Sailing south down the Pacific coast I pondered the seismic shifts in Panama. The most definitive was three million years ago. Once the waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans washed freely between North and South America. As continents drifted tectonic plates collided, volcanoes erupted and a chain of islands formed a land bridge.

This bridge changed the world. People, animals and flora moved freely between continents. Wind directions, water currents and salinity altered affecting weather patterns.

Russia and China Look North

Today, with more changes in global weather, the Arctic is becoming navigable year round. Another seismic shift? Will the Northwest Passage and North Sea Route, favored by Russia, rival the Panama Canal? The canal has shipping size restrictions and is affected by drought.

These shifts were on my mind as we sailed into Panama Bay under the Bridge of Americas from the Pacific. We joined skyscraper-high container ships, tankers, car transporters and sleek private super yachts. This was the world of serious global commerce.

We had an afternoon canal transit slot for Miraflores Locks with a pilot guide. Like the other shipping we waited. And we waited. In the distance the new Panama city skyline of towering white skyscrapers gleamed in the afternoon sun. Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the colorful Biomuseo shone like a beacon on the shore

Finally word came, American Secretary of State, Marco Rubio was touring the locks and security caused delay. A portent of political seismic shifts ahead?

It was close to midnight when we approached Gatun locks and entered the first lock chamber. I watched giant gates open, water level rise and mechanical mules drag our ship into place. In the morning we were anchored in Gatun Lake.

Between The Locks, Gatun Lake

Gatun lake enables shipping to pass over the high ismuth of Panama. Excavating down to create a sea level canal was not feasible. The Chagres River was dammed and a lake formed. Hilltops became islands of biodiversity for plants and animals. On Barro Colorado Island the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute has a station.

We spent a morning on the island with a guide from the Smithsonian, hiking in the jungle high among kapok trees. We spotted monkeys, birds, and butterflies. A surreal experience as huge container ships passed silently below along the shipping channel.

Our slot for the second set of locks was also delayed, so we had another nighttime passage. We woke up the next morning at Gatun Locks, anchored near a vast container storage facility. The canal is a global commerce destination, not just a shipping route. I watched containers were unloaded and stacked.

It was time to disembark at the Port of Balboa and we were warned security was tight. Dogs would be searching for wads of cash as money laundering is rife. Despite warnings departure was easy. Search teams on a relaxed schedule were late, however the dogs did show up on time.

Old Spain and Eastern Bazaars

I had transited the Canal before, in the reverse direction. I recalled Panama City as a colorful mix of old Spain, Eastern bazaars, and American progress. There were neighborhoods of red tiled buildings flower-filled courtyards, colonial ramparts and ruins. It was hot. There were screeching parrots and a cicada chorus. That was then.

This time I was overwhelmed with seismic shifts glimpsed from the ship. Ultra modern architecture jostled skywards. New populations from Lebanon and Venezuela have recently settled Panama, their cultures add color.

Crossing to a New World

For a different dimension in the afternoon I headed to the Biomuseo which opened in 2014. Under Frank Gehry’s iconic primary-colored sail-shaped roof. There are depictions of animals and peoples crossing to a new world. The land bridge/ismuth between continents was formed recently in geologic time. Here the major impact on Western Hemisphere ecology is revealed.

Shown in the interconnecting spaces is Panama’s astonishing biodiversity. Over 10,000 plants and mammals, reptiles, birds and amphibians animals including six species of wild cats thrive in the region.

I stayed until closing time. The Biomuseo visit gave me a perspective which tied my Panama visit together. The formation of the land bridge. Then how man opened up a passage with one of the worlds most incredible feats of engineering. Also the realization of Conquistador Balboa‘s 1513 vision.

Political ramifications, weather patterns, droughts and the astonishing biological diversity are all part of this story. Seismic shifts in Panama will continue.

More about the Panama Canal

To discover more about the Panama canal and its creation I suggest:  Booker Prize winner The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough. It is the story of the men and women who fought to fulfill a 400-year-old dream.

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Ballet, Theatre and Music

Theatre, pageantry, Wimbledon tennis and cream teas in the garden, there is much to cover in this London summer update! So here are some highlights and discoveries from my recent visit which began with damp drizzle and ended with a spectacular solstice sizzle.

What a way to begin! On my second night I saw the Royal Ballet’s Natalia Osipova dance in Onegin at Covent Garden Opera House. It was one of the most electrifying ballet performances I have ever seen. The audience was ecstatic with everyone on the edge their seats. An incredible evening which set the tone for my stay.

London theatre offerings are always kaleidoscopic. I saw Imelda Staunton and her (real life) daughter Bessie Carter mesmerize in Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession, a gripping production of Terence Rattigan’s Deep Blue Sea, and Miller’s The Crucible at the Globe Theatre. Each a memorable highlight. On a lighter note I was entranced (again) by The Lion King as were my five year old companions.

On arrival my plane landed too late for the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment‘s final performance before heading to Glyndebourne Opera. But I heard the Elgar program received a standing ovation and there was not a dry eye in the house when the Enigma Variations were played. Next summer the orchestra will celebrate their 40th anniversary.

San Francisco Makes a Cameo

An unexpected delight was hearing that the choir of Cathedral School for Boys, San Francisco would be touring England, based at Oxford and singing at Magdalen College. To my delight their one performance at Salisbury Cathedral coincided with my stay there. They sang at choral evensong on a warm evening, the pure clear voices seemed spiral up into the vaulted and stone arches of the ancient building. The new world bringing perfection and grace. An experience I shall not forget.

Galleries and Exhibits

And there is so much to see! At the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, I loved The Edwardians: Age of Elegance, an opulent exhibit which, to quote the Financial Times: “paints a more fabulous picture of Edwardian style than TV ever has.” (Think Downton Abbey) There are works by Carl Faberge, John Singer Sargent and William Morris. Jewels and tiaras displayed are breathtaking. Gigantic paintings from Sandringham House, Queen Alexandra’s wedding dress and photographs of Queen Victoria’s entire family are highlights.

More tiaras are on view at the glittering Cartier Exhibition of over 350 pieces at the V&A Museum. During my stay a tiara once owned by American born Lady Astor, similar to one in the Cartier exhibition, smashed estimates and sold for $1.2 million, at Bonhams in Bond Street.

People Watching

As temperatures soared restaurants with outdoor seating were buzzing and people watching entertaining. Some favorites for lunch or dinner are Caraffini, Lower Sloane Street, Colbert, Sloane Square, anywhere on Elizabeth Street in Belgravia and Daphne’s Draycott Avenue. For long lingering repasts check if there is a time limit. To me turning tables is a rather uncivilized trend.

Tennis and Rooftops

With Wimbledon fortnight in full swing there are screens all over London to watch volleys and line calls without setting foot on Center Court. Covent Garden Piazza is an ultimate viewing spot offering deck chairs and Pimms. Duke of York Square adds strawberries to the mix and Ham Yard Hotel‘s courtyard has oyster carts alongside their screens.

Other roof terrace favorites in the sizzle of midsummer are The Berkeley Rooftop Bar, with pool, Hyde Park Garden at Mandarin Oriental, and the Nest at Treehouse, Langham Place. Take your dog – or find one to take on Sunday for Drinks on the Woof where the menu includes dog-friendly options.

London Summer Update Conclusion

It was Samuel Johnson who wrote, “When a man is tired of London he is tired of life.” How true especially this summer with a cornucopia of theatre, music, food, pageantry and lets not forget the wonderful Englishness of it all. My three weeks were super-charged. Same time next year – a return match.

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The quartet of Kazakh eagle hunters approached, their sturdy Mongolian horses trotting in unison. Each wore a traditional a fur-lined red hat with a cluster of fluttering eagle feathers. Their sheepskin-covered right hands and wrists were supported by a wooden prop, fitted to the saddle, on which rode their hooded eagles. Their golden plumage gleamed in the morning sun.

Hunting for Fox, Rabbit and Marmot

I was in the remote Altai mountains in Western Mongolia’s Bayan-Ulgii province following four eagle hunters. We set out in 4WD vehicles and met the hunters at the foot of the mountain. Be prepared to climb we were warned. I looked up at the craggy slopes with patches of slick grey shale. It was good advice. Mongolian log-tailed shaggy-maned horses take anything in their sure-footed stride. To me the climb looked challenging.

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The hunters planed their strategy. Once on the mountain they scoped out the crags for fox, marmots and rabbits. They watched for any slight movement in the still morning. In winter, trails of footprints in fresh snow guide hunters.

Golden eagles have incredible eyesight, they can see forward as well as to the side at the same time and can spot a rabbit three miles away. When not hunting they wear soft leather hoods to keep them calm. Once their hoods are removed, the bird is instantly primed to fly and hunt. Golden eagles are the second fastest birds on the planet

During this hunt two foxes ran for their lives as the birds plummeted towards them. It was over in seconds, a dramatic battle of bird and fox. This time the foxes won. One disappeared into a cave, the other went to ground elsewhere but not before damaging one of the eagle’s talons.

The Kazakh Eagle Hunters

These Kazakh eagle hunters live in western Mongolia where the borders of Khazakstan, Russia, Mongolia and Chinese Xingjiang province converge. Hunters use fur for clothing which helps them survive bitterly cold winters when temperatures can plunge to minus forty. Winter is also prime hunting season, when animal’s fur is thick. The striped patterns on hunter’s Loovuuz is made from soft fur from fox legs.

Nomadic Life

The Kazakhs in Mongolia are semi-nomadic pastoral people who until 1930 moved freely across borders. Many still move with flocks between summer and winter pastures. Home is a ger (yurt) which can be set up in under an hour. The willow frame is collapsible with felt coverings and embroidered textiles for the inside pack easily. Bactrian camels were traditionally used for moving. Today it is more likely to be a battered decommissioned Soviet army truck.

After the hunt we joined a celebratory lunch in a ger and were welcomed with traditional bowls of warm milk tea. A slaughtered sheep cooked on the stove in the center of the ger. Low tables were piled with traditional Mongolian fried dough, honey, white cheese, biscuits, and bowls of sweet butter and cream.

Staying in a Ger

The Altai Eagle Festival is smaller than the Golden Eagle Festival and less crowded and commercialized. It is also held away from any town so there is no infrastructure. For us a camp of gers was set up within walking distance of the festival. The camp was surrounded by mountains and overlooked a lake. It was remote, beautiful and completely off the grid.

The first evening at the camp I clambered up the surrounding slopes to photograph sunset reflections on the snowcapped mountains. Looking back towards the gers, each with a chimney puffing white smoke, I saw three eagle hunters riding up from the lake towards our camp. I scurried back down. Was this a taste of what we would see at the festival? One of the hunters was Nurgaiv Agalai, father of Aisholpan Nurgaiv whose passion to be an eagle huntress was documented in the movie, The Eagle Huntress

The Eagle Festival

The two-day festival is planned to showcase the skills of Kazakh horsemen, eagles and their steeds, skills passed down from father to son for milenna. Khazaks can ride before they can walk, it is said. Events scheduled were eagle calling, picking up coins while galloping, tug of war with a headless goat, power lifting a full grown sheep and more.

The festival grounds were already buzzing with excitement when we arrived on the first morning. Hunters, resplendent in traditional clothes, arrived on horseback, with their eagles. Families clustered, wrapped in soft fox fur coats and hats. Gers were set up for spectators and hunters to gather and keep warm. Rows of stalls stretched across the field piled with colorful embroidered clothing, bags, cashmere socks, fluffy fur hats and silk scarves to attract shoppers. There were even “eagle hats” soft eagle hoods for sale as souvenirs.

More and more hunters on horseback arrived and the morning’s events began with an introduction and traditional singing followed by a parade of the eagle hunters. They galloped across the field holding their eagles aloft – some birds with wings outstretched. The spectacle was enthralling and it was just the start.

Fun and Games

The eagle calling competition followed. Eagles were taken to the top of a cliff, the hunter was on the field below. The hood was removed, and the hunter holding fresh meat called the eagle. The winner was the fastest eagle! Most eagles followed the rules but some went awol and hunters had to gallop up the mountains side to retrieve them which spectators found highly amusing!

Over the two days of the festival traditional Kazakh games and races delighted family and spectators.

There was Tenge ilu, picking up coins while galloping at speed, Kok Par, tug of war with a headless goat, Kyz kuar, and power-lifting a full grown sheep. Visitors joined in a tug of war and there was a dance performance by girls in national dress with traditional music.

At the end of the festival winners lined up

Time to Say Goodbye to our stay with Kazakh Eagle Hunters

With the Festival over it was time to leave. Our valley home would once again belong to yaks which grazed nearby. The gers and all signs of our stay loaded onto trucks. The following morning driving away from the camp I looked back at our four-day home by the lake. We gathered speed and crested the hill towards the festival grounds. There was nothing there. All signs of he two-day event were completely erased. Packed up, transported and gone.

Now there was just the vast steppe, mountains and a lake. The wind was gathering speed and the sky was darkening. With signs of the festival gone, shortly traces of our camp would also vanish. Following the nomadic tradition, we too were off to fresh pastures.

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Recently I returned from Mongolia the land of Genghis Kahn which had long shimmered in my imagination. I wanted to visit the place where the Mongols set out, galloping across the vast expanse of Eurasian steppe, creating the world’s largest contiguous empire from Korea to Hungary.

I wanted to meet nomadic herders who have moved between summer and winter pastures, and sometimes across borders, since time immemorial, and I wanted to see colorful Kazak eagle hunters in action. I was also curious about this newly independent country situated between China and Russia.

After two weeks of exploring and discovery I was sad to leave. My kaliadescopic reflections are of infinite arcing horizons, desert mirages, rugged snowcapped mountain ranges and warm hospitable people. I also found Mongolia, with its population of 3 million, is changing fast.

UlaanBator, The City Called UB

Once called Urga, Mongolia’s capital was renamed UlaanBator (red hero) in 1924. Originally a Buddhist nomadic center, gers (yurts) and small buildings clustered around the Bogd Gegeen Monastery which housed over 1000 lamas. It was a hub where long camel caravans laden with goods arrived from Asia and China to trade. Then the majority of the population of Mongolia were nomadic herders.

One hundred years on UB, as many call it, is a vibrant modern capital with a population of around 1.5 million, half of the country’s population. Cranes, shiny new high-rises and cell phone towers jostle for space as they inch up the surrounding grassy hills.

Sukhbaata Square is the city center with parliament buildings and stock exchange. It is also surrounded by museums filled with Mongolian treasures. These give a glimpse into the extraordinary traditional fine arts as well as ancient petroglyphs and carved deer stone monoliths dating back to the Bronze Age, 3000 BCE. On the north side is a recent monument to Genghis Kahn, with a huge statue, built for his 800th anniversary.

The city has a contagious energy with great restaurants, concerts, night life and of course cashmere shops. It’s a city of young people, many of whom grew up in herding families. After a few action packed days in UB it was time to explore the wide open spaces of desert and steppe and see a very different Mongolia. I flew south to the Gobi Desert.

South to the Gobi desert

The Gobi, the 5th largest desert in the world straddles the border of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia Autonomous region of China. I had previously driven across its southern flat grey featureless expanses in late winter when researching The Ancient Silk Road. I was not prepared for the beauty of the Gobi desert this time. Unseasonal rains caused seeds to germinate and the desert to bloom. Stretching into the distance were young tumbleweeds in soft rainbow hues. In a just few weeks they would dry a dull brown and, yes, tumble. For a short time they were unbelievably beautiful.

Life in a Ger

In the Gobi I stayed in a Ger, the Mongolian name for traditional nomadic white yurts. Circular, with a collapsible frame and insulating felt padding, these can be hoisted onto a sturdy Bactrian camel and easily moved to fresh pastures. They can be reassembled in less than an hour. In the center is a stove, for cooking and warmth, with a slender chimney. In summer roof ventilation is used to keep Gers cool.

My Ger at Three Camel Lodge was eco friendly with huge solar panels. It was comfortable, and a great introduction. The authentic experience would come later. Opening the small door on the first morning, just before sunrise, the sky was washed with patterns of gold and pink clouds. Shepherd dogs barked a duo and a warm breeze moved sparse grasses as the sun inched into view. Sky and horizon seemed to arc into infinity. This was the Mongolia of my imagination.

The Nomadic Life in Mongolia

Goats, sheep, camels, horses and yak/cows are known as the five snouts or jewels of herding and nomadic life in Mongolia. They provide milk, wool, meat, transportation and fuel.

At Khongoryn Els dunes we met a camel herder with a thriving camel herding business. He provides camels for rides and trekking in the area popular with tourists. He invited us into his ger. It was beautifully decorated with traditional floor and wall coverings. It also had modern conveniences including a fridge and a TV.

As he sat on the floor he talked about the future and the changes so many herders face today. To get an education his children leave to go to school. But then, this herder explained, his children may not want to return to help him with his business. There was sadness in his voice.

“Perhaps when my children marry and there are grandchildren one of them will come back here and help me.” He said wistfully, tears welling in his brown eyes. This dichotomy is the story of Mongolia today. Like many, this family is torn between the past and a new very different city-based future.

Sand Dunes and Dinosaurs

Kongoryn Els sand dunes in the Gobi Desert rise nearly 1,000 feet they are also called singing sands as they make a curious sound in the constant wind. From a distance they look like whipped cream stretching to the foothills of the granite Altai Mountains. Camel trekking is a good way to see the area, climbing the loose sand of the steep dunes is challenging!

Not far from here is the rugged sandstone escarpment, the Flaming Cliffs where dinosaurs were discovered by Roy Chapman Andrews in the 1920’s. It is the worlds richest location for dinosaur fossils and many found here are now in the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

We spent the afternoon clambering along the crumbling cliffs, staying until the sun sank low in the sky. In the distance flocks of sheep and goats were being herded home by large energetic black sheep dogs.

At dusk the cliffs turned a deep flaming orange. The only sounds were of the homeward herds and dogs. I gazed at the plains beyond. It was a moment to stop and reflect on Mongolia the land of Genghis Kahn, with its tapestry of colorful history, legendary players and continental trade routes. This land stretching out below me was a small part of the vast sweep of desert and steppe which stretches across Eurasia.

Coming Next!

The next chapter in my journey, Mongolia the Land of Genghis Khan, is visiting the Khazak Eagle Hunters in the Altai Mountains in the far west, staying in a ger camp in this remote region.

Travel with me to the Altai Mountains to the eagle festival. Meet the father of the Eagle Huntress, Aisholpan.

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Curiouser and Curiouser…

The current New York Botanical Garden exhibit, Wonderland: Curious Nature is inspired by the imagination of Lewis Carroll’s classic, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Don’t be late for this very important date in the gardens where visitors of all ages explore an enchanting wonderland and delight in a world of wild imagination.

Near the entrance to the gardens sits a whimsical 12 foot-tall rabbit with watch and bow tie. More characters from the story appear throughout the 250 acres with rabbit footprints, larger-than-life mushrooms, and a giant chessboard designed by Yoko Ono.

There are children’s programs, and a varied range of events. Trams circle the gardens and the restaurants have themed menus. Of course there is a Mad Hatters tea party. There is much to discover, so follow me down the rabbit-hole!

Down the Rabbit-Hole

Inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a horticultural wonderland. In the lily pool float otherworldly circular bright green lily pads, Victoria Amazonica. The pads can grow to seven feet in diameter and bear the weight of a small child. They were recently discovered when Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in 1852, and were a curiosity in Victorian England at the lily house in Oxford where Carroll lived.

Past the pool and palms the conservatory opens into a long walk bordered with plants and flowers found in typical English gardens. Many of these were popular during the Victorian era and may have grown in Lewis Carroll’s garden. At the end of the borders scurries the white rabbit. It’s time to follow him into the rabbit-hole.

Into Another Weird and Wonderful World

Once through the rabbit-hole the conservatory opens into another world, a jungle of exotic plants with giant speckled and striped leaves a complete contrast to the Victorian flower borders. Bright red pitcher plants which lure live insects hang from tendrils and nestle in a wooden log. Curiouser and curiouser.

Magic Mushrooms

Outside the conservatory the wonderland continues. Among 100 twisting and globe topiary sit two huge white mushrooms. These grow and expand creating their own fantasy. They are Shrumen Lumen sculptures by FoldHaus Art Collective which in 2016 were part of an installation at Burning Man in California. At night they are illuminated in a rainbow of gleaming LEDs creating a magical dreamworld.

More Mushroom Magic

And there is yet more mushroom magic. A little house with a twisting undulating roof fits right into Alice’s adventures. Is this the house where once inside Alice grew so tall she could only get her arm out of the window? This house is, in fact, even more magical. The bricks are made from mycelium, a network of thread like structures similar to roots which grow beneath mushrooms. Biomaterials company Ecovative has developed a way of training mycelium to grow into molded shapes like bricks. An Alice fantasy or wave of the future?

Who was Alice?

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865 and has been translated into 174 languages. Who was Alice? Who was the author Lewis Carroll? What inspired a tale that has entranced children around the world for 162 years?

I wanted to find out more and headed over to the Mertz Library in the main NYBG building. On the sixth floor there is an exhibition of literary and botanical history featuring Lewis Carroll and his book. Also there is much background on the Victorian era in which Alice lived.

Yes, there was an Alice and Lewis Carroll was the storyteller. Of course there are curious twists to the story. Lewis Carroll was the pen name for Charles Dogdson, a brilliant scholar and prolific author born in 1832, who lived at Christ Church, Oxford. He created and told stories to Alice Lidell and her sisters. (Carroll denied that the book was based on a real person).

This was the era of Darwin discoveries. The Victorans were avid plant hunters with huge interest in plants found around the world. There was also fascination and experimentation using the hallucinogenic properties of new plant discoveries. In the Mertz library there are faded manuscripts and dried plants which give a glimpse into the era. I began to feel like Alice falling the rabbit hole into another world. Is this why, in the book, the blue catapillar sits on a mushroom smoking a hookah?

Inspiration for artists from Dahli to the Beatles

This tale told on a river bank in Victorian Oxford has not only delighted children throughout the world it has inspired writers and artists: Dahli, Kusama, Beatrix Potter, Aldous Huxley and of course Disney. Creating art inspired by Alice in Wonderland is almost a rite of passage for creatives.

In 1969 White Rabbit was performed by Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock and the Beatles I am a Walrus was inspired by the book. There is much to this tale created on an Oxford riverbank over 160 years ago.

Enchanting Wonderland

So don’t be late for this very important date. Wonderland: Curious Nature has something to delight everyone from a small child to the scholar and artist. Just follow the footprints and hurry to that rabbit-hole into a world of enchantment. The exhibit is at the New York Botanical Garden until October 27, 2024

In 2021 I wrote about the NYBG summer exhibit featuring Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkins Kusama has illustrated an edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.

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In Morocco, from the High Atlas Mountains to Sahara dunes, I discovered a land of contrasts with a kaleidoscopic history. Walking labyrinthine passages in ancient walled cities it was easy to step back to a time of Sultans and 1001 Arabian Nights. I also saw the modern future of the Kingdom.

I arrived at night when the city of Casablanca was spread out below my plane. The twinkling lights were suspended in the blackness like a gigantic spider’s web clinging to the Atlantic shore. Thanks to the iconic movie, to me the mere mention of Casablanca is synonymous with romance. In the days that followed the real romance of Morocco unfolded like Scheherazade spinning her tales.

Diplomats and Pirates

About fifty miles north of Casablanca the cities of Rabat and Sale stand on opposite banks of the Bo Regreg River. Two cities with very different histories.

Rabat was settled by sea-going Phoenicians in the 8th century BCE and later by the Romans. In the 12th century Arab Sultans built a fortified monastery and elegant crenellated ramparts encircling the city on its sandstone cliffs. 

Across the river Sale was notorious for pirates. The most infamous era was the 17th century when it was named the Barbary Coast and home port of the dreaded Sale Rovers. These pirates or corsairs plied the seas and plundered from Iceland to Venice with a fleet of 18 ships. It is said Robinson Crusoe was imprisoned here.

Today Rabat is the capital. King Mohammed VI has a Palace and embassies line quiet tree-lined avenues. However this is a land of contrasts and standing by the old walls of Rabat, looking towards the river, is a symbol of the new Morocco. Shaped like an undulating wave is the Grand Theatre of Rabat which opened in 2023. Designed by Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid it is the largest theatre in the Arab and African world with seating for 7,000.  

Across the river in Sale, where Phoenicians once had their counting houses is the Mohammed VI tower. Soaring 820 feet into the sky it is Africa’s third tallest building, another new architectural icon.

Many-Walled Fez

Leaving the Atlantic coast we drove inland to Fez, the capital until 1912. Surrounded by olive orchards and farmland Fez is enclosed by ancient thick walls and ramparts with fortress towers. Traces of the 8th century remain but it was Merinid Princes who built palaces, mosques and medrasas in the 14th century bringing artisans from Damascus and Bagdad to embellish the buildings.

 It’s easy to get lost in the winding passages of the Fez medina, some of which are barely wide enough for a single person. Small donkeys with bulging packs still trot, past camel meat butchers, women stretching transparent sheets of filo dough and stalls piled with fresh olives. Embroidered kaftans hang in fluttering rainbows and there are soft bright jewel-encrusted leather slippers and blue ceramics for sale. 

The Chouara Tannery was established in the 16th century. Today the rabbit warren of rooms are piled with supple leather jackets and bags. Behind the building huge vats of dye gleam in the sun.

The Fondouq Chemmaine, (a caravanserai in Asia) is being restored so the natural cedar wood gleams once more. This once welcomed camel caravans laden with treasures from across the sahara, Somalia, Bagdad and Timbuktu and it is easy to imagine the inner courtyard bustling with recently arrived animals and packs.

In Fez I stayed in a Riad. A traditional Moroccan home converted to house guests. Here the rooms face inwards towards courtyards filled with flowers, fountains and elaborate fretwork.

Dinnertime on the rooftop was unforgettable. As a harvest moon rose over fields of olive trees the evening call to prayer sounded from first one, then multiple mosque towers across the city. The evening was balmy and my traditional tagine of couscous, lamb and vegetables delicious.

A Roman City

Not far from Fez the Roman city of Volubilis sprawls over a hilltop. Dating back to 3rd century BCE it was built in a fertile olive producing area and the city was clearly prosperous with a basilica, temple, triumphal arch and intricate mosaic floors. Now a Unesco Heritage sight, I wandered the wide avenues, through arches framing views of olive groves. It is easy to imagin Romans living in this outpost far from home. 

Desert Nights

Next we headed to the Sahara. Gigantic golden dunes rose like impenetrable sand walls stretching into the horizon. I once spent a night in the desert in a small Bedouin goat hair tent in Oman, on the fringe of the Arabian Empty Quarter. This Moroccan desert experience was very different. Tents were spacious and comfortable. We sipped sundowners as the sun dipped behind the dunes and after dinner were watched traditional Berber entertainment under the stars by a blazing fire.

The following morning a single bird hopped onto a chair outside the tent and chirruped at the first grey glimmer of light. I grabbed my camera and set off towards the nearest set of dunes. Undulating curves of sand traced voluptuous curves in the pre-dawn. Slowly first rays of sun appeared as I tried to capture the magic.

The Road to Marrakech

The Atlas Mountains are like a spine separating the Sahara from the coast.  They are home to Amazigh people whose civilization reaches back eight thousand years. The drive through the mountains from desert to Marrakech was beautiful as we switchbacked past russet slopes dotted with pine and cedar trees and through remote villages and green valleys with herds of goats.

One of  four Imperial cities, Marrakech is not the capital of Morocco but perhaps it is the heart. Founded in the 10th century It has a colorful history of sultans, caliphs, sheikhs and pashas. Named the Rose City because buildings originally constructed from local red sandstone had a rosy hue. The city walls were built in the 12th century and then successive sultans embellished the city with sumptuous palaces. Craftsmen from Cordoba and Seville joined those from the Sahara and West Africa to create a unique Marrakech style.

The  medieval medina with its maze-like passages and alleys is one of the busiest in Africa and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The center of the city was a trading and resting place for caravans. Today it is warren of Moroccan crafts artisans and an Aladdin’s cave of treasures and temptations for shoppers.

As I was leaving the city was preparing for the 2023 meeting of the World Bank. More contrasts and more indications of Morocco’s international status.

Essouria

Essouria on the Atlantic coast was last stop on my loop around Morocco. It is a three-hour drive from Marrakech through orchards of Argan trees which produce the oil for which Morocco is famous.

The history of this pretty port could be a potted history of Morocco. In 5th century BCE Carthaginian Hanno the Navigator sailed the west coast of Africa landing at Essouria.  Throughout the centuries others followed until 1550 when the Portuguese built a fortress.  During the next two hundred years the Spanish, Dutch, British and French all tried to conquer the city.

Meanwhile trade flourished. Called Port Timbuktu, much of Africa’s trade with Europe and trans-Atlantic trade to the New World passed though Essouria.

Today the coastal city with its compact medina is calm. The Portuguese built battlements are now a background for selfies, and the cobbled alleys a magnet for artists and musicians. Fishing boats ply the coast bringing in a cornucopia of seafood.

Casablanca, Journey’s End

It was time to return to Casablanca, about  three hours away. But there was one more treat in store. The drive northwards along the coastline overlooks beaches beloved by international surfers. We stopped for lunch on the beach and had the most decadent feast of crab, lobster, clams, oysters and local seafood freshly caught that morning. It was a grand finale and hard to leave as we sadly shook sand from our sandals.

Land of Contrasts

What a kaleidoscope! On this journey I met people and cultures dating back millennia and discovered desert, mountains and coastline. Morocco, the first country to recognize the fledgling United States in 1777, land of 1001 Arabian Nights is a place to step back into the past, yet also clearly glimpse the future. It is a land of contrasts.

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Starry Night and Summer Solstice

The Milky Way, the arc of over two billion stars which enchant us in the night sky, lured me to the Eastern Sierra Mountains this summer on a Mono Lake Star Trek. The name comes from Greek mythology when the Goddess Hera sprayed milk across the sky. In China it is called Silver River and in Africa’s Kalahari Desert it is the Backbone of Night. To me gazing at the galaxy is at once awesome, magical and humbling.

A group of intrepid photographers, led by Michael Frye, gathered at the small high desert town of Lee Vining on the shores of Mono Lake the week of the summer solstice. I happily joined this band who were crazy enough to stay up to 3:00 am to photograph planets and galaxies. The area is remote with little nightime ambient light so it is perfect for stargazers and photographers.

Mono Lake Star Trek

This was my second trip to stargaze at Mono Lake. Summer daytime temperatures are often in the 90’s with mild balmy nights. This year was an exception, Lee Vining had a record winter snowfall. Multiple avalanches tumbled onto Highway 395 cutting off towns where the National Guard had to airlift food and supplies. Effects of the winter lingered on. In late June I could not drive through Yosemite as the Tioga Pass through the mountains was still closed. My other option was a route through the precipitous two-lane Sonora Pass. Roads were clear but awash with meltwater and snow was heaped as high as my car in places. It was not an easy drive.

Late Spring and Cold Temperatures…

Around the lake the snow was gone. Instead there were stands of blue lupine with golden poppies and yellow mule’s ears edging the road and providing splashes of color among the grey sage brush. Daytime was chilly for late June, but it was at night that we really noticed the cold when temperatures dropped to the high 30’s accompanied by a brisk wind. Standing around with camera and tripod was cold! One night I left the group at 1:00 am as they were off to capture the Milky Way from a different angle. An intrepid group!

Star Trails

Always eager to try something new, I took two cameras and tripods with me on this starry adventure. I focused on the Milky Way over rock formations in the sage brush with one camera. Then I set my second camera up on the tripod to automatically capture star trails using a timer. The goal was to record apparent movement of stars across the sky as the earth rotates. In the northern hemisphere the celestial pole is Polaris, or The North Star, which is the last star in the small dipper. In the southern Hemisphere it is the Southern Cross.

For the star trails the camera captures multiple images over two hours. Later in the digital darkroom the images are stacked creating an otherworldly image. (Much detail for non-photographers, sorry!)

More About Mono Lake

Mono Lake is one of my favorite places, both day and night. It is an ancient saline lake twice the size of San Francisco famous for its strange stalactite type tufa towers which are fossilized springs of calcium carbonate which bubble from the volcanic depths of the lake.

Unique Ecosystem

In Mono Lake there is no outlet for the water which drains from mountain streams as the lake is in an enclosed basin. Instead the water evaporates and causes high levels of salt to accumulate making the water alkaline. This salinity then supports a unique ecosystem. Brine shrimp which feed on algae are endemic with as many as 4 – 6 trillion living in the lake in summer months. These, along with Alkali flies on the shore, create a feast and staple for regional birds and millions of migratory species who depend on this as an important feeding and rest stop.

Phalaropes, diminutive birds from Canada, feed and rest before then flying 3-4000 miles non-stop to South America. There are gulls, cormorants, ibis, ducks and geese on the water while California Quail scurry in the sagebrush surrounding the lake. Osprey nest on the top of tufa towers away from predators.

Mono Lake Star Trek

My summer trip was to capture the Milky Way, a Mono Lake Star Trek, but it is hard not to include something on the uniqueness of Mono Lake. So I decided to include some of my daytime images.

Then, as I was completing this piece, on August 24 PBS published this short video on Mono Lake and I felt I should include it. The lake and ecosystem is so unique and so beautiful. It was saved by a determined band of volunteers. Without them there would have been an ecological catastrophe. The lake would have dried up as water feeding into it was diverted to Los Angeles. That is no longer the case. The lake was saved in 1994 by the State Water Board and it is now one of the best protected saline lakes in the world. The lake has a dedicated water right. It will continue to be a sanctuary for birds and an inspiration to photographers.

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History in the Making

“This is so historic!” was a phrase I heard over and over during the week leading up to the happy and glorious Coronation of King Charles III on May 6.

London was festive and abuzz with excitement Flags fluttered in rows high above Oxford Street, Regent Street and Bond Street. Shop windows were filled with crowns, coronation mugs, bunting and everything red, white and blue. Fortnum and Mason and Harrods food halls did a brisk trade in everything Coronation related. Fortnums was even selling coronation chicken scotch eggs. Hmmmm.

Floral Tributes

Flowers bloomed everywhere, reflecting King Charles love of nature and his passion for horticulture, agriculture and sustainability. Shops had flowery displays, blossoms hung from lampposts, filled window planters and framed doorways and steps.

Excitement Mounts

Over on The Mall, the procession route, tent cities proliferated. The best spots were claimed by Wednesday which meant three nights sleeping out. Home comforts were brought in. Ability to make tea and stow champagne were, of course, essential. International news crews busily interviewed these stalwarts many of whom had come from Australia and Canada. Then on Friday afternoon a surprise visit from King Charles who walked along both sides of The Mall visiting and talking with everyone.

Staking a Claim

Coronation Day

Given the lack of real estate to watch the procession on the Mall, (claims had been staked since Wednesday) my plan B was to watch the ceremony on a big screen in St. James Park. This worked well for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, when I also joined the throng on the Mall afterwards and took images of Royals on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

I learned on Coronation day the park would close at 8:00 am or earlier if full. So up early to join others walking to the park. I snagged a prime spot on the grass in front of the screen. It was a beautiful morning with pink sunrise. Music began at 7:00 am when first guests began arriving at Westminster Abbey.

Procession Begins

On The Big Screen…

We watched dignitaries arrive at Westminster Abbey. We watched the procession with the King in the Diamond Jubilee State Coach drawn by six horses. We watched the entire ceremony. We heard the beautiful music personally selected by King Charles. When the organ played the National Anthem after the crowning, we all, everyone watching in the park, scrambled to our feet, stood to attention in the rain and sang God Save The King.

Return to Buckingham Palace after Happy and Glorious Coronation

The King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace in the Golden State Coach built for George III. I could hear the clattering hooves of the horses on the wet road, the drum beats and the band as I watched the procession on the screen. The rain continued with no let up. The flypast was cancelled. I decided not to join the crowds to try get a glimpse of the royals on the balcony. I was too wet. Time to warm up and have a celebratory glass of champagne perhaps.

Then, as I was walking from the Park and along Buckingham Palace Road my timing was perfection. There were the fairytale Diamond Jubilee State Coach and the Gold State Coach. They had come from Buckingham Palace and were headed back to the Royal Mews. The carriages glinted and glowed as they negotiated the narrow mews arch, the horses still in perfect unison. The King was crowned, their work was over. Long live the King!

The Day After the Coronation

The following day, Windsor was party central with a huge headliner concert. At one stage I thought I had tickets but they were not to be. Again, the concert was screened all over London. It was a warm dry evening and crowds headed to the parks with hampers. Many of London’s public buildings were illuminated as part of the celebration. The Houses of Parliament glowed red, white and blue and Big Ben had a revolving series of light patterns.

They Came from All Corners of the Globe

London was awash with visitors including large contingents from Canada and Australia.

The Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace

Before leaving London I went to the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, to see some of the horses and royal carriages which are stored there. Having just seen them on the move it was a great time to see them close up. They are even more stunning in this setting. The stuff of fairytales. Most of the horses that had taken part in Saturday’s Coronation had already been taken to pastures outside London for a deserved few weeks of rest. The Royal Mews on Buckingham Palace Road is open to the public.

A Weekend of Memories

From carriages to cakes, flowers to crowns and the city of London hosting so many visitors from around the globe, the Happy and Glorious Coronation of King Charles III was indeed history in the making.

A big thank you to friends from Melbourne, Australia who staked a claim on The Mall early and got great images of the procession which they kindly shared with me. Some are in this post.

Coming Next: As well as the coronation there is a cornucopia of exhibits and new things to see. At The Design Museum, Ai WeiWei has created a room-length panel of Monet’s waterlilies in lego, and at the British Museum treasures from the ancient Persian and Greek empires are displayed in an exhibition, Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece. I will publish some of these highlights next!

For now, enjoy my images of a very historic Happy and Glorious Coronation of King Charles III

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Narwhal Alert!

“Narwhals portside!” An urgent rap on my door at 6:00 am put me into overdrive when I was merely thinking about Arctic Adventures. I grabbed coat, hat, gloves and camera and hurried up on deck. I was on a small yacht in Croker Bay on the south coast of Devon Island in the Nunavut Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

Unicorns of the Sea

There they were. A pod of about eight narwhals gracefully dipping and undulating at the base of towering twin turquoise glaciers. Their mottled beige skin contrasted with the milky glacier-melt water. I watched, entranced by these beautiful creatures as they moved through the water.

The early morning was calm and quiet with just rippling sounds of water as the narwhals rhythmically continued diving. I was also focused on photographing one of the narwhal’s ivory tusks which can grow to nine feet. These tusks gave narwhals their legendary status “Unicorns of the Sea“, a term coined by early explorers. Later, during these Arctic Adventures, I would see and hold a tusk.

Arctic Animals and Tundra Discoveries

In Northwest Passage Arctic Adventures I covered Arctic adventure highlights and some history of intrepid explorers. For centuries they searched for a passage across the top of the world, linking Atlantic and Pacific.

Now we meet Arctic wildlife, from three-inch furry caterpillars to massive polar bears, walrus and gleaming white beluga whales. Large and small, these are creatures that survive in an incredibly harsh environment. Also, after trudging the tundra, I turn the spotlight on flowers and plants that thrive in a short snowless summer window.

Polar Bears: Arctic Icons

Polar bears are Arctic Icons. Weighing up to 1,500 lbs, and sometimes reaching 12ft long they are synonymous with the region. Their primary food are seals as they depend on the fatty skin and blubber. Seals are lightening fast in the water so the lumbering bears sit patiently by seal’s breathing holes in the sea ice. They wait for their blubbery prey to come to a hole to catch a breath of air and pounce with their paws. Bears usually catch and eat around fifty seals each year.

We navigated the area in a small yacht during a brief summer window when there is little sea ice and no seal breathing holes. This meant bears would be scavenging beaches and tundra. In all we saw about 38 bears. Some were solitary, some with cubs. In winter they are hunted by Inuit people for subsistence so bears often took off when they saw us. And no, there was little hope of getting one of those coveted National Geographic shots of a bear on an ice-floe complete with an artistic reflection! However each polar bear sighting was special.

Walrus

If ice-floe polar bears were unlikely I was luckier with an Atlantic Walrus. One afternoon we spotted a juvenile clambering onto a small chunk of glacier ice, its cinnamon-brown hulk steaming in the cold air. The current took the walrus right past us and we peered inquisitively at each other. Preferred food for walrus is a smorgasborg of mollusks, clams, snails, sea cucumber, crab and shrimp. Like polar bears, they too are threatened by climate change which takes them away from their feeding grounds.

Treking the Tundra

Treking and exploring the tundra was, for me, an Arctic Adventure highlight. In places brilliant green spongy moss was studded with diminutive jewel-bright flowers. Golden Snow Buttercups traced a path by one small stream. There were plump cushions of amethyst Purple Saxifrage, by grey rocky outcrops (this is the mostly northerly growing wildflower on the planet). Clumps of magenta dwarf fireweed glistened with diamond raindrops and fragile Arctic poppies, the colour of lemon drops, stood bravely on fragile matchstick-thin stems. Some plants send long red tendril roots skimming across the barren rocks.

Tundra, a derivation of tunturia, a Finnish word which means treeless plain, has a frigid, windy climate with scant precipitation as dry snow. Beneath the spongy mossy surface is permafrost, a rock-hard layer of frozen earth and shale. During the brief summer growing season, about 6 – 10 weeks, the sun is out for 24 hours so plants grow fast.

In summer the Tundra top layer thaws but when ice melts it can’t drain into the soil because of the permafrost barrier so water collects in bogs and ponds. I had knee-high Muckboots which had good traction and kept me dry. Essential gear for the Arctic. As the Tundra is pristine it is also a question of finding your own way through bogs and across slippery rocks. Fun but challenging!

Arctic Adventures

Arctic air temperatures are around -29 F in winter, with water at 29 F. The water drops to 28 F in winter, freezing point for seawater. As polar bears depend on ice to catch seals they are threatened when they have to travel long distances across open water to find prey. All of the creatures which call Arctic home, birds, mammals and insects are threatened by global warming. So is the unique flora.

Now there is open water for an interval each summer there is also a threat to wildlife from shipping. And there is the strategic aspect and threat of mining and drilling. I will go into this a little more in the next and final piece on my Arctic Adventures.

For now the high Canadian Artic remains pristine, unpolluted on land and air and off the grid.

Two clips: Drone footage of narwhals, and another of beluga whales dipping through the icy waters. This may not display on all devices.

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The Search for an East West Route

The quest for a passage linking Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the high Arctic has lured explorers for centuries, and it recently lured me on a Northwest Passage Arctic Adventure.

Historically the route to the riches of the Orient, Cathay, and the spice trade was Overland on the Ancient Silk Road. Sea routes via Africa’s Cape of Good Hope or Tierra del Fuego in South America were arduous and dangerous. Some visualized a short cut, a Northwest Passage through the Arctic waters and islands north of Canada. This potential route inspired European explorers including Christopher Columbus in 1492.

Centuries of Exploration

Centuries of exploration for a passage through the icy archipelago, 500 miles north of the Arctic Circle, followed. Explorers mapped and charted the glacier-carved landscape, islands and channels some of which are named after intrepids like Baffin and Bylot. Many men and ships never returned, including the storied Franklin Expedition.

Finally in 1906 Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, successfully completed the voyage from Baffin Island to Nome Alaska. It took him three years.

Northwest Passage Arctic Adventure 2022

Fast forward: when I was invited to join a small group on a private exploration of the Northwest Passage I jumped at the chance. A yacht, Asteria, was chartered from Eyos Expeditions. There would be eleven of us and an Eyos guide. As the Arctic region warms there is now a window of about six weeks, mid-August through September, when the area is navigable without the need for an icebreaker to cut through sea ice.

This August we flew north from Yellowknife in Canada’s North West Territories to Pond Inlet on Baffin Island. Four hours later the prop plane bumped down on the gravel runway.

Asteria, Our Home in the Arctic

Our yacht, Asteria, began work as a salvage tugboat in Greece. After several refits its luxurious interior belies its sturdy frame. It was the perfect vessel for us, supremely comfortable, but a workhorse well up to the challenges of our Arctic exploration.

I first spotted Asteria in the bay at Pond Inlet Bay gleaming in the sun. However the sky was an ominous backdrop.

The wind was also picking up. By the time the transfer tender reached Asteria the wind was strong and there was a hefty swell. Clambering aboard was wet and challenging. Welcome to the Arctic.

Lone yachtsman, David Scott Cowper, in his book Northwest Passage Solo, describes the Northwest Passage as

“the most hostile environment that it is possible to reach by boat.”

Our Itinerary

The entire Northwest Passage, from Baffin Island in the Atlantic to Nome Alaska in the Pacific is roughly 1,000 miles. Our plan was to explore the maze of eastern islands and channels which are both historic and scenic.

The itinerary was flexible, often dependent on weather. Because of the swell and storm leaving Pond Inlet we crossed Lancaster Sound to Devon Island the first night. I slept though the storm and woke the following morning to see Croker Bay, a sheltered fjord, from my porthole. There were two huge white gleaming glaciers. It was misty and calm, the water milky with ice melt and littered with blue chunks ice.

When were we going on shore?

Devon Island

Devon Island is the world’s largest uninhabited island and roughly the size of Croatia. The South coast is indented with incredibly deep fijords. The sedimentary cliffs of the fijords tower 1,500 feet and the layers glow golden in the sun. It is scenic but desolate with a polar desert climate and a barren treacherous terrain. It is often veiled in fog. Some have compared the island to Mars, both in topography and temperature.

Somehow my uneducated vision of the Arctic, before this journey, was of endless swaths of snow and ice. But not this time of year in the summer with 24 hours of sun, the steep golden cliffs were unexpected and a stunning contrast to the blue ice-melt water.

Exploring the Arctic Islands on Foot

We went ashore by zodiac once, sometimes twice each day. We wore “muck boots,” knee high insulated boots with heavy soles which could handle sloshing about in icy water as we landed on the shore.

We explored the Tundra with its spongy mosses and delicate diminutive pink and yellow Arctic flowers which bloom in the short summer window. We walked along rocky shores and clambered up piles of shale and cliffs. We discovered hidden waterfalls.

Perhaps one of the most amazing things was how pristine everything was, the water, the skies and the beaches. Just us in this remote place, completely off the grid. I imagined what it must have been like for those brave explorers, so far from home, who landed on these shores centuries ago. Some never returned.

The ill-fated Franklin Expedition

Much has been written about the doomed Franklin Expediton of Sir John Franklin which set out in 1845 with two ships and enough provisions for three years. Their Quest? To find the illusive Northwest Passage between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

It was on Beechey Island towards the end of our journey that the bravery and intrepidness of those who charted and explored in previous centuries really made an impact on me. On a remote beach we found four grave markers of crew of the Franklin Expedition. They lie at peace alone here in the Northwest Passage. Alone in wind and snow and Arctic gales. It was very moving to stand and see tangible signs of Arctic exploration. We saluted the brave sailors.

Polar Bears, Narwhals and Walrus

There is much to write about this Arctic Adventure. This first account is an overview with some images sets the scene, shows the area and tells some of the tale. The where, the why, some history and a just little of what we saw.

Naturally we spent a lot of time watching and photographing polar bears, walrus, narwhals and amazing white beluga whales swimming in unison in the ice strewn waters. My next account will introduce those. Then there is the serious global warming aspect and the interest of Russia and China in the strategic location and minerals.

Just two days after I returned from my exploration the US appointed an Ambassador at Large to the Arctic. The area is likely to become contested in many ways.

Stay Tuned for Much More…

Wildlife, global warming much more about the Arctic coming in subsequent posts.

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