The Passionate Traveler

Lioness on the road to Nossob As I have mentioned previously, I am a keen wildlife photographer and the Kgalagadi is a great destination for wildlife Photography. Most photographers go there for the lions. You will be pretty unlucky to spend any time in the Kgalagadi and not see a lion. But there is so much more then just lions. There are amazing birds, landscapes and lots of dead trees, which always make for a nice photo. There are also lots of smaller animals, like African wild cats, mice and snakes, to mention but a few. Then of course there are the ground squirrels and meercats! Look for interesting things to photograph There are lions there! In this post, I will share some of my photography experience and some of the tips I have picked up from other members of the Bloemfontein Camera club, which has some of the best wildlife photographers in South Africa, if not the world! I guess that there will be other photographic clubs that will argue this, but we will all agree...

Ground Squirrel I am a wildlife photographer and I am dreaming about the Kgalagadi! I have been there quite a few times, and it is way overdue that I (we) go there again. My wife, Marie, has recently said that it is high time that we go back to the Kgalagadi. Can't wait to get there. Giraffe - not so common in the Kgalagadi I have already posted a few blogs on the Kgalagadi and I will most likely do a few more. I have got many photos from the Kgalagadi. It is an ideal location for wildlife photography. The best way to go about doing this is to spend some time at the same camp. Do not rush from one camp to the other to cover as much distance as possible. This is what many people who visit any Nature reserve, including the Kgalagadi are included to do, rushing around like madmen looking for animals. The animals all have their range and if you spend a few days in the same area, you can get to know where the animals "hang out". You might find an owl nest, or a hyena...

Flowers in Namaqualand Amazing wild flowers The annual wild flowers, which bloom in Namaqualand each year, must be one of the natural wonders of the world.  One of the stories which could be used to best explain the amazing exhibition of flowers is that when God was moving around the world to spread the flowers, He tripped in Namaqualand and the bag of seeds of different plants He was carrying fell open and way too many different seeds fell out of the bag. Not only are there many millions of flowers, but also an amazing diversity of flowers. Then, of course there are the insects which are attracted to the flowers. A macro photographers dream! What really makes this spectacular is that for most of the year, Namaqualand is a pretty dry also desert like area. Then in Spring, everything changes. The dry semi desert comes alive with millions of flowers. The flower season can start anytime from mid July through August and finishes late September. Wonderful place for macro-phot...

Hagar Sophia Istanbul must be one of the most interesting cities in the world. The old part of city is steeped in history. This is the old city of Constantinople. Much of the ancient city walls of old Constantinople are still in tact.There is just so much to see and do in Istanbul. Yes, there has been some unrest in Turkey and yes, it does share a border with Syria with all of the troubles that go with that. But Istanbul is still a really great place to visit. It is a Muslim country, but the government is trying to remain secular. The ridged rules which apply in so many strict Muslim countries do not apply in Turkey. There are, of course radical groups who would like to change this, but still, it is a great place to visit. Then of course it is the only major city in the work which is on two continents. You cross over a bridge from from Europe and you are in Asia. Not too many other places in the world where you can do that. Where East meets West City of Mosques The old...

Blue ice Portage Glacier, Alaska Alaska is a great place to visit. A vast state in the USA. Most of Alaska is pretty much inaccessible, even in the summer months. Even less accessible in the winter. The main reason for me visiting Alaska was to go to Brook Falls in Katmai National Park to look for brown bears. This was really a great experience and there is already a post on that part of the trip. After my bears trip, I took the train from Anchorage to Seward. Another great part of my trip and well worth a separate blog, which I will do in due course. In this post, I will be talking about the glaciers in Alaska. Coming from South Africa, snow and glaciers are something that we just don't get, so the opportunity to see a glacier up close was something I just had to do. So I did two glacier trips during my short stay in Alaska. The first was in Portage Lake to see the Portage Glacier. The second trip was to Northwestern Fjord from Seward. I was in Alaska in their "summe...