kouprey, another of Cambodia's wild cattle species which has not been seen since the 80's, further highlights the urgency of conservation actions focusing on Banteng populations.

The similarity in appearance of Banteng to many breeds of domestic cattle belies its shy nature and these animals are rarely seen, even by field staff who spend much of their time in the forest. In the last round of surveys Banteng were observed on just 11 occasions, despite the fact that the biological monitoring team walked just under 1500km on transects. Such encounters that do occur often only afford the briefest glimpse of an animal before it disappears into the dense cover that herds like to keep close to. However, earlier this season one of the team leaders, Sot Vandouen, managed to capture video footage of the elusive Banteng during a transect survey. This was an area which had not previously been surveyed and the observation was all the more exciting as he counted a total of 21 animals, which is the highest number of individuals recorded in any Banteng encounter in SPF.

Not only does this record provide further confirmation of the presence of healthy breeding herds but it also makes it a little easier to imagine these forests being restored to their former glory, as described by Wharton half a century ago.

Mondulkiri province in Eastern Cambodia has become one of the last strongholds of Banteng in Indochina, and the Seima Protection Forest is recognised as a globally important site for the conservation of this species. Banteng is one of a number priority species in SPF which are monitored annually using line transect surveys. Line transects are essentially fixed survey routes which are walked repeatedly by skilled field staff who record observations of target species. These data are used to estimate the total number of animals present in the core area. Over time managers can assess whether populations are increasing, decreasing or remaining stable, and use this information to guide and evaluate management actions.

The biological monitoring work in SPF is made possible through support from Eleanor Briggs, Ellyssa Kellerman and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
 

Fact or Fiction: Crowds stormed the Bastille in order to free political prisoners being held there.

This one’s also a myth. Beginning in the 17th century, the French monarchy put writers and other people they considered troublemakers behind bars at the former medieval fortress turned prison, and the practice continued throughout the 18th century as well. Perhaps the most famous writer imprisoned in the Bastille for sedition was the Voltaire, whose satirical attacks on French politics and religion earned him nearly a year behind bars in 1717. But by the time of the French Revolution, this wasn’t really happening anymore, and there were only seven prisoners in the Bastille on July 14, 1789: four counterfeiters, two mentally ill men and a count who had been delivered to the prison by his family for engaging in perverse sexual practices. (Incidentally, the Marquis de Sade was imprisoned in the Bastille from 1784 to just days before the crowds stormed the prison, when he was transferred to an insane asylum after shouting through his window “They are massacring the prisoners—you must come and free them!”)

The revolutionary crowds knew there was a cache of arms and gunpowder stored in the Bastille, and they wanted it. After firing on the mob and killing some 100 people, the men guarding the prison were forced to surrender after the rescue team called to secure the fortress joined the revolutionaries and aimed their cannons at the Bastille instead. Its military governor, Bernard-Jordan de Launay, flew the white flag of surrender; as a reward, the revolutionary mob killed him and paraded his head through the streets on a pike. After capturing the weapons and gunpowder, the crowd began dismantling the Bastille that same night.

Drinking Coffee to have a better nap

In a Japanese study that examined how to make the most of a nap, people who took a "coffee nap"—consuming about 200 milligrams of caffeine (the amount in one to two cups of coffee) and then immediately taking a 20-minute rest—felt more alert and performed better on computer tests than those who only took a nap.

Why does this work? A 20-minute nap ends just as the caffeine kicks in and clears the brain of a molecule called adenosine, maximizing alertness. "Adenosine is a byproduct of wakefulness and activity," says Allen Towfigh, MD, medical director of New York Neurology & Sleep Medicine. "As adenosine levels increase, we become more fatigued. Napping clears out the adenosine and, when combined with caffeine, an adenosine-blocker, further reduces its effects and amplifies the effects of the nap."

The Terracotta Army and Horses

Chinese name: 秦陵兵马俑 (Qinling Bingmayong)
Location: Yanzhai County, Lintong District, around 1.5km east of Emperor Qin Shihuang's Mausoleum, Xi'an city, Shaanxi Province.
Opening time: 8:30-18:00
How to get there:
- Bus: 306 (No.5), 307, 914, 915 or Special Line 101.
- From Xian Xianyang International Airport: Airport Shuttle Line 2 to Xian Railway Station (25 RMB)
- From Xian Railway Station: Tourism Bus no.5 (306), 914 or 915.
- Taxi: about 120 to 200 RMB (depending on where you catch a cab, but make the fare clear with the driver before leaving to the site)
Best time for visit: all year long
Recommended time for a visit: 3 hours at least

One of China's greatest attractions and a UNESCO protected human masterpiece

Standing as one of the 10 top attractions of China, the Terracotta Army and Horses is definitely a "must-see" scenic spot of the age-old city of Xi'an, the "Eastern Peace". This large-scale underground military museum is recognized today as one of the most significant archeological excavations of the 20th century, a unique historical site never seen anywhere else in the world. The Terracotta Army is the buried army replica of Emperor Qin Shihuang, the First Emperor of China, guarding the tomb of the Emperor in his after life and accompanying him in his immortality. Representing the Qin Dynasty (211-206 BC) military power, these thousands of life-size figures arranged in a large-scale battle formation are impressive by there size, number and detailed looking. Today, over 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses can be seen in the site. As one of the most famous attractions of China together with the Great Wall or the Forbidden City, the Terracotta Army and Horses scenic spot is attracting thousands of visitors coming from every parts of the world. Now part of any tour packages or visits to Xi'an and China, the Terracotta Army site is the place where meeting with China ancient Imperial Power and great culture that flourished since the beginning of the Qin Dynasty. Discovered in 1974, the site has been ranked as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its marvel and need for preservation to future generations. Today, visitors can still notice archeologists' ongoing work on the site and in the three different pits, a sight giving an even deeper meaning to such a visit in China.

 When visiting such a marvelous place, one should be aware of the great history that is lying behind all the spots and tourist information signs. Indeed, the Terracotta Army and Horses is connected with the early ancient history of China. Everything started in 246 BC when at the age of 13, Emperor Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China ascended to the throne. Most famous Emperor in China's history for he was the one who unified China 2,200 years ago and gave to the country its actual name, Qin Shihuang was responsible for the creation of many of China's outstanding buildings such as the Great Wall, the Summer Palace and here the Terracotta Army and Horses site. Built with the purpose of protecting the tomb of the Emperor and show loyalty to him after his death, the Terracotta Army and Horses site was under construction during 38 years, and around 700 000 workers were needed to complete it. Apart from the terracotta figures, many buried treasures and sacrificial objects, animals and people had accompanied the Emperor in his after life, a real discovery for today's archeologists.

The site of the Army had been discovered accidently in 1974 by a farmer who was digging a well near to its village. Discovering a terracotta head looking like a human face painted in very bright colors, the farmer brought it back home to show his discovery to his family. Curious about what this head was about, they preferred alerting officials about the discovery and finished to bring them to the very place where the farmer had found the head. Soon after did the archeologists and officials realized that the farmer was at the origin of the discovery of one of the world's most important historical site: Emperor Qin Shihuang's Terracotta Army and Horses. Extending the digs, scientists first discovered Pit No.1, the biggest vault out of the three that can be seen today. Since then, the farmer has seen his life completely changed as he is now a celebrity signing autographs and that travelers can meet at the entrance of the Terracotta Army tourist site. Soon after the discovery, the State Council authorized to build a museum on the site and in 1976, two other pits were uncovered at just 20 to 25 meters away from the first pit. Precious site for China's history and humanity as well, the Terracotta Army and Horses has been listed to UNESCO in 1987, one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century.

The Secret of Phone in the Bottle trick

Dynamo performs different versions of this trick, but the core is always the same. He borrows a bottle from one of the spectators, and a phone from another one. And then, in one swift movement, he somehow manages to get the phone inside the bottle. Someone then calls the number, to verify it is indeed the same phone.
Explanation:

First thing you have to pay attention to is the bottle. What exactly happens to the bottle after Dynamo gets ahold of it? For how long can you still see it? If you look at the video again, you will see that Dynamo puts it after his back immediately, while misdirecting the viewers with the cell phone. Also notice the guy standing behind Dynamo. He is clearly an accomplice who’s job is to take the bottle from Dynamo’s left hand while everyone is distracted by the phone and hand Dynamo another bottle, which already has an identical phone in it.

Dynamo then quickly brings the bottle from behind his back in a way that makes it impossible for the viewers to see if there is anything in it. He brings both hands together with great speed, and it seems as though he really pushed the phone through the glass and into the bottle. However, he merely had to push the phone in his right hand into the sleeve of his jacket (probably using a gimmick called Gecko, which pulls the phone into his sleeve using elastic bands). An identical phone is already in the bottle, and all he has to do now is reveal it to the audience.

This explanation presumes that the owner of the phone and the friend who afterwards calls his phone to confirm its identity are stooges. As far as we know, Dynamo never denied using stooges and this seems to be the most likely explanation. However, there is an alternative explanation that doesn’t involve stooges, but presumes that the bottle Dynamo is handed from the assistant behind him is just gimmicked in a way that enables him to actually push the phone in. However, this is much less likely than the first explanation.