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.
This is the first Grizzly Bear I encountered in the wild. It was a good-sized bear that was meandering through some meadows in Grand Teton National Park. If you look behind its front legs, you can see a lighter colour patch of fur associated with Grizzlies. You can also see a bit of the humped back Grizzlies have, one great way to tell apart Grizzlies and Black Bears from a distance.
I was on the wrong side of this bear to get any perfect pictures as I had to photograph it facing into the sun, but still managed to get some decent shots. Spotting this Grizzly is still one of the highlights from all of my travels to Montana and Wyoming.
The Grizzly Bear is sometimes called the North American Brown Bear and is one of many subspecies of Brown Bears around the world. At the top of my list for future bear adventures is to head to Alaska to see the largest of all brown bear subspecies – the Kodiak.
A Grizzly Bear in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
I’m not sure about you, but whenever I travel I tend to have an inability to just sit back and enjoy some free time. I tend to cram as many highlights and attractions into as little time as possible. There are so many new meals, exotic drinks and unfamiliar sites out there to experience.
This curiosity, or need to keep moving, came to the surface when planning a trip to New Zealand. I had a handful of free, unplanned days on the North Island that I wasn’t sure what to do with. I could have just bobbed around Auckland or taken some day trips, but then I made the mistake of looking at a map.
Hmm. What are all those islands near New Zealand? New Caledonia, Tonga, Norfolk Island, Samoa…Vanuatu! And so, one trip led to another. I had previously heard of Tanna Island in Vanuatu, with the world’s most accessible active volcano.
Getting to Tanna, let alone Yasur volcano, is definitely half the fun! That I will save that for another post though, as this post is all about the volcano.
You have to cross Lava Fields and Streams to get to Yasur Volcano
Volcano Post Office and Safety Viewing Sign
I visited when the volcano was being nice, as in the explosions were not excessively large, so I could get right up close to the crater – only 150m away from the vents! When the volcano gets mean, you can’t climb up to the edge of the vents and sometimes have to settle for viewing the show from down on the lava fields – safe, but far from the action.
Hiking to the Viewing Area at Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu
Edge of the Volcano. You could walk along there, if you dare.
Fiery red, spewing streaks of lava and balls of glowing rocks the size of cars are what I’ve come to see here on Tanna Island. You arrive just before dusk and hear the gurgling, hissing sound of the volcano. With clear skies you get a panoramic view of the island and surrounding ocean. Then, every 3-10 minutes a massive eruption and shockwave.
The Calm Before the Lava Storm, View of both Lava Vents on Yasur Volcano
Lava Splattered Around the Crater, After an Explosion
If you visit on a rainy day you may get a crazy mix of ash clouds and lava. Toxic, apocalyptic looking clouds that hopefully don’t blow your way!
A Lava Eruption and Toxic Cloud of Ash at Yasur Volcano, Vanuatu
As darkness falls, the lava glows brighter and the eruptions more vibrant…until finally you’re alone in the darkness, watching nature’s version of a crackling, roaring camp fire. In between eruptions it is almost pure darkness, which adds to the excitement.
Small Explosions in the Darkness at Both Lava Vents on Yasur Volcano
It’s better than watching TV, and more nerve-racking than a suspense movie. As you wait for the next explosion with camera ready (tripod mandatory!) In between explosions the released lava bombs spread across the crater and slowly cool, then fade to black. You’re left waiting…waiting…waiting for the next big explosion.
Cooling Lava after a medium sized explosion on Tanna Island
Then, suddenly you hear it, feel it, see it all at once. This hissing gives way to an echoing thunderous explosion, sending a wave of energy your way almost strong enough to knock you off your feet. With that shockwave, hot lava is thrown hundreds of feet into the air creating the most impressive fireworks display.
Lava Explosion in Vanuatu!
Closeup of a large Shockwave-producing Lava Explosion in Vanuatu
Within seconds, it’s over and the expelled lava is cooling, darkening once again – giving you enough time to check and see if you got ‘the shot’.
I don’t know if I captured any award-winning lava shots, but it was sure fun watching the show and was a perfect side-trip on my New Zealand adventure.
Surprising to many travellers is the fact that New Zealand is home to more penguin species than any other country in the world!
Most species are found in the hard to get to New Zealand Sub-Antarctic islands, however the Otago Peninsula on the South Island of New Zealand is home to a couple of species – the Blue Penguin and the Yellow-eyed Penguin.
Organized wildlife tours are popular from Dunedin, available during certain times of the year. There are also a number of public hides to visit and see them on your own. The Yellow-eyed Penguin is one of the rarest in the world and is listed as an endangered species with around 4000 left in the wild.
This photo was taken on some private land, near sunset, which made it tricky getting a crisp, clear image. The owners of the land often have to kill feral cats in the area to keep the defenceless penguins safe.
During round one, world destinations squared off in a largely alphabetical battle. For round two, destinations from mostly similar geographical areas have been matched up. The upcoming 24 second round matches are listed below. Get ready to vote for your favourites to move on to round three and be among the finalists!
Smiling school girl in Granada, Nicaragua
How do you vote? Follow the #TravelMatch hashtag on Twitter and send a reply to @redhunttravel using that hashtag each week to vote for your choice and help determine the most desirable travel destination on Twitter.
Travel Match 73: Voting from November 1-7, 2011
Guyana vs. Brazil vs. Ecuador
Winner: Brazil
Travel Match 74: Voting from November 8-14, 2011
Uganda vs. Rwanda vs. Kenya
Winner: Uganda
Travel Match 75: Voting from November 15-21, 2011
Slovakia vs. Belgium vs. Switzerland
Winner: Switzerland
Travel Match 76: Voting from November 22-28, 2011
Greenland vs. Antarctica vs. South Georgia
Winner: Antarctica
Travel Match 77: Voting from November 29 – December 5, 2011
China vs. Nepal vs. Tibet
Winner: Tibet
Travel Match 78: Voting from December 6-12, 2011
Tonga vs. Samoa vs. Vanuatu
Winner: Vanuatu
Travel Match 79: Voting from December 13-19, 2011
Barbuda vs. Curaçao vs. Saint Lucia
Winner: Curaçao
Travel Match 80: Voting from January 3-9, 2012
Cameroon vs. Nigeria vs. Ethiopia
Winner: Ethiopia
Travel Match 81: Voting from January 10-16, 2012
Kazakhstan vs. Pakistan vs. Iran
Winner: Kazakhstan
Travel Match 82: Voting from January 17-23, 2012
Albania vs. Hungary vs. Armenia
Winner: Hungary
Travel Match 83: Voting from January 24-30, 2012
Philippines vs. French Polynesia vs. Kiribati
Winner: Philippines
Travel Match 84: Voting from January 31 – February 6, 2012
Denmark vs. Norway vs. Faroe Islands
Winner: Faroe Islands
Travel Match 85: Voting from February 7-13, 2012
India vs. Sri Lanka vs. Maldives
Winner: India
Travel Match 86: Voting from February 14-20, 2012
Cape Verde vs. Gabon vs. Equatorial Guinea
Winner: Gabon
Travel Match 87: Voting from February 21-27, 2012
Brunei vs. Papua New Guinea vs. Soloman Islands
Winner: Papua New Guinea
Travel Match 88: Voting from February 28 – March 5, 2012
United Kingdom vs. Latvia vs. Montenegro
Winner: Montenegro
Travel Match 89: Voting from March 6-12, 2012
Madagascar vs. Mauritius vs. Seychelles
Winner: Madagascar
Travel Match 90: Voting from March 13-19, 2012
Argentina vs. Colombia vs. Galapagos
Winner: Galapagos
Travel Match 91: Voting from March 20-26, 2012
Jordan vs. Lebanon vs. Syria
Winner: Jordan
Travel Match 92: Voting from March 27 – April 2, 2012
Burma vs. Laos vs. Bhutan
Winner: Bhutan
Travel Match 93: Voting from April 3-9, 2012
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Cayman Islands vs. British Virgin Islands
Winner: Trinidad & Tobago
Travel Match 94: Voting from April 10-16, 2012
Malawi vs. Zanzibar vs. Mozambique
Winner: Mozambique
Travel Match 95: Voting from April 17-23, 2012
Turkey vs. Oman vs. Tasmania
Winner: Turkey
Travel Match 96: Voting from April 24-30, 2012
Cuba vs. Cook Islands vs. Panama
Winner: Cuba
Travel Match: Round Three
The third round of competition starts in June 2012 with the 24 Round Two winners battling it out to see who wins to move on to the quarter-finals!
Taking a hot air balloon in Cappadocia, Turkey was one of the real highlights of my time there. Seeing the fairy chimneys and valleys from the air brought the entire region to life.
Some balloon pilots navigated their baskets of tourists down low to the ground, close enough to pick apples from trees – pretty cool! Our experienced pilot had fun taking us high, into the cold cloud cover of the early morning, high above all the other balloons. It was surprising how quickly the hot air balloons could rise or fall, depending on how much fuel he released into the balloon.
This photo was taken as we were descending. It was hard to get the right angle, but this image makes me smile and gives me that fun ‘feeling of falling’, a great memory from a stunning country.
The Feeling of Falling - View from a Hot Air Balloon in Turkey
