Travel Whisper

Out & About with Elephants - Botswana

2009-11-12T16:38:00.001+01:00

Having been on safari in Southern Africa a couple of times now, elephant encounters are not the most difficult ones to tick off my must-see list. However, I had never dreamt of being "adopted" by an elephant herd, even it were only to be for half a day. But here's the story. There was this guy from the US, having worked in a zoo and then called to Africa to support a film project with elephants 20 years ago. Doug went, filmed, met 2 elephant orphans - and stayed. Later on, he adopted a third elephant, who had been sitting already on death row and managed to bring the best and sweetest sides of her out to the world. So today, Doug Groves goes on his daily walk with Jabu, Thembi, and Morula, enabling them to live as close as possible in and with their natural environment, as they cannot survive on their own. If you happen to be in the Okavango Delta in Botswana (and have the means to do so), book the "Meet the Elephants" encounter. It will be a very rewarding, once-in-a-lifetime experience! Doug does a great job on explaining the physiognomies of the elephants, their social structure and interaction within the little herd and there are plenty of "touch & feel" and "Kodak picture spot" opportunities included. After the first meet & greet, the little group finally starts its stroll and upon invitation you walk in front of Morula, who places her trunk over your shoulder - pushing much to my surprise against it if I walk too slow, subtle, but very firm on leading me in HER pace.
The lesser fun I thought was the elephant's definition of giving you a hairdryer job. Three trunks on top of my head and shoulders were just - eh, were just three too many, judging by the face my husband was making. So I concentrated on taking the pictures instead. At the end of the walk, the group (guests are limited to a maximum number of 10 per activity) enjoys a pick nick, elephants a few meters away. Then you line up and Marula officially welcomes you as a member of the family with a big kiss on your cheek. Smooch!

Visit the website of the Elephant foundation here

Hip things to do in Singapore

2008-04-18T13:39:00.003+02:00

Having been to the PATA (Pacific Asia Travel Association) roadshow on Tuesday, I did not expect to learn much new about Singapore. Been there 3 times, participated in the travel agency training from Singapore Tourism Board and am quite on top of new things happening in Asia.
But life's full of surprises!

Here are my new insights:
1. Singapore has some unique rainforest in its territory. In fact, the plant- und species diversity is claimed to be higher than the one in North America!
2. The zoo. Usually nothing that would catch my interest, I don't like watching animals caged away. But here, it is different. All animals are allowed to roam freely, separated from the visiting guests by a deep ditch.
3. Right across the zoo you can do a night safari, and the experts recommend you do it on the walking trail...
4. The world-famous Orchard Road is a shopping paradise - today. In the past, it was home to a fruit- und nutmeg plantation.
5. And last but not least: Ever heard of fish reflexology? Go to Sentosa (little island across the mainland) to the Underwater World. Here you can treat yourself with a tickling experience. It starts off with putting your feet in a warm water pool, where a school of Turkish spa fish gently nibble the dead skin from your feet. Following the fish treatment, your feet - now smooth as silk - get an additional treatment from the foot reflexologist. Enjoy! More details here.

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2007-12-19T23:21:00.000+01:00

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Catwalk (II) – Namibia

2007-10-21T20:07:00.000+02:00

Cats are my favourite animals. And: the bigger, the better. Yours too? And ready to take the next step from cuddling the cute, domestiCATed European purrers to facing their big kins out in the wild? Then get ready for this unique Catventure: a visit to the Okonjima Lodge in Namibia, home of the Africat Foundation. Okonjima is a jewel in the bush. Not only that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had chosen to stay the year before in the very same Okonjima Lodge/The Villa, accomodating 8-10 guests in a very secluded and personal atmosphere, but it also accomodates all types of travel budgets from the main camp up to the luxurious Bush Suite. Purpose of the Africat Foundation is to rescue cheetahs and leopards from surrounding farm grounds before the farmer gets too upset about the constant kill of his cattle and puts another deadly end to the debate. There are different sections on the lodge premises, from the hospital/care station where the cubbs are bottle-fed, up to their last station before being released to a new area: here, the leopards and cheetahs are radio-collared so the rangers can monitor health status, food intake and ability to hunt on their own. We start with the semi-selfdependent cheetahs, which are regularly fed. Much to our suprise they sit next to our open jeep and communicate like their European little counterparts: they hiss, meouw, purr and let nothing untried to make our guide open the promising white bucket with the meat treats. They look so beautiful yet hungry with their amber eyes that I press to open the bucket. But this means a rapid end to the photo session since once the bucket is empty, this silly green can with the tourists inside looses all interesting features to the carnivores. Next on the list to visit is the area with the radio-collared cats. Leopards and cheetahs have a different schedule for hunting, so you take one excursion in the afternoon and strictly stay in the car when looking for the leopards. They are a master of disguise and we learn that our guide was only half joking when he said "If you hear a big scream, we probably drove over the paw of the leopard." Ouch! And there he is. Camouflaged and staring at us with a slight air of arrogance with his green eyes. Beautiful, silky fur and very elegant movements as he slowly gets up and starts walking in slow-motion right in front of our vehicle. The next morning is with the cheetahs again, but this time the ones who will be released soon, Astor and Apollo. After some time trying to locate the radio signal - after all, this is not a GPS device - the brother and sister come out of the bush and start trotting up the hill. The guide tells us to leave the car and walk behind the cats. After a while, they get tired of whatever and lay down in the sand. We get as close as 10 meters by foot, only camera lenses between us and the claws. But then, Apollo, apparently being in a good mood, rolls over to his back, paws in the air, and my husband can barely grab my arm before I walk over to cuddle with the cat. Oh, well , after all, they are maybe NOT exactly like my kitty cat... Homepage of Okonjima Lodge

Walk high up in the sky - in Macau!

2007-10-21T19:51:00.001+02:00

Well, we 'walked the walk' up on Macau Tower and therefore are now entitled to 'talk the talk': The whole Macau Tower is like a gigantic adventure playground: Skywalk X, Mast Climb, Iron Walk, Bungy Jump, Sky Jump, etc. are just a few of the urban adenvtures for the ones with a brave heart. Up on Skywalk X you walk WITHOUT a handrail, but disguised with a funny, orange jumper on the platform up in 233 metres, secured by a very smart overhead safety system that, however, does not give you a REAL sense of stability up there. The guy from AJ Hackett, who operates the adventure park, walks in front of the group and asks you to do such fun things as "Hold the safety line with your left hand, stand as close as possible to the edge of the platform and lift your right leg high up in the air." Are you kidding me??! But he won't let go, the group adds some pressure to it and finally you do as you are told - and are a proud owner of incredible pictures that will for sure get the attention span of friends and family! We enjoyed Macau very much, it has a very unique flair, an interesting blend of Asian and Portuguese architecture, food, language, culture and everything. The historic part of the city is VERY charming and the city in its entirety we found much greener and quieter than Hong Kong.
Website of Macau Tower

Catwalk (I) - Thailand / The Tiger Temple

2007-09-28T15:55:00.000+02:00

For some of my travel experiences you should know that I am cataddicted. So when I saw a TV feature on a Tiger Temple in Thailand 3 months prior to our honeymoon departure you would not be surprised by my creativity in finding new search terms for Google to get me a Thaisite telling me more about it. Next to impossible! From the TV report, I sort of had a name and a rough idea of its location - somewhere northwest of Bangkok, not too far away from the river Kwai. So this was all information I could hit a Thai travel agent in Bangkok with, asking them to pull a full-day excursion together for us in about a week after our return from diving in Koh Lanta.
The agent managed a smile and promised to do her best.
A week later, we were told the excursion was to take place, but no guarantee to see the tigers, they had heard that the tigers left the temple.
I'll spare you the details of the floating market and the lunch at the river Kwai - a waste of my blogspace and your reading time.
Then, finally, early afternoon we arrive at Wat (Thai for temple) Pa Luangta Bua Yannasampano. This temple is like the Arche Noah! Water buffalos in the pond, baboons on the bench, peacocks on the floor. We were greeted by the friendly Abbott Pra Acharn Phusit and were told that the tigers would be showered and taken for their daily walk around 3.30 pm. And indeed, in the afternoon, the monks enter the cages, each tiger has their own dedicated monk taking care of him. The cats receive a complimentary shampoo &shower which they obviously enjoy very much. Then, their collar is connected to a thin string, thin bamboo stick in the other hand, and off goes the disparate pair to the nearby canyon. Sandbathing & playtime!
We are waiting in a respectful distance, watching the parade, and then slowly follow the group into the canyon. Barely hiding behind a boulder, the tigers now doze in about 10 meters distance and look at us, calm, peaceful, sort of uninterested. The more impressed we are and I barely remember to breathe.
We walk back to the cage area, where the cubbs are now released, tied with a long rope to a tree and playing & cuddling with their peers. If you dare, you can mingle the crowd, which is a great experience. But keep in mind that those claws compare in nothing to the ones of your baby kittens back home!

The monks pursue a very ambitious goal: not only to continue to raise donations for the daily meat, but to build a "New home for the tigers", consisting of an island surrounded by a ditch deep enough to allow the tigers to roam freely.

Now, 4 years down the road, the temple arrived in webland and is much easier to find & visit - so make this a must-see on your next trip to Thailand! And please support the "New home project" while you are visiting...
Official website of Tiger Temple

Try an alternative to Bordeaux: red wine from Majorca!

2007-09-28T15:45:00.001+02:00

Until recently, wine from Majorca was barely mentioned in the typical gourmet-, lifestyle and wine connaisseur glossy press.
The bodegas on Majorca from today only exist 20 years at the best, which actually is surprising, as wine cultivation on the island goes back to the ancient world.
But since the devastating works of the vine pest finally made its way to the island, many vines had been replaced by almond trees.
In the 60ies, the growing tourism industry added to the decay and the vines got forgotten. It took more than 20 years before some of the old wine dynasties remembered their ancient traditions and some career changers discovered that Majorca offers perfect conditions for some unusual wines.
The special assets of the island are established with local vines Manto Negro and Callet, that lend an unmistakable flavour to the wines from Majorca.
One of my favourites is the cuvée AN/2 of vineyard Anima Negra, whose 3 oenologists are already nicknamed "The Young Savages" of wine.
In very good vintages, the traditional Anima Negra, literally translated as "the black soul", is also being bottled. My personal opinion on this one is that its price-value-ratio is already too low.
The "little brother" AN/2 however, is earthy, has a berry-flavour, very rich and with 11 Euro per bottle is very affordable.
Enjoy!