Fighting off a jaguar
This year I became friends with a guy who, with his bare hands, successfully fought off a jaguar that jumped on his back while he was tending to goats on the African plain. I am doing something right.…
Everything is new.
Many people say they feel they get to travel here, too, through my journal. The most amazing thing about it is how everyday things are new… You wonder how to wash your hands, or tonight, how to eat properly when we all eat out of the same bowl. So…
King of the creepy crawlies ...
The Hairy Mygalormorph. Now that doesn't sound so scary, does it? The name makes the tarantula sound like a kind grandfather. Which it is. They've been around for millions of years and haven't changed much in that time. Many use their…
Everyday people: The unexpected tour guide
This is Kay. Kay drove my bus yesterday to the Wai-O-Tapu geothermal area and when she informed us that we did not have time to go swimming because of timing and I didn't see the entire park, she offered to come ... on her day off ... in her…
I can nearly hear you.
The end of the road ... 6 hours hiking round trip to arrive at the end of Hooker Lake with Mt . Cook in the background. Just stunning. If there is God or something else, I will find it out here and not inside brick or cement walls. I sat for a long…
Hello, 1-meter-long fish!
Tomorrow, I will start seeing THIS! The giant potato cods of Cod Hole in the northern Great Barrier Reef can reach 8 feet long and a whopping 240 pounds, and you can stand there as they brush right by you! It's one of the most well-known divi…
My Blood Moon rising
This evening marks a lunar eclipse — seen by people all over the world, including 11,000 miles away in my hometown of Rochester, NY. It is the second of the tetrad – a series of four successive total lunar eclipses, with no partial lunar eclipses…
Ok, you asked for it!
Still can't believe I flushed a toilet and toads scrambled up the bowl. And four more did when I used the OTHER toilet, next door. When I tell this incredible tale to my Aussie folk here, they give me the "you're talking about buying…
A glimpse into Ngalia living history
Life from the top of the 4-wheel-drive and "swag" tents out in the bush, helping the Ngalia Aboriginal mob document a sacred part of their living history. It's a grand view, from any angle. Miles and miles of red dirt and open sky an…