All posts by Red Hunt

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.

Wildlife and Nature

Name that Elephant

January 20, 2012 Red Hunt 2 Comments

Welcome to the world of Elephas and Loxodonta, a tale of two Elephants.

Below are six Elephant photos, can you name each one? Ah, but first…some Elephant education!

Once upon a time they had a big, extended family with relatives sprawled across the earth. Stegodon was known to hang out as far away as Japan, while Mammuthus constantly wandered around Europe and North America. Today, most of their family is gone. Depending who you ask only 5-6 different Elephas and Loxodonta species/subspecies exist and every single one is either endangered or classified as a vulnerable species.

Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. Perhaps you’ve only seen them on TV or in a zoo, or maybe you’ve travelled the world and seen Loxodonta africana africana or Elephas maximus maximus in their natural habitats. Either way, let’s see how much of an Elephant expert you are.

Each picture below is either an: African Bush Elephant, African Forest Elephant, Indian Elephant, Sri Lankan Elephant, Sumatran Elephant or Borneo Pygmy Elephant.

Some Elephant species are repeated and not all of them are included…as I haven’t yet travelled to every Elephant destination in the world. Good luck guessing! The answers will be provided once some correct guesses come in.

Elephant Photo 1 — Photo 1: This one is easy - from a well-known Elephant Orphanage

Elephant Photo 2 — Photo 2: The eye of the Tiger, errr Elephant (no Tigers here).

Elephant Photo 3 — Photo 3: Thirsty Elephants! Hmm, are these somewhere in Africa or Asia?

Elephant Photo 4 — Photo 4: A Tusky Elephant. Now, what kind of Elephants are best known for their tusks?

Elephant Photo 5 — Photo 5: Roaming Elephants checking out our Safari vehicle. But what kind of Elephants?

Elephant Photo 6 — Photo 6: Elephant Close up. Did you know that different Elephants have different shaped heads?

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Impala

January 18, 2012 Red Hunt Leave a comment

Wildlife Photo: Common Impala — Impala - Grazing in the Serengeti, Tanzania

The Common Impala is one of the most abundant animals in Africa. Found all across the grasslands of East Africa, it is fairly easy to distinguish from other antelopes.

It has a rusty-brown colour, with slightly lighter legs and lower markings. A white underbelly and black-tipped ears are also a feature of the Common Impala.

Perhaps their most ‘famous’ marking is on their rear, with black and white markings forming what looks like the letter “M”. They are a popular meal for predators like lions and leopards.

Because of their abundant numbers and their “M” marking, many people call them the fast-food, or McDonalds of Africa!

Travel Articles

Kickapoo Joy Juice and Other Borneo Treats

January 12, 2012 Red Hunt Leave a comment

One of my favourite things to do in new countries is visit the local convenience and grocery stores to see what seemingly odd creations or local treats are on offer.

Borneo definitely didn’t disappoint when it came to trying some new foods and drinks, although I can’t say I acquired a liking for all of them!

Fresh Fruits

Fruit Stand in Borneo selling Snake Skin Fruit

Visiting a roadside fruit market was a great way to get some free samples of various tropical treats. Borneo was the first place I had fresh mangosteens – amazing! But my favourite fruit surprise, partly because of it’s nickname, was the snake-skin fruit.

They literally look like scaly snake skin on the outside, but are tasty on the inside – kind of like a crunchy, sweet apple. The real name of the fruit is salak and they’re pretty popular around Indonesia and Malaysia.

Snacks

Stocking up on different brands of crackers and sweets helps pass the time on long bus rides. I have a few weak spots for snacking when I travel – pringles chips (they’re everywhere!), fresh cashews (they’re so expensive at home) and a strangely compulsive need to order shrimp cocktail appetizers wherever I can find them.

Borneo didn’t disappoint on the cashews or shrimp cocktails, but I had the worst pringles chips ever – twice! First was shrimp-flavoured pringles. I thought they’d be amazing, like shrimp crackers at a Thai restaurant. Nope.

They were hideously horrible, I couldn’t eat them. I don’t even know how to describe the fake shrimp flavouring, it was so bad. I should have learned my lesson but then I tried the soft-shell crab flavoured pringles. They were just as bad.

Drinks

Lots of Tiger beer! But I tried a few different sodas and teas that I hadn’t had before. I also love going somewhere tropical like Borneo and finding drinking water with penguins on the label. Sold!

The various crysthanamum tea and soft drinks I had were quite enjoyable, some other flavoured sodas like ‘Grass Jelly Drink’ (which includes corn starch, cincau and liquorice extract) and ‘Soursop’ (a fizzy soda with salt added) were one-time only for me.

The real winner of the snack and drink tasting in Borneo? Kickapoo Joy Juice. What a great name, even if it comes from an American beverage company! It’s basically your average citrus-flavoured carbonated beverage, but it easily has the best looking design and most amusing name.

Travel Photos

Wildlife Photo: Galapagos Land Iguana

January 11, 2012 Red Hunt 7 Comments

It is nearly impossible to come up with a favourite animal from the Galapagos Islands, but the Land Iguana was definitely one of my favourites.

Their sometimes bright yellow colour was pretty cool, as was watching them eat. Their main source of food is the prickly-pear cactus and I saw some land iguanas fighting over this favourite food at South Plaza Island. It was kind of amusing watch them engage in a tug-of-war battle over a cactus pod.

Sure, they’re not exactly cute and cuddly like baby seals, but with their wrinkly skin, big claws and bumpy-scaly heads I think they have their own charm.

Travel Articles

Tasek Park in Brunei

January 8, 2012 Red Hunt 2 Comments

Sandwiched between the Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak lies the small, prosperous country of Brunei.

I knew little about Brunei but decided to spend a bit of time there on my trip to Borneo. It turns out that despite it’s small size Brunei has a lot to offer the adventurous and curious traveller.

After weeks of long hikes and getting dirty in the jungle, I decided to take it easy and enjoy the capital city of Brunei – Bandar Seri Begawan. The city itself is a bit sprawling and spacious, but still easy enough to walk around to visit the Mosques and Markets or relax down by the waterfront.

Tasek Park Entrance — Entrance to Tasek Lama Recreational Park in Brunei

One feature that stood out for me was the accessibility of Tasek Park. A large park built with a series of specially designed jogging trails and even a reflexology walking path for massaging the soles of your feet! Amazing. When I first arrived I imagined how beneficial it would be to have such a park centrally located in every city of the world. I arrived towards the end of the day, as it was getting cooler and people seemed to be finishing work. The park quickly became a hot spot for people going out for a walk with friends or run along the trails.

Tasek Park Jogging Trail — Main Jogging Trail in Tasek Park

Steep hills up a mountain, lush flower beds, jungle trails and special jogging paths all gave the park a colourful and welcoming atmosphere. There was a nice playground area for kids and plenty of open spaces and designated areas for group activities like tai chi. Even the local wildlife was enjoying the park as I saw some curious monkeys in nearby trees.

There were people everywhere but it wasn’t crowded at all and you could take off on a smaller trail to get away from the main circuit.

Scenery of Tasek Park — Scenic Landscape of Tasek Park, Brunei

It took me about 1.5 hours to just walk around the main park area and take pictures, but you could spend a half day here just to enjoy it all, especially the soothing waterfall area. Easily one of the best ‘urban’ parks I’ve seen on my travels! There are small shops outside the entrance that sell water and snacks too, which made me realize afterwards how un-commercial it was inside the park, what a welcome relief.

Waterfall in Tasik Park, Brunei — Tasek Waterfall at Tasek Park, Brunei

The park went through a big upgrade not long ago and is in great condition. Oddly, there wasn’t a single street seller or beggar in the park either, which made the experience that much more relaxing. If you need a bit of exercise or just a peaceful escape, Tasek Park is the place to go in Brunei.

Red Hunt Travel