Bandhavgarh National Park, India

 

In my search for the big cats, the Bengal tiger is the last one missing from my collection of accessible locations. There are others such as the snow leopard but this one is so rare that I will not pursue it.  I spent a few days waking up at dawn and boarding a Murati (Indian Jeep) searching for the tigers.  They are abundant but not easy to photograph due to the thick vegetation in the park.  So the opportunities to get clear shots of them is when they are crossing a road or at a water hole. These cats seem to be more active in the early morning and at sunset.  So lighting was also a challenge. 

 

 

 

 As at most other world known wildlife reserves, (such as the Masai Mara, Yellowstone, Denali and others) crowding and traffic conditions are a concern. The drivers, to satisfy their customers, compete to get to the tiger sighting the fastest possible and then struggle for the best viewing location. When a tiger viewing is announced among the drivers by cell phone, the race starts to get to the location; as a result, driving is hazardous.  Additionally, the roads are rough and I found myself holding on to the vehicle with one hand while using the other to hold my gear from flying of the vehicle. But by the time you get to the sighting, the tiger is gone or the number of vehicles blocks the road and there is no place to stop to see it. Needless to say my body was sore and my brains scrambled from such rough riding.  Next time, my strategy will be just to go to a waterhole and wait for the tigers come with a cooler full of Kingfisher beer.

 

Next to the tigers, the peacocks were the most interesting animals to observe. It appears that they were at the peak of the mating season and the males were showing off their feathers, jumping and dancing in circles to attract the peahens.  While I was there, at sunset in a waterhole, there were 3 peacocks who had established equidistant territories around the waterholes displaying. Curiously, the peahens congregated in a nearby tree and would fly one by one to the water’s edge and inspect each of the suitor’s charms.  They just assessed the charmers and walked away with an air of disdain.  The broken hearted peacocks just stopped displaying.  But suddenly, one of the peahens would run back and mate with the lucky one.  Regarding the waterhole, it had wonderful colors due to the algae blooms occurring at the time I was there.

 

 There were other visitors to the waterhole such as the spotted (chital) and sambar deer, wild boars and the tigers.  One late afternoon a tiger showed up and took a bath.  This waterhole became a daily site to watch and it was very rewarding due to the changing color pattern the of the algae bloom.

 

Not to forget the elephants in the park:  these were tamed and in use to provide rides to the tourist at a rate of $800/3 hour rides.  It was a sad note to have captive animals in a national park.  It is said that there are no wild elephants left in India any more. It was not a pleasant sight to see this animal with the two front legs shackled with chains. It would jump with the two front legs in unison to move forward.

 

Birds were abundant in numbers as well as in variety of species. Raptors, such as the brown fish owl and the crested serpent eagle, were easy to photograph while perching by the side road.  Other birds such as the black naped monarch flycatcher and the red wattled lapwing were also easy to capture but the kingfishers were another story; I did not get a single image worth showing.

 

The langurs and the Rhesus or Macaque monkeys were the most abundant.  The langurs were always in close families but the red faced Rhesus was often seen alone.  The baby Langur reminded me of ET.

 

There are also some wonderful landscapes as well as historical sites such as the a thousand years old as of the sleeping Vishnu. The hunting gazebo was where the maharaja of Rewa waited for the game to be driven to him; it is said that he killed more than a 100 tigers. By the time the park closed at 6 PM, I was totally wasted and ready for the genuine Indian dinner. 

Lion Family in the Masai Mara, Kenya

 

This lioness will allow cubs that are not her own to nurse.  Lions live in families and the females are usually related such as sisters.  The cubs just go and suckle from one lioness and then will move to another.  Never a shortage of milk

Baby Elephant Playing

Twenty Years of African Safaris

 

It has been twenty years since I first visited Kenya in 1993.  I have returned many times to as well as other African countries since. This time I found myself in the middle of the presidential elections and was in Nairobi while demonstrations from the various parties were going on.  The elections went peacefully this time although the final outcome is in the courts.  In my opinion, things in the country have improved economically and declined environmentally. 

 

Prior to this trip, I was there last at which time there was lots of new highways being constructed or repaired.  This year I benefited from this improvements except for the road past Narok to the Masai Mara Park; is still a dirt road full potholes and dusty. The capital Nairobi is booming with new buildings accompanied by huge traffic jams.  The renovations to the airport and the construction around it are massive. The interior of the country is not improving as fast; as a result, there is a large migration to the capital by those seeking to improve their quality of life

 

In 1993 the Masai people were still barefoot and some were wearing the skins of animals as clothing.  Now, they wear shoes mostly made of old tires, the traditional Scottish red pattern cloaks, have watches and cell phones. Pickup trucks and motorcycles are common in the villages.  It is interesting that Kenya leapfrogged into the cell phone age bypassing the wired phones. The cell towers are all over the place and in the parks, camouflaged as trees.  So when a Masai see lions approaching his cows, he just makes a cell phone call to ask for help.

 

Traveling towards the Mara, extensive fields cultivated with wheat extends to the boundaries of the Masai Mara Reserve are seen, and more land is plowed for cultivation.  Unfortunately these fields need irrigation and the water comes from the Mara River, whose levels now are very low compared to what I recall from earlier years.  It is not only the irrigation that is caused the dwindling of water levels in the river but also the deforestation that has taken place in the headwaters of the river as well.  The lakes such as Nakuru and Naivasha, are also affected by decreasing water levels and higher levels of pollution.  I remember visiting Lake Nakuru back in 2004, when the lake was pink from the large numbers of flamingos; they were not seen during this year or last when I visited.

 

The parks are under stress due to population growth competing with the forests and animals for firewood and meat.  Wayside stands along the roads are selling charcoal made mostly from acacia trees for cooking.  Even inside the parks one can see a whole acacia tree that has been cut down; the closer to the boundaries, the more.  And then the poachers are cutting down the elephant populations for their ivory as well as the few rhinos despite the efforts of the Kenyan Wildlife Service. 

 

Regardless of these pressures, the wildlife inside the parks has become habituated to the tourists and are easily observed and photographed.  I recall back in my early safari years, that the animals will see you coming and will run and hide. 

 

As to what the future will bring?  The economic improvements will continue to accelerate as well as the population standard of living.  The environment will be stressed and in particularly the wildlife.  In my opinion, unless immediate action is taken to protect the national parks and forested areas, in particular the Masai Mara, the greatest nature spectacle on earth (the herds’ migration in East Africa) will cease within two decades (my opinion).  When it comes to people survival or the environment, the former usually wins but with a hidden cost to pay later.

Torres del Paine a Year after the Fire

 

Last year the trip to Torres del Paine was a total lost because of the fire, the park was closed. For more details of this disaster, refer to my previous blog of this place in 2012.  The park is now open for business and the welcome spirit is back.  As a result of the fire, the park staffing has been increased to about 44 rangers. A helicopter is stationed at the park headquarters for fire surveillance; I wonder if it will be there next year since it is very costly to operate.  This is the premier tourist location in Chile; it is what Yellowstone is to the USA.  Therefore is heavily used and large tourist buses are now a common sight, this was not the case back in 2004 when I first visited.  The overcrowding is becoming a concern as seen for the lack of adequate parking places at the designated overlooks.

 

 In my opinion, this is the spot is where the most wonderful landscapes can be observed in the world, and due to the ever changing weather, the photographic opportunities are challenging.  The most common animals to be seen are the guanacos.  For many years I had been trying to catch these cousins of the camels jumping fences.  Finally I got my shot.  It happened that when I was there, the boys were defending their harems and fights were common and violent.  The defender chases the intruder while biting its rear legs or when facing each other, they fight hitting and biting their necks.

 

There are numerous species of birds and at this time of the year when is spring there, they are active feeding and having families.  Below is a family of Coscoroba swans, a Bandurria with its very peculiar curved bill, a Black Breasted Buzzard ( a new bird for me), the very common Upland Goose,  and finally the Rhea.

 

My purpose this year was to photograph pumas but I was not successful.  Tried hard for several days waking up at dark 0200 to no avail.  Although 5 were sighted, there were very skittish and there was no enough light, but they are there, as proven by the not the best image below; promise a better one in the future.  After a long day, a glass of wine and a great meal provided the energy for the next day.

 

As always, the Torres will be there waiting to challenge my photographic spirit with another gorgeous view.

 

The Graffiti Capital of the World

 Punta Arenas in Chile is a city that I will want to live in.  It is a small quiet town where even the dogs obey the traffic lights.  No matter where you go, graffiti are the dominant subject.  So I decided to name it the “The Graffiti Capital of World.”  I had been visiting there since 2004 several times and had seen the evolution of graffiti; it appears that the climax of graffiti expression diminished by the end of the first decade of the XXI century.  Last year I noticed the decay of popular intrusive art; the images are decaying fast due to the harsh weather conditions such as rain, sun and wind. 

 

During my recent visit in January, stray dogs have become a safety issue due to the numerous dog bites inflicted in the citizens. So like anywhere there is a split in the community, those who want to get rid of them and those that want to maintain the status quo.  There are dogs everywhere and when lying in a sidewalk of door entrance they will not move.  As a result, the trash receptacles in the city are elevated so the dogs cannot scavenge the trash bags.  And some are very original and artistic in design as shown below; this has been there for some time and I always walk by to say hello.

 

Punta Arenas was a very wealthy city between the 1850 and 1920 when it was important port for the ships crossing the Magellan Strait navigating from the U.S East and West coast.  Most of those adventurers from the U.S. East Coast that went to California during the Gold Rush came this way.  Another source of wealth was the exportation of wool mostly to England.  

 

 The maritime industry is still active and the city is visited regularly by cruise ships, a host of a Chilean Navy major command, and where old piers and shipwrecks of old sailing ships adorn the shores. At one time, it was the crossroads of the world.

 

 Energy has been also and on/off source of wealth.  In 2010 when I was there, there were posters in the streets and signs along the roads fighting the opening of coal mines.  Well, the environmentalists lost and the coal mine has been opened.  Ironically, while I was there they announced the closing of the gas plant.  The plant can be seen coming into the city from the north with its wind turbines.  These were used to generate electricity for the plant and were installed by 2011, since they were not there the prior year when I visited.

Just waiting for my next arrival at my favorite Hotel Plaza Hotel as well as my daily visit to the second floor of the Mercado, where the best and cheapest food can be found.  Maybe by then, I will be able to revisit the Menendez Mansion that has been under renovation during the last two years…things still move slowly down at the end of the world.