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littledannyk.bsky.social
@littledannyk.bsky.social
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littledannyk.bsky.social
Madagascar! Like so many places, I just didn't know what to expect but when I got there? This is NOTHING like what I expected! The rain forests were less jungle-like and the south much drier than I imagined. Beautiful country, beautiful people. I would highly recommend!
Why go to Madagascar? Well, lemurs of course! Here is a mouse lemur, it is the smallest lemur not to mention the world's smallest primate. There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 species though our group only observed 7 or 8 in our 2 weeks. Some lemurs even hibernate, which is unusual since the temperatures in Madagascar don't usually get anywhere near freezing. Us with one of the local celebrities: a Baobab tree! One of our guides said the trunk is 80% water and therefore somewhat useless as a source of lumber. They don't get enormously tall but their distinctive look is something to behold. Known as the "upside-down" tree, the canopy is quite small but the root system can span 100 meters or more! (Though rarley ventures deeper than 2 or 3 meters). Night walks were one of the best times to see creatures. The shine of their eyes give them away even though there bodies are still fairly camouflaged. One guide told a story about chameleons: When god first created them they were huge, like a big dinosaur! One day, one of the giant chameleons stepped on god's toe. God was furious and said "why did I make such a huge, clumsy creature?" He then clapped his hands and made the chameleons quite small. Ever since, chameleons are afraid of being made smaller so that is why they walk SO CAREFULLY! 😆 Even though Madagascar is also a birders paradise, I also enjoyed the insects. Our guides would often stop, point to a tree or shrub and say "time to play find the stick bug game"! Can you find it?
November 2, 2025 at 12:43 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Mauritius! 1st: Less than half the size of Rhode Island, so that's impressive by itself for a nation. Beautiful tropical Island that they say would take 5 hours to drive around. If i were in the "neighborhood" i would definitely visit again!
This was supposed to show up last because it was on our way to the airport, oh well. There are 7 (i believe) stepped pyramids that appears no one knows why they exist. Some speculate that they are just the rocks from clearing the fields but these are the only ones that exist on the island and there are many, MANY, other fields with the rocks just in piles. LOVED THE FOOD! We are not "foodies" but every time we tried the local food, it was a feast of the senses. Nothing here is a hot spice but still full of flavor. (And color). Didn't write anything down but I believe the green stuff is spinach. Red tomato something, orange beans, yellow bananas, other orange is a pumpkin puree and the whitish stuff is something akin to sweet potatoes. Main on the side was creole lobster. Lisa's dish has same stuff but with deer stew. The extra dollop of green near her spinach is a hot salsa. Pretty hot 🔥! 7 colored earth is an area that has, well, 7 distinct colors of earth! They DON'T mess around with their naming of sites. The different oxides make the various colors.
October 19, 2025 at 11:59 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Been a little negligent on travels! NZ to Sydney, Perth, then Broome WA which was completely new to us. Stepping out of airport, "was this a mistake"? Flat, red, HOT! But, like many SMALL isolated places, it has a charm and OWNS IT!
Broome is home to one of the largest tidal changes in the world. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 11 meters! I wish I could post before and after (I guess I COULD, I'm just too lazy). During the "spring" tide, the tide swings are the greatest. (In this sense, "spring" has nothing to do with the seasons). The slope of the ocean floor is extremely gentle so even a foot of height of the tide makes a huge difference in the location of the waterline. Now add 34 feet of change and we are talking many feet change in the waterline! The waterline goes out almost a mile! Many people take advantage of this and walked out to find lost fishing tackle, shells and other treasures. Some even drive their vehicles to within the gigh tides' reach. Several vehicles a year are submerged because the owners misjudged where the high tide would end up. And it is not just tourists! During WW2, people in Indonesia were fleeing the advancing Japanese forces. Many different modes of transportation were enlisted including the Catalina flying boat. On 3rd of March, 1942, while many boats were just off of the coast during a refueling stop, the Japanese attacked. The boats were FULL of refugees and since they were refueling, there was more than just the threat of bullets but also fireball explosions! The waters were infested with crocodiles and sharks so you had to choose your fate. Those planes and other wrecks are still at least partially visible at extreme low tides. We didn't go just because walking 2 miles in mud just wasn't what we were after. Let's see if I can paste a link to more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Broome Another thing Broome has is dinosaur tracks! They claim to have like 22 different species of tracks in the area. There might be many more but I guess it can be difficult to tell one dent in the ground from another, especially after 250 million years! The thing I thought was particularly interesting was not the track above the ground but how the weight of the beast effected the layers beneath the surface. When you have a 20 ton beast standing on one spot, it compacts the soil beneath. This photo shows how many layers were effected. The "track" is clearly visible above the surface with the distortion going at least 3 feet beneath. For the record: we took a tour and I believe it was well worth the information we received from our guides. This is an unsolicited plug for Broome Adventure Cruises. I would recommend! One thing that is highly recommended by folks in Broome is the horizontal falls. We had a lovely day though you can see from the photo that the falls are "less than stunning", at least in my opinion. You can have your own. Anyhow, how the geology of the area turned out, the layers of sedimentary rocks got forced to a vertical position as to the normal horizontal. Now one specific layer was VERY soft so it eroded away creating a gap. (The "falls" are actually 2 gaps but the other is out of view here). Couple this with 30+ foot tidal changes and you have a massive flow in one direction, then 6 hours later, the other. I am disappointed because the tour company KNOWS when the tides are. They KNOW slack tide will not be stunning yet they act as though "whelp, that's mother nature. You NEVER can predict these thing"! Anyhow, like I said: we had a beautiful sunny, calm day and we were on a boat! The company, Kimberley Day Cruise, was professional and super knowledgeable. They served so... much... food! And it was awesome! So, if you go, you need to do a little research yourself: When is the tide change? I think the boat ride was 3 or 4 hours out. Plus, the higher the difference in tide the better chance of a good photo op. Spring tide=good! Neap tide, maybe not so good!
October 17, 2025 at 6:20 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Traveled from Coromandal Town to Whitianga. Nice little town that probably EXPLODES during high season. Since it is NOT high season, I would recommend!
The Waiau waterfalls are close by, maybe 30 minutes drive and just past Waiau Kauri Grove.
#waterfalls #NZ #newZealand #Coromandal #whitianga #waiau
August 19, 2025 at 2:08 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
So, most Americans don't know that there are 2 types of Kiwi fruit: Green and Gold. We usually only see the Green but the Gold variety is very common amongst the non-fruit Kiwis!
#NewZealand
#Kiwi
Here is our breakfast of champions in NZ. Hot beverage of choice, granola bar and one gold and one green Kiwis. In case you can't tell, the gold is near the beverages. L and I both agree the gold is less "tart"(?) Still quite Kiwi in flavor but definitely different. I don't know if I have a preference. More tastings will be required!
August 19, 2025 at 1:54 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
The last time in Rotorua, NZ, it rained, windy and cold! This time, sunny and wonderful! It turns out to be a nice Lakeside small city. Ok, smells like a sewer but they can't help THAT!
#NZ
#Nature
#Beautiful
#rotorua
#coromandal
All over Rotorua are thermal vents. This is the cause of the sulfur/sewer smell. I suppose you could get used to it but we were only there for 2 nights, which was not enough to "get used to it"! The up side to all of these vents is that they are unusable for humans; no buildings, playgrounds, parking lots. Large (and small) areas are therefore dedicated to nature. Rotorua has a lot of things to do and enjoy. Unfortunately, most are geared to tourists: speed boat rides, zip lines, big inflated balls that you enter and then roll down a hill with you inside! Not typically our scene! This is me and my sweet pea. We did the Elevated Redwoods walking as you can see, you are on swing bridges between the trees and platforms near the trees. Treewalk quick facts: Starting height 6m Highest point 12m Longest bridge 37m Length 553m 23 bridges 22 platforms It was really neat though i doubt i would feel the same if we had to share the experience with anyone else. Seriously, I think we were the only ones on this at the time. It was AWESOME! On the way from Rotorua to Coromandal town, you come across a VERY beautiful view point. I think next time I'll bring a chair so I can sit and gaze for an hour or 3. Capping off the day of sightseeing and driving by having dinner in front of the fireplace at The Pepper Tree in Coromandal Town!
August 15, 2025 at 8:56 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Continuing our trip around NE portion of NZ. Stopped in Napier 2 nights (been there before) then Couple for lunch, also stayed several days in before.
Napier NZ is known for its art deco buildings. A severe earthquake hit, leveling much of the town. When they rebuilt, art deco was popular so there we have it. Nice town with a fairly vibrant shopping/pedestrian area, long waterfront park and of course, close to many wineries. We did take a day trip to where most of the wineries and close to and that place is called Hastings. Next trip time we stay in the area, it will be in Hastings. At LEAST as much to do as in Napier and MUCH more centralized to the majority of wineries. The photo is on the main pedestrian area. Kids on the pole is waving to the lady walking the dog. Might have to zoom to see her. One thing you need to do while traveling, especially in NZ, is to pull over and see the sights! I was driving and needed to stretch the old back. The roadside sign indicated a picnic area. Once we were pulling into the drive, another sign said something about a waterfall. This is it. Beautiful and not another soul attempting to get in our shot! Had a visitor outside our restaurant stop at lunch in Taupō. Another view in Taupō, NZ. We have stayed here several days over 2 different trips and is one of our "i could live here" spots. They had been working on the waterfront walk but it appears to be finished now. You might be able to see the snow capped mountains in the background.
August 14, 2025 at 6:41 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
After Thames, Te Kaha, then 3 nights in Gisborne. Unfortunately, it was cold (8°C), windy and rainy with almost nothing to do indoors. We visited the farmer's market and walked away with some pretty good wines, even a fortified version. We also did the town's museum and flight museum. Both excellent
The air museum had a fairly eclectic array of aircraft and other items, well, old but not necessarily related to airplanes. Like this model A (probably a 30/31). This is the original car from the movie "Indiana Jones and the Temple of doom"! I need to see if I can stream this movie! One thing I thought was GREAT about the museum is they had several hands on displays. Kids, young and notsoyoung, could get in and see how the machines felt from the pilot's POV.
August 11, 2025 at 5:45 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Currently working our way clockwise around the north island of NZ. Visited our friends in Tauranga, then one night in Thames. We visited the pump house museum of technology. Pretty neat little display of one(s) long ago attempt to lower the ground water enough to reach more gold. No gold was found!
The shaft on the left is real. The big green wheels are very good wooden reproductions of the wheels that used to be there. You can see a wooden gear hanging on the wall. That is one of many that was used to make the sand molds for replacement gears.
August 11, 2025 at 5:27 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
In Auckland and I think we are mostly over jet lag. Started the visit with a dinner at Orbit 360° Dining. Amazing! We were tired from the long trip but the excitement kept us awake until a reasonable bedtime.
August 2, 2025 at 12:08 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Didn't think it was possible to outdue the assertive baby elephant but the next night was close! We visited a hyena den and momma and pups were out! The young ones were running around acting like regular puppies. More and more came out of the woods till there were about 20!
The pups were especially curious about the jeep (ok, it is a Toyota but jeep sums it up in one syllable). There were multiple generations around at some point. Another angle of the action and how close we were! The den is straight up above the camera in front of me. And another one comes out of the woods! Started with 5 or six, had at least 20 by the time we left.
March 3, 2025 at 2:00 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
At 1st, the elephants were busy just mowing down the shrubs and grass. One matriarch gave us a little "back off" charge, so we did just that!
Sound on!
March 3, 2025 at 12:05 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
One day we stopped to stretch and we could see some elephants in the distance. We headed out to see if we could get a better view. OMG did we! We were eventually surrounded by no less than 30. Earlier in the day we came across the bones of one that died about 2 years ago.
Our guide, Elan, picking up an elephant bone. It was HEAVY! I'd say at least 25 lbs. A lot more of the same elephant. And... how they look alive!
March 3, 2025 at 10:59 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
A few more sightings. (Not working out quite like I wanted, the comments show up in reverse chronological order. 😞
Warthogs! White rhinos. We did back up a little for these. Baby giraffe! That is about 6' tall. Black rhino. Needs horn cut again. They cut them off so poachers don't kill the animals.
March 3, 2025 at 10:32 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
I SPOTTED A CHEETAH! That's tough to do because the guide or tracker usually see them 1st. It was only 15 feet of the "road" to start then hid with her freshly killed baby antelope. Later we say her about 30 feet away with a full belly.
Next two show the cub with momma and just how close we are.
March 3, 2025 at 10:03 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Our greeter was taking us to our room and we saw some sort of stick bug. She was excited and said that was her 1st. Always fun to have your guides take photos of what they are showing. We got in our room and before long had to call reception to have a harmless green snake removed! (And NOW I know)!
March 3, 2025 at 9:33 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
On our way into the reserve, BEFORE check in, we saw a momma and about a month old cub! The guides were jealous because we were the 1st ones to see these 2. Everyone got to see them later that evening but it was fun to be first!
March 3, 2025 at 9:27 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Have you hugged an elephant today?
February 21, 2025 at 4:56 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
From Franschhoek to lekkerwater beach near the Da Hoop Marine reserve. We got to watch dolphins in the waves for about an hour (not a great photo but the dolphins AREin the waves)! Sunset, then today we took a guided tour of the tide pools. So much life!
February 18, 2025 at 4:47 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
From the mountains down to the wine scene of Franschhoek. 2 nights in a Disneyland styled "working farm" to now what looks so much like ANY other wine town anywhere. Mid to old age white folks walking in the streets with total disregard for the locals. We are off to riding bikes and sampling wine!
February 16, 2025 at 5:27 AM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Thought I was going to keep up a little more on our journey. Maybe a journal sort of thing. I have, thus far, FAILED! LOL Here are the birds enjoying a bath after we FINALLY got out of their birdbath! Oh, and Red Hartebeest in the background.
February 12, 2025 at 1:13 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Some more photos from Intaka Island, Capetown S.A
Weaver nests. Table mountain behind Intaka Island. Artificial nesting grounds for the Ibis and cormorants.
February 2, 2025 at 5:45 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
We visited Inkaka Island. It is part of the Century City development. While I am guessing they wanted to develop this unusable swamp land, someone stepped in and said "oh yeah, no". So, they came up with the idea of saving some for a park. However it came about, it is a pleasant place to be!
February 2, 2025 at 5:45 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Ok, found out a little history.
February 2, 2025 at 3:29 PM
littledannyk.bsky.social
Made it to Capetown S.A! Beautiful area (though haven't explored much yet). Currently in Century City area which looks like a relatively new development. A very modern mall surrounded by residential space and other businesses. 2 views from our room and... 💐!
February 1, 2025 at 7:25 AM