Galileo, An Aldabra Giant Tortoise In Madagascar
The Dear Wonderful Hubby linked up with a naturalist and he showed the two of us around a bit of Madagascar. One of the stops this naturalist arranged for us to have was at Le Domaine de Fontenay Lodge.
This is the home of Galileo, an Aldabra giant tortoise, (the naturalist explained that he toured around with a world renowned reptile expert when that expert first visited Madagascar and that was how he ‘met’ Galileo).
Stars, was Galileo HUGE! He reminded us of the brontosauruses in Jurassic Park. He walked and moved the same way.
We could get into his stone pen with him. We didn’t touch him because we didn’t want to infect or injure him in any way but he touched us. (grins) He wasn’t shy about that, especially when he was looking for bananas!
Every person we talked to assigned Galileo a different age. One person told us he was 300 years old. According to the internet, Aldabra giant tortoises tend to only live to 120 so that IS possible but is unlikely. (laughs) He’s still seen some sh*t, however. We could see that in his eyes.
He’s the only Aldabra giant tortoise at Le Domaine de Fontenay Lodge and I felt a bit bad about that. But there are MUCH smaller tortoises in his pen so he isn’t all alone. He has some company!
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Muse Food – The Beings We Celebrate
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were in London, UK, we briefly stopped at the National Portrait Gallery (Admission is FREE!).
There were thousands of portraits on display.
I suspect there were more portraits stored in back rooms.
And I found it fascinating to see which portraits the National Portrait Gallery obtained and decided to display.
That is SO revealing of what and WHO they and society value.
What portraits would be displayed in your world?
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Reunion Island And The Importance Of Timing
A church and banyan tree on Reunion Island.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I explored Reunion Island via public bus.
On one bus ride, we sat behind a very enthusiastic fellow tourist. He was taking photos of EVERYTHING from his seat near the window.
We could see his screen and…
All his photos were of posts and trees and random buildings.
He captured NOTHING he intended to capture.
He’d see a site, excitedly lift his phone and then take his sweet time framing the shot and tapping the button.
By the time he took the photo, the bus had moved far from the site.
The man did this again and again.
He was five or so seconds behind on EVERY shot.
(grins)
All I could do was shake my head.
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The Nights Come Alive In Dubai
One of the best ways to get a good overview of Dubai on a first visit is to take a Hop-On Hop-Off bus and tour the city.
When we purchased a two day pass with City Sightseeing, they included a free night tour.
And stars, Dubai is beautiful at night. There are massive brightly lit moving billboards along the highways. Most of the major sites are gorgeously lit.
This is the Dubai Frame, a structure joining an older part of Dubai with a newer part of Dubai.
This is the Museum Of The Future. It reminds me of the bean in Chicago.
Both of these photos were taken from the moving bus. The driver kindly slowed to ensure we got great shots. (smiles)
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Muse Food – Rambo, Falcons And What We Value
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were exploring Doha, Qatar, we ventured into the section of the city (Falcon Souq) where the falcons were bought, sold and tended to.
(There is an awesome high tech hospital dedicated to serving falcons!)
Falconry in Qatar is a BIG DEAL. The falcons sell for thousands of US dollars. They are prized and well taken care of and valued for a number of different aspects.
As you can likely predict, yes, some falcons are valued for their hunting prowess and for their flying skills. They are graceful in the air, like deadly little dancers.
But some falcons, like Rambo shown here, are valued for their beauty. Rambo has entered and won many beauty contests and his male handlers were adorably proud of that fact. (smiles)
That says a lot about Qatar culture.
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Madagascar, Zebus And Dowries
We saw many zebus as we were being driven around Madagascar. These big humped cows are a huge part of the locals’ culture.
Our awesome guide shared that a zebu was a big part of the traditional dowry (a gift from the groom to the bride’s family). But the zebu had to be female as they are good for milk and babies, in addition to meat, riding, farm work, etc. To give a male zebu was an insult.
If the bride’s family lived too far away to send the animal itself, the equivalent funds to buy a female zebu could often be sent.
The penalty in Madagascar for stealing a chicken was five years in prison. I don’t want to think about what the penalty for stealing a zebu would be!
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Flamboyant Trees In Mauritius
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were fortunate to visit Mauritius while the flamboyant trees were blooming. They traditionally bloom from November to January and WOW, their blooms are a bright, happy orange.
A driver called them New Year Trees, sharing that they signify luck for the new year. Another person called them Christmas Trees. The Mauritius Tourism Facebook account calls them “bouquet banané’ or flower of the year. By any name, they’re beautiful!
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Muse Food – Dodos And Past Mistakes
When the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were in Mauritius, we visited the Natural History Museum. This free museum had a display about the Dodo, the famously now-extinct flightless bird that was once found in Mauritius.
Some of the information talked about the decisions (or, in hindsight, mistakes) experts believe led to the dodo’s extinction.
How beings or societies handle the mistakes of their past says a lot about them. And ALL beings or societies HAVE made mistakes. That’s a universal truth.
Are they honest about why the mistake happened? Do they accept blame or try to shift it to another being/entity? What have they learned from that mistake?
All this tells us (and our readers) so much about beings/societies.
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Brush With Royalty In London
Recently, the Dear Wonderful Hubby and I had a full day layover in London, England. So we stored our luggage in lockers and headed out to explore.
(First, we had to visit the post office to exchange some ancient pounds for current currency, a task we were given by the elders to complete.)
The streets around Buckingham Palace were blocked off. The Qatar flag was flying everywhere.
Some guards on horseback passed.
We stopped and watched.
Then a carriage with King Charles III clearly visible in it passed. (He was looking his age.)
A carriage with Kate, Princess of Wales, visible followed. (She was looking extremely regal.)
The parade continued for many moments after that.
Dear Wonderful Hubby joked that every horse in England was in attendance. (grins)
It was all very exciting!
But not everyone was as enthralled as we were. During the display, one woman was enthusiastically taking photos…of a squirrel in a nearby park. (laughs)
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Love And Hamburgers In Dubai
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I were taking a City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus around Dubai. It had a longer stop at Atlantis, The Palm, a luxurious resort in the city.
From the bus, we watched a man eat a hamburger while he was waiting for a taxi.
The man, at first, looked like he has stepped out of a page out of GQ. He was impeccably dressed in a navy blue suit, white shirt and a royal blue tie with a geometric design on it. There was a silver Rolex on his wrist and shiny black leather dress shoes on his large feet. His dark hair was swept back. His skin was tanned. He had romance cover-worthy dark stubble on his square chin.
I say ‘at first’ because the hamburger he was eating was HUGE.
As the man was devouring it, his expression was blissful.
That hamburger must have been delicious. But eating it came at a price.
Its innards went EVERYWHERE. Hamburger toppings and juice splattered on the man’s chin, his cheeks, his suit, his shoes and the sidewalk.
We’re talking complete disaster.
(grins)
An equally well-dressed woman, around the same age, then claimed the next spot in line.
The man saw her, his eyes widened and he straightened…which yes, showed off his fit physique but also caused more of the hamburger to drip down his tall form.
He then OFFERED this beautiful woman some of his hamburger!
(laughs)
The woman looked at the burger, then at his chin, lowered her gaze to the bit of hamburger topping now clinging to his tie.
She grinned and shook her head, refusing his most generous offer.
He shrugged and said something to her. I suspect it was along the lines of “You don’t know what you’re missing. This hamburger is GOOD.”
He resumed eating the hamburger with great gusto.
The woman laughed and chattered to him and that was when the bus, unfortunately, moved.
The Dear Wonderful Hubby and I continued on our tour.
We don’t know what happened next but I project the woman and the hamburger-eating man exchanged phone numbers. There was definitely a spark between them.
(smiles)
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