Bay Leaves » Essays

Responsible Wildlife Travel

Kara — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 05:40:33 +0000

We did our best to refrain from interacting with this orphaned baby ocelot in the Amazon, but the little guy was determined to steal Stephen's hat while we ate breakfast.

For me, there are no ABCs of travel. I just stop at A. As long as a trip promises either archaeology or animals (or even better, both), I figure I will love it. Especially the animals. I’m not necessarily talking about exotic animals here. One of the highlights of my trip to Costa Rica was a baby squirrel, and squirrels are a dime a dozen in the Americas. I was thrilled by puppies in Bhutan. But I’ve also gotten close to a Caiman in Peru and spied a sloth in Costa Rica. I’ve seen a sea turtle lay her eggs and followed frogs through the jungle. I’ve looked at a langur and observed an ocelot.* What I haven’t done is go to one of those places where you can hold a baby tiger or swim with the dolphins. I don’t have to put my hands on an animal to appreciate it or enjoy it. So where does someone like me, who wants to catch a glimpse of animals in their native habitat, go on vacation?

Little Pied Cormorants in Australia

When you get away from the city, it actually isn’t that unusual to encounter birds and animals on almost any type of trip. If I book through a tour company, I always make sure to let them know that I am interested in nature hikes. Sometimes you don’t even need to leave the hotel. In Costa Rica, we sat on the balcony in front of our room and counted probably 20 species of bird and saw a giant praying mantis. In the Peruvian Amazon, we found the largest spider I have ever seen in my life right in our cabin. Okay, so that last encounter was a little closer than I wanted. But you get the point. When you go to places that are sparsely populated by humans, there is no telling what you will see. My most amazing animal encounters have always been by chance. There isn’t much about a zoo that is magical, but spotting a Resplendent Quetzel in the Monteverde cloud forest is definitely magical.

A wallaby in the wild.

Recently, I’ve started to wonder about some of those places that feature proximity to a certain animal. Some of these places are merely exploitative, even when they espouse a conservation message. But what about places like GibbonX in Laos or Giraffe Manor in Kenya. Both of these, especially GibbonX, appear to actually act on their conservation aims. The Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya has excellent conservation credentials, and they run a safari camp for tourists. Of course, the Galapagos Islands are the pinnacle of wildlife travel. That is my dream trip, but I am still working on overcoming seasickness. GibbonX is also very high on my list. As I further investigate and hopefully visit some of these spots, I will post about them here. I would also be very interested in hearing about other places to visit that offer animal sightings, as well as getting feedback on the places I mentioned above.

*Apologies for the alliteration. I just couldn’t help myself.

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Weeds and Wandering Creepers

Kara — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:25:40 +0000

The ruins of Drukgyel Dzong in Bhutan

While reading a recent issue of Artful Blogging, I came across a phrase that I just loved: “He dreamt of perfectly sculpted gardens; I fantasized about weeds and wandering creepers.” The writer, Penny Elizabeth Neil, was talking about the difference between her and her brother, but “weeds and wandering creepers” really spoke to me. When we travel, those are the spots I am looking for. Perfectly sculptured gardens are lovely, but they aren’t nearly as interesting as overgrown ruins.

A crumbling stairway at Machu Picchu, Peru.

Some of the places we come across on our trips are just magical. When we visited the ruins of Drukgyel Dzong in Bhutan, I told our guide it was almost a shame to restore the fortress. Seeing the vegetation slowly reclaim the land is a powerful reminder of the impermanence of humans. It was one of my favorite spots in Bhutan. We visited on a misty morning and it was so beautiful, I could have spent the day there. If it hadn’t been raining, I would have gotten out my sketchbook. Of course, if it hadn’t been raining, we would not have been the only ones there.

The ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru are also immensely appealing to me. It was unfortunately more crowded there than at Drukgyel Dzong. It is the kind of place where I wish I could be there all alone, just to sit and contemplate.

Check out more of Stephen’s pictures of Bhutan.

Check out more of Stephen’s pictures of Peru.

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Foreign Faces in South Korea

Kara — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:18:18 +0000

Shoppers on a busy sidewalk in Seoul.

A friend forwarded an interesting article from the New York Times on the growing foreign population in South Korea and the effect it has had on a society that has long been proudly homogenous. Even when I was taking Korean classes, our instructor talked about the homogeneity of the country. But although South Korea is now struggling with relatively new issues of racism and prejudice, it shouldn’t put a damper on your plans to visit.

During my visit to Seoul last year, I pretty much felt as if I had a spotlight shining on me every time I left my father-in-law’s apartment. Some people stole glances at me on the subway, others outright stared. Little children gawked at me with their mouths hanging open. Despite around 1.2 million foreign residents in Korea, foreign faces still appear to be a novelty. However, whenever anyone came up to talk to me, the attention was always positive. People were unfailingly polite and kind. I wished I had more time to meet and talk to people. Of course, as a tourist rather than an immigrant, it was much easier for me. I was simply there to appreciate the country, and Koreans love to share the many wonderful aspects of their culture with visitors.

In the NYT story, Korean women seem to be under a lot of pressure not to marry foreign men. Much of the negative attention seems to be coming from middle-aged Korean men. When I talked to a group of Korean school girls while visiting one of the palaces in Seoul, the girls seemed ecstatic that I had married a Korean man. I don’t think there is as much pressure on Korean men to marry Korean women (although it is definitely there). And among young people there, interracial marriage may still be a surprise, but the kids I spoke to certainly didn’t object.

Lest the NYT article make you think that foreigners are chased out of Korea by angry mobs, be assured that tourists are warmly welcomed. My trip to Korea was fantastic, and I can’t wait to go back and see more of the country and hopefully meet and talk to more people.

Check out more of Stephen’s pictures of South Korea.

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Where did my vacation go?

Kara — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:32:50 +0000

I was writing a cranky post about the lack of vacation time in the US, when I ran across a little less cranky post by the fellow at Land, Air, and See. I can’t complain too much, because I actually have more vacation time than him, although my employer is doing its best to keep me from saving all my vacation for one big trip each year by forcing us to take vacation as extra days around other holidays. Starting in 2009, I had to take one extra day during the Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day holidays, AND there are six days I must take off in December. That leaves me with 11 days to work with in planning my vacation. We spent three weeks in Korea last year, but it looks like no more three week vacations.

The sad thing is that the other blogger and I have it pretty good compared to some folks. Lots of people in the US have no paid vacation, even if they are lucky enough to have a job. When I think about how much that vacation means to me and how much I need it, it is hard to imagine not having any vacation at all. But I can’t help it, I still want more so I can travel as much as possible.

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