Gjesvaer, Norway

You just have to live here. That’s the conclusion I have come to. Taking pictures from a violently moving boat that is tossed about by huge ocean swells while bracing myself against ferocious winds and trying to stay dry, was not conducive to good photography. The best nature photography is done with patience – crawling on my hands and knees - over long periods of time – with the light streaming in at the right angle – when the puffin is taking off right in front of you. Anyway, unless I want to abandon my horsy life near Vancouver, a move to the fishing village of Gjesvær (polulation 150) just 20 km from the Nordkapp in northern Norway and a dedication of my life to nature photography, ain’t going to happen any time soon. Still, given the short time I had in this picturesque nature reserve, I thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of capturing some images of bird life from the little boat we had chartered.

At the first sight of puffins (Fratercula arctica, the Atlantic puffin or Papageientaucher), I was intrigued. What a neat little bird! As we were circling the nature reserve, suddenly they were everywhere, we were surrounded. The sky was almost black with thousands of puffins, like a swarm of mosquitoes overhead. They were landing and taking off from the water beside us and we could see them near their burrows on the hillside, so clearly visible with their distinctive orange coloured beaks and feet. I had to do some research.

Here is what I learned:

• Atlantic puffins spend a solitary life at sea for most of their lives; they only come to shore to mate and raise their young.

• Puffins choose a partner for life; they mate and produce only one egg every spring.

• Once the juvenile puffin has left the nest, the parents leave the island and separately go back to sea only to find each other again during the following spring at the same location and the same burrow.

• Young puffins spend the first few weeks of their lives inside the burrow, where they are being fed by their parents; when ready, they find their way to the ocean (by walking or hopping), take to the water and don’t return until they are mature enough to mate (4 years).

• Puffins only display their orange beaks and feet during the mating season; once at sea, they molt and shed the orange from their bodies which become darker and less visible for predators.

• Puffins tend to eat young herring up to 7 cm (3”) long; they can catch and hold in their beaks several fish at a time; they find food within 100 km from shore and tend to return to their nests in swarms; this seems to be a protective behaviour as returning in large numbers will confuse predators and make it difficult for them to single out individual victims.

• Puffins can fly up to 80 km/h; because of their roundish body shape and relatively short wings, puffins have to work hard to get air-borne; when taking off the water, they launch themselves by running across the water while vigorously flapping their wings; the short wings have the advantage that they can be used as fins while diving; puffins can dive to a considerable depth and stay under water for up to 1 minute.

• Puffins always return to the location of their own birth; their distribution ranges from Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Spitsbergen to England; the puffins’ conservation status is classified at “least concern”.

• While the number of puffins in Iceland and Norway are impressive, there is concern about their future; the puffins’ greatest weaknesses are their territorialism and apparent lack of adaptation; with increasing water temperature, the herring will be wandering further north, keeping the puffins looking for food; early observations have shown that puffins do not adapt easily by finding alternative food sources, they starve to death rather than switching to a different fish species.

Norway deeply impresses me – again (I visited Norway the first time in my teens). It is a country with a well-functioning society, beautiful landscapes, admirable financial and political stability and friendly people. It is also very clean. Don’t even think about launching your career as a street sweeper in a Norwegian town. There is nothing to sweep.

Hmm…I wonder if you can have horses in Gjesvær…

The Dilemma of Conscious Travel

I don’t remember his name, so I call him “Eni”. What struck me about Eni was his endearing blend of naïveté and innocence about the world. Eni is a 20 something year old student at a local college and our guide during our visit to American Samoa in the South Pacific. Without any inhibition or pride, Eni sang to us many native songs of his country in a clear and beautiful voice. He told us about the ways of his people and introduced us to traditional foods and dances. Eventually, Eni asked some questions of us.  They revealed his inexperience with our modern western world. His greatest wish was to, one day, see the glitter and glamour of Los Angeles. Eni’s sincere and non-pretentious way of interacting with us was disarming.

Another encounter, that showed similar degrees of naïveté but much less innocence, occurred when we visited Oman, a very traditional Islamic nation. Our guide Nizar told us a “joke” that is commonly shared among Omani men: “Omani women leave their homes three times during their lives, first when they are born, second when they get married and third on their way to the grave.” The very fact that this “joke” was shared with us indicates a certain degree of awareness, but Nizar’s naïveté lies in the lack of understanding that this display of male domination in his society is offensive to those of us who respect women and fight for equality.

Conscious travel can act like a mirror. Cultural and individual encounters like the above reflect back to us who we are and what we stand for. It also raises important questions about cultural awareness and tolerance.

Many trips, some more so than others, bring on strong emotions in me. It appears that my German upbringing and Canadian conditioning have impressed me with attitudes and beliefs that conflict with many in the world. What I see during my travels tugs on my heart-strings in many ways. From the anger I feel when seeing religious laws being used to restrict women’s rights in Oman to the sadness I feel when witnessing abusive behaviour towards animals in Thailand, keeping my mouth shut isn’t always easy. Reminding myself, however that I am just a guest in this country and that much of the behaviour I witness is based on cultural conditioning, education and understanding, I choose to bite my tongue.

At what point do I raise my voice in protest and object to what I see or hear? What behaviours and actions are “excusable” or less offensive because they are rooted in tradition and cultural norms rather than based on the evils of greed and power? Do I have to tread particularly lightly as a Canadian as not to re-enforce the commonly held belief that we as Westerners love to interfere in the affairs of other nations and cultures? Dare I make it easy on myself and become an “un-conscious” traveller next time I visit other countries?

Eni

I don’t know the answers to those questions, but I know what I am hoping for: that Eni stays in American Samoa and continues to sing his island’s traditional songs with the same humility and non-pretentiousness, while Zahir travels to Los Angeles and gets an earful from North-American women about gender equality and personal freedom.

I can have my own private fantasies, can’t I?

Cusco, Peru

When you discuss the Incan Empire, its history and demise, sooner or later you will have to talk about walls. Yes, you read correctly: walls.

One thing that all of the world’s faith traditions and religions have in common is the amount of effort, expense and attention to detail that is expended during the construction of temples and places of worship. From the Roman Catholic cathedrals of Europe to the temples of Egypt and India, the displays of workmanship and perfection can appear almost super human. The Incas were no exception. You know you are in an Incan temple by looking at the walls. Are the stones perfectly aligned and polished? Are the walls leaning inward and do the windows have trapezoid shapes to withstand earth quakes? Has a tongue and groove construction been used to prevent the stones from shifting? The more difficult the challenge to overcome, the greater the veneration for the god to be worshipped.

This wall represents the remnants of an Incan temple just outside of Cusco. Look at the large stone in the middle. It weighs 120 metric tons. It was moved to this site from a quarry 1 mile away. The Incas did not use wheels during the transport of building materials. Why not use smaller pieces of granite? Why the tremendous effort to move such a large stone?

Machu Picchu, Peru

The phrase “I live to serve” takes on an entirely different meaning if you are an Inca. When the Inca King Huayna Capac died in 1527, 4,000 of his servants, court officials and friends were put to death, too. With policies like these in the Empire, who would want to serve the king?!

As it turns out, the king’s servants whose lives were sacrificed, were spared the most desperate and sad years in the Incan Empire’s proud 300 year history. Already by 1529, just two years after Huayna Capac’s death, the Spanish conquistadores under the leadership of the nasty Francisco Pizarro, were poking their noses into the Empire’s treasure chests. Once they saw all the gold and silver in the Incan temples, the Spanish were almost giddy with excitement. Pizarro returned to Spain to get the “green light” from the government for an all-out invasion. Eventually he set foot on Inca territory in 1532, with a governor’s title attached to his name and the permission to conquer the Incas and take away their riches. 

But let me back up for a moment, because all of this happened just at a time when the Inca Empire was at its peak. They had successfully persuaded, sometimes with bribery and in not too gently a manner, numerous tribes to the north and south of the Incan capital Cusco, to join the Empire.  Becoming part of the Inca’s administrative system, paying taxes to Cusco and accepting the Inca’s superior religion was sold to them as the next the cool thing. Finally, during the time of Huayna Capac’s reign, the Empire stretched geographically from today’s Colombia to Equador, Peru and Chile to the north-western corner of Argentina. Estimates of the Empire’s population under Inca control at that time vary from 4 million to 37 million.

When you are this ambitious and successful, you’ll need a fancy royal estate and religious center far away from the hustle and bustle of Cusco, preferably at a secret location, surrounded by sacred mountains, steep cliffs that nobody can climb and water sources that cannot be poisoned by your enemies – and that is how Machu Picchu came into being.

Situated on a “saddle” between two mountain peaks at an elevation of 2,430 m (7,970 ft) and 80 km (50 mi) northwest of Cusco, Machu Picchu was both a fortress and a sacred religious site. After intense debate as to what the purpose of Machu Picchu might have been, researchers and archeologists now agree that the citadel was built as a city for the Inca elite and nobility. Remarkably, the place remained undiscovered and hidden from the world until Hiram Bingham, an explorer and professor at Yale University, found the overgrown ruins of Machu Picchu with the help of locals in 1909. Professor Bingham was actually looking for a different Inca town: Vilcabamba, where the Incas took their last stand against the invading Spaniards. Instead, he found the “Lost City of the Incas” as Machu Picchu is now known. Subsequent expeditions, funded in part by the National Geographic Society, concluded that Machu Picchu had never been visited and plundered by the Spaniards, making the find even more valuable.

Clouds, fog and rain are a familiar sight at Machu Picchu. The weather up here in the mountains is unpredictable.

The truth about Machu Picchu, long shrouded in mystery, is gradually coming to light. Interpreting the ruins of the city has been difficult, though, as the Incas had no written language and left no records behind. The only documents in existence are observations made by the Spaniards about Inca culture, their temples and religious rites before the Incas were annihilated by conquistadores or decimated by diseases (e.g. smallpox, typhus, measles and influenza) brought to the Americas by the Europeans. Those records helped Bingham interpret the many buildings and structures he found in Machu Picchu. And as he explored the ruins, he assigned a likely purpose to each and named them:  Temple of the Sun, Royal Residence, Sacred Plaza, Temple of the Condor, Intihuatana (hitching post of the sun) and Main Gate, to mention a few.  

The Incas were expert masons who had the ability to construct mortar-less walls, a technique referred to as “ashlar”, using polished granite stones that fit together so tightly, that a blade of grass could not be inserted between them. From his previous expeditions Bingham knew that this spectacular craftsmanship was only used on important structures, such as places of worship and residences for the priests and royalty. Store houses and worker residences on the other hand, were constructed in comparatively crude fashion: roughly hewn stones held together by mortar. These buildings were then covered with plaster and painted.

Living in an area that is very much prone to earth tremors, Incan architects and engineers had to become experts in designing structurally sound buildings. All structural walls slightly lean inward and windows and doors were built with a trapezoidal shape. All structures built by the Incas had enormous foundations which were sometimes more substantial than the above-ground walls. During the centuries since the Spanish occupation, many earthquakes have put the structural integrity of the buildings in Cusco to the test. Without exception, the colonial structures crumbled while the Incan walls stood firm. 

Aside from Machu Picchu’s remarkable ruins, the citadel also features many terraces. These were used to grow food (mainly grain and corn), to stabilize the slopes, to provide buffer zones during possible invasions and to serve as observation points and lookouts. As the citadel was protected by the Urubamba River and steep cliffs on three sides, enemy attacks could only come from one direction: the south-east. Research has shown that the terraces at Macho Picchu were sufficient to grow food for 4 times the town’s population, so they had to have purposes beyond food production. At the most, the citadel was able to accommodate 750 people, but we know now that approximately 500 Inca citizens were involved in the construction of the town.

It is believed that the construction of Machu Picchu began around the year 1450, during the reign of King Pachacuti. If you did your math and compared dates, you’d know by now that Machu Picchu was still a very young community when the conquistadores started to cause trouble for the Incas in the 1530s. There is plenty of evidence that not all building projects at Machu Picchu had been completed by the time the town was abandoned. The expansionist mindset of the Incas backfired on them when some of the recently conquered tribes joined forces with Pizarro. By 1542, Cusco had fallen to the Spanish forces, prompting the last surviving Incas to retreat to the town of Vilcabamba. Weakened by infighting and disease, they persisted until 1572 when the Spanish troops finally defeated this remaining pocket of resistance and assassinated the last King of the Incas, Tupac Amaru.

We still have no clear indication as to the fate of Machu Picchu’s population. If the Spanish didn’t invade the town, where did its population go? A common theory is that the men of Machu Picchu left the citadel to join the resistance in Vilcabamba in 1572. The rest may have been overcome by disease. Excavations at Machu Picchu found 173 human skeletons, 150 of which belong to women. After the death of Machu Picchu’s last resident, the citadel was given back to the jungle and was forgotten to the world for over 300 years.

Machu Picchu was and still is a remarkable site. Travelling there involves a grueling series of plane rides, train rides and bus rides and when you finally arrive at the gates of Machu Picchu, you realize you are not alone. As an UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the “Seven New Wonders of the World”, Machu Picchu is very popular. In fact, access to the citadel has now been restricted to 2,500 visitors per day. Line up early if you want to walk among the ruins alone and still sense the sacred energy of the place.

Before I close, here are some thoughts on the subject of religion, more specifically: forcing my god onto your god. This, of course, was a major issue for the few remaining Incas that survived the conquest of their lands by the Spanish and had to live under foreign masters following the collapse of the Incan Empire in the 16th century. In some ways, you can say the Incas got what they deserved. After all, they forced their Sun God and Mother Nature-based religion on the tribes in the annexed territories. It is interesting to note, though, that the Spanish employed natives to construct the Catholic cathedral in Cusco. In an attempt to demonstrate the superiority of the Christian faith and its dominion over the Incan deities, the cathedral was built on sacred Incan ground. By that time the conquistadores had destroyed all Incan religious sites. Only the immovable large stones that comprised the temple foundations were left. The fine polished stones that were portable, however, were hauled away from the temples and used in the construction of the new colonial cathedral. Locals were also asked to work as artisans for the cathedral. Quite secretively, though, the natives incorporated symbols of the Incan religion into the altar, wall murals and church pews. 

To the surprise of the Catholic priests, the locals filled the new cathedral to overflowing during every worship service.  As it turned out, the strong attendance was less proof of a sudden mass conversion to Christianity by the local population than a sign of longing and hunger for the old ways of worshipping Incan deities. The church-attending natives took comfort in the sight of their familiar Incan religious symbols, in the sight of the stones from their destroyed temples and in the fact that the cathedral was located on sacred Incan grounds. To re-direct the natives’ attention towards the Christian god, the temple stones were quickly covered with plaster. And today 85 % of the Peruvian population adheres to the Catholic faith. 

Aqaba, Jordan

What do you do when you are a progressively thinking monarch ruling a conservative country? While that question has never been at the forefront of my mind, it begs to be asked when you visit Jordan – a country caught between modernity and Islam’s Sharia Law. As one of the most western-leaning and open heads of state in the Arab world, King Abdullah II and his wife, Queen Rania, are doing what they can to push for greater freedoms and rights for women in their country. Especially Queen Rania, who positions herself as a role model for young women, is advocating for a changing world for women: away from the traditional stay-at-home mom who is uneducated and has limited options for her future, towards a woman with post-secondary education, a well-paying job and greater independence from her husband.  As a Palestinian with a business degree from the American University in Cairo, she is also active in de-constructing stereotypes about Arab society and promoting greater dialogue with the West.

In Jordan, street life, work environment and public squares, all are mostly male dominated and void of women. At present, Jordan ranks 99th out of 148 countries on the Gender Equality Index and 121st out of 135 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index. The unemployment rate among young women is 82%.  Less than 4% of all privately owned assets in Jordan belong to women. Jordanian women, who work outside the home, earn less than their male counterparts and are less likely to be promoted in their jobs, even when they are better educated. Essentially, only 50% of the potential work force is employed. According to the World Bank, the country of Jordan is only living up to half of its economic potential. In the more conservative countryside, it is common for husbands to “own” their wives. Women are expected to stay home, mind the children and prepare meals while the men earn the family income. Men expect total obedience from their wives. Sharia Law and honour killings are still practiced with lenient sentences handed down to the culprits.

While the Queen seems to like a challenge, there are signs of change. Though tentatively, the laws of the land are changing to advance women and allow equality. As a result, literacy among women increased from 69% in 1980 to 92% in 2002 and female participation in education is among the highest in the Arab region. King Abdullah II has also instituted a quota for minimum representation of women in elected positions. As a result, 6 of the 110 seats in parliament are occupied by women. While this is progress, it still is far less than the 16% of parliamentary seats held by women globally.

Dressed in colourful clothes and seemingly pushing the boundaries of what is considered modest and respectful in their society, some young women want to break free from suffocating discrimination, a male dominated home life and restrictive cultural norms.

Wadi Rum, Jordan

About 60 km east of Aqaba in southern Jordan is the desert called Wadi Rum. Made famous by T.E. Lawrence (the inspiration to the movie Lawrence of Arabia), the landscape in this part of Jordan is breathtaking and eerie. Here, Lawrence, a British military officer, sided with and fought in the Arab Revolt alongside the Bedouins of Jordan, to defeat the Turkish Ottomans and their German allies during the First World War. Speaking fluent Arabic and dressing like a Bedouin, he won the trust of the local Bedouin tribes. Some believe Wadi Rum (Aramaic for “elevated valley”) was his hiding place and the location of his headquarters.

Millions of years ago Wadi Rum was submersed under water. Now, it is 900 m (2,950 ft) above sea level. It is characterized by its red sand and reddish, beige and white sandstone pillars and mountains positioned on top of a massive, eastward sloping granite slab. This granite foundation is no less than 2 billion years old.  The sandstone, worn down by millennia of wind erosion, features holes, crevasses and even bridges, giving this landscape an Arizona-like look and feel (the Bedouins would probably cringe at my description!).

Wadi Rum has been home to farmers, hunters and traders for over 10,000 years. Its latest inhabitants, the Bedouins (Bedu = “desert dwellers”), have not only learned to live in this hostile climate, but thrived in this area as nomads, relying primarily on their goat herds for survival. But life has changed for the Bedouins in recent years. The Jordanian government has long tried to persuade the Bedouins to settle in villages and to send their children to school. For the most part, this has happened. The government built villages out of concrete and the Bedouins moved in and grew crops instead of herding goats. Water does not appear to be a problem. Under the Wadi Rum is enough water to supply the Middle East for 100 years. Despite the many changes in Bedouin lifestyle, not all tradition is lost. The former nomads still live, to some degree, outside of the governing authority of the state. Especially the punishment of crimes and maintaining order in their society are tribal matters, upholding the Bedouins ancient code of honor.

A four-wheel drive excursion at Wadi Rum is one of the most popular tourist activities in the desert. Not very peaceful, but incredibly scenic - especially at sunset. 

In a combination of the two lifestyles (nomadic and village) many Bedouins practice pastoralism, though only part of the year, grazing their goats, sheep and camels in the desert, living in tents before returning to their village. Only a very small portion of the Bedouins still live the traditional nomadic lifestyle on a full time basis, herding their goats from food source to food source.

After Wadi Rum was designated a protected area by the Jordanian government in 1998 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, the Bedouins turned their attention to tourism, which is now the #1 source of income. With the help from the World Bank and a national NGO, they developed a conservation plan for the area and started to invite foreigners to come and experience Wadi Rum. From rock climbing to 4x4 tours to camel rides to spending a few nights in Bedouin tents, they now offer a vast array of tourist services.

If you want to find the origins of the Arabs’ way of life, look no further than the Bedouins. From hospitality to tribal structure, the Bedouins form the backbone of Jordanian society.

Dead Sea, Judean Desert, Israel

Too Salty!

"Don’t splash when you are in the water!" Good advice for anyone who goes swimming in the Dead Sea. Getting salty water into your eyes can really hurt! And when I say “salty”, I mean “R E A L L Y   S A L T Y”!

As a matter of fact, the water in the Dead Sea is 8.6 times as salty as ocean water. With 33.7% salinity, it is the world’s saltiest body of water, - and the lowest spot in the world. An elevation of - 423 m (- 1,388ft) makes the Dead Sea the Earth’s lowest elevation on land. Being that far below sea level has a couple of interesting side effects: the oxygen content of the air is higher and, because the atmosphere above you is thicker, one does not need as much protection from sunlight as at sea level.

Located at the eastern border of Israel with Jordan and at the edge of the Judean Desert, this lake makes for a harsh environment. No animals can flourish here – thus the name. Despite its hostile nature, the Dead Sea has been the site of the world’s first health resort (for King Herod) and has supplied a wide variety of products: balms for Egyptian mummification, potash for fertilizer, minerals for cosmetics and salt for the King’s poached eggs.

The climate at the lake features temperatures of up to 47 C (117 F) in July to 5 C (42 F) in January. The mean rainfall for the year is 50 mm (2 inches). Surprisingly, 1.2 million foreign visitors come here every year. Beats me, why! I tried to swim in the Dead Sea, but with limited success. Since Dead Sea water has a density if 1.24 kg/L, you float effortlessly. Conventional breast stroke is out of the question, because your legs hover above water (see pictures).  

Environmentally speaking, the Dead Sea is in trouble. Its main water intake is the Jordan River to the north. However, water in the Jordan River is being diverted for irrigation purposes, causing the river to add only a trickle of water to the Dead Sea. Every year, the level of the Dead Sea drops by 1 m (3 ft). To reverse this trend, Jordan and Israel are looking at a variety of options from reducing agricultural water usage to pumping desalinated water from the Red Sea into the Dead Sea.

Masada, Judean Desert, Israel

Every country has its defining moments. Moments that test the mettle of its national character, challenge the resolve of its people and expose the values they hold dear. For Israelites, this defining moment was the events that took place at Masada.

First a bit of historical background: Remember King Herod, the nasty king who killed all the babies in Israel because he heard of the birth of Jesus, the King of the Jews promised to the Israelites by the prophets? Well, it is fair to say that he was a bit paranoid. Many heads rolled during his years of reign between 37 B.C. and 4 A.D. and it wasn’t because he didn’t like his opponents’ haircut. So, what is a fearful king to do? One looks for an isolated rock in the middle of nowhere and builds a fortress on top. Oh, and while we are at it, we might as well add a bit of luxury and make it into a winter palace.

He found the rock on the eastern fringe of the Judean Desert, just west of the Dead Sea. It was perfect! A huge plateau measuring 650 m (2,130 ft) x 300 m (980 ft) extended on top of the mountain, 450 m (1,470 ft) above the Dead Sea. And there was no way to get to it. The rock was totally isolated from the rest of the escarpment and surrounded by natural defenses.

The only challenge: there is no water in the desert – especially on top of a mountain. The Judean desert experiences about 4 – 5 flash floods every year, but the water must be dammed, diverted and collected in cisterns. No problem! After all, what are slaves for?! The end result was an elaborate water collection system made up of water channels and 12 cisterns that could hold 40,000 cubic meters (40,000 metric tons or 10.6 million gallons!!!) of water. Everything was chiselled into the rock and covered with plaster. Sounds excessive? Not if you want to go for a swim in your pool before you retire at night. Then there were the saunas and baths houses with hot air flowing underneath the floor and steam rising up through clay vents embedded in the walls. All floors and walls were covered with beautiful mosaic tiles and frescoes.

However, most impressive was the Northern Palace. Here, Herod built his palaces on three rock terraces. This is where a fresh breeze blows, where you can have a sweeping view of the Dead Sea and from where you can see your enemies coming. The top palace contained living and sleeping quarters for Herod and his family, the other two were designed for receptions and banquets.

Food, liquids and weapons were stored in 29 store rooms. The delicacies in the store rooms included wine from southern Italy, fish sauce from Spain, dates from Galilee and apple liqueur from Cumae, Italy. The dry climate kept the stored food fresh and edible for years.

Now, imagine this: the fort is completed and Herod dies. The year is 4 A.D. In 6 A.D. Romans annex Judea and take over Masada. They station a garrison there and harass the Jews in their own country. This eventually leads to “The Great Revolt” against the Romans in the year 66 A.D. The situation is getting bad in Jerusalem. The Jewish rebels decide to use Masada as their stronghold, they kick out the Roman garrison, take over the fortress and form a rebel community up on the hill. It’s a diverse bunch of people – Essenes and Samaritans with soldiers, civilians, women and children, 960 of them. As they open up the store rooms, they realize: there is enough food here for years to come. By 70 A.D. Jerusalem is destroyed and the Israelis are devastated. In the meantime, the rebels at Masada have moved in and made themselves comfortable. There is no turning back now. They changed the layout of the fort to include ritual baths and constructed a synagogue, raised pigeons for food and fertilizer, they grew vegetables and ate from Herod’s and the Roman’s food supplies.

The rebels were like a thorn in the Romans’ side. Rome needed to make sure that ALL of the rebels were flushed out of their hiding places and eradicated. So, they laid siege to Masada in 73 A.D., built eight camps around the rock and moved in 8,000 troops. Their leader, Flavius Silva, was confident: cut the water supply and in a couple of weeks the Jews will surrender. (He didn’t know about those 40,000 cubic meters of water in the cisterns.) After several months, Flavius grew impatient. He decided to build a ramp on the west side of Masada, push a battering ram up to the wall and breach the defences. The rebels realized: defeat was just around the corner.  

And here is the amazing end to this dramatic story: the rebels, rather than surrendering to the Romans and subjecting themselves to torture, murder, slavery and rape, committed suicide. It was all well planned: the men killed their families first, then they lied down beside their wives to be killed themselves by the last ten men alive. When all was done, one man was chosen by lottery to kill the rest before putting a sword through his own heart. When the defences were breached, the Romans entered Masada to found total silence and the fortress on fire.

In his last speech before the mass suicide, the rebel leader Eleazar Ben-Yair told his community:

“Since we, long ago, my generous friends, resolved never to be servants to the Romans, nor to any other than to God himself, who alone is the true and Just Lord of mankind, the time is now come that obliges us to make the resolution true in practice. … We were the first that revolted against them (the Romans) and we are the last that fight against them; and I cannot but esteem it as a favour that God hath granted us, that it is still in our power to die bravely, and in a state of freedom, which hath not been the case for others, who were conquered unexpectedly. It is very plain that we shall be taken within a day’s time, but it is an eligible thing to die in a glorious manner, together with our dearest friends. … Let our wives die before they are abused, and our children before they have tasted slavery; and after we have slain them, let us bestow that glorious benefit upon one another mutually and preserve ourselves in freedom as an excellent funeral monument for us. But first let us destroy our money and the fortress by fire; for I am well assured that this will be a bitter blow to the Romans, that they shall not be able to seize upon our bodies, and shall fail to our wealth also: and let us spare nothing but our provisions; for they will be a testimonial when we are dead that we are not subdued for want of necessaries; but that, according to our resolution, we have preferred death before slavery.”

By Josephus Flavius in “The War of the Jews”, VII, 320 – 336

Two women and five children were found alive in one of the cisterns. They told the Romans what had happened.

The significance of these events has been engraved in the psyche of all Jews. Over the years, Masada has become a symbol of resistance. It has shaped the identity of the Israeli nation and sustained its people throughout history. Moshe Dayan, the famous Israeli military leader of the 1960s and 70s, used to conduct night time swearing-in ceremonies for his troops at Masada after basic training. His slogan “Masada will never fall again!” is still used today.

 

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Very much in line with the old adage, nothing turns out the way it is planned. Today really wasn’t about volcanoes, it was about Mayans.

Ruben, my multi-linguistic Mayan guide, introduced me to the history and plight of his people. Of course, I saw volcanoes – beautiful and steaming – but they were not nearly as interesting as Ruben’s comments and explanations.

It’s not that I live in innocent bliss or in a protective bubble. In fact, I like to believe that I am relatively well informed. So why am I still surprised (…at my age) when I am confronted with blatant injustice in our world? As the human race, aren’t we supposed to move forward, become more civilized and enlightened and compassionate towards our fellow men and women, tolerant of other races, traditions and beliefs? As in other places in the world, such injustice appears to occur in Guatemala and it is primarily directed towards the Mayan people.

With the end of their civilization around the year 900 AD, the Mayan people did not disappear any more than the Italians did when the Roman Empire fell. There are still 4 million Guatemalans with pure Mayan blood lines in the country. But the role they have in determining their own future is diminished. With only 1 token Mayan in the Senate and still 2.5 million Mayans who do not speak Spanish, these ancient people are relegated to the sidelines and the government appears to do little to change that. From their perspective, an educated Mayan is a dangerous Mayan. And after 37 years of civil war and over ¼ million people killed, there is little appetite to ignite the fire, again. Instead, many Mayans are kept in slavery-like working conditions. They labour for wealthy landowners in the sugar cane fields, in the coffee harvest and the cotton plantations. Wages range from US$250 to $350 per month. Men are away from their families in the highlands for 9 months of the year while their wives and children eke out a living with weaving traditional garments and peddling their wares to tourists.

I realize that I only heard one side of the story, but then, if I truly wanted to be a journalist, I would interview government officials. But that might not be wise: according to Ruben, it is dangerous to ask too many questions. There is so much more to this story, I know. What I experienced was a glimpse into the world of an oppressed people. It was disturbing.

Volcanoes with Lake Atitlan in the foreground.

Before leaving, I just had to ask Ruben about the volcanoes we had passed while driving through the countryside: “When was the last time one of these volcanoes around Lake Atitlan erupted?” “Two weeks ago” he answered with a smile. “Mayans have a fatalistic outlook on life. We don’t really worry about eruptions.”

Good for them.

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

The air is 40 degr C (104 degr F) and filled with insects that want to crawl into your nose and ears to establish a new colonies. The earth is infested with wood munching termites that will eat your house from under your feet and the chop sticks out of your hands before you can finish your sushi. Every liter of open water is packed with crocodiles that can’t wait for you to come in for a swim. After 20 years of protection, they inhabit swimming pools, ponds, rivers, lakes, creeks and the ocean. Oh yes, and did I mention limb-robbing shark attacks and jellyfish stings that require opium to manage the pain and can be fatal?

Welcome to Australia! Few places in the world have lower population densities than Australia; among those are the Sahara, Mongolia and Greenland. No wonder! Who wants to live in these places? At least in Greenland you can swim in the ocean and might get cold but you don’t have to fear for your life, and the worst that can happen to you in Mongolia is that somebody serves you goat brains for dinner in a yurt. Once you have visited Australia, you sure understand why it takes a special people to survive in this environment!

Our entry point to this vast and intriguing continent is Darwin, a port city of 129,000 people in the Northern Territories or the “Top End” as the Aussies call it. We are here to count termites. This should be relatively easy since termites can only be found between 50 degr north and south. To find the really big termite mounds we have to go to Litchfield National Park, a 2 hour drive south of Darwin. As we leave town, we head along the Stuart Hwy, the road that leads to the very bottom of Australia. On both sides of the highway we see fields with horses, emus and hundreds of termite mounds.

There are four types of termites living at the Top End of Australia.  Because of their thin skin and lack of colour, the termites are often referred to as white ants. This classification is incorrect, however, as ants are predators whereas termites feed on wood. Actually, termites are a type of cockroach. 

The first type is the Tree-Piping Termite (Coptotermes acinaciformis) that loves to eat live trees. If I were a tree and saw a bunch of termites congregate at the base of my trunk, I would start worrying. The earthen mounds at the base of tree trunks are their nests from which the termites attack the tree, hollow it out and weaken the tree structurally while making it more prone to damage from fire and wind. It is estimated that more than 50 % of all eucalypt trees in the Top End of the Northern Territory have been piped by Coptotermes. In some woodlands in the Northern Territories, 70 % of the trees are hollowed out. The advantage is that the piped branches can serve as nesting sites for small birds and the aboriginals can use them for dijeridoos. 

The second type is the Cathedral Termite (Nasutitermes triodiae) which is known for building enormous columnar structures which sometimes can exceed 6 m (19 ft). Just think, the construction of a large cathedral mound is equivalent to 1 million blind-folded people joining forces to build a skyscraper covering 8 city blocks and towering over 1 mile into the sky. This termite type prefers well-draining sites and lives under ground as well as above ground.

The Magnetic Termite (Amitermes meridionalis) is the third type. These termites are famous for their remarkable mound structures which are flat and tomb-stone like. Taking advantage of their ability to sense the earth’s magnetic field, the termites minimize solar capture and overheating of their mounds by orienting their homes in a north-south direction. Thermal control is especially important to this type of termite as they live on grassy wetlands and can only live above ground. Scientific measurements have shown that the humidity inside the mound columns is maintained at 95 to 99%, while the temperature only varies by +/- 1 degr C during the day. That is a good thing if you are a termite worker maintaining a brood.

The fourth type is the Giant Northern Termite (Mastotermes darwiniensis). These lovely creatures are the most destructive and cause billions in damage to homes, gardens, crops and orchards all over the country. They have a ferocious appetite and attack almost everything under the sun, including wood, plastic, electric cables, leather, wool and rubber. In Australia, a huge pest control industry benefits from the destructive habits of this type of termite.

All of the above types benefit from working together as close-knit colonies. A caste system clearly defines everybody’s role. There is the queen which is enormous in size and can produce between 20,000 – 30,000 eggs per day! She can reach 45 years of age and will mate with one king all her life!! Because of her enormous size she cannot move very well and has to be fed by the workers. Then there are the “alate” which are the only winged termites. They are responsible for establishing new colonies and will leave the mound after the first rain in the rainy season. The alate are the only termites with vision. The next caste is that of the workers. They do the foraging, are responsible for food storage, they look after the brood and the nest maintenance and are the most likely termites to be found in infested wood. Finally, the soldiers are responsible for the protection of the nest or mound. The soldiers have an enlarged jaw and cannot, like the queen, feed themselves. They block the tunnels and can rebuff attacks from the “Green Tree Ants” which are the arch enemies of the termites. 

The impressive looking nests and mounds in my pictures are constructed by termite workers using a combination of soil, mud, chewed wood, saliva and feces. Often, the mounds only represent the above ground structures and hide the tunnels and subterranean chambers underneath. The existence of underground nests makes eradication difficult as the termites can continue to live and prosper after the above ground structures have been destroyed.

Given that termites are quite vulnerable outside their mounds and require moisture and protection at all times, they have the tendency to build shelter tubes to cover their trails. Often, these run up and down trees for several meters. Trouble is, the more protection you build up around you, the more likely it is that the tubes and tunnels are breached. When that happens, the first responders alert the other soldiers and workers by banging their heads against the wall. The soldiers will then, very much in suicidal and sacrificial fashion, patch the breached tunnel from the outside before they are eaten by ants.

If you ever tried to eat wood you’ll know that it is difficult to digest. Lucky for termites, evolution has given them ways to digest cellulose using microbes in their guts while producing hydrogen and methane in the process. Termites can produce 2 liters of hydrogen from the digestion of a single sheet of paper! Essentially, they are 3 mm long bioreactors on 6 legs! Someone really smart has calculated that the world’s termites are responsible for 11% of all methane emissions on earth. As you may know, methane is one of the most harmful greenhouse gases. So far, attempts to harness the termites’ hydrogen and methane producing capabilities to generate energy, have failed.

But, not all is bad. Termites are wonderful soil conditioners. All those underground tunnels enhance water infiltration, reduce water runoff during heavy rains and, consequently, reduce soil erosion. Termites also create habitats for other creatures, assist in soil formation and, particularly the winged alates, serve as a food source for countless predators when they do their once a year flying exercise.  The cleverly constructed mounds of the magnetic termites have also inspired human architects to use the same passive cooling principles when planning shopping centers and office buildings in hot climates. And finally, it has been known for centuries that termite mounds are clear indicators for the location of underground water arteries. This fact has been exploited especially in ancient India. Oh, I almost forgot: termites are also delicious pan-fried and served as a food source in many countries. They are supposed to have a particular nutty flavour. In some cultures, the queens are considered a delicacy. Australian aborigines don’t like to eat termites. Perhaps that is the reason why there are so many termite colonies left.

As we drive through the woodlands of the Northern Territories, I notice thousands of dead trees and hectares of burnt forest, so you can imagine my surprise when I climb up the side of Wangi Falls in Litchfield National Park and see nothing but green as far as the eye can reach. Somehow over the millennia, the termites and the forest have found a balance. It is as if the termites and the trees have reached an agreement: for every tree we kill, we’ll leave one alone. I should also mention that some trees have found ways to defend themselves by secreting anti-feeding chemicals such as oils, resins and lignin. Now, that’s ecology in balance! 

As for my termite counting, I counted 359,872,455,122,904.735,849,188,976,004,197,444,159 termites in the Top End. My qualified assessment of the termites' conservation status: no risk of extinction any time soon.

Shanghai, China

Note: This article was written in 2012. Thus, the facts and numbers stated in this article may be outdated.

A friend of mine told me after his return from China that currently over 1,000 high rise buildings are under construction in the city of Shanghai. I was awestruck by that number. Could it be true?

China, and particularly Shanghai, has long fascinated me, not only from a historical and geo-political/economic perspective, but also from a human/societal point of view. What must it be like to live in a country that overrides your reproductive preferences, limits your freedom of expression and tells you where to live? I got a glimpse of it on this trip.

Shanghai is located along the Huangpu River, a contributory of the Jangzi River, 110 km (70 miles) upstream from the East China Sea. With over 22 million people (similar population to Australia) living on 6,218 sqkm (2,401 sqmiles) of swampy land (the highest point in the city is 4 m (!!) elevation (13 feet)), Shanghai is (supposedly) China’s largest city. Before coming here, the name Shanghai conjured images of gangs, luxurious lifestyles, opium, lawlessness, colonial influence, poverty, and the exploitation of labourers. While all of the above are definitely part of the city’s history, modern Shanghai has become a forward-thinking, push-the-envelope kind of a place that is, in some ways, just beyond the powerful reach of Beijing. So how is it that a city as progressive as Shanghai can still lack sophistication and internationalism? The answer lies in the country’s isolation from the outside world until 1972. Now part of a global market economy and the international community, Shanghai gives the impression that it wants to grow up too quickly. Tall buildings and bullet trains alone do not make a cosmopolitan city. 

The vast majority of Shanghai’s population is poor. With a minimum wage (governed by law) of 1,460 Yuan (US$ 243.-) and an average monthly income of 6,000 Yuan (US$1,000), the average person needs to save 100 years (that means no eating out, holidays, cars) before being able to afford to buy a 100 sqm (1,100 sqft) 2-bedroom apartment. And with mortgage rates between 6 % and 7 %, that could be a real problem, especially if you are a young male looking for a wife. Young women don’t even look at you as a prospective husband if you don’t have an apartment lined up. So, what does a man do? He lives with his parents to save money. The nightclubs and cinemas are filled with young women and empty of young men. They are at home watching TV – saving money. Parents are expected to help their son with the purchase of an apartment. This creates a surprising dynamic: urban parents hope for a girl, as there are no expectations to help her financially as she grows older.

Then there is the challenge of finding a restaurant for your wedding party. The celebration should be held on a Saturday, so all your friends can attend. But you have to avoid dates with unlucky numbers such as 1 and 4. In Shanghai, that leaves you with a 2-year waitlist for your favourite eatery. You do not have those headaches if your girlfriend is pregnant at the time of your wedding preparation. In order to rush things along you would want to choose a Friday. The waitlist for Fridays is only a week or two, assuming you don’t still want to insist on those lucky numbers.

Housing prices in Shanghai have increased by 1,000 % during the past 10 years. They have tripled in the last two years. An apartment that cost 500,000 Yuan (US$ 83,000) in 2001 is now priced at 5,000,000 Yuan (US$ 830,000). A condo in the outskirts of Shanghai (1 hour commute) is 2,000,000 Yuan (US$ 333,000). Some people in Shanghai now believe that the limit has been reached. We drove past many apartment blocks that sit empty, waiting for buyers who are in the market for a condo. Problem: with a shrinking middle class and a growing disparity between rich and poor, there are not enough people who can afford to buy apartments in or around Shanghai.

While Beijing sets federal policies, the provinces and local municipal governments can add or amend the laws. That leaves the country with an array of rules and regulations that can vary wildly depending on your locale. For example, you may have two children in Shanghai if you marry a girl from Shanghai. You may only have one child if your wife is from outside the city. In the countryside, China’s one-child rule also has some flexibility. You may try again for a second child if your first child is a girl, hoping # 2 will be a boy. There are two reasons for this policy: a) only boys can carry on the family name and b) boys are strong and can be useful around the farm.

China’s one-child rule came into being through Chairman Deng after Mao’s death. At that time China’s population was 1 billion. Now it is 1.3 billion. Without the one-child rule the population would have exceeded 1.8 billion in 2012.

Of course, forcing parents to limit the size of their families has led to enormous abuse and inequality. In a culture which gives preference to boy babies, female fetuses are often aborted or girl babies murdered. As a result, China has one of the worst male/female imbalances of any country in the world - the shadow side of a pragmatic policy that has otherwise managed successfully to slow population growth.

Transportation issues are another challenge for a country that, within a 25-year timespan, has evolved from the dark ages to the 2. largest economy in the world. Until recently, the majority of the general public used bicycles as the main means of transportation. Now, replaced by scooters, the humble bike is on the way out. At a cost of US$ 300.- the scooter is the perfect alternative to a car. Motorcycles are too expensive (US$1,000) and private cars are not affordable (US$5,000 for a Chinese-made Cherry and US$50,000 for a mid-size Buick). Apparently, most of the cars you see on the road are company cars. It is interesting that GM and VW have chosen Shanghai for their automotive production plants, resulting in many VWs and Buicks on the road. As a matter of fact, 95% of all taxis in Shanghai are VW.

I find it amazing how heavy-handedly the government interferes in people’s lives and manipulates the country’s massive population. Let’s say you have managed to save enough Yuan for a car. Now the problem becomes the license plate: it will cost you US$10,000 to register your car and obtain a license plate. It is virtually impossible for the average person on the street to pay this amount of money. That is one way to keep cars off the roads. Beijing uses another technique: If your license plate ends with an uneven number, you can drive your car Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays etc. Cars with even numbered license plates get Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays etc. Many wealthy people have two cars, so they can drive during the entire week. The price of 1 litre gasoline is US$ 1.20 (US$ 4.54 per gallon).

Another example of the government’s heavy-handedness relates to the relocation of long-term Shanghai residents. Those, unlucky enough to live and/or farm on land needed for construction and city expansion, are relocated to new homes in the outskirts of the city. The homes are not free, but “very inexpensive”. That is great as long as you don’t want to move. You are not permitted to sell your new home, or at least not for profit.

The unemployment rate in Shanghai is round 20%. The pressure to keep labour costs low is enormous. Especially after the introduction of the latest minimum wage rate, companies are looking abroad to fill construction and factory jobs. Many migrants from India and Pakistan work for very little, live on site and exist under appalling conditions. A significant number of the unemployed are in their 50s. Having been brought up during the Cultural Revolution, they did not receive formal education and, under the communist regime, never had to fear for their jobs. Now, China has a market economy and no use for aging men and women who are uneducated and unproductive.

From an outsider’s perspective, life in China is tough. Some of the challenges faced by people living in a city like Shanghai appear to be rooted in an age-old culture that is trying to adjust to modern life and times. It seems, much still needs to change before China, and Shanghai in particular, will be at par with the cosmopolitism of Tokyo, Paris and New York. But some things I saw can just stay the way they are: people’s friendliness towards outsiders and their ability to enjoy life despite hardship. I experienced those during a brief moment in People’s Square when a local man approached me with broken English. Obviously trying out his language skills on a foreigner, he welcomed me with such warmth and genuine interest, that I had a hard time pulling myself away. In the background, a middle-aged man was entertaining kids with his huge string of kites, pulling the line on this wind-less afternoon, trying to keep the kites afloat. Fascinated by this juxtaposition of finding myself among the most impressive skyscrapers that have ever been built and this ancient Chinese tradition of kite-flying, I was reminded of the fact that old and new can co-exist with ease. In the long run, and it may take generations, Shanghai will be able to do just that.

Pompeii, Italy

Nobody saw it coming. It happened so fast, there was not enough time to escape. When the mountain exploded, it shrank from a height of 3,000 m (10,000 ft) to 1,000 m (3,500 ft) in a matter of three days and two nights and blanketed Pompeii under 10 m (30 ft) of ash. Neither the city nor Mt. Vesuvius, which looms above Pompeii only 5 km (3 miles) away, have ever been the same since that day: 1:00 pm on August 24, 79 A.D. When Pompeii was first built, houses, temples and roads were constructed on hardened lava flows. Shouldn’t that have been the first clue?

At the time of the volcanic eruption, Pompeii was recovering from the previous natural disaster: a terrible earthquake that had destroyed much of the town in 62 A.D. Almost completely rebuilt, it was a thriving Roman city with a population of 15 thousand. The community had all of the characteristics you would expect from a town of that size: temples, a supermarket, theatres, traffic, poets, a middle class, stores, public baths, craftsmen, a town square, merchants, a sports field, politicians, sleazy taverns and villas of the wealthy. Oh yeah, and brothels - 25 of them.

Eyewitnesses of that fateful disaster reported total darkness with lightning, earthquakes and tidal waves. The ash mixed with rain, causing roofs and walls to collapse under the weight. Survivors, trying to escape to neighbouring towns, were overcome by poisonous gases and died.   The inferno continued for three days and when the catastrophe came to an end, there was only silence. The ash from Mt Vesuvius’ eruption had suffocated people and animals alike in Pompeii, “freezing” life in this city in an instant and preserving it for archeologists and scientists to analyze and interpret. Pompeii was lost, covered under a thick blanket of ash and forgotten for 1,600 years.

It was in 1748 that efforts were made in earnest to uncover this long lost town. In the beginning, excavations were crude. People were mostly interested in recovering sculptures and paintings etc. Once some of the items of artistic value had been removed, the ruins were covered up once again. Over time, excavation methods improved, interest in the relics of the past grew and the restoration of old ruins and temples was added to the agenda. One interesting technique archeologists used was the pouring of plaster into the cavities left behind by decomposing bodies. The facial expressions and body positions of the resulting “casts” are graphic as they tell the shocking story about the last agonizing seconds of people’s lives. To date, only 80% of the ancient town has been excavated, preserved and restored. The rest still waits to be re-discovered.

Modern Pompeii has 36,000 inhabitants. The city’s people, as their forefathers did 2,000 years ago, still live in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius, the second most dangerous volcano in the world (after Mt Fuji in Japan). They know, in the event of another eruption, lava flowing from the top of Mt. Vesuvius will reach Pompeii in just 8 minutes.

No wonder the Italians build fast cars.

 

Komodo Island, Indonesia

Indonesia has 17,508 islands, so why choose this particular sliver of land? Because it is unlike any place I have ever visited. It looks hot, desolate and hostile from shore and at a length of 35 km it is no more than a speck on the map. It is home to venomous snakes, poisonous spiders and carnivorous reptiles, and if it weren’t for a famous but mysterious animal that lives here, you probably wouldn’t even recognise its name: Komodo Island, the home of the Komodo Dragon (or Komodo Monitor). 

There are no roads on Komodo Island, no motor vehicles and no regular ferry service exists for its 2,000 inhabitants to connect with the outside world. As descendants of former convicts who have been banished to this place and mixed with the Bugis from Sulawesi, the people who live here make a living from fishing, carving wooden dragons as souvenirs and guiding a sparse number of tourists around the Komodo National Park. There are no hotels here and no restaurants or B&Bs and no picnic spots at this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Despite Komodo Island having been recognized as one of the “New 7 Natural Wonders of the World” it appears that the world has yet to discover this place. For now, the unique fauna on this island and the spectacular marine life and coral reefs surrounding it will remain largely undiscovered by mass tourism.

The Komodo Dragon (Varanus komodoensis) is the largest lizard on earth. Called “ora” or “land crocodile” by the natives, it is believed to have lived across Indonesia and Australia at least 4 million years ago when a land bridge existed between the two continents. The end of the ice age stranded the dragons on the Lesser Sunda Islands where they lived undiscovered by the developed world until 1910 when Dutch sailors claimed to have seen creatures that were 7 m (23 ft) long, constantly spitting fire. I guess the long journey home played tricks with the sailors’ imagination. Excursions launched in response to these reports found the largest dragon specimen to be no longer than 3.35 m (11 ft), weighing 166 kg (366 lbs). The supposed flame-throwing capabilities of the dragons were quickly reduced to a venomous drool. Interestingly, fossils of a V. komodoensis-like reptile were found in Australia, leading scientists to believe that the size of the Komodo Dragon has not changed very much over the past million years.

To see the Komodos, I walked into the dry savannah forest while being accompanied by park rangers and naturalists. Similar to the restrictions on the Galapagos Islands, nobody is permitted to enter the National Park without an official escort or stray from the group or the marked pathways. As the Komodos have an extraordinary sense of smell, women on their menstrual cycle were advised to notify the park ranger of their condition. It wasn’t long before we were able to see the first Komodo Dragon. The park employees had created an artificial watering hole that attracts the animals, making it easy for guests to observe the Komodos and even easier for the dragons to catch their prey.

I have to admit that I have become a little obsessed with the Komodos. Having heard so much about these mysterious lizards prior to this trip, I spent hours and hours studying the dragons before I actually saw them and sat down to write about them. Here is some information you can use to impress your friends and family:

·       Female dragons mate May to August; 20 to 30 eggs are laid into dug holes or into abandoned megapode birds’ nests in September; the eggs hatch 7 to 9 months later. Apparently, dragon parents do not think that upbringing and educating their young is part of their job. The hatchlings are left to fend for themselves.

·       Very conveniently, female dragons can become pregnant and lay viable eggs without the help of a male. However, they do this only in the prolonged absence of a male partner (e.g. when females are separated from male dragons in a zoo environment). This phenomenon, called “facultative parthenogenesis”, only produces dragons of male gender and allows the female to eventually mate with its own offspring, ensuring survival of the species. Dragons mature after 8 to 9 years and can live for 30 to 50 years. 

·       Young Komodo Dragons comprise 10% of an adult Komodo Dragon’s food intake. Yes, they eat their young. To avoid being eaten, baby dragons take advantage of two crucial characteristics that all adult Komodos share: a) they are too heavy to climb trees and b) they have a strong dislike for fecal matter. Consequently, young dragons spend a lot of time in trees and they roll in dragon poo to make hungry adults run the other way. Who told them to do this?

·       Adult Komodo Dragons can run as fast a 20 km/h (13 mi/h) but only for a short distance. They can also swim fast and dive to a depth of 4.5 m (15 ft) so don’t even think about out-running or out-swimming a Komodo Dragon. Its powerful legs and claws allow the dragon to accelerate very quickly. Given the mode of operation the Komodo employs during an attack, it will not have to run very far, anyway. Being at the top of the food chain has its advantages. Waiting patiently for hours in the shade near game trails, the dragon pounces on prey as it unsuspectingly walks towards the water hole. The Komodo’s favourite food is goats, deer, wild horses, fruit bats, water buffalo and wild boar. Often, the dragon is unsuccessful in bringing down an animal, but as long as the reptile has been able to bite its victim, it will die – even if it takes a few days. And that’s where the dragon’s exceptional smell comes in handy: The dragon can sense prey from up to 10 km (6 mi) away by sampling airborne molecules with its tongue. By touching the tips of the forked tongue against the roof of its mouth and swinging its head from side to side, the dragon can tell in which direction it has to walk to retrieve its dying prey. 

·       Once it has been able to bite and draw blood, the Komodo can be pretty sure that its attack has been a success. That is because the saliva of the dragon contains 57 strains of bacteria. Most likely, the attack has produced a flesh wound which will become infected from the pathogens very soon, leading to blood poisoning and the eventual death of the animal. The claim about the bacteria being the main cause for the prey’s death was challenged in 2009 by Australian researchers who performed an MRI scan of a dragon’s skull and found two glands in the lower jaw. These glands are said to secrete venom in the form of several toxic proteins. The effects of the venom include inhibition of blood clotting, lowering of blood pressure, muscle paralysis and the induction of hypothermia and shock. The truth about the enormously successful hunting technique of the Komodo Dragon still remains a mystery, but may very well lie in a combination of the two deadly biological processes.

Before you continue reading, just make sure you are not dining at a dinner party or you not are reading this out loud as a bedtime story to a sensitive child.

·       Once the prey has been retrieved, the feeding begins. Komodo Dragons are ferocious when it comes to devouring deer or buffalo or goats. They can rip and tear into the body of their prey quickly using their 60 curved, serrated and up to 2.5 cm (1 inch) long teeth. Their stomach expands easily and will accommodate up to 80 % of the dragon’s body weight in food. Dragons are not too selective when it comes to deciding which body parts are edible and which are not. Komodos can swallow an entire goat in 15 to 20 minutes. They will consume the entire animal but will eventually regurgitate horns, hooves and hide. Intestines are especially delicious but only after they have been emptied of fecal matter. This is accomplished by swinging the intestines around in circles or hitting them against trees. In all, only 12 % of the prey animal is left uneaten. This compares favourably to large mammalian carnivores, such as lions, which tend to leave 25 to 30 % unconsumed. After the meal, the dragon will spend 10 to 15 minutes cleaning and wiping its mouth. Flossing does not appear to be a common practice among Komodos. Then the dragon will drag himself to a sunny place where he can lie and digest in peace. Should the peace be short-lived and a challenger wants to pick a fight, the Komodo will regurgitate the entire meal to make himself lighter for battle.

·       Larger meals are shared with other dragons. While Komodos are quite solitary in nature, they do come together during mealtime and mating. Large dragons eat first while smaller Komodos wait until it’s their turn. There is an advantage of eating such huge amounts of meat all at once: dragons can survive on only 12 meals in a year.

·       Despite the Komodo Dragon’s ferocious reputation, these lizards tend to shy away from confrontations with humans and will only attack if cornered or threatened. While somewhat reassured by that statement, I was still careful not to make intense eye contact or to swing my camera around while photographing the dragons. Apparently, Komodos can see moving objects from 300 m (985 ft) away but have difficulty discerning stationary objects. The dragons also have a much narrower hearing range than humans, being able to pick up sounds in the 400 to 2,000 hertz range while we can hear sounds between 20 and 20,000 hertz.

As of 2013, 4,448 Komodo Dragons were still living in the wild. Their distribution is limited to three islands in the Lesser Sunda Islands region, including Komodo Island, of course. According to the park rangers, their numbers are slightly increasing. Of greatest concern is the low number of female Komodos in the National Park; only 350 breeding females remain. The conservation efforts for this ancient lizard species are hampered by ongoing poaching, tourism pressures, loss of habitat and lack of prey. As a result, the Komodo Dragon has been listed as a species that is vulnerable to extinction.

During my visit to the Singaporean Zoo a couple of weeks earlier, I was able to see a rarity: a Komodo Dragon baby that hatched in the Singapore Zoo in 2009. After 34 years of trying to breed and rear a Komodo Dragon at the zoo, employing an international effort that involved an extensive search for a suitable male and female dragon, the scientists and zoo keepers finally succeeded. The joy and pride of having achieved such a remarkable feat is as palpable now as it was 4 years ago. The story of the breeding success, as it was published in the newspapers around the world, is proudly displayed in front of the Komodo Dragon’s zoo exhibit. A sign in front of the exhibit refers to the young baby dragon as being “…more precious than the Mona Lisa.” How true!

A line in the lyrics of the famous 1963 song “Puff, the Magic Dragon” reads: “A dragon lives forever…” Given that the species Varanus komodoensis has already roamed the earth for over 4 million years, one can be forgiven for assuming that the Komodo Dragon will be around indefinitely. Sadly, unlike the story in the song, we do not live in a make-believe world and this species’ extinction is a real possibility in our lifetime.

~ RT

Agra, India

 I wonder why we don’t consult astrologists more often. It definitely worked for Prince Khurram, who was to succeed his father as emperor of the Indian Mughal Empire. When the beautiful Arjumand Banu, a daughter from a family of Persian nobility, was betrothed to him in 1607, the court astrologers suggested May 10th, 1612 as their most suitable wedding date. If married on that date, the astrologers claimed, their marriage would be a very happy one. Prince Khurram and Arjumand Banu waited 5 years and their marriage proved to be a match made in heaven.

Right from the start, both shared a very deep love for each other, and while Khurram did have other wives beside Arjumand, they were mere obligations to him. In fact, Arjumand asked him not to have any children with his other wives, a request he complied with. Khurram was very taken with his bride, so much so that he gave her the title “Mumtaz Mahal”, the Chosen One of the Palace.

Agra, a city in northern India’s Uttar Pradesh state, is home to the iconic Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built for the Mughal ruler Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth in 1631. Set behind a reflecting pool inside a courtyard defined by 4 minarets, the imposing main building features a massive dome and intricately carved white marble inlaid with precious stones.

In those days, succession to the throne was not a matter of birthright, it was a matter of fighting your way to the top, consolidating power and eliminating your competition. Already at a young age, Khurram’s bravery and success in the battle field earned him the name Shah Jahan, King of the World. In 1626, when Jahan was 34, the prince rebelled against his own father, Emperor Jahangir. Unfortunately, his attempt to remove his dad from power was crushed and he was placed under house arrest. In the end it didn’t really matter because one year later his father died and Shah Jahan was crowned fifth Mughal Emperor.

While Emperor Jahangir was a liberal Muslim, his son Jahan was more strict and conservative in his religious views. Orthodox and pious, Jahan imposed Sharia Law and began to demolish Hindu temples shortly after taking over as Emperor. He also hated Christians and did not allow any churches to be built during his reign. Islamic festivals were celebrated with great pomp as the Mughal Empire was ushered into a time of unprecedented wealth and power.

It appears that Shah Jahan was always busy crushing rebellions in far flung regions of his empire and annexing new territory for the Mughal kingdom. Wherever he went during his early years in power, Mumtaz was always by his side. Court scribes and historians go to unheard length to describe the erotic and intimate relationship the two enjoyed. Mumtaz was not only his greatest love but also his confidante and advisor. As the wife of the Emperor, she wielded enormous power. Mumtaz was entrusted with the Imperial Seal, which allowed her to review official documents in their final draft. How Mumtaz managed to carry to term 14 pregnancies and travel with her husband so extensively during their 19 years of marriage, is beyond my comprehension. As it was typical of that time, only 7 of the 14 children lived long enough to reach adulthood.

In 1631, the marital bliss came to a tragic end. Shortly after giving birth to their 14th child, Mumtaz died from severe post-partum haemorrhaging. Mumtaz was 38 years old. Devastated and grief-stricken, Jahal went into secluded mourning for one year. He was inconsolable. When he re-surfaced, his hair had turned white, his back was bent and his face worn. Jahal’s 17-year old daughter Jahanara cared for her dad during his time of grieving.

To remember his wife and honour her in death, Jahal did not wait long before he started planning a mortuary temple. Being passionate about the arts and architecture, he took great care in selecting the best designers and architects. The Taj Mahal was to become the structural masterpiece of the Mughal Empire, a temple inspired by the devotion Jahal and Mumtaz shared for each other and a monument of love. But Jahal also thought of the Taj Mahal as a place where people would find solace and comfort. In his own words he described the Taj as follows:

“Should guilty seek asylum here,

Like one pardoned, he becomes free from sin.

Should a sinner make his way to this mansion,

All his past sins are to be washed away.

The sight of this mansion creates sorrowing sighs;

And the sun and the moon shed tears from their eyes.

In this world this edifice has been made;

To display thereby the creator’s glory.”

Combining elements of Persian and Indian architecture, the outside of the Taj was to be made of white marble inlaid with black marble and semi-precious stones. It took 20,000 workers and craftsmen 16 years to build the Taj Mahal on the northern banks of the Yamuna River in Agra. The construction of the surrounding buildings and the garden took an additional 5 years.

The most striking feature of the Taj Mahal is its almost perfect symmetry. Being exactly as wide as it is tall, the Taj Mahal has a square floor plan and an unequal octagon shape. To reinforce symmetry, 4 minarets, each 40 m (130 ft) in height, were placed on each corner of the complex. They were designed as working minarets from which the muezzins perform the calls to prayer. In a very clever move, the minarets were built to slightly lean away from the building. In case of an earth quake, the minarets would fall away from the Taj. As part of the decorative elements inside and outside the Taj structure, passages of the Qur’an were inlaid in the marble. The calligraphy near the top of the central archway is 25% larger in print than the calligraphy at the lower elevations. The skewed writing was done to compensate for the greater viewing distance.

The main chamber of the building holds the two false sarcophagi of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan. The actual graves, however, are located beneath in an underground crypt. Muslim tradition forbids the ornate decoration of graves and tombs. As a result, the crypt holding both coffins is quite plain. Mumtaz’s grave is engraved with the 99 names of Allah, while Jahal’s reads: “He traveled from this world to the banquet hall of Eternity on the night of the twenty-sixth of the month of Rajab, in the year 1076 Hijri.”

Getting back to my story: Jahal reigned the Mughal Empire for another 27 years after Mumtaz’s death. Under his rule, the Empire became extremely powerful and rich. At one time Jahal commanded an army of 911,400 infantry, musketeers and artillery men. He was a prolific builder, employing only the best architects, artisans and craftsmen. It is believed that, under Shah Jahal’s rule, the Mughal Empire had the highest gross domestic product of any country in the world.

In 1658, after a 30-year rule as the Mughal’s 5th Emperor, Jahal became ill. Dara Shikoh, Jahal’s eldest son, took over as regent, but when it looked like Dara was going to take over the throne on a permanent basis, his three brothers assembled their own armies and battled it out in Agra. Eventually, Aurangzeb, the third oldest son of Mumtaz and Jahal, came out on top. In a brazen move, Aurangzeb cut off the water supply to Fort Agra, the home of his family, forcing his dad to surrender. Despite his father’s improved health, Aurangzeb swiftly declared his dad unfit to rule, executed his brothers and took over as the Mughal’s 6th Emperor. Jahal was placed under house arrest by his own son at Fort Agra. While the surroundings were nice and Aurangzeb treated his father well, it must have been tough for Jahal to be stuck in prison. Still, from his window he had a beautiful view of his architectural masterpiece, the Taj Mahal, where the love of his life, Mumtaz Mahal, had been laid to rest. Jahal lived at Fort Agra under house arrest for 8 years. His eldest daughter, Jahanara, voluntarily joined him during his imprisonment and was by his side when Jahal, once again, turned ill and weakened. When sensing the end of his life, Jahal recited the Islamic Declaration of Faith from the Qur’an and died on February 1, 1666 at age 74. Emperor Shah Jahal was laid to rest beside his beloved wife in the Taj Mahal, and with that, a great love story found its end.

~ RT

Colombo, Sri Lanka

They have an incredible memory and know exactly where to go. They crash through the farmers’ fields, trample down plants and devour the crops; and if the farmer gets in their way, the elephants will trample him down, too.

Colombo, the commercial capital of Sri Lanka (the administrative capital is Sri Javawardenapura Kotte), is a bustling city and a hopping-off point for beaches in the island nation's south. It has a long history as a port on ancient east-west trade routes, ruled successively by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. That heritage is reflected in its spicy cuisine as well as its architecture, mixing colonial buildings with high-rises and shopping malls.

At present, 22 million people live in Sri Lanka. The human population of this small island nation has doubled since 1963, which means the elephants are running out of room. On average, between 70 and 80 people are killed by elephants as a result of HECs (Human Elephant Conflicts) in Sri Lanka every year. Despite governmental protection, roughly 250 elephants are killed annually, sometimes brutally and inhumanely with little regard for the species’ survival. Guns, electrocution, poison, and “hakka-patas” (explosive devices hidden in elephant food) are the preferred methods for killing elephants. Hungry and desperate to carve out space for themselves and for their herd, the Sri Lankan elephants are becoming increasingly brazen in their attacks on farm villages and humans.

The famous Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage in the center of the island was established in 1975 on a 10 ha (25 acre) coconut plantation. The orphanage, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Dept. of National Zoological Gardens, aims to educate, rescue and care for orphaned calves, to operate an elephant breeding program and to care for disabled elephants. Young elephants can lose their mothers because they are killed by farmers, they get separated from their mothers due to encroaching development projects or because the calves fall into pits or ravines and get injured.

Currently, approximately 80 elephants live at Pinnawala, including 30 males and 50 females from 3 generations. For the most part the females and their calves live in a natural range while the males do some light work and live in stalls. Twice a day, the females and calves are herded to the river where they can drink, play and bathe. Each adult elephant eats close to 90 kg (200 lbs) of green matter daily, far more than the few acres of the reserve can provide. For this reason large quantities of foliage and branches have to be brought in.

Calves, which have been raised to adulthood in the orphanage, are either sold to private owners, donated to temples or retained for breeding. The “disposal” of elephants has come under scrutiny recently. Often, the orphanage has to defend its practice of giving away elephants (e.g. to Buddhist temples for ceremonial purposes and to private land owners as working animals) as there have been reports of elephant abuse. There appears to be little or no follow-up with respect to the elephants’ welfare once they leave the orphanage. The animals cannot be released into the wild as they carry human scent and would be rejected by their peers.

It is well recognized that the work at the orphanage cannot be seen as the only solution to Sri Lanka’s elephant problem. Several projects are currently under way to minimize HECs, to educate farmers on how to deal more effectively with elephants on their land (e.g. fencing, early warning systems, relocation of animals) and to convince farmers to grow cash crops which elephants don’t like. Innovative ideas such as a manufacturing process that turns elephant dung into paper, may help people earn a living from elephants. The so-called “Maximus-Project”, a sustainable development enterprise, produces “Pachyderm Paper” that consists of 75% dung and is superior in quality to recycled and rice paper. Other products that can be made out of dung include note books, cards, boxes and bags.

At present, close to 6,000 elephants (or 10% of the global Asian elephant population) live in Sri Lanka. While this is a far cry from the 10,000 to 15,000 that roamed the island in the 1900s, the numbers are on the rise and look promising, and considering that Sri Lanka represents only 2% of the overall elephant range, this small country has an important role to play in the preservation of these beautiful creatures.

You can't leave the orphanage without a smile on your face. Seeing the elephants roam (almost) freely in the pasture and watch them squirt, being bathed and play in the Oya River, is a remarkable sight. If you pay attention, you can actually sense the joy and gratitude in these animals and forget the uncertain future they face as a species.

~RT

Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

If you thought YOUR life was complicated and you were stretched to the limit, consider the many positions held by the Sultan of Brunei:

• 29th Sultan (King)

• Yang di-Pertuan (Head of State)

• Prime Minister

• Supreme Commander in Chief of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces

• Minister of Finance

• Minister of Foreign Affairs

• Head of Customs

• Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam

• Chancellor of Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali

• Inspector General of the Police

• Head of Religion (Sunny Islam)

Do you think the Sultan has trust issues? Before I shed light on that question, let me share some “must-know-facts” about the tiny nation of Brunei.

Brunei is a tiny nation on the island of Borneo, in 2 distinct sections surrounded by Malaysia and the South China Sea. It's known for its beaches and biodiverse rainforest, much of it protected within reserves. The Ulu Temburong National Park, accessed by longboat, affords canopy walks, glimpses of traditional longhouse culture and endemic fauna and flora, such as the proboscis monkey.

With roughly the size of the State of Delaware, you’ll need a magnifying glass to find Brunei on the world map. Located just above the equator on the north coast of Borneo and taking up about 1% of the island’s landmass, the nation of Negara Brunei Darussalam (“Abode of Peace”) may be small, but it is mighty in terms of wealth and political influence in the region. As a former British protectorate, Brunei achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1984, however, its political structure as a monarchy (sultanate) has a century-old history.

Everything changed for Brunei with the discovery of oil and natural gas in 1929. Since then, natural resources have contributed enormously to the wealth and stature of this small nation. They currently contribute 90% to the national GDP. Now, Brunei is listed officially as a "developed nation" and it ranks second (after Singapore) in South-East Asia on the Human Development Index. Brunei is ranked fifth in the world by gross domestic product per capita, fifth on the Forbes list of the world’s richest nations and is one of only two nations on the planet, beside Libya, that can claim to be debt-free. Close to 50% of the country’s work force is employed by the government. There is no income tax in Brunei.

Since its independence from England in 1984, the 69-year old Sultan decided to consolidate his power. Between his coronation in 1972 and 2015, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah also assumed the role of Head of State, Head of Religion, Prime Minister (1984), Minister of Finance (1984), Commander in Chief of the Royal Armed Forces (1986) and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2015).

In 1991 the Sultan introduced a conservative ideology to Brunei called Melayu Islam Beraja. Approximately 70% of Bruneians are devout Sunny Muslims. Minarets and mosques, (the beautiful Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque is pictured above), can be seen everywhere in the capital city of Bandar Seri Begawan and throughout the country. In 2006 the Sultan amended Brunei’s constitution to make himself infallible under Bruneian law. He also introduced Sharia Law in 2014 with its long list of gruesome punishments that include caning, amputations and stoning for adultery. The use of alcohol is prohibited in Brunei (visitors may bring their own for private consumption). Smoking in public is not allowed. Homosexuality is outlawed. Crime is virtually non-existent.

With all the roles, controls and responsibilities the Sultan assigned to himself and with all of his wealth (the Sultan’s net worth is estimated to be US $20 billion), you’ll need

• lots of children to secure the future of the monarchy.  The Sultan’s three wives conceived 5 sons and 7 daughters for the Sultanate. He also has 10 grandchildren. Plenty to ensure it's survival.

• lots of cars to drive your big family around town and to impress your political guests. The Sultan’s car collection of approximately 2,000 vehicles include Lamborghini, Bentley, Ferrari, Bugatti and his favorite, a Rolls Royce covered in 24k gold.

• a big plane to take your family on holidays. The Sultan pilots his own Boing 747-400.

• and a big house to accommodate your big family and your many guests. The Sultan’s residence (Istana Nurul Iman) is, according to the Guinness World Records, the “world’s largest residential palace”. The Istana’s 2,152,782 sqft (200,000 sqm) floorspace features 1,788 rooms, 257 bathrooms, a mosque and a banquet hall that can seat 5,000 people. The palace, which was completed in 1984 at a cost of US $1.4 billion, also includes a 110-car garage, an air-conditioned barn for 200 polo ponies and 5 swimming pools. We were not invited.

A snapshot of the country of Brunei would not be complete without mentioning the Sultan’s brother, Prince Jefri Bolkiah. Being somewhat careless with monetary assets, it was not a good idea for the Sultan to appoint his brother to the post of Minister of Finance. After the prince made billions of dollars disappear in dubious real estate and investment transactions, some of which included real estate properties such as the Hotel Bel-Air in Los Angeles and the New York Palace Hotel in Manhattan, it is not surprising that Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah wants to keep that responsibility in his long list of portfolios. While Prince Jefri has not been stripped of his royal privileges, the law suits against him continue and an arrest warrant for him is outstanding in the UK… I wonder if he ever gets to drive his brother’s Rolls Royce.

Driving through Brunei is pleasant. The sun shines, the traffic is manageable, the streets and sidewalks are clean, people smile and wave and the buildings are modern and new. Everybody seems to be well looked after. The welfare system is very comprehensive. But before you add Brunei to your list of most impressive countries, consider this: Since 1962 (the year of a revolt against the monarchy) Brunei has been under martial law and the Sultan’s emergency powers have been renewed every two years. With that and Sharia Law in mind, no wonder the population is on its best behaviour.

~RT

Borneo

As our ship is heading north through the Strait of Malacca (on our way from Borneo towards Kuala Lumpur), I look at the many freighters and tankers that also pass through this narrow, busy marine highway. I can barely see them. The haze in the air is that dense.

Borneo, a giant, rugged island in Southeast Asia’s Malay Archipelago, is shared by the Malaysian states Sabah and Sarawak, Indonesian Kalimantan and the tiny nation of Brunei. It’s known for its beaches and ancient, biodiverse rainforest, home to wildlife including orangutans and clouded leopards. In Sabah is 4,095m-tall Mt. Kinabalu, the island’s highest peak, and, offshore, the famed dive site Sipadan Island. Population: 18.59 million (2009)

Perhaps you have heard; the rainforests in south-east Asia are burning. In the past 5 months alone over 7,000 square miles of rain forest have been destroyed by fire, causing what some believe to be the worst global environmental disaster in a decade. The fires in Indonesia produce more air pollution per day than the entire US economy.

The practice of burning is used by palm oil and paper companies to clear land for the establishment of plantations. The fact that 2015 has been an exceptionally strong El Nino year resulting in drought conditions in the forests has made the fires, which have been going on for years, worse. Drained peat bogs which are super-rich carbon deposits also caught fire, filling a vast region with a seemingly impenetrable blanket of smoke. Millions of children had to stay home from school, air plane traffic had to be diverted as a result of the air pollution and, in severe cases, infants have died.

I often wonder why I am so driven to travel. I know it has something to do with the thrill of finding a proboscis monkey in the wild and looking for the right angle to capture this beautiful animal. But there is more to my seemingly insatiable hunger to witness, experience and communicate with the natural world. Is it my not-so-subtle fear that 25 years or 50 years from now I will no longer be able to find orangutans, that I won’t be able to capture polar bears in my pictures or find glaciers no matter how high I climb?

It is easy to get discouraged, and it is then that digging deeper into a subject can be helpful. In my quest to better understand the crisis in the tropical rain forests, I came across this article from grist.org.  It is a long read, so here is the essence of the message I was able to take away from the piece: It only took two highly dedicated people (Glenn Hurowitz, Managing Director of Climate Advisors and Scott Poynton of The Forest Trust) to persuade Kuok Khoon Hong, CEO of Wilmar, the world’s largest palm oil corporation, to only buy palm oil from farms that employ sustainable farming practices and do not engage in deforestation. It was their persistent, wise and compassionate approach in negotiating with the dealers of palm oil and the consumer companies (like Unilever) that eventually led to 90% of all stakeholders in the global palm oil trade to agree to a “no burning” policy. This happened in late 2013.

So why are the forests still burning? Well, not all of the palm oil companies are fully committed, some are back-sliding and despite the progress made consumer brands like Burger King, McDonalds and Kraft are still not backing de-forestation free palm oil production. Also, financial institutions like Goldman Sachs in Singapore use environmental policy frameworks that are weak and do not go far enough in demanding sustainable practices from their clients.

Still, the momentum has picked up speed and, as the article says: “…the accepted norm has shifted…”.  Protest rallies by NGOs and environmental groups have their purpose. Scott Poynton says: “People won’t change unless they are uncomfortable. NGOs are agents of discomfort.” Agreed! But it is people like Hurowitz and Poynton that do the heavy lifting behind the headlines and the TV cameras. In my opinion, they are the real agents of change towards sustainability.

Witnessing Borneo’s jungle forest and its not-so-human residents was thrilling beyond words. I continue to stare at my pictures of monkeys, crocodiles, the Bornean bearded pig and the pit viper snake in awe of the diversity of species and the community of living creatures that call this big island their home. How much of Borneo did I explore? Perhaps 1%, knowing very well that the island’s interior is on fire and probably will be for some time to come. But there are encouraging signs that environmental awareness is making its way into the board rooms of those corporations, that have been responsible for widespread rain forest destruction and only to gain from more sustainable business practices.

~RT

Manila, Philippines

Jeepney Etiquette 101

People in metropolitan areas all over the world have love/hate relationships with their local public transportation systems. If it’s rickshaws in Shanghai, the tube in London, tuk tuks in Phnom Penh or the iconic Checker cabs in New York, over generations they have worked their way into the hearts and blood pressures of the local people, have become a part of the cities’ cultural identity and are therefore difficult to dislodge from their dominant or traditional position of moving people around town. The Jeepnies of Manila are no different. They are so much a part of Philippine contemporary culture and identity, the country even decided to display a Jeepney at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York. 

Made originally from parts of American jeeps that were left behind in the Philippines after the Second World War, Jeepnies have long bodies with metal roofs, two benches for passenger seating and lots of colour and chrome hood ornaments. They roam the streets of Manila in a seemingly disorganized fashion, proudly displaying the religious and ornamental preferences of their owners while holding up traffic and polluting the air. A recent study shows that the average Jeepney uses as much fuel transporting 16 passengers as an air-conditioned bus with 54 passengers. Needless to say, the thousands of Jeepnies on Manila streets are very much under scrutiny.

As is the case all over the world, foreigners first have to learn the culture and etiquette of public transport to avoid embarrassment and misunderstanding – or simply to avoid ending up at the wrong destination. Are you ready for Jeepney 101? First you find the correct Jeepney by checking the destinations painted under the windshield. You enter and exit a Jeepney through the back door and pay your fare by asking your fellow passengers to pass your cash to the driver in the front. When you want to get off, shout “para” or just tap the ceiling with a coin or your knuckles. The driver will stop, even if it is in the middle of the road, holding up traffic in the process. Jeepnies are crowded most of the time. Show elders and women respect and offer them a seat first. You can always practice “sabit” (Tagalog for “to hang on with your fingertips”) by clinging to the back of the Jeepney. Kids sit on laps, loud flamboyant behaviour is frowned upon and your shopping bags should be left at home (there is no room for them). But most importantly, watch for pickpockets when they “accidentally” lean on you through corners. Jeepney drivers are notoriously undisciplined. Traffic rules, government regulations and the laws of the lands are frequently flaunted and mean little to them. For their owners, Jeepnies are their kingdom. With 12 million people in Manila, 600,000 new cars on the road this year and no end in sight for the city’s gridlock (the worst commuting times in the world – 15 km in two hours), I am not surprised that Jeepney drivers resort to desperate measures when making their way through traffic.

The future of the Philippine Jeepney culture is uncertain. Improvements such as the introduction of air conditioning, better seating, buzzers for stopping the vehicle and more fuel efficient engines have been made to some cars, but the vast majority of Jeepnies I saw on Manila streets were run down with bald tires and generally unfit for human transportation.

When you arrive at a new port and there is a police escort waiting for you, this can mean two things: the cops are needed for security or to usher you through traffic.  After having spent a day in and around Manila, there was no doubt why we needed an escort.

~RT

South China Sea, China (?)

With binoculars in hand I scan the horizon from our ship’s balcony; but this time I am not looking for whales or dolphins. I am looking for Chinese war ships, half expecting for us to be blown out of the water by an enemy missile. You see, we are passing through the South China Sea (SCS), probably the most disputed waters in the world at this moment in history.

The South China Sea does not, despite its name, belong to China. Strong claims by China that it has maritime rights to these important waters and owns the resources above and beneath the ocean floor, can not be proven and are, plainly speaking, a lie. What is so special about this area to prompt the US Navy to send its war ships into the South China Sea this week? To start, the South China Sea is a maritime super highway - 30% of the world’s maritime traffic passes through the region, so does 70% of China’s and Japan’s oil. The SCS also is rich in fish and, oh yeah I almost forgot, the world’s 3rd largest oil and natural gas reserves lie under the gentle waves of the South China Sea.

It was 1947 when China first claimed ownership of the region. In 2004 the Chinese government reasserted its stance by stating that China claims “…indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea and its adjacent waters. They call SCS a “core interest” for China, which, in diplomatic speak, means that they are prepared to defend their perceived rights to the SCS militarily if necessary.

Many countries claim territories that are not their own, so what is so different about this dispute? Personally, I think it is the brazenness with which the Chinese are asserting themselves in the region. At the time of my writing, China is building artificial islands on the reefs in the Spratly, Paracel and Zhongsha Islands. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) also upgraded the status of the region from a county - level administrative unit to a Prefecture and declared “Sansha”, with its 1,000 inhabitants, the de facto capital city. China has built light houses and airstrips, set up oil rigs, established military installations, is inviting cruise ships to visit and is arming a “fisherman militia” to help protect the region from intruding opposition forces.

Needless to say, many countries bordering the South China Sea are nervous about China’s influence in the region and the existence of these new artificial islands.  This has led to an unexpected benefit for American international relations: countries like Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Cambodia, Malaysia and Taiwan, all of which lay claims to at least some of the territory, are driven into the arms of the USA. After all, the US is the only force, which even remotely could counter the brazen advances of China in the region. It will be interesting to see how the conflict is going to unfold.

~ RT

Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong is impressive – no doubt about it. Most noticeably, the tall buildings speak of commercial success, ambition, confidence and money. Not unlike Dubai, to the visitor, Hong Kong communicates a sense of infallibility, aloofness. Nothing is going to de-throne this city from its perch of superiority and power. So it is with surprise that I notice the most recent cover article in the local news magazine “HK Magazine”. My surprise is less based on the nature of the article (“Stress City – Is Hong Kong About to Implode”) than on the fact that a local news magazine discusses a sensitive topic with such honesty and openness. Perhaps therein lies the difference between Dubai and Hong Kong.

According to the article’s author, Justin Heifetz, 50% of Hong Kong’s workforce feel they have poor mental health. The likely cause of this high level of dysfunction in the population is an overworked, underpaid and under appreciated workforce. Most noticeably, employees feel great pressure from their bosses to work overtime without compensation. On average, Hongkongers work 2,300 hours per year. That is significantly more than the 1,700 hours employees spend at work in other developed countries annually. Most stressed appear to be people working in the telecom sector followed by teachers and employees in the finance, property management, transportation and construction industries, consecutively. A survey sponsored by the government’s Occupational Safety and Health Council, revealed that 60% of the survey respondents “feel highly stressed from their jobs”, 21% feel a loss of energy, 18% need psychological treatment, 15% have sleeping problems and over 7% have regular suicidal thoughts. Remarkably, 25% of respondents experience depression and anxiety, which is 250% higher than the global average.

But a stressful life is not limited to the working world. Already in high school, students in Hong Kong experience pressure from heavy homework workloads (71.9%), from parental pressure to perform (68%) and from concerns about being able to access a spot at university or college (51.8%).

The glitz and glamour of successful cities like Hong Kong are seductive and one can be forgiven for thinking that living and working in such an environment would be thrilling and fun. But the mental and emotional costs inflicted on the very people who are the driving force behind the success, are staggering.

Is Hong Kong about to implode? Not likely! Regardless if the root causes for stress at the work place are endemic and cultural or related to a particular industry, there will always be people who are willing to pay a high price for job security, job advancement or simply being part of cutting edge technology.

~ RT