Coast

Santa Monica and Venice Beach, the Californian Coast! 

Santa Barbara

Along the Old Stage Coach Road

Santa Barbara Wine Country

Santa Barbara from the City Hall's tower

September 11 Tribute

American Buffalos

Half a sandwich (American portions)

News corner along the street

Typical American atmosphere

Organic veggies

The coast

Pelican (here his brother in Australia!)

Santa Barbara Pier

On the Amtrak train to LA... 

Food / Food?!

What is the boundary between what you would love to eat (mmh, tasty Asian food, fresh fish and veggies, white rice, coconut, Cambodian BBQ, raw fish packed in banana leaves)...

...and what you won't?

Kratié

The six hour luxury bus from Siem Reap direct to Kratié were actually two local buses, packed like sardines, which after several stops mainly for eating every hour, arrived in Kratié after 16 hours! 

Kratié, in the northeast, has several temples built in the 8th century, ancient halls, Khmer old houses, and French-style buildings. It is built along the river with several markets and stands grilling fishes and meat. 

We cycled north Kratié along the Mekong River through friendly green villages each one with its own speciality (raw fish, sticky rice in bamboo or Krolan) and paddies. The river is home to Irrawaddy dolphins, an endangered species that we saw really near from the boat (see video), fish, and birds. The flow of the Mekong River varies greatly, there are hundreds of seasonally flooded islands in the river; we visited one just in front of the town. The province also contains many forests, the Phnom Pram Poan mountain range, Phnom Prech, and rubber plantations (the great view from the long bus).

A ride on a bike (in three) to Sambor to visit the 100 Pillar Wat (Wat Sorsor Muoy Roi) and the Phnom Sambok pagoda build on a hill with a panoramic view of the Mekong's wetlands and a strange representation of the inferno...

Approaching a zebra...and poohs! (South Luangwa NP)

Happier than the happiest child...

Walking Safari: recognize the animals poohs!

From left - iena (white since the iena eats bones), zebra (oval with a cut, once dry it breaks in two), impala (on the higher point to mark the territory), buffalo, waterbuck, elephant (used agains mosquitos, as a zampirone, and to light fire, as diavolina).

Hippo, the female poohs under a plant while the male spurts on the plant!

Around my sleeping tent (South Luangwa NP, Zambia)

Hard Safari (South Luangwa NP)

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

At 10.30 we jump on a minibus from Chipata to Mfuwe waiting to get "full". At 12.40 with 24 people, kids, alive chickens and lots of luggages we leave for a 5 hours journey in a red dirt bumpy road. We arrive exhausted with red dust everywhere and we start walking towards the camp...not a good idea! Wild animals all around and the sun going fast down, lucky we get a lift. Three days in the Flatdogs Camp, fantastic camp with many elephants, monkeys and baboons, hippos walking around our tent. Morning safaris with the park waking up and night safaris to see the predators, walking safari to experience the bush on your feet, discovering the tracks and the poohs and approaching to a zebra up to two meters, super cool! I saw all the animals I wanted to see and many many more.

Baobab, 15 mt diameter - 1000 year old

 

Puku, impala, bushbuck, waterbuck

Bufalo

Thornicroft giraffe

Hippo, crocco

Elephants, Warthogs, Monkeys and Baboons

Hippo and Ibis

Cicogna, Roller, Kingfisher, African fishing eagle, Ibis, Starling

Iena, sausage tree, lioness

 Lions couple