Travels
Gambia 2024
It has rained almost every day since September 2023, making us crave warm weather and sun. We thought it would be wonderful to laze under a palm tree and enjoy the beautiful weather. After some research, we decided to go to Gambia. It is warm, the sun shines every day and you can photograph birds there. We booked a 15-day trip and left a few weeks later -early March. We didn’t need any excursions this holiday, but I did made a 1.5-hour boat trip with a bird guide. During our daily walks to the Kotu Stream we regularly saw birds. All in all I have been able to “shoot” a lot of birds.
I hope you enjoy the small selection I have posted.
Namibia 2019
In August/September we made a 14-day tour through Namibia. We went from Windhoek to the Kalahari desert, next to the Namib-Naukluft NP and then to Swakopmund and Walvis bay. Afterwards on to Twyfelfontein and from there to Himbaland and then via the beautiful Etosha NP to Waterberg. Although we have spotted fewer animals than expected due to the prolonged drought, we are impressed by the nature. The boat trip at Walvis bay was beautiful despite the fact that we didn’t see any whales. The various game drives in the national parks were also top, we saw many elephants, lions and black rhinos. All in all a special holiday.
I hope you enjoy the small selection I’ve placed.
Indonesia 2018
In June / July we made a 21-day trip to the Lesser Sunda Islands; Flores, Rinca, Komodo, Bali and Lombok. A very nice trip, Flores has a beautiful nature and is not yet commercial. Rinca and Komodo are known for the Komodo dragons living there. A great experience to see / photograph them from a short distance. Kuta on Bali is very touristy, nevertheless the stay was nice. On Lombok, we made a 1-day trip, but mostly we relaxed / enjoyed.
Have fun viewing a selection of photographs made by me.
South Africa 2017
In October / November we made a 15-day tour through a number of nature parks in the north-east of South Africa. Although we spotted fewer animals than in Kenya and / or Tanzania, we have enjoyed the beautiful nature in general and the White rhinoceros in particular. I have also been able to photograph a large number of birds again.
I hope you enjoy the small selection I have placed.
Sri Lanka 2016
A vacation in Sri Lanka has been on our list for a while. In September we made a trip of three weeks. We enjoyed the mix of culture, nature and relaxing and not to forget the delicious food and the friendly people. We visited beautiful and very ancient temples, but the safaris through the various national parks (NP) have made a deep impression on us. Highlights were the Dambulla cave temples, the safari in the bird-rich Kandula NP and the encounter with leopards during the safari through the Yala NP, which was partially open.
Have fun watching the photos.
Rome 2016
We went to Rome in the week before Easter. Due to the early flight and the late flight back we had almost 5 full days to visit the places of interest. In addition to the obvious tourist attractions, we have also been in many “ordinary” churches. Behind mostly simple facades appeared to be true artworks inside.
I hope you enjoy the selection of the pictures.
Cambodia 2015
After two weeks traveling through Vietnam, we went to Cambodia. In Phnom Penh we started with a visit to the truly spectacular royal palace. This was in great contrast to the visit to the infamous Tuol Sleng prison and the Killing Fields. Via Battambang where we visited a floating village, we traveled to Siem Reap. There lies the purpose of our visit to Cambodia, the Angkor Wat and the other temple complexes, impressive but also very crowded.
Siem Reap itself became very westernized, many bars and restaurants and a lot of young tourists. Still it was nice for a few days.
Vietnam 2015
Vietnam stood for a while on our list of countries that we wanted to visit. We chose a combination with Cambodia because visiting the Angkor Wat was also high on our list. After three days in Singapore, we flew fresh to Hanoi and there we started out our tour. Highlights were the various villages we visited, staying and spending the night on a ship in Halong Bay, the Imperial City in Hue, Hoi An and boat trips on the Mekong River. Furthermore, the beautifully decorated palaces and temples we visited. But the traffic in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) will stay with us too. There are millions of mopeds / motorcycles driving criss-cross thru these cities. We enjoyed the friendly people and the nice food.
What struck me was that I only saw a few birds and then only from a distance.
Singapore 2015
Before we started a tour through Vietnam and Cambodia, we first went to Singapore for 3 days to acclimatize.
Singapore is a delightful city to stay, although there is more litter now, it remains a very neat city. Especially Boat Quay and Clarke Quay are very pleasant areas with many restaurants and terraces. Fortunately, we were in a hotel nearby.
Parga 2014
We spent the last two weeks of the summer season in Parga. It was a pleasant reunion and we enjoyed the Greeks and the food. The weather was delicious, better than we hoped for. We visited the Zagora National Park with a rental car, where old bridges can be admired. We saw a number of places we had also visited in 2006, like the Archeron River. We made a nice walk along the banks.
All in all, we enjoyed it. I’ve placed a small selection of the many pictures we took.