No blog updates for over a week!

No late night TV for over a week!

Wifey and I have been working madly to finish our first Blurb book for our Round the World trip in the summer of 07-08.  We were nearly able to finish 1 city per night, but then we hit Paris and found we had over 1,000 photos to prioritise there alone!

And then came the borders and page backgrounds.  Wifey got really excited and nearly went crazy with them, but I tried to hold her back.  There’s something I really like about clean white crisp pages with photos on them, but Wifey wanted to pull out certain colours from the photo onto the page background. 

We weren’t quite sure what to do about the text though.  On our trip, we did keep a travel diary which started off quite detailed, but started to thin out at the end.  Should we go back and complete the diary now?  Should we include days of activities with the photos for those cities?  Should we just use bullet points?

In the end, we wanted our book to be primarily a photobook/photojournal – the emphasis on photos and some captions if required and we felt 1-2 pages of text might break up the flow.  But I did condense the activities of each day into a 3-4 line paragraph, and we put these at the end of the book for reference.  Each paragraph is a summary of the day’s events.  The full travel diary exists only in electronic form for now.

(By the way, I found it much easier to edit text in Microsoft Word and then copy and paste the whole lot in once done.)

Once the whole book was complete last night, we did a final spell check which picked up a few embarrassing typos.  And then it was upload time to Blurb.  With over 300 pages and roughly 860 photos, we had to leave this overnight.  And then this morning, I checked it and it was all done!  I hope all pages and photos are there without corruption – unfortunately I can’t seem to find a way to check.

So what now?   We have to do the final touches to the Italy trip book, then place our orders!

This fall, we have a number of projects headed overseas, including one to Costa Rica in November. Want to read more about what a YCI project in Costa Rica looks like day-to-day? Check out today’s featured volunteer blog: Po-Yi’s Diary.

“Organizing events in an unfamiliar setting was difficult. We always had to keep in mind the ‘Tican’ time, meaning that locals can come whenever they wanted to even two or three hours after the start time. In spite of the challenges (that was why we were there!), our ’social projects’ were very successful since they opened our eyes to the difficulties that Juanilama have been facing. The knowledge we gained from the events and activities we planed will help the next YCI group to sustain whatever development we and the Juanilamans have left off with. . .“

Sebetulnya kejadiannya udah lewat lama banget sih, taon lalu, lebih tepatnya juli 2008, tapi waktu itu gw belom kepikiran nulisin semua nya di blog. Sekarang udah, and lagian gw masih inget banget tuh kejadian2 dari awal mpe pulang, serasa baru kemaren…

Nah ok, jadi gini nih ceritanya, tujuan utama gw ke kuala lumpur tuh buat nonton chelsea saking ngefans nya sampe bela2 in bolos 2 hari, mumpung masih awal2 masuk kan tuh pelajaran belom penting2 amat. Dari beberapa bulan sebelumnya gw udah survey hotel and tiket and segala macem nya lewat internet. Gw masuk deh ke situs air asia buat liat schedule ma harganya. Terus gw nyari2 hotel yang pas ma budget, awalnya gw nemu tuh hotel namanya Tune hotel, wiih gw liat fasilitas, harga ma foto2 kamarnya pas banget. Letaknya juga persis di tengah kota KL. Eh, pas gw baca2 lagi di FAQ nya ternyata anak 17 thn ga boleh stay tanpa didampingi orang yang lebih tua, damn! Akhirnya gw nyari lagi deh hotel laen n ketemu. Prescott Inn namanya, yah sesuai standar lah kalo gw liat foto2 kamar2nya trus gw nyoba2 boooking biar tw harganya, gw type di menu booking online nya kalo gw bakal check in dr kpn mpe kpn, trus keluar harganya RM 330, nah yodah tuh, lumayan 4 hari 3 malem segitu. Trus gw catet alamatnya. Gw memutuskan buat stay disitu. Soal tiket nonton juga yang paling ribet, soalnya kan yah emang itu tujuan utama gw pergi. Gw bingung gimana mw belinya, tadinya gw kepikiran buat minta tolong temen sd gw yang sekarang sekolah di KL. Dia bilang sih mau bantu tapi pada akhirnya cici gw juga yang beliin tiket online. Gw kirain gw bakal dibeliin tiket yang paling murah karena kan budgetnya terbatas eh ternyata, nyokap gw nyuruhnya beliin gw tiket paling mahal! wiih gila jingkrak2 gw saking senengnya akan kemurahan hati dan pengertian yang luar biasa dari keluarga gw..hehehehe. Jelas beda lah tiket paling mahal, setelah gw liat denah tempat duduknya bisa duduk di atas pintu keluar pemain menuju stadion, jadi gw berambisi buat ngedapetin tuh seat.

Saatnya keberangkatan. Gw naik air asia minggu pagi tanggal 27 juli, penerbangan pertama. Sedangkan rombongan chelsea indo berangkat hari senen nya. Soalnya gw pengen jalan2 juga jadi yah gw berangkat lebih awal..hehe. Itu pertama kali gw naek pesawat sendiri..wii enak juga haha, gw dah lama banget ga naek pesawat ga tw terakhir kapan. Deg2 an juga awalnya akhirnya biasa lagi, soalnya dulu pas tk ma sd gw kan sering ngikut nyokap nyusulin bokap gw yang kerjanya di kapal and keliling asia tenggara dan sekitarnya. Jadi dari gw kecil sebetulnya gw udah traveling cuma masih sama ortu. Balik lagi ke cerita gw, singkat cerita nyampe deh di KLIA. Nah pas turun dari pesawat sempet bingung sih mau kemana, tapi intuisi gw nyuruh gw ngikutin orang2 aja. Ya udah, gw ikutin deh. Tadinya gw rada bingung sih kan kalo nyampe di bandara gitu mesti ada prosedur macem2 nya. Yah gw ngikut2 aja lah ma orang. Ternyata cuman di cap paspor di counter imigrasinya n kaga ditanya2 in apa2 an. Haha, lega udah deh gw nungguin bagasi. Tapi hal pertama yang gw tangkep pas nyampe adalah kenapa KLIA kecil banget ya? seinget gw dulu terakhir gw terbang dari malaysia bandara nya guede banget and keren abis?? ah sudahlah ya.. Nah udah nih gw ngambil bagasi gw cabut keluar dari tempat ketibaan (orang malaysia nyebutnya begitu). Pas gw keluar hal pertama yang gw cari adalah loket skybus, soalnya di tiket online gw, harga tiket pesawat gw dah termasuk skybus buat ke tengah kota, aduh gila cici gw baek banget mpe mesenin yang begituan, takut adeknya kenapa2 kali ya?hehe. Setelah gw liat, wow gila segala macem jenis transportasi ada. Gw liat counter2 di sebelahnya, ada taksi, KLIA express dkk. Padahal tadinya gw kepikiran buat nyobain KLIA express tapi ga jadi. Nah, trus di counternya gw nunjukin lembaran tiket online gw. Trus orangnya nyuruh gw ke tempat busnya. Dia bilang di sono noh..nah lo gw bingung, ya udah gw keluar and nyari2 tuh bus, banyak orang, gw planga-plongo nyariin bus, kaga ada tempat bus. Metong gw, dimana nih busnya?? Ya udah gw jalan terus sambil nge-gerek2 koper and ujung2 nya gw nanya ke petugas bandara and finally ketemu juga tuh bus. Pas liat busnya, bused, gambarnya MU, beuh bener2 emang dari air asia sih jadi gitu deh..Pas gw nyampe bus nya dah penuh and ga ada tempat duduk di deket jendela, huh jadi males gw. Gw nunggu bus yang berikutnya deh. Pas dateng, gw langsung nunjukin tiket online gw ma kondekturnya, semua kondektur2 bus yang ada disitu orang tambi, jadi yah kaya orang2 india gitu deh..trus dia bilang serahin tiket online gw ke dia biar dicatet and gw disuruh naek busnya, lah gw bingung, orang ntu tiket buat pp masa gw serahin?jadi takut gw. Tapi ya udah, pas dia bilang nanti dia balikin ke gw,gw naek deh k bus. Dapet tempat pw. Duh enak…trus pas dah lumayan penuh ada cewe yang duduk di sebelah gw..lumayan, at least bukan bapa2 tua berkumis..Trus gw cermatin lagi tuh busnya, enak gila, space antara tempat duduk sama yang di depannya gede, trus ada tempat buat naro kaki di bawah..pas lagi jalan disetel tuh video2 musik and yang gw liat adalah, video klipnya radja, ah gubrak! Singkat cerita, nyampe nih gw di stesen sentralnya. Gw turun dari bus dan..kebingungan, jelas gw mau ke hotel. Tapi gimana?? Banyak tukang taksi tuh nawarin tapi gw males naek taksi, namun masalahnya gw dah pengen banget mandi ga tahan. Ya udah gw nyamperin salah satu tukang taksi and nunjukin alamat hotel yang gw tuju, thanks God dia taw. Trus dia nawarin harga RM 20, ya udah gw ok-in ajalah. Yang jelas taksi2 di indo jauh lebih bagus n lux daripada di malay. Ga ada ac-nya. Mobilnya juga mobil lama gitu. Perjalanan dari stesen sentral ke hotel gw sempetin buat ngeliat2 kota KL, keren juga..hehe.

Nyampe lah gw di hotel yang gw tuju, pas gw check in ternyata harga nya RM 500!! anjrit mampus gw, malah cuman bawa 1000 lagi, dah gw itung2 tuh buat makan, transportasi ma oleh2, sia!! jadi ga cukup deh, mesti ada yang dikurangin..Nah, udah nih di hotel gw langsung mandi and begitu slese, gw baru inget lupa bawa sisir, damn! Untung rambut gw ga bandel, bisa disisir pake jari. Udah gitu keluar deh gw jalan. Setelah gw nyadar ternyata hotel gw strategis banget! Deket mall dengan segala tempat makannya, deket stasiun monorail jadi gampang kalo pergi kemana2 hahaha ga salah gw milih hotel..terus gw nyari toko buat beli nomer, abisnya simpati gw belom gw registrasiin bwt roaming. Abis itu nyari sisir and beli kentucky buat makan di hotel, ga ada nasinya, tapi gw memang kangen banget ma mashed potatonya kentucky di malay..haha dulu waktu kecil gw doyan banget ma tuh makanan. Abis itu gw balik ke hotel and karena masih laper gw mesen makanan hotel deh yang ada nasinya..susah juga nih kalo belom biasa ga makan nasi…: (

Hari senennya, ada setumpuk rencana buat ngabisin tuh hari. Yang jelas gw mw ke petronas tower. Tapi gw kaga tau jalan. Terus gw liat2 guide2 yang ada di yellow pages di kamar hotel. Akhirnya gw memutuskan untuk pergi ke Tourist Information Center nya dulu. Dari hotel gw naek monorail kemana2, enak, soalnya murah, cepet dan nyaman. Gw jadi ketagihan naek monorail. Pas nyampe di TIC nya, gw minta mapnya KL and minta dijelasin gimana caranya gw pergi ke Shah Alam stadium soalnya letaknya ga di tengah kota nya, kalo kaya di jakarta tuh letaknya kaya di depok or bogornya gitu. Orangnya bilang gw naek kereta dari stesen sentral trus turun di stasiun batu tiga. Oh ok deh. Trus ada internet gratis,wahahaha mesti dimanfaatin. Sekitar setengah jam gw ngenet di situ and sempet nulis blog juga. Trus gw mw lanjut k petronas. Dari TIC sih gw liat petronas ga jauh jadi gw memutuskan jalan, yah lumayan lah. FYI hari itu gw belom makan apapun dari pagi mpe siang mpe sore abis jalan. Ga tw kenapa tapi kalo lagi jalan gitu, gw ga kepikiran makan. Soalnya semangat gw cuma buat jalan, jalan n jalan kemana2..haha bagus juga sih jadi kalo di luar negeri gw bisa kurus lama2..Pas nyampe dipetronas, biasa gw foto2 dari bbagai sudut..gw masuk kan ke dalem, trus ternyata di bawah towernya itu mall!! yep Suria KLCC lebih tepatnya, persis mall taman anggrek gitu, yang isi nya toko2 b’merk semua. Masalahnya gw kaga bdandan buat org pergi ke mall, dengan tshirt, celana cargo and tas ransel plus spatu kets. Alhasil semua orang yang lewat memandangi gw..ah bodo..haha ga peduli gw! Trus gw ke belakang jalan trus nyariin gimana caranya gw naek ke atas..yang ada gw malah nemu taman..ah sudahlah gw foto2 deh minta tolong orang..trus gw ke dalem lagi liat2 papan2 petunjuk, nah itu kan pas jam makan siang selesai jadi banyak banget yang balik lagi ke kantor yang letaknya di atas alias di towernya. Trus gw liat ada toko suvenir di bawah, gw turun n liat di situ ada counter tour buat ke atas, setelah gw baca ternyata hari senen ga buka!sialan, gw dateng di hari yang salah! Kesel dikit gw akhirnya ke toko suvenir nya. Mahal2 euy, gw nyari suvenir2 yang kecil n murah buat tetangga2 gw yang leuweung banget alias ndeso. Soalnya yah kesempatan mereka buat ke luar kota atau ke luar negeri sangat kecil kadi gw berkomitmen kalo gw abis jalan gw mesti bawa oleh2 apa aja yang penting menunjukkan sesuatu dari tempat yang gw pergi. Trus gw pergi ke taman di depan gedung n sempet minta di fotoin ma orang disitu, untung gw bukan orang yang narsis jadi sekali foto cukup..hehe. Abis itu gw balik ke hotel, tadinya gw mw ke KL tower tapi ga nemu2 jalan kesononya yaudah deh kpn2 lagi..masalahnya gw belom makan apapun dari pagi..Trus gw beli nasi ayam deh, salah satu makanan fav gw di malay, 2 kotak n gw balik ke hotel.

Selasanya, wiih hari yang ditunggu2. Kan malemnya nonton chelsea..hehe. Siang gw ke Central Market buat beli oleh2. Demen banget ma ni tempat. Soalnya isinya tuh barang2 arty crafty buat oleh2 yang harganya bisa ditawar..haha, lalu gw meng-explore tu tempat deh..nyari oleh2 buat tmn, keluarga ma tetangga. Abis itu gw beli baju chelsea di pasar pinggir jalan, ah biar palsu ttp aja belinya di luar negeri..hehehehe. Sorenya gw dijemput temen gw, yang pada akhirnya punya waktu buat nemenin gw ke stadionnya. Dia ma temen nya juga yang mau nonton. Pas di stesen sentral, gila orang rame banget. Soalnya pas jam orang pulang kantor and banyak banget yanga mau nonton chelsea, keliatan dari dandanan ma bajunya. Saking penuhnya gw terpaksa naek kereta berikut, sia!! Pas turun di batu tiga, gw jalan mpe stadion ma temen2 nya tmn sd gw itu. Ramean gw cewe sendiri. Ternyata jauh gila!! Tadi orang nya bilang stadion nya deket cukup jalan kaki, keringet gw mpe ngucur di muka. Udah setengah lari tuh gw, dalem hati gw bilang demi chelsea, demi nonton chelsea…huhuhu..cape banget kaki gw tapi tetep gw harus jalan, sial! tau gitu gw naek taksi aja tadi. Pas nyampe di stadion, langsung gw k loketnya nanya dimana gw bias nuker lembar verifikasi tiket online gw sama yang beneran, orangnya bilang kalo loket buat tiket yang paling mahal ntu ada di sisi laen stadion, damn!! udah jam 8.45 sesuai kick offnya gw masih di luar stadion and lari2 ke sisi lain stadion, sumpah cape banget and ga nyaman bukan main!abis jalan jauh masih harus lari2 ngiterin setengah stadion..akhirnya dapet juga tuh tiket gw dengan nama gw..trus pas masuk, jelas banget gw ga kebagian tempat duduk di atas pintu masuk pemain k stadion dah penuh gila. Tapi tetep gw dapet tempat di paling depan. Udah malah ga boleh bawa air lagi ke dalem..udah abis jalan n lari2, aus ga boleh bawa botol air lagi..sial banget sumpah..jadi sepanjang pertandingan gw keausan deh..huhuh : ( Malah kaga keliatan lagi pemain2 chelsea nya, biar gw dah paling depan ttp aja jauh, damn! Ah sudahlah, sudah sejauh ini gw bilang dalem hati..Pas pulang dari stadion, nah kan dah malem tuh sekitar jam 11.30 an, gw naek taksi, awalnya gw sendiri, trus tiba2 sopir taksinya juga mengangkut 3 penumpang laen, 3 cowo tanzania! sumpah waktu itu gw sempet takut tapi lama2 nyantai juga..ternyata taksi disono bisa bawa 2 penumpang yang beda tujuan sekaligus, ga nyaman sebetulnya..tapi ya udahlah.Eh yang ada gw malah ngobrol2 ma tuh cowo2 dari tanzania soal pertandingan tadi..hahaha, mereka mahasiswa n ternyata ramah juga..parno juga gw tadi..sopirnya bilang kalo gw ntu berani banget, cewe 17 thn sendirian ke malaysia cuma buat nonton chelsea..hahaha! kan sekalian latian jadi independent traveler..hahaha

Hari rabunya, gw balik ke jakarta. Di indo lagi tanggal merah tuh. Biasa, gw naek monorail sambil gerek2 koper trus nyambung naek skybus lagi ke KLIA. Kali ini yang duduk di sebelah gw cowo bule..hehehe. Di bandara gw beli burger McD buat makan ntar di dalem pas nunggu pesawat soalnya belom sempet sarapan sama coklat buat oleh2 di duty free, sialnya gunting gw ga boleh gw bawa..jadi ya udah gw serahin ke petugasnya, padahal pas pergi lolos2 aja tuh..Pas nyampe di jakarta, di bandara gw langsung makan mcd beli nasinya 2 bungkus saking kangen ma lapernya ma mcd cita rasa indonesia…huahahaha trus baru deh gw pulang naek damri ke bogor and naek taksi dari botani..hah, selesai lah trip pertama gw sendirian ke luar negri and must go back 2 skul…

For a bird lover, a visit to Chennai is incomplete without a trip to Pulicat Lake and the nearby Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary.

I decided to visit  these places on a trip to Chennai. Though the peak season for seeing migratory birds is from November to January end, I decided to try my luck with Pulicat. I was also encouraged by Sabyasachi’s recent visit to the lake and some interesting images of pelicans.

The month before, I had visited a similar ecosystem in MangalaJodi near Chilika Lake; which is a brackish water lagoon like Pulicat Lake. Both have extensive mudflat systems, which make them ideal for avifauna like egrets, herons, storks and flamingos that prefer swallow waters to deeper water. No wonder, both Chilika and Pulicat are amongst the best places in India to sight the flamingos (Rann of Kutch being equally spectacular).

After a quick meet, we decided to start early morning on February 28th to Pulicat. I roped in my cousin and his two friends for the trip.

Before moving on, I would like to talk about birding equipment. Bird photography is equipment intensive. The challenges of photographing birds are numerous; you have to contend with the birds’ small size (they do not always fill the frame), unpredictable movements, at times wide contrasting body colour, focus distance etc. Other challenges include finding a clear line of shooting (often the line is blocked by twigs, branches etc), water bodies and the sky! How often have we seen less than desirable exposure as the camera sensor gets confused with the metering for the sky or water bodies!

Hence, if bird photography is your cup of tea, buy the best you can afford at present (but remember, photography is not the end of the world). Sabyasachi’s equipment for the trip were a Canon 400 f2.8 lens mounted on Canon EOS 1D Mark II. The stabilization unit were a sturdy Gitzo 3530 LS Series 6X Carbon Fiber tripod and Wimberley V2 head. I was carrying my Sigma APO 120-400mm F4.5-5.6 mounted on a Canon EOS 400D. My support was a Manfrotto 681B monopod and head. Additionally we were also carrying a fantastic bean bag – rather a rice bag; Sabyasachi cryptically informed he had shoved around 5 KG of rice inside the bag! Looking back, I feel a good pair of binoculars and a polariser would have helped, especially to get some vivid colors while shooting birds against the sky.

The trip kicked off as per schedule. I did not require the alarm clock to get up so early, which was surprising as I am not an early morning person. The house was already bustling with activity by the time I awoke. Except for my cousin who was wearing a shirt as spectacularly colourful as a peacock in its prime, and a deodorant which could be detected from Timbuktu, most of us were properly dressed in muted colors for a jungle rendezvous.

After having a pipping hot cup of tea prepared by Bhabi, we piled into the Tata Safari at 5:00AM and navigated to NH5. A heavy fog greeted us, but we raced on. Our aim was to reach Pulicat early morning to do photography in the golden light. The first 10-15 minutes were rather quite, till my cousin decided to play some new Hindi romantic songs. The music had a soporific effect and soon we became comfortably numb in the speeding Safari.

Pulicat is around 100KM from Chennai. Trick is to reach NH5 through Koyambedu and drive nose straight, till it takes you to Tada, Sulurpet. This stretch is usually a busy highway as was evident from the maniacal reflex induced driving we witnessed while returning. But early in morning, you can press on the gas and can comfortably cruise at 100-120KMH. Pulicat Lake is just 5- 6 Km from Sulurpet. In case of any doubt, look out for SHAR road or Sri Harikota.

Timing is everything & wildlife enthusiasts should time their visits well, especially to bird sanctuaries. Any bird sanctuary has its share of endemic and migratory birds. Migratory birds visit due to unique weather or landscape conditions created in that area. In hindsight, we could have timed the trip much earlier for better birding.

When we reached Pulicat, we were greeted with dried mudflats that stretched as far as the eye could reach. It was surrealistically like a desert. I was mentally cursing myself for mistiming the trip, when my cousin screamed out. We soon saw the reason! We spotted two pelicans and an open billed stork dawdling near a small pool. I smirked at the coincidence of finding the birds besides the first watch towers at Pulicat Lake!

Hopes were now high and we drove on. The landscape did not change much. In the distance, we could see a flock of birds. They were standing in a formation very similar to the flamingos. As the flock was a KM into the lake, I improvised with my 120-400mm lens for a binocular. I was a tad disappointed. They were a flock of herons mimicking the flamingo formation.

After much off-road driving, we still could not see the “flock” that we wanted. But, nature never disappoints! We did some good bird sighting besides the road itself. Bush birds are an agile lot. It was difficult to create their images. Still I did click on a laughing dove, pond herons amongst others.

 Wildlife trips always have lighter moments, and ours happened while we were driving to Nelapattu. Just when we were about to leave Pulicat, we spotted two pelicans walking on the dried mudflats. Sabyasachi suggested I try getting some shots. I duly obliged and undertook my version of stalking! Unfortunately I was not very successful. With nowhere to hide, the pelicans had no problem in spotting me and wickedly hopped away each time I inched closer.

When stalking a bird, it’s important that the stalker create record images at intervals; for who knows that point might be the closest you got to the subject. Also, try taking picture or moving before the bird sees you. Stop when the bird is looking at you. It’s also best to approach the bird from the back.

Though I couldn’t get close enough to the Pelicans, I did capture their foot print.

A tad disappointed, we drove to Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, which is some 10KM from Pulicat. Take the a U-turn beneath the flyover and follow the directions to reach Nelapattu.

We reached Nelapattu in about 10 mins. The lady manning the sanctuary gates was really charming. She recognized Sabyasachi as a regular visitor and soon gave our entry tickets. I chuckled when I saw the entry fee for foreigners, which was a massive INR 400 compared to a paltry INR 2 for Indians. “Jai Ho” for that!!

Soon we disembarked from the Safari and went in. Immediately, I fell in love with the place. It was obvious, the place was built with lots of affection. Most trees were labeled with their botanical names. There was a huge board which had diagrams of the endemic birds and their names.

We had a quick picnic lunch under the shades after setting the tripods and equipment. Bread, boiled egg and potato bhaji never tasted better!

After the “pet pooja” we set out on image creation.

Again, the sanctuary was only a pale shadow of its peak glory. Sabyasachi fondly described of the place filled with pelicans, ibis and cormorants. Still I had a good time clicking on the pelicans taking flight.

Though most people are serenaded by the pelicans, the bird enthusiast should also probe into the thick bushes. I found a host of interesting birds. I did manage to capture an interesting thrush too, thanks to a cormorant which lead me to a gap in the fence. Though I was excited about the find, I was irritated by my cousin who kept on shouting out my name while I was trying to get closer to the bird.

After some 2 hours at Nelapattu, we returned to Chennai.

Though we visited off-season, the experience was enriching. We spotted a lot of birds which are usually not the cynosure in peak season. Lastly, in both the places, we had the entire sanctuaries to ourselves. I definitely felt close and proud of the bountiful nature.

Birds to Watch out for:

Flamingos, pelicans, kingfishers, herons, painted storks, spoonbills and ducks, Spot-billed Pelican, seven species of herons and egrets, Painted Stork, Greater Flamingos, ducks, 20 species of shorebirds, gulls, terns, Little Grebe, Indian Cormorant, Little Cormorant, Asian Openbill Stork, Black-headed Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Lesser Whistling Teal, Spotbill Duck, Great Thick-knee and Stone Curlew, wintering waterfowl have been noted including Bar-headed Goose, Ruddy Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon, Gadwall, Common Teal, Northern Pintail, Garganey, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Brown-headed Gull, Black-headed Gull, Whiskered Tern, Gull-billed Tern and Caspian Tern.

Birds of prey which appear in winter are the: White-bellied Sea Eagle, Osprey, Harriers and Peregrine Falcons.

Hi friends, family and travellers!!!!

I can’t express really in words how delightful the cruise was!!  But I will try to describe some of the highlights for you ……………. 

For anyone who takes a cruise from Vancouver (or San Diego, Los Angeles or just sails around the Hawaiian islands on a cruise ship) you won’t be disappointed.  Whether you take the trip with an inside cabin (which I did once) or a beautiful balcony (this last trip) the cruise stateroom is only one part of this journey.   Let’s face it, all staterooms are like very nice hotel rooms, with someone providing personal service several times a day – bringing ice, making your bed, cleaning up towels in the bathroom, leaving towel animals and chocolates on your pillow.  I don’t know about you, but this is NOT how I live at home!!!!!

With a balcony, I loved the sun shining in the morning to wake me up.  I loved the sound of the ocean.  I enjoyed sitting out with a cup of tea and reading a book or checking email on my little net book lap top.  I even got to chat with my sweetie with Skype!  I loved to watch the ship go into port – I loved the sea days, feeling the air get warmer and warmer as we gained further distance from Canada in the fall.  Wherever you sleep on the ship,  you can always go up on deck and grab a coffee and hang out with the sun!!  You are always welcome to walk around the deck and enjoy the salty sea air and watch the flying fish!  The air is so clean and the water never tires.  The waves, the sun rises and sets.  It is all so beautiful and provides a lovely back drop to whatever the day has in store.

Activities, food, tea and coffee,  unlimited ice cream any time of the day or night, drinks with little umbrellas, food, meeting new and interesting people, getting your picture taken and taking as many as you can, food, checking your email, attending talks on nature topics and activities you want to enjoy when we reach the islands, food, dressing up for theme evenings, attending an art auction (even if only for the free champagne!!), finding your way around the deck, checking out the shopping on board ………… and let’s not forget the food!!  Meal times, between meals and late night buffets.  This trip is about wearing comfy clothes that adjust as you “grow”.  Oh sure, you can go to the gym and walk the stairs, that helps too!!

If you are travelling to Hawaii on a cruise ship, make sure you take something ”Hawaiian” to wear on theme nights in the dining room and or for photo opportunities with great  back drops – to show all your friends when you get home, and to keep as special memories of those wonderful sea days.  Remember to limit your time in the sun each time, and keep in the shade when falling asleep or enjoying a good book. 

The time zones are gentle, just one hour at a time, on the ship as you sail further and further from land.  You get to sleep in with “extra hours of sleep” 3 times on a cruise from Vancouver.  And with all the food and fabulous service, I just can’t see how life gets any better than that <smile>.  It is decadent, it is restful, it is away from everything you wanted to get away from.  You (and however many hundreds of people on board) are together.  Like it or not.  You dress up just to entertain and please yourself.  You have time to read those books you have been waiting to read.  You can write travel journals, like me!  And most importantly, in my opinion, you get to meet the most wonderful people.  You meet them mostly while eating, but also when you sit to watch a trivia game or enjoy the festivities in the evenings, sticking around to see who wins the “big one” at Bingo.  Seeing a familiar face as you wander through the casino or on the Lido deck.  People on cruise ships are happy people.  People on holidays are happy people.  At home you would not just sit down to dinner with total strangers and strike up a conversation ……. on cruise ships that is a daily event and one to enjoy and reflect on.  I met some wonderful people and some will be in my life and hearts forever.  (especially my dining companions Donna and Linda — and in particular my new good friends Joan and Patti).  

 
Having sit down breakfast and lunch on sea days in the dining room is great – you will meet all kinds of wonderful people and if they are less than cheerful, you won’t ever have to see them again <smile> but if you have a great conversation, you may make life time friends!  It is so much more relaxed than the lido.  The lido deck is great for those shore days when you want to get out there in a hurry …….. and maybe come back on the ship for a late lunch … and then a rest before dinner <grin>  After all, it is ALL about the food!!!!