There are no guarantees of whale sightings, as anyone who has ventured out on a whale-watching trip must know. Nature always has the upper hand and may surprise, delight or disappoint. Yet whatever you see, or don’t see, a day out on the water is always a pleasure.
-
-
Gal Oya is the most untouched and least visited of all of Sri Lanka’s national parks. It was established in 1954 but having been off-limits during the civil war it is only now being re-discovered. On the day we did a jeep safari in the park we seemed to have it to ourselves.
-
We can plan our shots as carefully as we might, but luck plays its part too. There are always factors we cannot control, from people to weather to wildlife.
-
I wasn’t always happy about the way animals are treated in Sri Lanka (we were taken to one elephant facility that I felt was well below the standards I have seen elsewhere). But you can’t fault their extensive national parks system and the habitats they provide for wildlife.
-
I’ve spotted the impressive Land Monitor Lizards, the largest of Sri Lanka’s lizards, all over the country. In the national parks, in the gardens around Sigirya's Lion Rock and even in the busy streets of Galle Fort.
-
The Oriental Garden Lizard is common throughout much of Sri Lanka. This is a male in his bright breeding colours.
-
On an expedition cruise not everything that is planned can work out quite as expected. We had already seen yesterday how fog could create a change of plan, as we’d been unable to land at Andréeneset on Kvitøya. Today another force of nature was to have a similar impact; not weather but bears!
-
A more low-key day today, after the excitement of yesterday's polar bear encounter. But there were no dull days on this trip and today’s highlight was ticking off another of my Arctic wish-list animals, walruses. The ship travelled south-east during the night to the small island of Kvitoya, the easternmost one in the Svalbard archipelago.
-
When we decided on August for our Svalbard visit I wasn’t sure whether we would see any pack ice. As the summer progresses the ice retreats northwards, beyond the area our itinerary was scheduled to cover. But on an expedition cruise the planned itinerary can often be abandoned because of weather conditions, wildlife viewing opportunities or other factors.
-
I don’t own a cat and never have; not because I don’t like them but because I like them too much to subject one to the trials of our frequent absences from home. So instead I enjoy meeting cats when out walking in my neighbourhood, or anywhere else come to that! And I don’t believe I can walk past a cat without stopping to say hello and take a photo.
