ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Because of the remoteness of our Eco-Expeditions destinations, we don’t always hear from our field leaders until a trip is almost concluded. So we eagerly await news and are always excited to hear the details. Since so many Eco trips are happening at this time of year, we thought we’d share some of the enthusiasm expressed by our leaders via phone calls and quick emails to our office… Makes us all wish we were there!

BACK TO AFRICA SAFARI
from Lex Hes, Expedition Leader
“…As always, this has been a great adventure. And guess what? There was rain at Serra Cafema, Namibia, of all places! We had their entire average ANNUAL rainfall this afternoon! And with three times their average annual rainfall in the past three weeks, it has turned this area into an incredibly beautiful place, almost right before our eyes… the rolling hills are carpeted in lush, bright new green… Quite amazing!”

INDIA & THE BRAHMAPUTRA RIVER
from Jonathan Rossouw, Expedition Leader
“We’re on the home stretch of our trip… now over-nighting in Kolkata. With 11 tiger sightings under our belt, a pack of Asian Wild Dogs, and three… yes, THREE leopards, everyone is as happy as wild boars in a mud wallow!”

SNOW MONKEYS & CRANES
from Mark Brazil, Expedition Leader
“All is well from our spot in Tsurui. We’ve just enjoyed the best ever conditions at our monkey site; there were so many of them, and offered incredible photo opportunities… everyone was thrilled. Plus, there was fabulous deep snow and sunshine… and now it’s snowing here too – lovely!”

“…our first trip out last month was the most successful ever in terms of birds… We sited a whopping 145 species – shattering last year’s new record!”

Last fall, one of our wonderful and generous long-time travelers, who wishes to remain anonymous, came to us with the opportunity to jointly offer a Zegrahm Travel Scholarship. Its purpose was to fund a trip for a worthy teacher or educator who could apply what they learned to helping young people better understand our world. To find this recipient, we sent out an e-mail announcement to our past-traveled clients seeking nominations for the scholarship award.

Needless to say, we received many terrific nominations and thoughtful letters which we turned over to the donor for the final selection. It was clear to this person right away who would receive the scholarship: Patti Richter, from Conway, Washington, a 4th grade teacher at Conway Elementary School. Her nomination came from a Zegrahm traveler—the parent of two students at Patti’s school.

The detailed and heartfelt letters from Patti’s students demonstrated the love and respect they feel for her—as a teacher and as a person. They wrote: “She is the nicest teacher in the world…” And, “She is welcoming new people to another world of excitement…” And “She is very very very smart…” And, “She will be the happiest person that she will ever be…” And, “She deserves to have the time of her life…” And, “When she walks in she always puts a Big Smile on your face…” And, “You should pick her!” Read more

Algiers, Mediterranean Mosaic - Voyage II

Our time in Algiers was, simply, fantastic and the weather couldn’t have been better. We started at the Martyr’s Monument, then visited the small, wonderful Museum of Antiquties and Islamic Art. The highlight of course was the Casbah and we visited a traditional home there, hosted by very gracious Bahia, whose family—for four generations—was born and raised there. Everyone was delighted with this personal glimpse into Casbah life.

From the rooftop deck we had a stunning view and enjoyed delicious mint tea as we listened to the 4 o’clock prayer ripple down the streets of the Casbah. We then walked from the top of the Casbah to the bottom… what an amazing experience, arriving at the bottom among a sea of people rushing home to break the Ramadan fast. Once back onboard we were entertained by a famous local band and everyone really got into it. Then we had a BBQ in our Panoramique Restaurant as we sailed away from Algiers. It was an incredible day.

Annaba, Mediterranean Mosaic - Voyage II

Today, our first day in Algeria, was overwhelming, in the best possible way. We had two fantastic guides, and the tour was great. We had perfect weather, had the amazing ruins site of Hippo Regius completely to ourselves, and enjoyed meeting the Bishop of the Basilica of St. Augustine before coming back to the ship for lunch.

After lunch we headed into town (Annaba) for a visit to the Mosque where the Imam himself showed us around; it was a very special experience. We then went to Revolution Square for a walk through the old heart of the city. This evening we had a Q and A session with the guides and it was fantastic! The passengers had lots of questions and the guides answered them in a very straightforward and candid way — everyone enjoyed and appreciated it very much.

The cover story for Smithsonian Magazine’s July issue is the Casbah of Algiers, a World Heritage Site. This fascinating story details the Casbah’s intriguing history, and the need to preserve the place. Zegrahm travelers will have a good look at the Casbah of Algiers on our April 2008 voyages aboard Wind Spirit.

As the ornithologist and birding leader for Zegrahm Expeditions, one of my greatest joys is the start of a trip. The air is charged with anticipation with people arriving from all corners of the globe. There are smiles, handshakes, and humorous banter as you meet previous traveling companions and relive previous adventures shared together. However, despite all this fanfare, what you really are eagerly awaiting is the start of the next great adventure.For one couple, Don and Donna, the start of our recent Azores to Gibraltar expedition was filled with even more excitement and anticipation than usual. Keen birders, they have traveled the world in search of birds and had arrived at São Miguel in the Azores on April 13th, 2007, poised to break the 5,000 barrier. For the uninitiated, the 5,000 barrier may not mean that much. However, to a birder it is one of life’s mega-events. Managing to see your 5,000th bird species puts you in a class all on your own. With 10,068 known species that means that you have seen just about half of all of the bird species that inhabit our planet. Read more

La Gomera, Azores with Madeira, Canary Islands, Morocco, and Gibraltar

What a spectacularly beautiful island, maybe because it’s off the beaten track. Our hiking group really enjoyed their trek, capped off by tapas on the beach… Damien, our local guide, was able to get two school girls to give a short whistling demonstration. The birders returned from their day excited that they had seen “everything!”