A former journalist and business analyst that now works in the world of travel marketing. Based in Toronto, Red Hunt has travelled to more than 50 countries over the past 15 years. You can follow Red on Instagram or Twitter.
Two Common Bottlenose Dolphins, photographed in the Galapagos Islands
Dolphins are a special creature. We seem to have a connection to them unlike any other animal in the sea. They’re smart, seemingly playful and downright cute.
In reality though, they are fierce and ferocious hunters, with few enemies in the sea! Despite seeing dolphins in Brazil, the Maldives, Russia, Honduras and other places, I’ve always found photographing dolphins to be a futile effort.
They follow boats or may bow ride, dipping above and below the surface at great speed. Never still, getting a good shot has always seemed impossible! But, on my last trip to the Galapagos Islands I was lucky enough to have a number of dolphins hang out with our boat for around 30 minutes. They were porpoising and bow-riding and having all sorts of fun. So, with a bit of luck and guesswork as to where they’d jump out of the water next, I was about t capture this image of two Common Bottlenose Dolphins jumping out of the water at the same time.
They’re not really the scariest looking bugs though, in fact many of them are kind of cool looking, practically cute even. Well, except for the leeches, they’re pretty far from cute or cool…perhaps why I never bothered to get a picture of one.
I sense you’re doubting that some of the bugs of Borneo can be cute. Well, I already posted about visiting the Sepilok Orangutan Rehab Centre, which included an encounter with a very cute, but highly poisonous caterpillar. Then there was that strange, tree canopy bug that I posted about from my Treetop Skywalk post. Maybe that one isn’t so cute, but it’s definitely cool looking.
A red and black bug seen on the Silau Trail in Kanbalu Park in Bornoe
My favourite bug from Borneo has to be this red and black thing. The way it moved it had a friendly almost hypnotic motion to it, but you often hear that bright colours in nature mean danger, so I dared not touch this little guy, as cool as he looked.
Then there was the bad ass beetle that decided to hang out with us while we slept on the floor in a Iban Longhouse in Borneo. That so-close-to-bugs kind of creeped out a few people, but really, how much harm could a beetle do to you in your sleep? Just because it’s huge and has crazy looking pincher things…
A badass beetle hanging out in my Iban Longhouse
I actually didn’t realize how many different bugs I came across in Borneo until after I came home. It wasn’t like they were everywhere, you did actually have to look for most of them, or when you did see them it was for a short time before they would fly away. So, don’t start thinking that Borneo is a buggy horror movie or something. It’s not like that, but it is a tropical island with plenty of forest, so – ya, there are bugs.
Some bugs in Borneo were similar to ones from home too. Like stick bugs! I saw so many stick bugs in Borneo, especially at Mulu National Park. Now I think it’s almost impossible to be scared of these, I mean they just look like sticks. It’s great camouflage and was a fun game to play walking along in the forest – try to spot the stick bug.
This one was one of the few I came across that was a bit out in the open instead of hiding under a tree leaf or blending into it’s stick and branch surroundings.
A stick bug in Gunung Mulu National Park
As for unknown, odd bugs, you see them in Borneo, often fleeting experiences as they fly by or zip away when you get too close. This odd red bug stood still long enough for a picture though. I’m not sure why so many bugs in Borneo seemed to have some kind of red colour to them, but it definitely makes them look cool…and this one has a bit of cuteness to it, right?
A little red bug in Borneo, seen in Mulu National Park
Now there was also a giant flying locust or something in our dorm room at the Mulu Park headquarters. For some time it was living on the wall near my bed and was about the size of a gecko, but with wings. You could hear it’s wings flap when it took off and landed -bzzzzzt. It was a bit on the creepy side, but still cool as I’d never seen a grasshopper-y, locust-y thing that big before even in the Caribbean or Africa.
Speaking of creepy, any bug post wouldn’t be complete without at least one kind of creepy bug photo right?
So, how about a millipede? But not a big black one or ugly brown one. No, how about a cool, skinny, long millipede that comes with awesome orange legs and a red/black stripey body? Oh ya, this one looks cool for sure, but I didn’t touch it either. Although, you do have to watch where you put your hands when walking around in the forests as the bugs and insects of Borneo do like to hang out on railings and board walks!
I can’t think of any traveller I’ve met that doesn’t love hammocks. Aside from the trickery of getting into some of them gracefully, hammocks are pure relaxation!
Questions like ‘what are the most important travel inventions’ or ‘what essentials items do you need when travelling’ always seem to have people listing a long series of heavy, noisy, digitized, ‘disconnected’ items. Nobody can travel without their smartphone or tablet/laptop these days and cameras and wifi connections are must-haves it seems.
Beach hammocks overlooking Lake Malawi in Africa
I’m totally guilty of being a digital traveller too. If you ask me what is most important to me when travelling, then my camera gear comes up tops. But, I don’t think it should be that way, I think the questions we’re always asked are skewed…we need to pay more attention to what we enjoy most about travelling and why we travel…not what we travel with. I think if you eliminate the wants and focus on your surroundings – whether on a beach, on a boat, or in a forest, then simple things like staring up at the stars and swinging in a hammock creep into that ‘must-have’ list.
At least they do for me.
Off the coast of Brazil – Have you ever slept in a hammock on a boat? So relaxing…
Enjoying downtime on the road is something I only recently started to appreciate. I normally would pack in every minute of extra time with more activities, hikes, adventures and sight seeing. Now, I try to find a few days of relaxation time here and there. I’m letting the hammock lifestyle creep back into my travel plans and I’ve been less stressed on recent travels than I have before.
Hanging out in a hammock in the Pantanal Wetlands.
So the question I send out to you is: What things are a must for you to be relaxed and happy when you travel?
A Female Lava Lizard on Espanola Island in the Galapagos Islands
The Española Lava Lizard, or Hood Lava Lizard is one of nine species of lava lizards endemic to the Galapagos Islands. As it’s name suggests, it is specifically endemic to Espanola, or Hood, Island.
This particular lava lizard is a female lava lizard, as can be determined by the colouration of the face. While different lava lizards species have different colouration’s and their colours can change at times, the females often have a bright red colour under their necks.
Overall, male lava lizards are larger than the females. Both males and females will perform ‘push ups’ if they feel threatened by your presence, or to determine dominance over another lava lizard nearby.
The scientific name for this lava lizard is Microlophus delanonis and it was photographed at Punta Suarez on Espanola Island.
What happens when you come across someone named Sergey in Far East Russia who is one part artist and one part sailor?
You end up having an encounter that is a little bit odd and a lot interesting.
Wall Art at Sergey’s House on Bering Island
Sergey’s House isn’t exactly an easy place to get to.
He lives on Bering Island, which is part of the Commander Islands off the coast of eastern Russia. Now, even if you do find yourself wandering around this remote Russian island, you’re not guaranteed that Sergey will be home, and if he isn’t home – you don’t visit his house.
The somewhat ominous doorway and entrance to Sergey’s House
So who is this Sergey and why is he so oddly interesting?
The oddity simply comes from the environment. Sergey lives in the only settlement of these islands. He’s had to adapt to the environment as he has grown older. Somewhat charismatic – if you understand Russian – his unique character comes out in his artwork which is scattered all throughout his home, which is also his workshop. Paintings are his main passion, yet sculptures from the spoils of the land are dotted throughout his cabin of a home as well. What he takes pleasure in, and has a passion for, may come across as different – but somehow he found a way to have a vibrant life in a very inhospitable landscape.
He has a catty confidence, that keeps you on your toes, whether he’s showing you a piece of artwork he is painting or sitting beside his wood burning stove, enjoying a bit of drink and fish. After spending a bit of time in his home and learning a bit about him, I decided he had a kind of Keyser Söze legend to him, which is why you won’t find any photos of him here.
Art and History Exposition, Bering Island, Russia
Outside his home, the cold near-Arctic waters of eastern Russia are only a short walk away. There was a time, when he was younger, that Sergey sailed his own boat across the Commander Islands and Aleutian Islands over to Alaska. He did this trip solo, more than once. This element of adventure is still apparent in his paintings and workshop, even though his adventuring days are over.
Sergey’s House, like the entire Bering Island, feels like a living museum. It’s a welcoming, yet harsh place. Dreary landscapes dotted with specks of vibrant colours. Remote Russia at it’s greatest, a place that seems stuck in time, yet somehow carries on.
Some of Sergey’s artwork and collection of historic documents
