In July I had an amazing adventure to the Pantanal in Brazil with the hope of seeing, and photographing, the amazing Jaguar. This area of Brazil is home to Jaguars along with many other interesting creatures such as the world’s largest living rodent, the capybara (AKA capy-bapy-boo-boo), which is actually really freaking cute!
This trip consisted of a lot of time in small boats, cruising up and down the various rivers and tributaries, on the lookout for wildlife. It typically did not take much time before the amazing boat drivers and guides would spot wildlife along the banks, in the trees and also in the water.
There would often be many small boats on the lookout for jaguars throughout the area, with visitors hopeful to have a good sighting of the amazing creatures. If there were no jaguars in the proximity, there was always a plethora of other wildlife such as the caiman and so, so, so many birds who were also delightful photographic models.
But, the Jaguars were my absolute favorite, being a very proud childless cat lady and all. It was ridiculously amazing to be so close to jaguars in the wild. Some were on the hunt and some were just relaxing on the banks.
Sometimes, the jaguars may have also had something to say. Unfortunately, I do not speak Portuguese, let alone the Jaguar dialect of Portuguese, so their statements will remain a mystery. Until we meet again!
In February I embarked on an exciting trip to Indonesia with the main purpose being to photograph Orangutans in Borneo. Coming from Ohio, this was quite the long adventure and I broke it up a bit with a few days in Singapore as well on the way. I did make it to Indonesia and specifically Kalimantan. On this trip I learned that only part of the island of Borneo is Indonesian, and that is referred to as Kalimantan. I actually learned a lot on this trip as I have not traveled in Asia much. Did you know that Indonesia has over 17,000 islands? Remarkable.
We boarded a Klotok, which is a traditional Indonesian river boat, for the Orangutan adventure. We then headed into the area which is the National Park.
Doesn’t this orangutan kind of look like they are clutching their pearls??? Like, “Oh, my… visitors!”
We enjoyed a leisurely ride on the klotok with an amazing crew through the jungle of Kalimantan to our first orangutan encounter.
And then, we went to the orangutan viewing area. These creatures are amazing and I doubt the photos do them justice, but it was otherworldly (hot, extremely hot) and marvelous to be able to observe them in their home.
This last photograph is what did it for me. There is such expression in their eyes, it is remarkable!
Back on the boat, after a torrential downpour where we all managed to get completely drenched, I apparently decided to be a klutz. I slipped and dislocated my knee. I didn’t know that was what had happened at the time, but I suspected as I have been plagued with knee issues since an injury in my early teens.
This resulted in a boat ride to the ER back outside of the National Park, where I got to exercise my vast understanding of the Indonesian language from Duolingo – “Saya suka kucing.” It means I like cats, and while it was not necessarily helpful in the ER, it did get a laugh out of the doc when he asked if I spoke Indonesian and I responded thusly. I don’t know that I will ever forget these Indonesian words, thanks Duolingo! I am thankful and feel very lucky to have the manager of our lodge, Rimba Ecolodge, and our friendly local guide Phil to translate where I was severely lacking.
Small note, because everyone asks, the ER was quick, efficient and cost about $35 USD for X-ray, diagnosis and meds.
I did continue on the trip, but was unable to go out for more orangutan photography due to my knee. I stayed at the lodge where they were extremely hospitable and helpful, getting me ice and making sure I was OK. They were very generous with their time and I did manage to make a couple friends at the lodge.
saya suka kucing y’all!
And now, I am still healing while deciding if I am going to risk the next adventure on a still somewhat injured knee.
While I may not have been able to photograph as much as I’d like, I did have an amazing adventure and seeing the orangutans was a phenomenal experience. I would absolutely try a re-do of this trip some day! And I hear there are some cute fuzzy elephants somewhere around there too…. hmmm.
In late July I travelled to Ecuador to photograph birds, specifically hummingbirds, and even more specifically hummingbirds which look like they are wearing little, tiny, fluffy pants. Or pantaloons. They are so cute it is ridiculous!
Having a love for all that is myth, legend and lore, I had read a little bit about the hummingbird as viewed by Incas. For while the Condor may be the uncontested king of the sky, the hummingbird was the messenger to the heavens and the worlds beyond. The hummingbird had the ability to travel between life and death, between the physical and spiritual.
Photographing these birds is both fun and challenging, as there are so many different ways to capture their beauty. Different birds have different wing speeds and this would change the amount of movement that would show in the photos for unique results.
With all these options, combined with a fast shutter and an abundance of data storage, I once again managed to take far too many photographs on this trip. But hey, who’s counting anyways. It is fun to keep going though the files and find images that I had completely forgotten about. And so, so many birds that I will need to figure out the names to match the bird.
Melissa Stanton Photography Blog 