Travel Adventures and Photography
I watch a lot of travel shows. What can I say, it's one of my favorite things to do on Saturday mornings when I'm not traveling. My local public television network KCET has just aired what is probably the best travel show I've ever seen. It caught my eye because of the host—it's Sue Perkins, host from The Great British Bake Off!! Say whaaaaat?? It aired on BBC Two a couple of years ago and I'm not sure it ever aired in the US Read More
Pet establishments have been gaining popularity all over the globe. In an article from Forbes, feline-friendly coffee shops in the US were featured which draw in customers with the help of cats. On the other side of the world, the same phenomenon has been happening for far longer like I've shown here on Try Something Fun through one of my posts about Japan, wherein a whole shopping mall welcomes dog-lovers along with their Read More
Next time you visit Las Vegas, take a short detour and enjoy a front row seat to watch grazing desert bighorn sheep in the wild, with a beautiful setting of Lake Mead in the background. At Hemenway Park in Nevada, just 30 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, these wild animals come down from the hills each day to feed on the lawns they have been frequenting for over 30 years. The size of the herd varies, but 40 to 50 sheep are a Read More
As the hot sun beat down, I sat on the top deck of an old diesel safari truck when a giraffe approached and stopped about two feet from my face. I lowered my camera to get a better look at him and, curious about my face, I felt his breath as he tried to get a good sniff of me. Surely he smelled the wine I had just tasted an hour earlier in Napa Valley. I’m at Safari West, an authentic African wildlife preserve in Santa Read More
I recently visited fruit orchards in central California to photograph their annual spring blooms, and as it turned out, the highlight of my trip had nothing to do with flowers.... The local tourism office encourages visitors to drive the "Blossom Trail" with a provided map and you can pull over for photo ops at various orchards. So I did, paying attention to avoid the places with 'keep out' or 'no trespassing' signs. I came Read More
It is no secret that many of Tokyo's 13 million inhabitants love animals. Animal cafés across the city allow apartment dwellers an opportunity to give and receive love from an animal and thus help relieve stress in their lives. As an animal lover, this is a concept I can totally appreciate. Despite having a list of dog cafés to visit on my trip to Tokyo, I couldn't locate a single one! I found navigating the city overwhelming, Read More
If you've spent any time in Chiang Mai, your visit was undoubtedly memorable. Though the city has an incredible amount of things to see and do, trekking is the number one thing that draws visitors. You'll find tour companies on almost every corner who offer multi-day trekking tours into the mountains of northern Thailand for a chance to experience authentic hill tribe cultures. There are some things I wish I had done Read More
Authored by Megan Jerrard While Icelandic tourism is on the rise, many tourists don’t stray too far from the capital of Reykjavik, which is shame because they are missing out on the chance to meet Iceland’s wild horses. You won’t see scenes like this anywhere else in the world. Horses run free against backdrops of majestic glaciers, gushing geysers, glittering ice caps which pierce the sky, and vibrant green fjords which Read More
I recently did a road trip along the California coast and I thought others might benefit from my legwork to find the best places to spot wild sea otters. California sea otters nearly went extinct in the early 1900's due to hunters wanting their soft fur, and later the animal officially became an endangered species. Their numbers are very slowly improving now with about 2,700 known to exist in California. These are the Read More
Have you ever had a moment when you are traveling, one which made you stop and really be so thankful for that exact moment? You feel a special connection with whatever surrounds you and it fills you with emotion. Just outside Kyoto, Japan is a place where I had one of those beautiful moments: Arashiyama Monkey Park. If and when I go back to Japan, this will likely be the first thing on my list. Snow monkeys, you Read More
I recently got my hands on some new lenses (50mm prime + 300mm telephoto zoom) and I wanted to try them out at the LA Zoo. The reason is simple: I love animals and I'm working on improving my wildlife photography. The timing turned out to be perfect. Just three days earlier one of the female hippos gave birth to an adorable baby. The pair cuddled while the papa stayed close (see photo below). Check out my photos and I'd Read More
Oahu has some excellent snorkeling in spots such as Kuilima Cove, Kahe Beach, Shark's Cove and Kaena. But in my opinion, Hanauma Bay is the best snorkeling on the island and I'm certainly not the first person to suggest that this spot probably has the most fish in all of Hawaii. Hanauma Bay is a Nature Preserve located just 30 minutes east of Waikiki. The bay is home to 400 species of extremely colorful fish and green sea Read More
Despite having been to the city of Chicago several times before, this time I had a local guide so I could explore things you might only know about if you grew up there. What a fantastic city to explore gems off the beaten path! First stop was a very special place just outside the city: Showman's Rest Memorial. Set in Woodlawn cemetery at Forest Park, surrounded by five granite Read More
This summer I found a fantastic outing with Captain Dave's Dolphin and Whale Watching Safari. I love the idea of this trip for several reasons; they have been recognized for their whale rescue efforts and have produced an award winning documentary and a great book on the subject, the tours are small in size and they take daily trips off the coast of Dana Point, California, where there are more blue whales and dolphins than Read More
The Vancouver Aquarium in British Columbia, Canada has many things to offer which are unique to the region. Here are the top five reasons you should visit: Beluga Whales are majestic and other worldly... watching them slowly glide across the water is something fantastic. This Beluga and I had a moment! Typically these mammals live in arctic and subarctic waters, and they are known as "sea canaries" because of their songs Read More
Last week saw the arrival of Spring and today was my first chance to explore in and around Stanley Park. I thought you might enjoy the view too! If you are interested in the birds of British Columbia, there is a BC-based nature photographer named Liron whom you should meet. He takes incredible photos of birds and he offers both guided tours and photography workshops. Sometimes he takes people on a Read More
My friend Jason left Los Angeles several years ago looking for the ultimate island lifestyle. He became a professional diving instructor in the Philippines and travels in search of the best diving the South Pacific has to offer. He found a real hidden gem in north-eastern Bali, a place called Amed. To this day, Jason is the happiest person I know. Once in a while I enjoy a peek into his world, so I thought you might, Read More
I just returned from Japan where I noticed that in modern Japanese culture many people carry an owl charm. Apparently they do this because the owl symbolizes luck and protects them from suffering. Through history in ancient Greece, Asia and America, owls have been a symbol of wisdom and magic. They are also unquestionably gorgeous, and mysterious in my opinion. But why are they lucky in Japanese culture? Here's the Read More
West Coast Road Trip (continued) In the heart of the vast Oregon wilderness, over 600 exotic and native animals live a fully protected and free-roaming lifestyle. 'Wildlife Safari' in Winston, Oregon, with a full 600 acres of land, has dedicated themselves to the conservation, education and research of wildlife. I was very happy to get a chance on my road trip to see these animals in dedicated habitats in the beautiful Read More
West Coast Road Trip (continued) Continuing in this series of a west coast road trip, we headed north and crossed the California / Oregon border, two things were completely evident: Oregon cows are very happy cows, and the sky is definitely different in Oregon. No question about it. Check out the view these cows have, not to mention all the open space. So spoiled! The white of the clouds and the blue of the sky Read More