GUATEMALA 2026: TIKAL NATIONAL PARK

 March 19, 2026

The next morning we had to be checked out of our charming ecolodge and ready to go by 4:50 a.m. We were picked up at 5:00 a.m. by a driver/guide named Roney, someone Bob had selected based on his reputation for birding expertise. Supposedly he is the best guide in northern Guatemala and we were lucky to have him as our guide in Tikal, our next destination.

Tikal was the #1 reason I wanted to travel to Guatemala. As a college student, I spent a summer on a study abroad in Mexico City. One weekend a group went on a field trip to Tikal, but I went with my friends to Acapulco. When the other group came back with their stories (but no photos as this was long before the digital camera), I was jealous and made the resolve that I would go to Tikal someday. That "someday" had come.

We got to the park just as the sun was rising, and long before we got to the archaeological site, Roney was scanning the treetops for birds, of which there didn't seem to be many. We spent a lot of time staring into the branches.

Not having binoculars, I had to be content with nature that was closer at hand. The red mushroom-looking thing below is a Helosis cayennensis (like "cayenne" pepper but not related except in color), a parasitic flowering plant.

BELIZE 2026: XUNANTUNICH, FAREWELL TO BELIZE, AND HELLO GUATEMALA!

The next morning we got up early to catch the water taxi back to Belize City, where we met our driver/guide who drove us the 2.5 hours to the archaeological site of Xunantunich (pronounced zoo-NAAN-tuh-nitch or zhuh-nan-TOO-nitch, depending on whom you ask). 

About halfway through the long drive, our guide spotted a Jabiru, a large stork on Bob's lifer list, which means it was the first time he had seen one. It has an impressive wingspan of 7.5 to 10 feet. Bob was very excited and got some photos of it on the ground as well as flying. This one is my favorite.

Shortly before the archaeological site, we stopped at a terrific little restaurant in San Jose Succotz called Benny's Kitchen, known for serving authentic local cuisine.

I had pibil, pork cooked in a pit and served with corn tortillas. It was fabulous--my best meal of the trip. We think Bob had cow foot soup, but he can't remember if he liked it or not.

BELIZE 2026: CAYE CAULKER DAY 2

 March 16, 2026

Bob had arranged a birding tour for our second day on Caye Caulker, which meant we got up at 5:30 AM. That was Joy #1. Joy #2 was when the first thing we did was get on a motorboat. After my experience on the water the previous day, that was exactly want I did not want to do.

However. it was a serene sea that we set out upon, and we never went very far from shore, and so my concerns were for naught.

Caye Caulker is actually two islands separated by a 20-foot channel know as The Split that was created by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. The southern island is home to the main village and tourist activity, and the northern island, where we were headed, is mostly uninhabitated and covered with mangrove forests.

INDIA 2025: RATHAMBORE NATIONAL PARK DAY 3, FINAL SAFARI DRIVE

 November 29, 2025

We are on our last day in Ranthambore National Park and our last safari drive before beginning the long drive back to Delhi followed by the very long flight home. We get our usual early start.

Just to show what bird watching is like for those without a large lens, I have included a few actual/cropped shot pairings below. A lot of times I can see a speck and just aim and click, hoping that something will show up in my enlarged photo. Full disclosure: I have touched up some of the close-ups with AI.

Brown fish owl:

Black-winged kite:

This flock of peacocks is unmistakable. It is fun to see so many at one time.

The great egret is also easy to spot and identify because of its location.

INDIA 2025: KEOLADEO NATIONAL PARK

 November 25-26, 2025

After arriving in Delhi, we spent the next five or six hours on the road to Bharatpur, a city of about a quarter million people in the Indian state of Rajasthan and popular with tourists because of its proximity to Keoladeo National Park, which was our ultimate destination.

We stayed in Pahersar, a small village 10 to 12 miles outside of Bharatpur. Our hotel, the Chandra Mahal Haveli, was built in 1840 in a Persian style--symmetrical, lots of tile work, large courtyards, plenty of landscaping, etc.

I can't remember what is important about that photo of Chris and Bonnie on the left. I think Chris couldn't get into her room or something. Our rooms opened onto this lovely courtyard.

In California, we see warning signs for rattlesnakes. It is a little different in India.

UGANDA: KIDEPO VALLEY NATIONAL PARK, DAY 1 - SAFARI DRIVE

 July 23, 2025

We woke up at 6:00 a.m. and ate breakfast at 6:30. Breakfast typically consisted of our choice of eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, cereals, toast, juice, and hot chocolate (for Ella, who was obsessed with it and had it almost every day of our trip no matter how hot the weather was). 

By 7:00 we were on our way to pick up a national park ranger named Zachary who had been assigned to accompany us anytime we were in the park. We passed by a large herd of Cape buffalo, one of Africa's "Big Five" game animals.

They reminded me a lot of a herd of American bison.

We had to go through this river to get to the military base where we were picking up Zachary and then again at the end of the day to drop him off:

Ella, as always, took it all in stride. She is a great traveler.

UGANDA 2025: MURCHISON FALLS NATIONAL PARK, SAFARI DRIVE

July 20-21, 2025

We got to the entrance of Murchison Falls National Park at 6:45 p.m., just 15 minutes before the gates closed for the night. However, they did a ridiculous amount of paperwork that included making copies of our passports (which we later learned was standard for all national parks in Uganda). It took 25 minutes, and we didn't actually go through the gates until 7:10.

Not too far in we saw our first baboons walking down the road, kind of like an escort or welcoming committee.

A little later on, we saw an eagle owl at the side of the road that flew off when we drove by and then a mongoose that scampered across the road, both too fast for us to get a picture.

The highlight of the 45-minute-long drive through the park to our lodge was a huge wet hippo standing in the middle of the road facing oncoming traffic. The car in front of us wouldn't pass by it on the side, even though there appeared to be room. Apparently, hippos are known to charge cars. As cute as they are, they are mean dudes.

After a while, a boda-boda (motorcycle) came by and cautiously passed the hippo on the side. Shortly after that, a ranger drove up and directed us to turn off our car lights. He turned his flashlight beam to the far side of the road, and the hippo turned towards it like a moth to a flame. Though he still stood in the road, we could at least drive past his backside where he might not notice us.

UGANDA 2025: MABAMBA BAY

 July 19, 2025

Our first activity in Uganda was a trip to Mabamba Bay (perhaps more accurately called by some Mabamba Swamp), but first we enjoyed a very nice breakfast in the lodge. We had a beautiful view out the windows. The lodge is located on 40 acres of indigenous forest adjacent to the Mabamba Wetlands, so it is a prime location for birding enthusiasts.

I don't think Bob finished breakfast before he was outside with the other birders and their cameras, and Ella was not far behind him. The were photographing two black and white hornbills.

Here is a closer shot. Bob had put together a camera and lens for Ella to use on this trip from some of his extra equipment, hoping she would join him in his bird photography habit and to give her something to do. She seemed to enjoy it. She is in the blue shirt on the far left, and Bob is two people in from her in blue shirt and dark pants. 

These two photos were taken by Ella:

UGANDA 2025: DOHA, QATAR

 July 17, 2025

Qatar is a tiny country in the Middle East that pokes out like a thumb from the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf. It comprises 4,471 square miles (slightly smaller than Connecticut) and has a population of about 3.2 million (slightly less than Connecticut).  Unlike Connecticut, 80% of its population is centered in one place, the capital city of Doha.

We arrived ini Doha at around 6:00 p.m., and by the time we got through immigration, it was beginning to get dark, which means the city was beginning to come alive. Our guide, Dharma, was a man in his early 40s from Nepal, of all places. He was friendly but very difficult for us to understand and misinterpreted many of our questions.

Doha is a visual paradise, and it quickly became apparent that the city is all about architecture. One of the first things we saw was Stadium 974, built in 2022 for the FIFA World Cup. Its name comes from the fact that it was built with 974 shipping containers.

Our first stop where we actually got out of the vehicle and stepped into the sweltering heat was the National Museum of Qatar, opened to the public in 2019. 

INDIA, DELHI: QUTB MINAR COMPLEX AND FUN TIMES IN THE IMPERIAL HOTEL

 December 22, 2025

I admit that I am obsessed with the traffic in India. Here's yet another post beginning with traffic footage. This one shows us trying to cross the street on foot. DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS ON YOUR OWN. You should be with a guide who can, well, guide you across.

 

Pay attention to the signage, which is often good for a laugh or at least a smile.

And watch out for the traffic cops. Some don't look so friendly. And the trees have eyes (eyeglasses?)!

Our next stop was the Qutb Minar Complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. I'm not sure how to pronounce it, but it sounds like a disease.