Some houses are just…different. I’ve often wondered what possesses people to display garden gnomes all around their yard, but in Turkey I saw something that was even stranger.
The Pinocchio house was a fun surprise to come across after taking a Bosphorus Cruise from Istanbul to Anadolu Kavağı.
Some kind of strange Pinnochio Garden Party in Ceneviz, Turkey
Now, I don’t know for sure if these are true Pinnochio’s as the home / shop was closed when I visited but I couldn’t resist taking some photos.
My favourite wooden Pinocchio is the one hanging out on the power line pole below.
Pinnochio's on Poles, Pinnochio's on Windows - Turkey's Odd Pinnochio House
When it comes to Giant Tortoises, nobody does it better than the Galapagos Islands.
Far from the busy Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz Island is the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island.
A ‘Little’ Giant Tortoise at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island
You won’t find Lonesome George or any other famous tortoises here, nor will you find any crowds. On my visit to the Giant Tortoise Breeding Centre I was the only person there, aside from the workers. It was the perfect, private tortoise experience.
To get there, you need to be staying on the largest island of the Galapagos – Isabela. From the town of Puerto Villamil, it’s an enjoyable boardwalk path around some lagoons and a forest. The walk there is short and simple, about 1km or so. Along the way you’ll see wading and migratory birds, perhaps some flamingos, lava lizards and marine iguanas too.
The Boardwalk to Giant Tortoiseland on Isabela island
After the little nature walk, you arrive at the Galapagos Tortoise Breeding Center, which is all business. It is actually quite a large complex, with many different corrals, or holding areas for the tortoises.
Most tortoises here are species from southern Isabela Island and they’re identified by the shape of their shells. Isabela Island has five distinct giant tortoises, each associated with a different volcano and area on the island. Some of them are recognized by their flat, saddleback shells, while others have higher, domed shape shells. The different shell shapes come from the environment they live in and the food available for them to eat.
The Giant Tortoises of Isabela Island, Galapagos
It is thought that the saddleback shells of the Sierra Negro Giant Tortoises allow them to stretch higher to reach food from the opuntia / prickly pear cactus. Interesting huh?
The feeding time at the center was actually quite amusing to watch. The tortoises gather around large, circular troughs, munching away so you’re left staring at tortoise butts. No stragglers here either, if you’re off in a far away corner at feeding time, you better speed along to get your place at the trough!
Feeding Time at the Giant Tortoise Breeding Center on Isabela Island
When not feeding they’re ambling around with plenty of space, enjoying the good life while the researchers here get them ready for breeding or being sent off into the wild to sustain their populations.
Getting a one-on-one tour around the center and being free to wander around on my own, this was a super relaxed place to enjoy tortoise watching compared to either the Research Centre or Highlands on Santa Cruz. I would say I even enjoyed the tortoise time here more than I did at Galapaguera on San Cristobal Island.
‘Little’ Giant Tortoises Eating (Not Big Enough for the Trough Yet)
The real highlight was getting to see, and hold, a giant tortoise egg. It was surprisingly light for it’s size and nearly perfectly round. Of course the one I was shown had long since lost it’s chance to become a living tortoise. The researchers at the breeding center take great care in carefully documenting their work here. Even the egg had numbers and markings on it so they knew which tortoise it came from, when it was laid and what other tortoises were hatched from that clutch of eggs.
A Galapagos Giant Tortoise Egg at the Breeding Center on Isabela Island
Now the hatching and incubation areas were largely off-limits here when I visited, but seeing how many tortoises they had already successfully bred and raised and released into the wild was a rewarding experience. If you’re a big fan of tortoises, then I highly recommend spending time on Isabela Island for some private tortoise time.
Away from the fancy resorts, where alcohol flows and honeymooners dine in swanky restaurants, are the inhabited islands of the Maldives.
The pace of life is much slower and noticeably simpler on these islands, especially north of Male’ in places like the Vaavu Atoll.
Thinadhoo Island – One of the Nicer Village Islands in the Maldives
You can’t just hop on a boat and walk around these village islands either. You need the permission of the island chief, which makes sense as these are not tourist attractions. These are working, living communities where children go to school and families make their homes.
There is no alcohol allowed on these islands either, as the Maldives is a Muslim nation. It is quite a contrast to the $1000 a day luxury vacations most people think of about the Maldives.
A School on Fulidhoo Island in the Maldives
As peaceful as it seems, this island life is under threat. The need to support families and make more money puts pressure on people who migrate to Malé, the capital, or seek employment at resorts on tourist islands. Many families become fragmented, with siblings scattered across different islands as they seek better jobs or a higher education.
A Boat being worked on – Fulidhoo Island
Fishing and boat building have always sustained the island lifestyle in the Maldives, but traditional boat-building skills are quickly fading away as well. Bye-bye dhoni, hello modern motorboat. Even homes are built differently now. Houses on these islands have traditionally been made from coral, but that is no longer allowed either. The island culture is slowly being washed away.
A Wall of Coral on an older building in Thinadhoo Village
The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami helped expedite the exodus to the capital as well, as nearly 100 people were killed and entire islands were wiped out. Walking the streets of some of the remaining village islands, you see brightly coloured buildings beside homes that were abandoned after the tsunami.
It’s a very odd sensation to be in such a beautiful, yet fragile place. Even without global warming and the threat of rising sea levels, it seems that the small island way of living is destined to end in the Maldives. More opportunity, more money and more resorts mean less interest in island traditions.
Drumming and Dancing – A Night of fun on Fulidhoo Island (Muslim Rules, so Boys Only)
When you see this flip side to the Maldives, you’re happy that youngsters are given more opportunity and choice. Change is good, right? Hopefully, but if the recent political changes in the Maldives are a sign of things to come, there could be dark days ahead.
Tourists, however, don’t want to hear about politics. Knowing that their sustainable dream resorts are potentially built on an unsustainable and unstable nation would put a damper on things. Combine that with a crack down by the government on guest houses and people being able to stay with local families and the sustainable tourism industry in the Maldives looks a little shaky.
Perhaps it’s just a temporary setback. Time for another Mai Tai and a massage; life is good in paradise, right?
A Patch of Paradise – Palm Trees on the Village Island of Thinadhoo, Maldives
What would you do if you were on a remote tropical island, without your luggage and without any shops to buy clothes or essentials?
Live the hut life, of course! That is what happened to me when I landed on Tanna Island in Vanuatu and the only things that made it with me were the clothes on my back and the stuff in my carry-on camera bag.
My Hut, or Bungalow, on Tanna Island in Vanuatu
In reality I didn’t need anything else. Sure, I could have used my camera tripod to get some better photos. I could have used a change of clothes in the sweltering heat of the day too. But I was living on a beach in Vanuatu for the next few days so I didn’t let it worry me. I had my toothbrush and critical items with me, so it wasn’t a big deal.
Living the Hut Life in Vanuatu, on Tanna Island
I had my own hammock. My own Friendly Bungalow (the name of the place I stayed at on Tanna Island) and my own beach too. I could have run around naked if I wanted to, after all that’s what all the locals did at the far end of the beach when they needed to wash up in the Pacific Ocean.
When not walking up and down the scorching black volcanic beach, I was dining on massive plates of fruit and seafood, learning how to hack open coconuts, or hiking up to Yasur Volcano for one of nature’s best fireworks shows.
My South Pacific Beach on Tanna Island. Black Sand = HOT.
The hut life was great. No wi-fi, no TV, no street lights…no stress and only one other guest staying nearby.
It was simplicity at it’s best. My beach side bungalow had been made of all local materials. A bamboo bed frame and furniture, a locally weaved hammock, an open-space coral floor bathroom and shower, a thatched roof.
My Beckoning Hammock with the Ocean in the Background...
This was one place where I was finally able to totally unwind, sit back and read a book – something I seem to never make time for at home…too many digital distractions I suppose?
By the time my hosts Mary and Jessel at Friendly Bungalows had tracked down my luggage at the end of day two I didn’t want or need anything I was missing, I had already adapted to the simple Melanesian island lifestyle. (My luggage was still at the airport in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu on Efate Island.)
A Fruitful Breakfast on Tanna Island - Yellow Watermelon, Pineapple and Banana
When I left Tanna and was finally reunited with my luggage it felt more like a burden than a relief. At least I smelled a little better though!
So, who is the coolest cat of them all? This list of six big cats represents the biggest, smartest and coolest cats around the world.
Of all the wild cats I’ve seen on my travels, I’ve only seen one from this list – the Lion. Looks like I have to plan some more feline friendly travels? See if your favourite cat made the list.
A Leopard in a tree in the Serengeti - A Cool Cat, but not one of the Top 6 Coolest Cats!
#6 Mountain Lion (Puma concolor)
You don’t need to travel anywhere exotic to come in contact with a potentially lethal big cat. The Cougar, Panther and Mountain Lion are all the same animal – roaming across the wild areas of the Americas. From the Rocky Mountains to the Andes in South America these are extremely elusive cats that are capable of hunting big prey like Moose, Elk or Deer. Chances of seeing one are slim as they’re weary of humans and prefer to avoid any contact.
#5 Lion (Panthera leo)
Lions used to live in various locations around the world, but now wild lions are only found in Africa and India. The “King of the Jungle” is known for its distinctive mane and strong roar, a key component of big cats. What many people don’t know is that the Asiatic Lion can be found in India. Only around 400 of them remain, so it is an endangered animal and can only be seen in the Gir Forest in Gujarat, India. Over in Africa, the lion is listed as a vulnerable species, but ranges across much of Southern and Eastern Africa still.
A Lioness on the Lookout in the Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania
#4 Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)
The Cheetah is the fastest of all land animals, travelling at speeds upwards of 100km/hour. How can they run so fast? Well they have semi-retractable claws, enlarged nostrils, lungs and hearts that increase their running capabilities. Quite slender in appearance, these long-legged cat weighs in at 90-140 pounds. They are a vulnerable species that are found primarily in Africa and parts of the Middle East.
#3 Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia)
The elusive and endangered Snow Leopard is a close second to the Cheetah for biggest small cat. For its environment, the mountain ranges of Central and Southern Asia, it is a big cat, weighing 77-121 pounds. White in winter and brown in summer, their fur is probably the best camouflaged of any of the big cats, adding to their elusiveness and stealth capabilities. To endure cold winters, its proportionately large tail doubles as a scarf!
#2 Siberian Tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
This is the largest cat on the planet, with males weighing in at as much as 800 pounds. The Siberian Tiger is critically endangered with only about 500 left in the wild. The remaining Tigers reside in Northern Asia and Russia. It has larger feet than most tigers to navigate through snow, and has brown rather than black stripes, just to be different!
#1 Jaguar (Panthera onca)
This is the third largest cat, and one of only four “roaring” cats from the panthera genus. It is also the least threatened species on this list. Typically weighing between 124-211 pounds, some have been recorded at more than 300 pounds. This compactly built cat excels at climbing, swimming and crawling. Currently, they live in a range of places from Mexico to Northern Argentina. Jaguars are highly successful hunters with sleek features and are sometimes rumoured to be the only big cat that kills for “fun”.
While these may be my favourite six big cats, the Leopard (Panthera pardus), Bobcat (Lynx rufus) and Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) are also pretty amazing wild cats.
