Thursday, May 28, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Flower Market, Bangkok, Thailand



















 If you're ever in Bangkok, I highly recommend checking out a few local 'events.'  While we were there, we stumbled upon the flower market setting up (out of trucks) around dusk near one of the local temples.  On a whim, we decided to pass through on our way back home to the hotel, and it was absolutely worth it!



















All sorts of fresh flowers for sale, from large roses to small, confetti petals.  The whole market smelled sweet and slightly perfumey, and all of the colors were a welcomed sensory overload!  Some stalls even had pre-made flower arrangements for offerings to bring to the temples or to bring home as offerings to the household shrine.  Although totally unplanned, this was one of my favorite excursions while we were in Bangkok- getting to see real life happening rather than just standard touristy sites and gave me a more satisfying sense of 'being' in Thailand.



















 While traveling remember to take some time to do the unplanned or spontaneous!  Sometimes the small, unexpected detours can turn out to create some of the most lasting impressions.

Monday, May 25, 2015

Backlogged: Sun Moon Lake Swim, Nantou County, Taiwan

 

Every year during the first week in September, Sun Moon Lake hosts a cross-lake swim.  This is particularly exciting because swimming or having any contact with the water at all is usually forbidden.  There are two main reasons for this:  1) Now that there is a highway that runs from Taichung to Sun Moon Lake, visitors to the area have increased exponentially and the degradation caused by swimming would destroy the area; 2) Local Aboriginal groups that inhabit the area continue to use the lake for fishing and preserving those rights means limiting visitor contact with the water.



To register for the swim, you will need to join a group or go through an agency.  About six months before the swim takes place, local travel agencies will start registering people for the swim.  Once registered, you will need to pay the fee and get yourself the necessary equipment: swim cap, life preserver of some variety (life vest, rescue tube/board, etc).  Swim caps and life preservers are required; you will not be allowed into the water without them, even if your swimming skill level is high (ex. I'm SWI- Water Safety Instructor certified and I am still required to take one!).  I highly recommend goggles as people will be slathering sunscreen on and if you don't have them, there's a good chance you'll get sunscreen infested water in your eyes.  Yum.



Once registered with the necessary equipment, get up before dawn, have a light breakfast- some hotels offer early breakfast/snacks for swimmers, at other places you'll need to prepare your own- and head down to the waterfront area where the docks are located.  Normally, this is where the boat tours leave from, but for this day only it is where visitors will be taking the plunge into the lake's chilly water.  When the even planner makes the announcement, the first shift of people are allowed to begin the swim; you may be able to specify if you want to go later in the morning or earlier, but remember that the later you go, the more likely you are to get sunburned!



The swim itself reaches 3,000 meters across the lake's surface, but be warned that the term swim is a euphemism here; swimming is not a necessary skill, and most people will be floating their way across on their life preservers like little kids in a wading pool.  If you want to actually swim it, make sure that you are first in line off the docks so you can stay ahead of the meandering masses.  Otherwise, be prepared to be stuck in a watery traffic jam of feet and chattering old Chinese ladies.  It should also be noted that it is not uncommon for someone to die during these swims because of the sheer volume of people, so be aware of your surroundings and be careful!



After the swim,  head back to your hotel for a hot shower and a change of clothes, devour some breakfast at your hotel, and then go for a wander around the lake on one of the bike paths or go cheer on the next wave of swimmers.  Once the swim is officially over, boats should resume and you can check out the other side of the lake, including the cable car.  When it's time to leave SM Lake, head to Puli and scope out their night market if you have time, or one of the small but delicious restaurants (my favorite is a small vegetarian place down the alley across from the bus station).  If small towns don't do it for you, stop in Taichung before you head home, and try one of the many high end restaurants available there.





*To get to Sun Moon Lake, take a train (TRA or HSR) or bus to Taichung and then transfer to a shuttle bus to Sun Moon Lake.  Some buses will require you stop in Puli and switch buses for SM Lake.  This is more likely when direct buses are full.  On average this takes 30 minutes longer than the direct bus, BUT if you cannot get on the direct bus because they are full, you will have to wait a full hour for the next one.  If that's the case, it might make more sense to just take the local and change.

**Make sure you book well ahead of time for your hotel- at least 6 months, if possible.  The entire lake area becomes completely sold out during the swim, and the first shift leaves the dock at 6am, so you'll probably want to be there the night before as the whole area will be swarming with people (including the nearest major town, Puli).

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Tiger Sanctuary, Thailand



I mentioned in my last post on my most recent trip to Thailand that I had been before with Jenny- this trip was originally mean to be spent on a train exploring the countryside from Thailand down to Singapore, but unfortunately we ran into booking issues with the online system and couldn't reserve our train tickets ahead of time.  The result was that the ticketing office in Bangkok could sell us tickets to a town midway between the capital and the border but couldn't book us tickets all the way through because it was a national holiday and tickets had filled up.




Instead, we opted to buy stupidly expensive plane tickets (never fly Air Asia unless you actually get a cheap ticket, otherwise it's not worth it!) to get us to Singapore, and decided to hang out in Bangkok and make day trips to the surrounding areas.  One of these epic day trips was operated through a large tour company via one of the many agencies at the train station; I would strongly recommend avoiding them at all costs and trying to book your own day trip instead.  (I'll be posting in a future entry on the horrors of the expensive and generally offensive tour!)



Anyway, despite the other issues, the highlight of the trip was probably the visit to the Tiger Sanctuary where monks raise and care for tigers in an effort to save them from poaching.  During the day, the tigers are leashed and collared with chains and bask lazily in the sun while tourists flock to have their pictures taken.  Since tigers typically sleep during the day, they're pretty relaxed and don't seem to mind the human company at all.  However, the sanctuary keeps strict hours because as dusk approaches, tigers begin to gain energy and can become more dangerous.



Aside from the fact that tigers are awesome, this was a special trip because the Chinese Year of the Tiger was approaching and Jenny is born in that year.  The Chinese believe that with exception to your 5th cycle (your 60th year), one born with the current zodiac will have extraordinarily bad luck.  The year before, the year of the Ox, was the year that I was born, and I can verify that I did, in fact, have horrible luck, despite going to our local temple and having a candle lit.  Anyway, because Jenny's year was arriving, we thought it might increase her luck to hang out with some tigers.*



Although you don't get much time with the tigers- maybe one or two minutes, during which the abundant staff are watching the tigers and taking copious photos of you with said tigers, it felt like a magical eternity.  These animals are huge furry masses of muscle, and even though these kinds of interactions are generally safe, when you sit next to such a large, powerful (predatory) animal, it really makes you realize just how dangerous these animals can be and is a really humbling experience.



Afterwards, the monks drive through the sanctuary and deliver baskets of fruit and other goodies for the other animals living on the grounds.  It was an amazing sight to see; all of the animals, flock towards the truck to get first dibs on the deliciousness.  Unfortunately, my camera was low on battery at that point so I only got a few photos, but it was totally surreal (think Disney movie where the princess is singing to a random assortment of suddenly omnipresent animals) to see all of the hooved cuties gnomming their evening meal.




*Though we can't say for certain, the hang out session seems to have worked because Jenny didn't have bad luck during her year!

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Teddy Roosevelt National Park (Teaser 6)



For those in the know, this is Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is located in North Dakota and named after the 26th President of the United States.  According to the Park's official website:
Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established to memorialize this area's importance in Theodore Roosevelt's life and the key role it played in fostering his conservation ethics. While visiting the badlands for the first time in 1883, Roosevelt fell in love with the rugged landscape and became interested in the new business of cattle ranching. After talking with local ranchers, he decided to invest in a local cattle operation known as the Maltese Cross. His partners in the ranch were Sylvane Ferris and Bill Merrifield.
The next summer, following the death of his wife and mother in February, Roosevelt returned to the badlands. During his stay, he started a second ranching operation called the Elkhorn Ranch. He hired two acquaintances from Maine, Bill Sewall and Wilmot Dow, to run the ranch. After its creation, Roosevelt considered Elkhorn to be his "home ranch" and spent most of his time there whenever he was in Dakota.

 The park video at the visitor's center chronicles the life of Roosevelt in the badlands, describing it as a harsh life amidst 'grotesque beauty.'  Without seeing the park, it is easy to brush this off as hyperbole, but once inside the park looking out over the grasslands and sparsely dotted trees, you start to get the feeling of just how desolate and lonely this place was.  As you can tell from the photos, there is very little greenery during the early spring, and according to information at the visitor's center, the majority of the year sees snow covered ground or dried grasses; only for a few brief months in the summer is there the lush green I'm accustomed to in Taiwan.



The views are absolutely gorgeous; the days we visited were clear and bright (maybe a little too bright), and you could see over the hill ranges for miles.  Although breathtaking, if you take the time to ponder the landscape, even in the warm sun, you start to get a rather eerie feeling about the place.  The sun, although comfortable at first, becomes slowly unbearable because of it's harsh brightness, and the wind that accompanies it in the early spring is bitterly cold and dry.  The combination of the two, while a welcomed experience in this age of comfort and luxury vehicles, must have been incredibly difficult to endure when exposed to it daily over many years.



Roosevelt's rustic log cabin can be viewed just out the back of the visitor's center; while small and plush looking for the time, it is incredibly bare and primitive by today's standards.  I think we often forget to connect to the past in this age of mass technology and information, and it's so easy to look at these kinds of vestiges and simply see them as a shallow exhibit with no meaningful depth.  To do this kind of walk through of any historical site is to rob it of its significance though, and removes visitors from its power and importance.



Connecting for me means quietly reflecting on what life would have been like in the daily routine of the people that lived there; how would it differ from my own life?  What things would be expected of me living in that time and space?  I always try to imagine myself in the landscape, natural or man made, going about some approximation of life: how hard was the bed and how would it feel putting my head down to sleep on it?  How would it feel sitting in one of the wooden chairs facing a small stove?  Did the log walls provide real insulation, especially against the fierce winds on the plains?  How would one have cooked or even gotten appropriate nutrition and produce in a landscape so barren for most of the year?



And even with all of these questions, the thought remains that the European imports (AKA frontier 'Americans') were not the first to come through and utilize these lands, though perhaps the first to exploit them to the extent that they were.  In fact, these lands provided many native peoples with a variety of uses, such as a place to hunt, collect food, water, paint, or medicine, and even seek spiritual guidance, well before the imports showed up: the Crow, Hidatsa, and Mandan peoples, along with many other groups, all utilized this land for a myriad of purposes.  Before them, prehistoric peoples traversed these lands, probably to hunt and collect natural materials.  How did these peoples manage to survive and even thrive in this incredibly harsh environment?  The knowledge and skill required to sustainably use the resources found here are innumerable, and the endurance needed to stay on this land in order to utilize that knowledge and skill set just boggles my mind.




Another, longer excerpt from the Park's website about the prehistoric and historic periods explains a bit more about the many peoples that have traced these lands in the past:


Our current knowledge of the badlands' prehistoric past is very limited because only a handful of artifacts have been found. These items indicate that the badlands region has been inhabited for thousands of years. Archaeologists have dated artifacts found elsewhere in North Dakota back to 11,000 B.C., but, so far, no objects of that age have been found in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Ancient artifacts have not been found in the park either because the land was not inhabited or because erosion has altered the landscape and obliterated or obscured these items. Artifacts from the Archaic Tradition (5,500 BC – 500 AD) have been identified in the park including a spear point made of Knife River flint and several projectile points. Projectile points and cord-roughened pot shards indicate the presence of people of the Plains Woodland Tradition (1 – 1,200 AD). More recently, the pre-Columbian peoples in the Late Prehistoric / Plains Village Tradition also appear in the archaeological record in the form of a wide variety of projectile points, pot shards of several designs, and the remains of a bison processing camp. Presumably, the people who used these tools came to hunt and perhaps gather other materials, but there is no firm evidence of any permanent or long-term occupation.
Several sites from the Historic Period (1742 – 1880s AD), that coincide with oral tradition, have been found in the park including stone rings, a rock cairn, and four conical, timbered lodges. Two of the lodges, presumably used by men engaged in seasonal eagle trapping, are still standing today. These structures are astonishing reminders of how recently traditional societies used this land as their ancestors had done for generations. One archaeological interpretation indicated that the use of the badlands for hunting, gathering, and spiritual pursuits, though undertaken by numerous cultures and groups over millennia, had not significantly changed over that entire time span.
A rich diversity of cultures utilized the badlands region during historic times. The most significant groups were the Mandan and Hidatsa, whose traditional bison hunting grounds included the Little Missouri River basin. West of the badlands, the Hidatsa’s close relatives, the Crow, also utilized the badlands at the eastern edge of their territory. Many other tribes including the Blackfeet, Gros Ventre, Chippewa, Cree, Sioux, and Rocky Boy came to western North Dakota in the early 19th century mainly for hunting and trading, often at Fort Union Trading Post. These groups did not necessarily seek out the badlands in the way the Mandan, Hidatsa, or Crow might. The Assiniboine occupied a large area of the Northern Great Plains north of the Missouri River. The Arikara entered western and central North Dakota and several bands of the Lakota (Sioux) expanded their range into western North Dakota in the 19th century. Each group has its own history, traditions, spirituality, stories, and uses associated with the badlands. Eagle trapping, bison hunting, and other spiritual purposes were among the traditional uses.
Eagle trapping was important to the Mandan and Hidatsa culture. The process of eagle trapping was intensely spiritual, following certain social, spiritual, and astrological protocols. Even today, many of the specifics of the ritual are known only to those who have the rights to the knowledge within the tribes. Traditionally, only men with rights to perform eagle trapping were allowed to perform the ritual, and then only during specific times of the year as determined by astrology and presumably to coincide with eagle migration. Preparation including fasting and prayer were essential prerequisites to the act of trapping an eagle.
Bison were another critically important resource for traditional societies, and the badlands offered opportunities to hunt them effectively. The steep badlands terrain made it possible to hunt bison without firing a shot. All that was required of the hunters was to cause the bison to stampede over a steep drop-off. A few sites within the park are known to have been used for this purpose, including the remains of a bison processing area. Plains peoples had uses for every part of the bison. The most important parts were the meat for food and the hide for clothing, blankets, and tipi coverings. Other parts of the animal were used for tools, medicine, toys, decoration, rituals, and more.
Springs were the preferred place to collect colored clays used to make paints for a warrior's face, horse, and home. Paint was considered a powerful medicine. Some springs were used for very specific purposes: for drinking, to collect a certain material, or to perform a specific ritual or ceremony. Evidence from these activities is scarce and largely based on oral tradition kept alive by today’s tribal members.

For more information about the ritual uses of the badlands, I strongly recommend you check out the Park's website and the Encyclipedia Britannica.


My own summary of the park is simply this:  if you want to enjoy the desolate nature of the badlands, this is a great place to do it.  For lots of wildlife viewing opportunities, come in mid spring when the animals are rearing their young- it makes for great photo-ops and gives you the chance to see family units interacting.  It is possible to do a circle tour of the park in your vehicle for those who are short on time or have limited mobility.  For those who want to do some day or overnight hikes, there are plenty in both sections of the park (North and South), and I highly recommend doing at least one short hike into the wilderness while you're there to really appreciate the wild but harsh wilderness.




Animals spotted in TRNP:
  1. Prairie dogs
  2. Bison
  3. Deer
  4. Hawks
  5. Feral horses
  6. Long horned cattle
  7. Tons of unidentified birds

Monday, May 18, 2015

Backlogged: Journey to Phuket




Those of you that know me know that I was in Thailand in November on a short course to get a teaching certificate for ESL.  Unfortunately, the course kept me incredibly busy, and I had a friend come visit me halfway through, which kept me doubly busy trying to get my own work done and keep her entertained.

For a number of reasons, this post never got published, so I'm taking the opportunity now to release some of the stuff I've worked on over the last six months but have been collecting dust as a result of my chaotic life!  So, without further delay, read on to learn a bit about my time in Phuket, Thailand!




 Although not my first time to Thailand (Jenny and I stayed in Bangkok and did some day trips a few years ago), this is my first time this far south.  I was especially excited about the trip because I was able to secure cheap business class tickets for just $100 more than economy tickets.  I flew with China Airlines and Dragon Air, and because I bought tickets at the last minute, I was able to score a great deal through China Airlines' website.  The flight was great- I got to fly in one of the business 'pods,' and while I thought it might be claustrophobic, it was actually quite comfortable!



I spent most of the flight looking out the window and watching the landscape change over Asia and couldn't believe the views when we reached southern Thailand; think turquoise ocean studded with emerald islands.  It was amazingly beautiful, just like the postcards.  Call me jaded, but I generally assume that everything beautiful that is sold through the open market these days is photoshopped to death, so I was really surprised, and excited, to see that this kind of natural beauty did, in fact, exist outside of photo-editing software.



Once on the ground, I had to wait in line at immigration for over an hour and a half.  I was again shocked that it would take so long to get through in such a touristy location like Phuket, but the people in line ahead of me, who were frequent travelers to Phuket, told me that it usually takes a minimum of an hour and a half to pass through immigration.  Taiwan, although a smaller country, has very little tourism but has a large, high-tech immigration hall that moves quickly and efficiently, and even when there are long lines, I've never waited more than 20 minutes to get through.  I hope that Thailand will get a better handle on immigration in the future; waiting an hour and a half for immigration is just too long!



After I had passed through immigration, I met the driver that I had arranged to pick me up and bring me to the school/hotel.  The trip took about an hour in the dark, so although on the road for a while, there was very little to see, which is a shame because I later found out everything was lush and green.  Check-in took almost no time at all and my room was great: large bed, refrigerator, full sized couch, and a nice balcony overlooking the alley behind the hotel.  Unfortunately, the internet didn't work very well, so I went to the closest 7-11 and got myself a travel sim card and topped up so I had unlimited 3G for the month.  I highly recommend this to anyone traveling through- sim cards are cheap and being able to have data/calling if you'll be there for more than a week is really useful.  Packages start at unlimited data for a minimum of 2 days and go up to one month, the latter costing about 20 USD.



Although I didn't venture too far my first night, I did take a walk around the neighborhood of my hotel and very quickly realized that everything in the area was either a bar or a restaurant.  There was an abundance of noise to accompany both, including fire crackers being set off by venues trying to attract guests, and despite being in the quieter part of town, the noise was still overwhelming!  Unfortunately for me, the bar scene isn't really my thing, so I was a little put off my all of the 'excitement.'



Another thing I noticed was that despite there being convenience stores in multiples on every block, there were no grocery stores anywhere near the hotel.  This is probably because the entire area is really touristy and tourists are less likely to shop at a proper supermarket, but even so, I was a little disappointed.  Both because I really love to browse supermarkets abroad to see what is popular locally, but also because as a vegetarian, it's easier to buy your own food and assemble it yourself than rely on street vendors to provide something edible.  Especially when you don't speak the local language.



The beaches, I discovered on day two, were absolutely gorgeous; turquoise water, white sand, and tons of palm trees for shade.  I decided to spend some time out on the beach every day after 6 pm to try to get my studying done (both for the short course and my thesis).  Why so late?  For starters, class ran until 5pm on most days and it's much nicer to be out on the beach once it's cleared out for the evening (tourists flock back to their hotels to shower and change for dinner around 5-6pm), but also because the sun in Phuket is really strong so it's safer to be out later in the day; I had no desire to be a 'foreign lobster.'



A word to the wise- if you're out in Phuket or anywhere similarly near the equator at any time of the year, make sure to put on sun screen and reapply hourly; the sun is incredibly strong, even if it doesn't feel like it (say in overcast weather) and is a sure way to fast-track it to skin cancer!


More later on the short course and my adventures further afield!

Saturday, May 16, 2015

Travel Plans: Wildlife Viewing by Month

For people just finding my blog, I am in the beginning stages of planning a pretty epic 18 month trip around the world, covering Oceania, Asia, Africa, and a small part of Europe.  Following this year and a half, I hope to complete another year and a half to two years of travel across the American continent with my dogs via RV.

This blog is meant to help keep track of my ideas and plans for this monster trip, a bit like a digital scrap book.  In addition, I periodically make posts about smaller-scale travel that I'm currently doing.  More recently, because of time constraints, I have mostly been doing the latter as I have been amassing piles of travel books without any time to look at them.

Now that I'm a bit more settled, I've finally had the opportunity to browse through my collection of travel books and have gotten the chance to start updating my lists again (yeay!).  Below is a list of experiences with wildlife that I would love to have, grouped together by month and separated by leg of the trip (Eurasia/Africa/Oceania +  Americas).  Keep in mind that I have scoured through a number of books to come up with this list and have only listed the things in these books that I am really excited about and are feasible for my own trip, but there are so many more listings in these books!

If any of these look interesting, you can check out: A Year of Watching Wildlife, Animal Addict's Guide to Travel, Swimming with Dolphins, Tracking Gorillas, and Wildlife Travel for a more complete list and tons more details.  All of these are amazing books and I highly recommend them to anyone serious about planning a trip that includes experiences with wildlife as they provide the nitty-grit\ty for getting to these places, the difficulty of doing so, and history of the animals and a plethora of additional information on places involved + things to see/do beyond the animals listed below (in fact, most items in these books include a long list of observable wildlife/actvities- I've just chosen the ones that appeal to me).

All Year:
  1. Sharks, Ras Mohammad, Elphinstone, and Brothers, Egypt (hammerhead), Rangiroa, French Polynesia (reef), Sipidan, Malaysia (black and white-tip), Maldives (grey nurse, tiger, and leopard), and Cape Point, South Africa (great white)  (All year)
  2.  Tropical fish/coral reefs, Mahmya Island, Egypt, Maldives, Port Launay Marine National Park, Seychelles, and Raja Ampat, Indonesia (All year)
  3. Sea turtles, Banyak Islands, Sumatra, Indonesia, Ribbon Reefs, Australia, Bora Bora, French Polynesia, Maldives, Sipadan, Malaysia, and Cousin Island, Seychelles (All year)
  4. Seals, Marlborough Sounds Marine Park, New Zealand (All year) 
  5.  Red colobus monkeys, chimpanzees, Kenya- Sweetwaters Game Reserve, Rwanda- Nyungwe Forest, Tanzania- Gombe Stream National Park, Uganda- Kibale Forest National Park, Zambia- Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage  (All year)
  6.  Bonobos, Salonga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo  (All year)
  7.  Lions, leopards, Okavango Delta, Botswana, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, Serengeti National Park, Hwange National Park (All year)
  8. Rhinos, Kenya- Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Namibia- Ongava Reserve, South Africa- Tswalu Game Reserve, Zambia- Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park (All year)
  9. African elephants, Kruger National Park, South Africa (All year)
  10.  African penguins, Boulders Bay, South Africa (All year)
  11.  Hippos, Shapandani Hide, Kruger National Park and Pilanesberg Game Reserve, South Africa (All year)
  12.  Shoebills, Moyowosi-Kigosi Swamp, Tanzania (All year) 
  13.  Dolphins, Marsa Alam, Egypt (All year) 
  14. Manta rays, Kadavu, Fiji, Manta Point, Bali and Kri Island, Papua, Indonesia, and Maldives 
  15. Walking with elephants, Abucamp, Okavango Delta, Botswana
  16. Camel trek, Simpson Desert, Northern Territory, Australia

  1. Hammerhead sharks, Cocos Island, Cost Rica and Malpelo Island, Colombia (All year) 
  2.  Sea turtles, Cabo Pulma National Marine Park, Mexico, Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica, and Fernando de Noronha, Brazil (All year)
  3.  Tropical fish/coral reefs, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize
  4.  Sea lions, Cabo san Lucas, Mexico and Islas Palomino, Lima, Peru (All year) 
  5.  Manatees, Everglades National Park, Florida, USA (All year) 
  6. Penguins, seals, boobies, iguanas, tortoises, Isla de la Plata and Galapagos, Ecuador  (All year)
  7. Golden rays, Gulf of Mexico (Migration?) 
  8. Macaws, Manu & Tambopata, Amazon, Peru
  9. Hummingbirds, Bellavista cloud forest, Ecuador
  10. Tropical fish, eels, eagle rays, turtles, sharks, whale sharks, Belize Barrier Reef

January:
  1. Birding (cranes, eagles, owls) in Keoladeo Ghana National Park, India 
  2. Iguana spotting during mating season, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador  
  3. Bat-sitting, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Philippines  
  4. Snorkel Jellyfish lake, Palau (January-March) 
  5. Wild chameleons, Madagascar
  6. Red-crowned cranes, Kushiro, Hokkaido (Tancho no Sato reserve/Akan International Crane Center), Japan 
  7. Guided tour of baby bent-wing bats, Mt Etna Caves National Park, Australia  
  8. Sand cats, jackals, dolphins, sea turtles, Banc D'Arguin (UNESCO), Mauritania 
  9. Kea, the ground-dwelling alpine parrot, Arthur's Pass National Park, New Zealand 
  10. Camels (china?)
  11. Whale sharks, Donsol Bay, Philippines (January- April)
  12. Wildebeest calves,  Ndutu plains, Serengeti, Tanzania (January- March)
  13. Big game, Kgalagadi, South Africa (January- June)
  14. Flowering mountains, Southern Alps, New Zealand

  1. Boas and birds by boat, Palo Verde National Park, Costa Rica
  2. Coati, Muleshoe Ranch, Arizona, USA  
  3. Flamingos, Laguna Colorado, Bolivia  
  4. Wolves, bison, elk, Yellowstone National Park, USA   
  5. Harpy eagles, Punta Patiño Nature Reserve, Panama   
  6. Grey whales, Baja California, Mexico
  7. Bull elephant seal dominance, Piedras Blancas Beach, San Simeon, CA, USA

February:
  1. Hornbills and bearded pigs, Gurung Leuser National Park, Indonesia 
  2. Cheetahs, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania  
  3. Baby baboons, Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
  4. PLATAPI! Eungella National Park (Broken River early morning/late afternoon), Australia (December-February)  
  5. Lions and cheetahs, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, SA/Botswana/Namibia
  6. Dholes (must see these pups!), Kanha National Park, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
  7. Wealth of marine life: turtles, fish, corals, Raja Ampat Islands, Indonesia 
  8. Sea eagles, Hokkaido, Japan
  9. Tasmanian devils, Cradle Mountain-Lake St Clair National Park, Tasmania, Australia
  10. Bengal tigers, sloth bears, Panna Tiger Reserve, India (February-  April)      
  11. Snow leopards and blue sheep, India   
  12. Leatherback and loggerhead sea turtles, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
  13. Snow leopards, Ladakh mountains, India 
  14. Bird migration, Coto Doñana, Spain (February- April, September- November)
  15. Tigers, India (February- April)

  1. Pink River Dolphins, Yarapa River, Peru   
  2. Monarch butterfly migration, El Chincua, Mexico
  3. Orcas, Valdés Peninsula, Argentina

March:
  1. Giant flying squirrels, mouse deer, orangutans, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Malaysia Borneo 
  2. Sandhill cranes, Platte River, Nebraska, USA
  3. Dancing scallops, Quirimbas National Park (Pemba), Mozambique 
  4. Courting Kob (antelope), Queen Elizabeth National park, Uganda  
  5. Breeding raptors, Great Bustards, Extremadura/Monfragüe National Park
  6. Whale sharks, dugongs, manta rays, spawning coral Ningaloo Marine Park, Australia
  7. Meerkats, Addo Elephant National Park, South Africa
  8. Gharials, Royal Chitwan National Park, Nepal
  9. Flying foxes, Tooan Tooan Creek, Australia 
  10. Mountain gorillas, Mgahinga Gorilla National Park, Uganda  (March-April, Oct-Nov)        
  11. Whale sharks, Richelieu Rock and Hin Daeng, Thailand (April- May) 
  12. Pandas, Qinling Mountains, China
  13. Blue whales, south coast, Sri Lanka (March- April)

  1. Bee hummingbirds, sea turtles, crocodiles Ciénaga de Zapata National Park, Cuba
  2.  Harp seals, Magdalen Islands, Canada 
  3. Quetzals, Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve, Costa Rica
  4. Blue whales, Gulf of Corcodavo (Puerto Montt), Chile 
  5. Volunteer with seaturtles, Matura Beach, Trinidad
  6. Capybaras! hoatzins, parrots, dolphins, Anavilhanas Archipelago, Brazil 
  7. Killer whales, sea lions, elephant seals Valdés Peninsula, Argentina  
  8. Whale sharks, Placenia, Belize (March- June) and Utila, Honduras (March-April, August- September)
April:
  1. Leopards, slender loris, Sinharaja National Park, Sri Lanka 
  2. Sectral Tarsiers, Bogani Nani Wartabone National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia
  3. Chimpanzees, Kibale Forest National Park, Uganda
  4. Red squirrels, Abernethy Forest, Scotland 
  5. Giant Pandas, Wolong(Wulong?) Nature Reserve, Chengdu, China  
  6. Sooty terns, white fairy terns, Bird Island, Seychelles 
  7. Orangutans, Bohorok Rehabilitation Centre, Sumatra Indonesia, Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre, Malaysia (April-October)
  8. Lemurs, chameleons, Kirindy Forest, Madagascar (April-October)
  9. Proboscis monkeys, Bako National Park, Sarawak Malaysian Borneo, Malaysia
  10. Whale sharks, Ningaloo Reef, Australia (April- July, March to June?) 
  11. Lemur courtship, Madagascar (April- mid May)
  12. Wild rains, Kalahari Desert
  13. Whale watching, Iceland (April- August)
  14. Flowering mountains, Himalayas
  15. Wildebeest migration, Western Corridor, Serengeti, Tanzania (Mid April- June)
  16. Great white sharks, Gansbaii, Western Cape, South Africa (April- September)

  1. Sea otters, Monterey Bay, CA, USA  
  2.  Jaguars, manatees, Rio Bravo Conservation and Management Area/Chan Chich Lodge, Belize 
  3. Andean Condons, Machu Pichu, Peru  
  4. Roseate Spoonbills, High Island, Texas, USA 
  5. Pacific herring spawning, humpback whales, eagles, sea lions, Sitka Sound, Alaska, USA
  6. Gila monsters, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Arizona, USA 
  7. Belugas and narwhals, Davis Strait, Baffin Island


May:

  1. Snow leopards, takins, bharals, red pandas, Tashitang trek, Bhutan  
  2. Giraffes, North Luangwa National Park, Zambia 
  3. Orange fruit doves, Taveuni, Fiji 
  4. Saigas, greater flamingos, wolves, marmots, Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan  
  5. Komodo dragons, Komodo National Park, Indonesia 
  6. Aldabra tortoises, green sea turtles, Aldabra Atoll, Seychelles  
  7. Asian elephants, Uda Walawe National Park, Sri Lanka (May-September) 
  8. Hippos, Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe (May- October) 
  9. Dense widlife (party!), Okavango Delta, Botswana(May- June)
  10. Birding, Kakadu, Australia (May- September)

  1. Red-sided garter snake mating balls, Narcisse Snake Dens, Manitoba, Canada
  2. Sea lions, iguanas, tortoises, blue footed boobies! Galapagos, Ecuador 
  3. American Bison, Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, OK, USA 
  4. Black howler monkeys, Community Baboon Sanctuary, Belize  
  5. Puffins and puffins, Látrabjarg, Iceland, Witless Bay Ecological Reserve, Newfoundland, Canada, and Easter Egg Rock, Maine and Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska, USA
  6. Grey whales, Vancouver Island, BC, Canada
  7. Brown and Black bears, Banff National Park, Canada and Glacier-Wharton National Park, USA/Canada
  8.  Jaguars, Guyana rainforest (May- August)


June:
  1. Hippopotamuses, red river hogs, whales, dolphins, Loango National Park, Gabon 
  2. Red pandas, Bingzhongluo National Park, Kunming, PRChina  
  3. Sardine run "the greatest shoal," humpback whales, cape fur seals, bronze whaler sharks, dolphins, South Africa  
  4. Barren ground caribou, George River Herd, Porcupine Herd, Alaska- USA, Northern Canada
  5. Pacific walruses, Walrus Islands State Game Sanctuary/Togiak Nationa Wildlife Refuge/Round Island, Alaska, USA
  6. Atlantic Puffins, Shetland, UK
  7. Night drive through Kruger National Park, South Africa 
  8. Wildebeest migration, Tanzania's Serengeti National Park and Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve, Tanzania/Kenya   (June-July)
  9. Lions, Kafue National Park, Zambia, Mana Pools National Park (June-October) 
  10. Hippos, The Retreat, Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania (June- November)  
  11. Seals, Jervis Bay, Australia (June- September) 
  12. Wildflowers, Western Australia

  1. Snowy owls, polar bears, bowhead whales, caribou, bears, oxen, Arctic National Wildlife Reguge, Alaska 
  2. Fireflies, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN, USA 
  3. Mountain goats, Jasper National Park, Canada 
  4. Golden rays, Yucatan Peninsula, Cancun, Mexico 
  5. Maned wolves, Caraça Natural Reserve, Brazil  
  6. Grizzly bears, Bella Coola River, Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, BC, Canada (August-September)
  7. Macaws, river otters, Blanquillo Clay Lick, Manu National Park (June-November)
  8. Polar bears, arctic foxes, Hudson Bay, Canada (June-September) 
  9. Whale sharks, Holbox Island, Mexico (June- September) 
  10. Wildflowers, Denali National Park, Alaska, USA (June- September)


July:
  1. European Bison, West Caucasian Turs, Kavkazskiy Nature Reserve, Russia
  2. Polar bears, walruses, snowy owls, grey whales, Wrangle Island Reserve, Russia
  3. Great white sharks, South Africa
  4. Mountain gorillas, chimps, African forest elephants, black bee eaters, Bwindi Impenetrable National Reserve, Uganda 
  5. Snub-nosed monkeys, Baima Snow Mountain Reserve, China
  6. Whale sharks, Maldives (July- November) 
  7. Humpback whale calves, northeast coast, Madagascar (July- September)
  8. Wildebeest cross Grumeti River, Tanzania
  9. Big five viewing, southern Tanzania (July- October)
  10. Southern right whale calves, Cape, South Africa (July- October)
  11. Dense wildlife, Etosha National Park, Namibia
  12. Camel trek, Laikipia Plateau, Kenya (July- October, January- March)

  1. Belugas, Somerset Island, Canada
  2. Humpback whales, minke whales, Avalon Peninsula, Canada
  3. Brown bears, salmon, moose, caribou, wolverines, sea otters, Katmai National Park, Alaska, USA 
  4. Hyacinth macaws, jaguars, capybaras, Pantanal National Park, Brazil
  5. Grizzly bears, McNeil River Sanctuary, Alaska, USA  (July-August)
  6. Caribou, Northern Alaska, USA (July- September)
  7.  Orcas, Pacific west coast, Alaska, USA and BC, Canada (July- mid-September)
  8. Beluga calves, Churchill River, Manitoba, Canada
  9. Brown bears and salmon, Alaska and BC, Canada
  10. Southern right whales, Valdés Peninsula, Argentina


August:
  1. Fennec foxes, sand cats, cheetahs, Aïr & Ténéré Natural Reserve, Niger 
  2. Hippos!!  Katavi National Park, Tanzania  
  3. Snow sheep, sea otters, brown bears, Kronotsky Nature Reserve, Russia  
  4. Leopards, chitals, sloth bears, barking deer, white ibises, painted storks, Wilpattu National Park, Sri Lanka  
  5. Indian wild asses, desert cats, nilgais, Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary, India
  6. Atlantic puffins, Westmann Islands, Iceland  
  7. Barking deer, wild oxen, wild pigs, Taman Negara National Park, Malaysia   
  8. Sea turtles, Kadavu island (August- October) 
  9. Wildebeests, Mara River, Tanzania and Kenya and Masai Mara, Kenya
  10. Wildflowers, Namaqualand, South Africa (end-August- mid-October)

  1. Mexican Free-Tailed Bats, Bracken Cave, Texas, USA  
  2. Spawning coral, tropical fish, Caribbean (Florida) 
  3. Killer whales, Johnstone strait, Canada (kayaking)  
  4. Macaws, river otters, Napa Wildlife Centre, Yasuni National Park, Equador (August-September)
  5. Great white sharks, Guadalupe Island, Mexico 
  6. Humpbacks bubble-net feeding, Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound, Alaska, USA

September:
  1. Wild yaks, black necked cranes, snow leopards, Chang Tang Nature Reserve, Tibet, PRChina 
  2. Wrinkle-lipped bats, Gurung Mulu National Park, Malaysian Borneo  
  3. Manta rays, Lankanfinolhu Faru, North Male' Atoll, Maldives  
  4. Dugong, sea turtles, bottle-nose dolphins, tiger sharks, Shark Bay World Heritage Site, Australia
  5. African elephants, Chobe National Park, Botswana  
  6. African Wild dogs, Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana  
  7. Mandrills, Lopé National Park, Gabon
  8. Spotted hyenas, Harar, Ethiopia   
  9. Little blue penguins, Penguin and Phillip Islands, Australia (September- June)
  10. Blue and yellow eyed penguin, South Island and Stewart Island, New Zealand (September- June)
  11. Seals, Port Philip Bay, Australia (September- May)
  12. Sea lions, Punta Loma, Argentina (September- February)

  1. Elk, wolves, bison, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA 
  2. Variety of sharks, cave of the sleeping sharks, Isla Mujeres, Mexico
  3. Giant anteaters, Emas National Park, Brazil  
  4. Scarlet macaws, giant otters, emperor tamarins, Manu National Park, Peru   
  5. Gentoo and Magellanic penguins, Isla Martillo, Argentina (September- April)


October:
  1. White rhinos, Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve, South Africa 
  2. African lions, zebras, hippos, black rhinos, flamingos, Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania 
  3. Variety of lemurs, aye-ayes, Madagascar (Volunteer here)  
  4. African buffalo, Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
  5. Glow worms and bioluminescence, Waitomo Caves, New Zealand 
  6.  Quokkas, Rottenest Island, Australia   
  7. Dolphins, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand and Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne, Australia 
  8. Elephants, mopane woodlands, Okavango Delta, Botswana
  9. Wildlife, National Parks open, India (October-April)
  10. Flamingos, Great Rift Valley, Kenya & Tanzania (October-December)
  11. Reef herons, Heron Island, Noddy Island, Australia
  12. Tigers, elephants, langurs, Corbett National Park, India (October- April)
  13. Ethiopian wolves, gelada baboon, Simien Mountains, Ethiopia (October- March)

  1. Polar bears, Churchill, Manitoba, Canada (October- November)
  2. Raptors, river of raptors, outside of Veracruz, Mexico  


November:
  1. Hawksbill turtles, dwarf minke whales, manta rays, tropical fish, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia 
  2. Siberian Ibexes, Aksu-Dzhabagly Nature Reserve, Kazakhstan  
  3. Indian rhinos, bengal tigers, Indian elephants, dolphins, Kaziranga National Park, India
  4. Elephants, black rhinos, cape fur seals, flamingos, Namibia
  5. Straw-colored fruit bats, Kasanka National Park, Zambia
  6. Kagus, Rivière Bleue Provincial Park, New Caledonia   
  7. Dolphins, Kizingo, Kenya (November- April)
  8. Sea Turtles, Similan Islands, Thailand (November- May)
  9. Manta Rays, Koh Bon, Thailand, Socorro Islands, Mexico, and Catalina Islands, Costa Rica (November- May) 
  10. Wildebeests, south Serengeti, Tanzania (November-December)
  11. Best time to trek Himalayas, Nepal
  12. Birdwatching, Bharatpur, India (December- February)

  1. Jaguars, Pantanal, Brazil 
  2. Golden lion tamarins, Poço das Antas Biological Reserve, Brazil 
  3. Bighorn sheep, Whiskey Mountain, Wyoming, USA  


December:
  1. Kangaroos, koalas, possums, seals, Kangaroo Island, Australia  
  2. Flying lizards, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia 
  3. Markhor antelope, Chitral Gol National Park,Pakistan
  4. Warthogs! Amboseli National Park, Kenya  
  5. Snow monkeys, Jigokudani Monkey Park, Japan   
  6. Tropical fish/coral reefs, Similan and Surin Islands, Thailand (December- April) 
  7. Manta Rays, Donsol, Philippines (December- May) 
  8. Birding, Everglades, Florida (December- April)

  1. Scalloped hammerhead sharks, Cocos Island National Park, Costa Rica  
  2. Elephant seals, Año Nuevo State Natural Reserve, CA, USA  
  3. Toucans, blue cotingas, Canopy Tower, Panama    
  4. Ocelots, Central American squirrel monkeys, Baird's Tapirs,  Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica    
  5. Variety of birds, Tikal National Park, Guatemala (morning)    
  6. Humpback and sperm whales, Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica