As part of the second leg of the International Palm Society’s biennial group trip, Singapore was the next stop after Sarawak, Borneo. The IPS had planned three palmy locations to visit while we were in Singapore. Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Botanic Garden (topic of next week’s post) and McRitchie Reservoir. Gardens by the Bay was first up. Before…
Every two years the International Palm Society (IPS) has a biennial member get-together in some palmy part of the world. Two years ago it was in South Florida. Before that, Thailand. This year, close to 150 palm tree lovers would get together in Borneo and Singapore for the IPS 2016 Biennial. Usually not a fan of…
For as long as I have been traveling to Southeast Asia, I have had a bucket list of things to do in that region. One item on the list was to summit Mount Kinabalu on the island of Borneo. While it is not the tallest peak in Southeast Asia, which is a commonly shared falsity amongst travelers, it is…
Rafflesia is a plant that few have ever heard of. How could you, as it has never been cultivated outside its native habitat in the rainforests of Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. To see it in the wild involves some serious effort – and luck. From my home in San Diego I had to travel for two days to arrive at…
It was hard to believe my four-week trip through Madagascar was about to end. When I first arrived, four weeks sounded like a long time. But as with any trip, time flies. My time was down to just a few more days. This final leg would involve a quick hike at Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park for a…
After a tiring, but amazing, four days around Andringitra National Park, I headed out for the next stop – Isalo National Park. The four-hour drive from Camp Catta to Isalo National Park was on one of the best roads in all of Madagascar. In fact, I can’t recall a place I drove in Madagascar where you could find a pot-hole-free road for this…
This is a continuation post from last week on my summit of Peak Boby. I stopped my first post at my breakfast break on day 2 in the Andringitra Mountains. I will now continue on with the second half of day two and include day three, which was spent around Camp Catta. This will be the post palm…
After my early morning hike up a hill that was found just across the road from the Anja Reserve, I began my journey to Andringitra National Park. My goal would be to summit the highest climbable peak in Madagascar – Peak Boby. Like everything in Madagascar, you have to get there first, and that never comes easy. There…