ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Zegrahm director and expedition leader Jonathan Rossouw recently set out on a personal trip to Kyrgyzstan in search of the snow leopard, one of the most elusive and endangered animals on the face of the planet. Following is his account of the amazing adventure that unfolded:

It took us two full days of travel to reach Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan from Cape Town via Johannesburg, South Africa to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on to Almaty, Kazakhstan, and by road across the border into Kyrgyzstan (5hrs, including border crossing). Read more

Our Snow Monkeys and Cranes expedition showcases Japan’s beautiful winter landscapes and fascinating wildlife. Dr. Mark Brazil lives in Japan, designed this expedition especially for us and leads the journey in search of red-crowned cranes, sea eagles, and snow monkeys reveling in steaming hot springs. Mark further enhances the expedition with an insider’s perspective, introducing travelers to the people, culture, and cuisine of Japan along the way.

We received this wonderful letter from H & W Kendrick after their return home from Japan in February 2009 and want to share it, along with the photos, with our readers. In case you are wondering, onsens are Japanese hot springs. Read more

For those of you who have been diligently watching our Web site, hoping to hear news of our Adriatic Voyage, I apologize. The spectacles of the season and activities on board our luxurious yacht, the MS Island Sky, have made it difficult to sit down at a computer to write a journal!

Springtime is the best time to be in the Adriatic. The hillsides are ablaze with poppies, irises, and gorse and the medieval walled cities are filled with festivals of the season. We watched Easter Pageants in Malta and Sicily and toured the palaces, archaeological sites, and bustling mountain-top bazaars of Corfu and Albania. Read more

A wealth of choices awaited us today in Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands. Many opted to spend the entire day exploring the island while others elected a birding excursion or time to enjoy the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

The full day tour headed first to the colonial town of La Orotava, a designated Spanish Heritage Site. The day offered excellent photographic opportunities at historic structures like the Casa de Balcones, and at the botanical gardens with 3,000 plant species of which about 2,000 are unique to the area. In addition to extensive forests of Canary Island pines, a variety of brooms and mustards were in flower, and pipits and Atlantic lizards were also observed. We continued to the Parque National del Teide, Spain’s largest national park, where we visited the Caldera de Cañadas and the Roques de Garcia. The former is at the foot of the mountain and the latter are old ridges of volcanic rocks cut through by later volcanic conduits. Lunch was enjoyed at the nearby El Parador Restaurant, which included traditional dishes such as papas arrugadas (new potatoes cooked in salted water until the water evaporates leaving salted spuds) that are then dipped in mojos (local salsas) that are either green with coriander and basil, or red with chilies. Read more

Our day began with everyone out on deck enjoying grand views of Mt. Tavurvur, which has been angrily spewing black dust and white ash since 1994. Some say that the locals treat Tavurvur like a member of the family, talking quietly to it, shouting at it, encouraging it to go to sleep, and assessing its mood each day.

Arriving in the magnificent caldera harbor by 11 am, we had a fabulous day with a variety of excursions to choose from. Options included the volcano’s hot springs viewing area, Yamamoto’s bunker, the Rabaul Natural History Museum, the observatory, and shopping at local markets and an art shop. Read more

The Asmat consists of 10,000 square miles of tangled mangrove forests and majestic sago palms. It is the largest alluvial swamp in the world, so we understood why our expedition leader, Jeff Gneiser, prepared us for each landing by describing it as wet and muddy. Our first visit was to Sjuru, a traditional village adjacent to Agats, the regency capital of the Asmat region of southern West Papua. With the Clipper Odyssey anchored at the mouth of Sutumbure River, we launched our convoy of Zodiacs and were greeted by the impressive sight of at least 60 war canoes advancing toward our line. Each canoe was manned by a half dozen chanting Asmat warriors in full dress for battle. Invited through the barrier line, we docked safely, and walked up the small boardwalk to the Men’s House where we were welcomed with a traditional Asmat song, sago presentation, and dance. Once we had been smeared with sago and sampled roasted sago pods, a precious commodity, we wove our way along the busy boardwalks stopping at the museum, informal markets, and Alex’s Asmat Art Store. A shopping frenzy ensued as we bought carved wooden shields and statues, story boards, soul ships, sago bowls, carved wooden horns, cassowary daggers, and raffia skirts. Although small, we were impressed with our tour of the Asmat Museum that Tobias Schneebaum had helped to stock and catalogue. Read more