Adventures with Julia

Sunday, May 31, 2026

Spent the day getting from Helsinki to Gotland. Arrived in Visby, Gotland at 7:10pm. Gotland is an island of 1230 square miles (slightly larger than Rhode Island) in the Baltic Sea, midway between Sweden and Latvia. The population is 61,000 with 25,000 living in the capital city of Visby. There is an old medieval town within Visby that is the main attraction for most visitors, and has a population of 1,700. After arriving in Gotland and driving through the Old Town to get to a simple hamburger joint for dinner, we were ready to quit when we finally got to our hotel 30 kilometers south of Visby at 10pm. The lodging was a second floor walk up with no assistance due to the hour. The place was basic and quaint. Dated and cramped. We were too tired to care and went to bed.

Monday, June 1, 2026

Breakfast was a minimalist affair. We finally met the owners of the place and had a pleasant conversation in spite of our rustic accommodations. Our guide, Ronny, and driver, Eva, were on time and we were glad to hit the road. Ronny is a retired colonel, who was full of information and enthusiastic about sharing it with us. Here are some scenes captured while driving through the countryside.

He talked about the soil on the island. 420 million years ago the soil was found close to Africa and the equator. Today it is 95% limestone and 5% sandstone. Gotland then shifted, according to science, to where it is today. It has been in the Baltic Sea for 60 million years.

Vikings arrived about 600AD. Trade slowly grew until it was huge in the 1200’s. Visby grew very rich and important during the 13th-14th centuries with Visby being in the middle of the trade route. During this time over 100 Catholic churches were built on Gotland.

A defensive wall of 3,400 meters was built around Visby in 1250, that still exists today. In 1525 Martin Luther (1483-1546) managed to convert the churches to Lutheran. The city is now a UNESCO site and Sweden became a part of NATO in 2024.

Some of the many churches include several ruins:

The Danish king arrived to take Visby in 1361. After three battles outside the South Gate, the Visby citizens could see that they would be defeated, so they capitulated. The local population accepted Danish rule until 1645 when the Danish and Swedish kings negotiated a change of lands. Sweden got Gotland back. By 1850 the city was too crowded and people began building outside the walls. Today, over 600 thousand people converge on the city from June through August.

Scenes from Old Town in Visby:

Products made in Visby are considered to be of good quality including: carrots, potatoes, oats, wheat, barley, cows and sheep. A German company produces limestone for cement, sugar and plastics. Power to the island comes through 2 cables from the mainland. A diesel powered plant provides back up power. Animals are few and include: deer, foxes, hedge hogs and rabbits and non-poisonous snakes.

Mid morning we stopped at the home and workshop of a fine oil painting artist named Sebastian Granville. He was very charming and showed us several pieces of his work. His images are different from my mother’s work, but they used similar techniques. It was a pleasure chatting with him. We stayed about half an hour at his studio.

We drove to the sea after visiting Sebastian and learned more about the Baltic Sea. Because there is no tide, the sea is quiet. We could hear the birds singing. There are long wide beaches that attract many visitors in the summer months when the temperature of the sea gets up to 72 degrees and higher, but these are not those beaches. The good beaches, we were told, are in the south.

In addition to the millions of lilac bushed in full bloom everywhere, there are multitudes of White beam trees also in full flower.

While driving through the countryside, Ronny shared lots of information with us.

We passed by the Bishop’s House and Ronny told us the bishop was in charge of the Swedish church abroad in addition to being the Bishop of Visby.

Along the way we passed a 13th century wood house that had dozens of layers of tar painted on it as a preservative.

We also visited the Botanical Garden that was founded 1855. Some species such as the redwood tree, Chinese Segovia and Lebanese cedar, grow there unexpectedly due too the nice summers and soft winters.

The average income in Sweden is $3,500/month. 30% goes to the government and 1.5% goes to the church. All services are free including medical over $250/year and $12/day when in the hospital; school is free from kindergarten through high school. Full lunches are provided to all students. University is free except for housing and books. New parents get 15 months paid leave.

We took a car ferry across to a small island called Faro just north of Gotland to see the Ingrid Bergman gravesite and museum. He made 77 films and got 3 Oscars.

He was an interesting character for sure. Then we drove to the shore line and saw an old windmill, an orange colored 17th century farm house, a small fishing village and

Langhammar Nature Reserve, where we saw Rauk stone pillars in interesting shapes. Back in the car, we took the ferry back to Gotland. The ferry takes all of 6 minutes for the crossing.

Eight miles north of Visby we stopped to visit a church named Bro. It was built in 1240 as a Roman Catholic church. It had an interesting “picture stone” built into the side of it that was from 3-400 AD. There was a women’s entrance door and a wood protrusion above the main door that looked devilish. Inside was an interesting baptismal font and some lovely old painting on the walls near the ceiling.

Closer to Visby we saw a substantial gallows that was used until 1850. That surprised me to see such a substantial structure.

Just before entering the Old Town, we crossed over three moats that had been effective without ever having water in them. Ronny told us the moats were difficult to climb three times with equipment. Enemies tried about 10 times to no avail.

We proceeded to enter the East Gate. Just inside this gate was where poorer people lived, especially after 1400 when trade was falling off.

We ended up at the outdoor restaurant, Bolaget, where we had reservations. Ronny left and we ordered wine and a tasty dish of flounder. Christian showed up to take us to our hotel and we were ready to end the long day.

Tuesday, June 2, 2026

Ronny and Ava picked us up at 9am and off we headed to the southern part of the country, having spent yesterday in the northern half. Several of the photos that are for Tuesday got into Monday. Hopefully it does not matter. The main thing is that we spent 2 days covering the island and much of the area looks the same. There were better beaches in the south.

We visited a brewer named Soren, who was a friend of Ronny’s and told us all about a local drink he makes called “GotlandDrinka”. It is a farmhouse ale that is 5% alcohol and is made with barley, hops, juniper branches and berries, sugar and water. I did not like it and am thankful that I like the Swedish Gloog that Mark makes.

We stopped at a church called Holy Mary Cathedral that was built by and for Germans in 1910.

Then we saw the ruins of St Lars church, which was built in 1250s. It started out with traditional Romanesque design, but when it was constructed it was Byzantine-Russian. Visby’s golden age of wealth was over by the end of the 1400s. The state reformed the church in the 1530s. And the churches fell into ruin and have remained that way. In 1805 the ruined churches were given legal protection and gradually began to be maintained. People were no longer allowed to take stones for other buildings. Of the 14 churches in Visby only the cathedral was deemed important enough to maintain.

Another ruined but still beautiful church was the Franciscan church, St Catherine of Alexandria. It was finished in 1492 and fell to ruin by 1530.

Back in Visby for dinner at Backfickan Restaurant for an early dinner at 5pm. We had the best meal of our time on Gotland Island. We both had mussel in a lovely rich sauce with fries on the side. We had not asked for fries, but when they came we were blown away at how good they were. After dinner we asked the waitress what made them so good. She told us they were fried three times with a freezer step between the first and second frying. Mark plans to try it when we get home.

One last night on Gotland Island and then on to Stockholm, Sweden.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

We arrived in Tallinn about 2pm after a pleasant 4 hour ride through the flat fields and forests to gently rolling hills when we got closer to the capital. Our only stop along the way was a half hour in a beach resort town called Parnu. The day was sunny, but cold and windy and there was almost no one on the beach. We walked around a bit and saw a few houses before heading on to Tallinn.

Once settled in at The Schlossle Hotel on a narrow side street in Tallinn’s Old Town, we walked up the little hill to where there were several outdoor cafes. We picked one in the sun and ordered a fish and chips. It was good enough. We walked around a few more blocks then took a rest.

At 7 pm we ate dinner in the hotel restaurant and were surprised at the quality of the presentation. I had venison and smoked eel tartar and Mark had Pike Perch with kohlrabi.

Monday, May 24, 2026

We met Mia, our guide for the day, at the hotel door at 10am. As we walked up to the old town, she told us the population of Estonia is only 1.3 million and that Tallinn has 425,000. It is the smallest and least populated of the 3 Baltic states and is about the size of Pennsylvania. It is the only one of the three states that retained its city walls, of which about 80% still exist. The wall was started in 1230 and took about 300 years to build. It has 27 towers currently. Originally there were 70. Due to its small size, Tallinn always capitulated rather than fight, which allowed the city to survive.

Lutherans took over from Catholics in 1520. Martin Luther wanted to take power away from the pope. Luther introduced pews into the church and coats of arms from wealthy German families were installed on the walls. This became the most important Lutheran Church in Estonia and was run by wealthy Germans for 700 years when Estonians stepped in and took control in the 1900’s.

After all the churches, Mia cut us loose to get ourselves to the chocolate factory where we had an appointment to make the confection. We met the owner, Kristi, and she took us through the history of chocolate in Estonia. Kalev, an industrial chocolate company took over from the original Jewish families. Kawe had been the largest employing 500 people before the war. In Estonia they were the biggest around 1921. They were very good at marketing. Eventually the Kawe family emigrated to Sweden. The Ginovker family were the second largest producer before the war, exporting 35% of their product. Being sales oriented, they even hand painted their packaging. They were nationalized in 1940.

In making chocolate we handled some cocoa pods. First you let the pods ferment, then you dry the beans, roast them and then break the bean to collect the edible part. Then you grind the beans until it becomes a flowing powder. From 100% cocoa, 30% sugar is added giving you a 70%. Kristi said she buys her cocoa from Sao Tome, Madagascar and Mexico. She employees 12 people full time and adds more during the holidays. Her factory is small at 380 square meters.

From the chocolate factory we said good bye to the Chocolatier, Kristi, and walked back to hotel loaded with the chocolates from our chocolate making activity. It had been a long day with too much chocolate and too many churches. I hope I have the churches named correctly in my head and in this post.

Tuesday, May 26, 3036

We met Mart, our blog walking guide at 10am and headed for the forest in his Toyota truck. We drove 45 minutes due east on a straight road headed for St Petersburg.

The forest was thick on both sides of the road. We stopped at the village where Mart lives to have a look around. The name of the place is Kuusalu. It is a collection of small farms, a fortified tower, and a church called St Laurence, which is from the 16th century. The church was built by the German Teutonic Order. There was a new kindergarten school for 100 kids. The population is 2000. There were many apartments built by the Soviets in the 80’s.

After a quick look about town we headed out into the forest to do some bog walking. We learned that the forest takes up 50% of the land and contains a variety of trees: 40% are Scotch Pine; 30% are Spruce; 20% are Birch; 10% is everything else including: oak, alder and aspen. While walking to the bog area we identified several plants: Billberry,Lingonberry, cotton flower and others I don’t remember.

We put on snow shoes and started walking through the bog until I started tripping too much—not very long. At that point we drove to a boardwalk and walked on it for a mile to a wooden tower.

Hung out a bit in the breeze and fresh air and eventually walked back. Mart kept up a running conversation the whole time we were walking. We learned about his family life, his teaching subjects, locations, students, military service and more.

Finally, we finished with the bog, which was part of the Korvemaa Nature Reserve and drove back to Kuusalu to the village market, which also served food. I had a delicious bowl of Mexican bean soup, while Mark had an ice cream cone.

We were back in our hotel room by 4pm in time to get ready for our evening dinner date with Juri Teras and his girlfriend, Laire Piik, who arrived exactly at 5pm. Juri is a friend of Terry and Liz McAteer. They connected us together and we were happy to have an evening to spend with them. We drove to a brand new restaurant called Fume and had a delicious meal as well as delightful conversation.

After dinner, Juri drove us through the different parts of Tallinn we had not seen, which was everything except the Old Town. Unfortunately, it was raining by then. Finally we stopped at our hotel and had our photo taken. We will send Liz and Terry a copy. And then we said good night, but hopefully not good bye to Juri and Laire.

Our next adventure begins with a ferry ride from Tallinn to Helsinki.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Here are a few details I missed about St Casimir(1458-1484). He became king at an early age and soon decided he wanted to minister to the poor rather than lord over them. He abdicated the thrown, professed virginity, poverty and obedience and joined the poor. Unfortunately, he contracted TB and died in his 20’s. Nevertheless, he was canonized 0n March 4, 1602 and has been venerated on March 4 every year since then. He is now the patron saint of Lithuania.

We met our guide, Rasa, and headed for a bakery where we began our food tasting tour. On the way we encountered a live video in the middle of a small square near our hotel.

Soon we were at the bakery tasting unfamiliar breakfast treats including several different rye breads, an “Impunity shot” of ginger, apple and orange that was very astringent and a rye bread mushroom shaped cookie. I did not finish the “treats“

From the bakery we walked to the food market where Rasa had arranged for us to have hand made Lithuanian sandwiches. She shopped several vendors for specific items and then put the ingredients together into sandwiches. The ingredients included: rye bread, a thick cut of mozzarella-like cheese, a dollop of buckwheat honey and a piece of 3-day pickled cucumber. With the sandwiches we drank stout beer.

Bagels, said Rasa, were a staple of the Jewish community. She told us the Vilnius Jews invented the bagel. She admitted that many Jews were killed by the Nazi’s, while many of their houses were destroyed by the Soviets. The biggest tragedy of Lithuania is the loss of so many Jewish people and all their many skills. Lithuanians managed to save many of them. She spoke about the Jewish situation as we walked by the National Filharmonija Concert Hall, built in 1913 and performed in by Jewish musicians.

Another building we passed included the Holy Trinity Gate entrance to the Trinity Church.

Soon it was noon and we were at the restaurant where Rasa planned for us to try Pink Soup, a popular staple of the local diet. It is a cold beet soup with kefir, a sour milk, cucumber and chopped hard boiled egg. Hot roasted potatoes are served on the side. Two or three spoonfuls were enough for me. Along with the soup, we were served a flavored Vodka that tasted similar to Jagermeister.

Shortly after finishing the vodka Rasa left us with our next guide, Maria, who took us to Trakai lake for an afternoon tour of the Trakai Castle and museum. The trip included a 20 mile drive though larch tree lined streets to arrive at a collection of 5 connected lakes where a castle is located on one of the lakes.

The gothic castle was built in the 14th and 15th centuries on Castle island. We walked across a bridge to get to the castle and visit the history museum, opened in 1962.

Along with the stone and brick structure of the castle are many wooden buildings throughout the neighborhood. They are called Karaim, black monk in Arabic. The people living in them were the grand duke’s body guards.

Our driver, Richard,drove us back to our hotel and, at 4pm, we called it a day. We were happy to have a light meal in the hotel bar.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

The hotel we are occupying was built by the Pacai family in 1677 and was full of hospitality during its heyday. Even Napoleon stayed and partied here. Across the street from the Pacai was the Chodkeviciy Palace, where our guide Marie once lived. Today it is a museum.

Down the street was the building where the Independence documents were signed on February 16, 1918. On a wall nearby, is a large photo of the 20 men who signed the document.

Independence was restored again on March 11, 1990 to celebrate both the republic and democracy.

Richard picked us up and took us to a large church called Saint John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. From this 16th century gothic church we could see down town and the Neris River as well as the funicular and the Gediminas Castle tower behind us.

Before we were able to climb to the top of the tower, all of our phones received an emergency alert to seek shelter indoors for fear of an attack. Happily, no attack occurred, but we did not climb the tower. After a short time the “all clear” was sounded and we had no other disruptions.

Later in the day we learned drone activity along the border with Belarus had caused NATO jets to be scrambled and the alert was sounded.

Near the tower was the Chapel of the Deported People that contained a crucifix made from a single piece of wood.

We also saw the 14th century gothic church of St Anne. It was lovely from the outside. It was so impressive that even Napoleon wanted to take it home with him. Next to it was the much simpler Benedictine Church.

From there Richard drove us to the KGB Prison, where we had a 2pm reservation to tour what had been a huge 100 year old court house building. In 1940-41 part of the facility was used as a soviet prison. From 1941-1944 it was a Nazi prison then a Soviet prison again from 1944-1991. The prison guide told us the soviets killed people in the building, while the Nazis killed people in the forest. Of the 30,000 prisoners, 1000 died in prison. Most prisoners were transported to the gulogues in Siberia and died there.

225-250K Jews lived in Lithuania before the war. 90-95% were killed during the war. Today there are 2-5,000 Jewish people in Lithuania.

We saw one last church before quitting for the day. It was the St Peter and Paul Church and is considered one of the most beautiful baroque churches in Europe. There are over 2000 human sculptures in the church and each has a different face. It took 8 years to build the church and 18 years to do the sculptures and interior.

I learned there are 40 Catholic Churches in Vilnius. Too many for sure.

The weather has been overcast and cool, with occasional sprinkles, the whole time we have been in Vilnius. I have worn a fleece every day. Sure hope it gets warmer soon.

May 2, 2026

Dear Blogger friends,

As you have followed me through many African countries, I trust you have enjoyed seeing the wildlife Mark and I have shared with you.  Over the years since I first visited Tanzania in 1967, I have witnessed a huge reduction in wildlife populations.  Now, we have the opportunity to do something to help reverse the trend by joining forces with Jonathan and the Wild Places Conservation Foundation.  We wish to inform you of our activities to enlist your enthusiasm for our effort and, possibly, even support Wild Places financially.

Following is an article I  read about what people can do to help.  I encourage you to read it, ask questions and learn how you might help, in case you are lead to action as we have been.

UGANDA HAS THE BLUEPRINT FOR A MODEL ANY NATION CAN REPLICATE

BY EMESE MACZKO 

Published 12/8/2025 in Forbes Magazine

Uganda offers a blueprint for organizations seeking to reduce poaching and increase wildlife survival.

What happens when conservation can no longer rely on government efforts alone?  Earlier this year in the US, wide staff layoffs strained basic operations and a few months later a government shutdown dealt a second blow.  Public lands suffer when funding and operations are unstable.  Tourism is often the only mechanism that makes conservation financially feasible when government budgets fall short.  It can provide steady revenue to sustain local economies, field ready resources for jobs and on-the-ground presence for protection.  

“The thought of no tourism is a terrifying one for the conservation of habitat,” said David Guthrie, founder of A Tent with a View, when asked what would happen if everyone stopped traveling.   Uganda is testing a new partnership model between the government and a private tour operator that could serve as a compelling blueprint for others to adopt.   

To understand how it works, Charles Tunwesigye, director of field operations at Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA), a semi-autonomous government agency established in 1996, and Jonathan Wright, co-founder of Wild Places, the operator behind this first-of-its-kind

Collaboration.  Over the last 20 years Jonathan has guided my husband, Mark Strate, and me all over Uganda and, in the process, we have become personal friends.  Recently he invited us to join the board of his Conservation Foundation and we happily accepted the

honor.   

Uganda protects over 9 million acres of conservation land managed and operated by UWA.  The area accounts for roughly 16% of Uganda’s territory, including about 2.1 million acres across 10 national parks and an additional 3.7 million acres in wildlife and forest reserves.

The country is also facing intense conservations pressures due to the illegal bushmeat trade, which Wright describes as “the silent Killer”.  According to him, poachers can set “100 to 140 snares a day”, often staying inside protected areas for weeks at a time.  

The financial incentive is strong as commercial poaching is considered a lucrative business in Uganda, said Wright. Ugandans will pay a premium for game meat even over beef.  He estimated that in Murchison Falls alone, the commercial bushmeat trade could be worth $35 to $40 million.  He said poaching is the largest culprit, ‘decimating the the parks” and complicating UWA’s efforts to protect everything from Pangolins and lions to elephants.  The impact on predators has been devistating.  

Jonathan told about a small group of poachers that killed 50 lions in about 5 years.  

Managing this vast system is costly.  Tumwesigye said that conservation requires constant financing for “law enforcement, vehicles, ranger support, salaries, food rations and ranger posts.”  Government funding rarely covers these needs, particularly in remote areas that attract few visitors.  Some parks will not even receive 100 visitors a year, yet UWA must still deploy staff, patrol the land and maintain infrastructure.  The financial gap, according to Tumwesigye, is persistent and structural.  UWA relies heavily on tourism revenue, but many of the landscapes most in need of protection generate little of it. The imbalance is precisely where Uganda began looking for a new, more resilient model.

Wright explained that Uganda historically relied on bilateral aid from institutions such as the World Bank and the European Union.  When those funding streams slowed, wildlife suffered.  The model, he added, was built to solve one of the UWA’s most significant challenges: the lack of consistent, flexible, field-ready funding for conservation.  

The idea for this new model emerged from a presidential initiate that invited select private sector operators to help strengthen conservation across Uganda.  “The president basically told us go out and look around all the national parks and find solutions”, he explained.  

Jonathan’s team surveyed the country and chose some of the most remote, least supported landscapes with no infrastructure, no history of tourism and limited capacity for active management:  Toro-Semliki Wildlife Reserve, the southern sector of Murchison Falls National Park and Kyambura Wildlife Reserve.  

Wright emphasized that his goal was not to replace UWA, but to reinforce it’s operations.  The solution, to him, was to join forces to deploy the privately raised funds directly to frontline needs. “We didn’t want to usurp their authority,” he said.  “We wanted to work in conjunction with them.”   After a series of meetings with  UWA, government leaders and NGO boards, the Wildplaces Conservation Foundation was founded and began operation in 2024.

TO ensure accountability and creditability, the foundation assembled a high-level board that includes Rt. Hon. Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, the former prime minister, Her Worship Gladys Kamasanyu, chief magistrate in the Uganda Wildlife Court that oversees wildlife crime and Ms Priscilla Butagira, special presidential assistant alongside conservation experts from Uganda and the UK. 

We, said Wright, “ do not pay ourselves salaries.  We don’t make money out of the trust.  Everything is targeted to support UWA’s operations.”

In the first year, the Foundation raised $1 million from tourism activities (including $25 per guest, per night at Wildplaces Lodges) to finance practical, high-impact needs.

The Foundation has already build 6 new ranger posts and upgraded a seventh across the three protected areas.  It has supplied the teams with tractors equipped with blades and all-terrain vehicles to support ranger operations And field transport.  The funds also provided new anti-poaching gear for ranger teams and smartphones to support mapping and monitoring.

Jonathan says he has already seen measurable results.  Lions are showing early signs of recovery with Wright estimating as many as 35 cubs.  He believes the prides are settling and their behavior is normalizing.  He has also noted a dramatic shift in elephant safety.  In 2023 eleven elephants were snared in he area.  In 2025 he has not seen one.

In Murchison Falls, where 70 poacher camps once lined the Nile, Wright’s team is not finding any more poachers, thanks to active patrolling. 

Wright described Uganda’s ecological potential in striking terms, saying, “Uganda would be second to none. Thanks to its rainfall, green grasslands, mountains and rivers, the country has some of the highest biodiversity found in African National Parks.  In his view, Uganda should be thick with big predators, elephants and everything else.  WIldlife is resilient and can rebound quickly if protected.

“We can almost double the population of many species every year as long as we eradicate the core problem, poaching for meat.  Elephants, however, need more time. 15 to 20 years for them to forgive us for what’s been done to them. 

According to Wright, scaling the model requires two things: increased government financing for UWA and a policy shift that makes conservation participation a condition for new tourism concessions.  Tumwesigye agreed that replicating this cooperation is possible, but only with the right partners, “who have that deep love for conservation beyond business”.  Wright also warned that without long-term planning, Uganda could repeat the mistakes of Kenya and Tanzania, where high-volume tourism has strained ecosystems.  If you have high-volume tourism in wildlife parks, they will be destroyed.  Both Wright and Tumwesigye agree that they want low -impact, ethical wildlife tourism in Uganda. 

Wright insists that Uganda must set firm conditions on the number of lodges an area can accommodate, how vehicles approach wildlife and how tourists interact with wildlife.   He believes there should be a 5-10 year plan to prevent hotel clustering and unregulated construction.  Instead of building repeatedly on the same sites, authorities could/should open new, less-visited areas, ensuring tourism grows without overwhelming the country’s wildlife or landscapes.

 Ranger Posts each house 6 comfortably

Wright ended by saying, “I think you have probably seen what’s going on in the Mara and Serengeti, with hundreds of cars waiting around a pride of lions or other animals.  If Uganda ever went that way, I’d end up having to sell lodges and leave because I wouldn’t be able to reconcile with a similar situation emotionally.” 

Uganda’s new model may not be the final answer to everything, but neighboring Rwanda’s a well-established sustainable tourism model shows that long-term commitment, strong policy and low input tourism can indeed drive recovery at scale.  When conservation, tourism and government interests align, the results can be transformative.  Mark and I are pleased and humbled to be included as members of Wildplaces Conservation Foundation and hope to add value to the organization.   

Our first way to help the organization. Is to send this article to everyone who reads our blog, “Adventures with Julia”, and introduce you to Jonathan and his efforts in conserving wildlife in Uganda.  We plan to continue to visit the country at least once a year and keep you included in our activities and efforts to conserve Uganda’s wildlife.

Tuesday, April 7, 2026

We left Maraquita, at sea level, on Easter Monday and drove 3.5 hours to Lubango via the road climbing the escarpment. Very hair raising for me. But once on the escarpment I relaxed. We proceeded across the 6000 foot escarpment and then drove downhill to Lubango at 5000 feet.

It was a delightful town with wonderfully cool air, lots of trees and plants, especially in the Casper Resort where we stayed. There were even ducks and geese and duiker in the resort. There was one unfortunate experience. We learned that our flight to Luanda, scheduled for the next day, was cancelled. The only flight we could secure was out of Namib, aka Mariquita, to Luanda a day earlier than planned. So, after only one night in the delightful Casper Resort in Lubango, we were up early and retracing our steps back to Namib to catch the flight from there at 1pm. What a drag. But at least we made it to Luanda (pop 9 million) with a day to spare for our return home departing Luanda at 10pm on the 8th.

We said good bye to Stefan at the Namib airport, leaving him to drive home alone. Having arrived in Luanda at 3pm, we were driven into the capital by a man Stefan had hired. The ride took a whole hour through very busy streets. Once in the city, we wound up near the ocean at a place called Thompson Art House. It was very quirky. We were all surprised that Stefan would choose such an odd place. We finally settled into a king bed room for us and a double bed room for Claire. I took a few photos of the place, including our door. We took an Uber to dinner at a seaside restaurant called Miami Beach. We feasted on very large prawns, aka Gambas, beer and wine. For dessert I couldn’t resist lava cake. It was delicious.

Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Our last day of this African adventure. At 9am we were picked up by Leo, our guide for the day. He drove us all over the old city and we took several photos of buildings and graffiti. Stopped for coffee in SE 24, a snack bar.

We took photos of the nicest buildings, but most of the city is dingy, crowded and ugly. Sorry to say. We agreed that the best place to live in Angola is Lubango. Nicest weather, very green and not too crowded.

Thursday, April 9, 2026

A final travel day. This time to home. We left Luanda late on the 8th and are now sitting in the Frankfurt airport waiting for our next leg to Denver. The last leg will take us to Sacramento, where we plan to hire an Uber to take us home. The reason for all the crazy flights is because our original flights on Emirates through Dubai were cancelled at the last minute as a result of Trumps war on Iran. Mark worked overtime to get the flights we have. It has been so nice not thinking about politics in the US the last few weeks. Am not looking forward to that aspect of returning, but it will be nice to get home to friends and our garden.

I plan to send an epilogue after we get home. There are several photos and videos I have been unable to send due to time constraints or a lack of strong WiFi. Hang tight for more.

Love to all,

Julia and Mark

Friday, March 27, 2026

This was a travel day. We left Shipwreck Lodge at 8:30 and spent 12 hours getting to Base Camp called Cuatir, which is a 60,000 acre conservancy in SE Angola. To start, we enjoyed 3 flights. The first flight got us out of Namibia. The second and short flight got us across the border and into Angola and the third flight got us to our rendevou with our Angola contact, Stephan van Wyk, who escorted us to our camp destination. We drove 8 hours over 95 kilometers of potholed roads full of water and mud.

We stopped at a couple of villages to meet some local people and shortly before dark we got stuck in tall, wet grass trying to get to a barge to cross the Cubango river.

We succeeded, but it was dark by the time we got on the barge and 8:30 pm by the time we got to camp.We were all utterly exhausted. Dinner was excellently prepared Oryx. We happily fell into bed at 10:30.

Saturday, March 28, 2026

We were met by Stephan’s chef, Stallin, who made us the best breakfast that we have had yet, in spite of the fact that we are so remote and the accommodations are so simple.

After breakfast we went in search of wildlife. The animals are scarce but we saw a few

Kudu, Roan, Reedbuck, giraffe and duiker. A little later on we rushed off to see a group of 15 elephant at a watering hole with a highly desirable salt lick.

We stayed for over an hour watching this wonderful sight and the elephants were so close that we were able to take in their every move, including their eyelashes, so close were they. They were very curious and spent time sniffing and nearly touching us with their trunks. Back at camp we had a delicious lunch and a relaxing afternoon.

At about 4pm we went out again to see what was around and gradually headed for Stephan’s tree house restaurant, up on a hill with a super view.

The “restaurant” was a cabin in the woods that contained a full kitchen. He had stocked it with a full bar and snacks and we happily sipped drinks and enjoyed the view. The ride back to camp was only 12 minutes, unlike the hour long ride up the hill.

Dinner was an excellently prepared springbok and we enjoyed every bite of the rare and tender meat. Later, when we stepped outdoors to head for our cabin we saw in the shadows, a group of elephants.

That got our attention. Eventually, the Elles wandered off and Stephan walked us to our cabin, just to be safe. We were in bed by 9:30.

Sunday, March 29, 2026

Up at 6:30 for a 7:30 adventure, we walked to the water hole, about 2 kilometers away, and back. We saw no animals, but had a lovely breakfast when we returned. Then we went for a short drive in search of more elephants, and found 6 new ones at the water hole.

One was very curious and checked us out, thoroughly. The others were not interested.

After lunch we enjoyed a big lightening and thunder storm followed by more than enough rain. I stayed in the camp kitchen with the crew, while the group went searching for animals. They returned with some good sightings to report. Two saddle billed storks, two fish eagles, a herd of impala, and a wart hog on the run. I was glad they had a good outing, but still happy I stayed in. Mark got no photos.

Dinner was another delicious meal of roasted chicken with couscous and green salad.

Monday, March 30, 2026

Another travel day back down the horrible road we came up a few days ago.

We hit the road at 7am and drove 41 kilometers back to the barge and crossed the river. Then we proceeded to get stuck in the tall grass again.

Stephan decided we should get back on the barge and motor up river until we came to a dryer path with no grass. Going up river took more than an hour, but we sat on the barge with our feet in the pleasantly cool river. Once off the river, we had to repeat the 10 kilometers we had just lost going up river. Stephan drove us as fast as he could manage over the potted and water logged road, but the 95 kilometers still took 4 hours of bouncing and bumping.

We arrived at the Caila airport at 3:30, packed the plane and flew to the town of Namib. The weather caused many changes. We had expected to drive to a mobile tented camp for 2 nights, but ended up staying in a hotel in Namib instead. No complaints. We had an ok meal in a 3 star hotel and a cozy bed. Meanwhile, the road to our camp was flooding and becoming impassible. All this rain in the desert is distressing everyone. Stephan is calling it the “year of water in Angola”.

Tuesday, March 31, 2026

Namib is a town of a million people in SW Angola. It sits on the edge of the Southern Atlantic Ocean and is normally a relaxed desert town. In the morning we went back to the airport to fly to an island called Isla dos Tigres. It was part of our planned program, but a bit out of sequence. Like us, our pilot, Matthius, had not been there before either. All we knew was that the place had been in existence from 1850 to 1970 as a town supporting a fish packing plant. The Main Street was built to support a concrete runway.

Sometime during the 60’s the town had been cut off from the mainland by wind and rain storms and become an island. Fresh water that had flowed from a nearby river was cut off as well. A desalination plant was installed, but gradually people left the town and it was abandoned by 1970. Today it is a ghost town with a runway. The perfect spot for pilots like us to want to visit. We took lots of photos on the way and while there. My favorite building was the Portuguese Catholic Church called Saint San Martinho. Unfortunately, a bunch of Angolan military have taken up residence and are even using the church as a kitchen and storage facility. They have been in residence only a week, but Stephan thinks they will be permanent residents and destroy the place.

We flew along the coastline on the return and spotted 2 shipwrecks. We also noticed walls of sand with dark stripes along part of the beach and were told that is how the island was named “Isle dos Tigres”.

Back at the airport, we said good bye to Matthius, who was flying the plane back to Windhoek. We were back to ground pounding.

Stephen, Claire, Mark and I went to a very casual restaurant on the beach for dinner and happily munched on juicy, fresh crab. That was followed by some local fish and lots of beer. We have agreed to be up by 5am for tomorrow’s adventure so to bed early it is.

Friday, March 20, 2026

A man named Moses picked us up at the Windhoek airport and drove us 35 minutes through the city to a lodge called The Olive Exclusive. Claire Jones, our guide extraordinaire, was waiting to welcome us to our Namibia and Angola adventure with her. The accommodations are quite fine with 2 queen beds, lots of room and a large garden with a private pool.

Too bad we will not be around long enough to enjoy the setting. We were soon in bed. Breakfast with Claire at 8am, then back in the car with Moses taking us to the local airstrip, for a flight northwest to Damaraland, to a place called Twyfelfontein, where we will see famous rock art and, of coarse, animals.

Although Namibia is not a small country physically, it has the smallest population of any country in Africa. There are only 3 million inhabitants. The capital, Windhoek, has about half a million people and is a very modern city with paved roads, many high rise buildings and lots of successful looking shops.

Flying over the country on the way to Damaraland, north and west of Windhoek, we saw thousands of acres of vacant, gentle rolling landscape in shades of green, pink and tan with trees and shrubs growing along the drainage beds. Low hills interrupted the scene.

The only mountain we passed was a small range called Brandberg. At the airstrip we were met by our driver/guide, Francois, who drove us 20 minutes to Onduli Ridge, a lodge in the middle of nowhere. A great place to be. The word Onduli means giraffe in the local language, but we did not see any giraffe. We did see some interesting plants along the way.

One was a spiky shrub with pretty purple pods called termanalia.

Another was a yellow flower called mouse whiskers and Devil’s Thorn, and another was a pink, snapdragon-like plant called Wild Sesame.

Francois told us about a small plant called Ostrich Salad that even tasted good.

And a plant called commiphera. It looked to me like a manzanita, but he told us it was one of 30 different species that rarely die. When dry, they loose their leaves and look dead, but are not. At the moment they are still green. Can’t find a photo.

The most interesting plant he showed us was a Welwitchia Mirabilis. There are separate male and female plants that grow near each other and are pollinated by a bug that travels from one to the other. It is a prehistoric, old world plant. We saw a few of them as we drove.

We arrived at the lodge in time to quickly check into our room and get to lunch. The place is delightful in spite of the extreme heat and the desert setting.

Lunch was served like a ladies tea service, a tower on three round plates of different sizes with a wide variety of foods presented. We could take or leave what we wanted and had more than enough to eat.

After lunch we had an hour to relax before our first game drive, which proved to be very unusual. At 3pm Francois drove us a hour through the desert to a spot on the road where we joined a pair of veterinarians and 20 travelers, including ourselves, waiting to participate in the process of tagging and collaring a young male cheetah.

We were just in time to receive a talk about what would be happening and what we could and should do while the cat was anesthetized. Mainly we were to be very quiet and still. The vet picked individuals in the group to do various tasks. Mark was picked to help carry the anesthetized cat to the table where it would receive medical attention.

I was picked to apply pressure to the cheetah’s leg muscles while the vet drew blood. Mark was also chosen for an addition task, taking the cheetah’s temperature, using a rectal thermometer. Something Mark had no previous experience doing but he caught on quickly. Other people did various tasks until the animal was carried back to the cage it had been caught in and left to recover and walk out of the cage by itself. It was an extraordinary experience that just happened to be taking place on a day we could participate. Later we learned that the cheetah recovered very slowly and bolted out of the cage at 7:30 that evening.

We drove back to camp feeling pleased with the experience and happy to have a late dinner. While away, the staff rolled our bed outside, about 15 feet from its indoor position, so we could sleep under the stars. As there is only a thin crescent moon, the stars were very bright and we laid awake awhile enjoying the view from our comfy bed.

Saturday,March 21, 2026

On the road at 7am, Francois drove us to see elephants. But first we stopped at a cluster of large stones that displayed centuries old carvings of different animals.

The carvings had been done between 2000 and 6000 years ago and accurately displayed zebra, rhino, kudu, giraffe, oryx, antelope and human foot signatures. No people in any form. It is believed that the purpose of the art was to communicate with other tribes or across other generations.

It was at least 2 hours to reach the first Eli because we stopped many time to enjoy the art and scenery and identify birds and plants. The road is very rough and bumpy, but we ignored the discomfort. Francois called the road an African massage.

It was lovely to finally see an elephant up close after only seeing two distant elephants in the Huab river earlier on this trip. It was drinking from a pipe intended to provide water to the neighboring village.

Driving further on we encountered a half dozen animals and several minutes later we saw another dozen interacting with each other. I counted 20 for sure and there may have been a couple more. The group included 2 babies and several young animals as well as several adults.

After watching them a half hour or so, we headed back o the lodge. This return drive took 2 full hours. After a late lunch, we did find time to have a dip in the pool to cool off. We cleaned up for dinner but stopped for sundowners first, where we had a wonderful conversation with a lodge staff member, Jake’s, a member of the Nama tribe, who we learned will be getting married in November.

We properly quizzed him for details of his bride and also learned he spoke a language with 4 clicks, which he willingly shared with us in the form of a story about his family. He told us the clicks give meaning to what is being said. Then it was time for another late dinner, after which we headed for bed. The sky was partially overcast so there were fewer stars, but we enjoyed sleeping outdoors anyway. No chance of rain.

Sunday, March 22, 2026

Another 7am departure. This time we are hoping to find rhino. We have been told there are only black rhino in the national conservancy. Francois has been in touch with the rhino trackers and knows where to find them. It is another long drive in a different direction.

Along the way we spotted a few dozen Springbok, a troop of ostriches, a Ludwig’s bustard, several other birds and numerous plants. The most memorable was the Welwitchia Mirabilis with each plant being one sex or the other as earlier described. The most interesting tree is the Mopane. A hardwood tree with leaves that have a butterfly-like shape.

This tree is popular with elephants, and a grove of them indicates there is an aquifer underneath. Francois pointed out a Sandpaper bush with very sticky leaves.

Finally we met up with the rhino trackers and walked a short distance from where we could see a black rhino sleeping in the shade of a bush. Not very exciting, but the best the trackers could do. Ten minutes of a sleeping 2.8 ton animal was adequate for us.

Returning to the lodge we were met with another delicious, tea service lunch served by Esther, a Damara tribe member, who described in her click language what it was that we were eating.

It was charming to hear her tongue, despite not knowing what she was saying. It was melodious and fascinating to listen to the use of the clicks that give meaning to what she was telling us.

Tuesday, 24th of March, 2026

Rain, Lots of rain. Drive to airport. Plane cannot get off the ground. Stop flight. Wait for rain to let up. It doesn’t. Pilot flys away in light plane. We drive an hour to another airstrip where the pilot has been waiting for us. This time there is less rain, a firm surface and longer runway. We were off easily. Relief.

We head for the Skeleton Coast over miles and miles of sand.

Sunday, March 15, 2026

This is the house where all the activities begin and end for people working at the hospital and now at the Dental Clinic too. Everyone gathers here, meals are served and housing is doled out according to prearranged bookings.

On our last to Bwindi we stayed here in a room called Blackie’s shack. This trip we are staying in the Buhoma Lodge, which is just inside the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Mimi Simmons and Rick Kalb have their own rooms above us.

The 8 dentists and other volunteers are scattered around the area in various Monkey House accommodations. It is a lively group with everyone working together enthusiastically. After 2 days of intense dentistry, everyone attended the Sunday service in the BCH church. The service lasted 2 and a half hours including much singing and dancing, speeches, and a chicken auction.

Everyone got involved in the joyous occasion. Julianah, our god daughter, and Anivious, the Batwa girl we sponsor, arrived during the service to join us. What a treat that was.

During the rest of the day, we did a variety of things; including giving Julianah and Anivious clothing I had brought for them, which they were both happy to receive. Julianah is about my size and fits into everything. Anivious is so small, nothing I have fits. Nevertheless she took shoes, scarves and a jacket.

Then we met up with Barnabas, the hospital operations manager, who took us on a walking tour of the staff housing. Existing housing is woefully inadequate. Housing is needed for at least 150 more people. We learned there is some existing housing available for purchase that is currently being rented by the hospital for staff as well as land that is available to be built on for about 24 units total. Each unit will cost about $12,500 to build. Some existing housing needs to be refurbished. In all, we are thinking $300 thousand is needed to improve current staff housing and we are wondering how to interest the group in our assessment of the need,

Back at Monkey House, we spent the afternoon hanging out, chatting with other guests and enjoying the sunshine.

We returned to Buhoma Lodge with Scott, Julianah and Anivious for dinner. Shortly after arriving, the sky opened up and we had a deluge of rain. Fortunately, we were under cover and had huge umbrellas to get to the room when needed.

Monday, March 16, 2026

Today is the day the whole dental staff went gorilla tracking. Mark and I were happy to see them off, as we have seen the gorillas 4 different times and did not need another trek.

While everyone else trekked, we played cards with Julianah and Anivious. The games were rather inane, but the 4 of us had a good time together. After a couple of hours, they both departed to visit their other friends and we relaxed.

At 5:30 the dentist group convened at what is called the Lower Monkey House for drinks, popcorn and chatter. The gorilla trek was a supper success for all concerned. After a time Mark and I made a pitch to the entire group for funds for the staff housing need. The group was very receptive and we believe the Kellermann Foundation will receive a fair amount of money as a result of our presentation. We are hoping to raise $300,000 to build and refurbish 24 staff units. We shall see.

At 7:30 a group of 8 of us walked to nearby Bohemia Lodge for dinner. The conversation continued lively until 9:30.

Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Up and out at 8:30 for a drive to a large grammar school about an hour’s drive away to provide dental supplies, educate the students about dental hygiene, and apply fluoride to everyone’s teeth. The littlest ones were hardest to do as they were afraid and unsure what we were doing. Older kids were much more receptive and willing.

Friday, March 6, 2026

After 36 hours of traveling, we finally arrived in Entebbe and were taken directly to our near by accommodations for the night. Called The Boma, it was our first time in the place and we instantly liked it. It had only 14 rooms and was located in the middle of a fully grown tropical garden. After settling in we wandered around the garden admiring the pretty, blooming plants and ate an early, light meal. The bed felt wonderful and we were more than ready for it.

Saturday, March 7, 2026

But, wide awake at 4am, we packed and got ready for another long, but different sort of day. By 8am, we were in a 210 Cessna headed for Bungungu, a dirt strip at Murchison Falls an hour North of Entebbe. The pilot very happily flew us over and around the falls.

A few minutes later we were met by Thomas, a driver and guide who we know from years past. He works for our long time friend Jonathan Wright, who is now the proud owner of 7 lodges in Uganda. In fact, we are on our way to meet Jonathan at his newest lodge, Kulu Ora on the banks of the Nile, 20 miles north of the falls. But first, Thomas organized a boat ride down river to the falls with much critter watching on the way.

We saw dozens of hippo and crocodiles, 2 large elephants, 2 Rothchild giraffes, hundreds of Kob, several Oribi, Hartebeast, water buck, warthogs, baboons, Cape Buffalo and a multitude of birds.

Then we arrived at the falls and fought the current as close as we could get. Took a bunch of photos and then scooted with the current back to the starting point.

After the boat ride, we drove an hour and a half, some on dirt roads, through beautiful forest and Savannah to Kulu Ora. The Nile surprisingly appeared just as we reached camp.

The afternoon was quite warm and it felt good to stay cool. The staff told us we were at the beginning of the rainy season, but there are still many days without rain and this was one of them.

Dinner was at 7pm and there were 8 of us including a photography crew who were creating a photo brochure to promote the new lodge. It so happened that we are the first guests in the lodge and became helpers in the lodge shake down activities. I learned that Kulu means “running river” and Ora means “dry river bed”. Kulu refers to the Nile and Ora refers to a side stream next to the lodge called Kisangani, that is often completely dry.

The food was delicious as the chef, who is here creating a menu and training the kitchen staff, created and prepared our meal. The conversation was lively and fun, but Mark and I were ready to end the day by 9pm and could not wait to slip into bed.

Sunday, March 8, 2026

Up and out at 5:15 for our first game drive of the trip. No problem getting up early as we were still suffering from jet lag. A quick coffee, into the stadium-seating Land Rover, and off we went to see scenery, animals, birds and termite hills.

Jonathan joined us with high hopes for spotting lions. It was still dark and cold when we started out. With spotlights scanning the scene, we saw many pair of Kob eyes in the distance and night jars on the road. Gradually the sky lightened and the air warmed. I got a nice sunrise shot. We began to see more animals, especially Kob, but lions eluded us until almost coffee time when we spotted two one year olds.

Jonathan recognized them as brother and sister hanging out waiting for their mother. We spent a good bit of time looking for the mother, but gave up when it was time to go back to camp for breakfast.

The food is so good, it is hard to turn down the tasty choices, but I am trying to eat less. After breakfast, Mark and I spent several hours relaxing in our tent dipping in our pool. Lunch was at 2pm followed by another game drive at 5pm.

Driving along the dirt roads we saw a few giraffe, oribi, hartebeest, waterbuck and several worthogs. The scenery consisted of gentle rolling hills of forest and Savannah, all very green and pretty and loaded with Kob .

We had better luck finding lions on this drive. First we found a big male with 3 females. We watched them long enough to witness him copulating with the females 2-3 times each. Jonathan believes the girls have been taken over by this male, Nelson, because their previous dominant male, Tony, was killed or pushed out of the pride for lack of strength. Tony had been injured in a poaching snare and not recovered. After 3 weeks go by, a new male will take over, as Nelson is doing. Meanwhile, the two one year olds we had seen earlier waiting for mom, appear to have been abandoned by one of the ladies rather than allow them to be killed by Nelson, who would not permit Tony’s offspring to live.

After a good amount of time, we left Nelson and ladies to look for more game. Soon we found another group of lions with a handsome male, too young to be a father but showing lots of potential.

There were 5 other lions lounging around. No one looked hungry. There are literally thousands of Kob in Murchison National Park to choose from for an easy meal. We watched this group for awhile, but nothing much was happening as they were all sleeping.

We found a spot for a sundowner, had a drink watching the sun make an uninteresting departure and drive home in the dark. After another very nice dinner, Mark and I went to bed.

Monday, March 9, 2026

Out again at 5:30, we looked for Nelson and his ladies and found them finishing a breakfast Kob and continuing to copulate. One of the girls looked like she was trying to leave the group. We wondered if she might be the mother of the abandoned one year olds. She did not get far before Nelson retrieved her. Later we found the orphans looking hungry and forlorn, but apparently unable find some food on their own. Jonathan thought it would be good to have them captured and taken to a lion shelter.

We left the four behind and relocated the second group of 6. They too were finishing off a Kob. Otherwise there was not much action.

Back at camp, we rested and enjoyed our dipping pool until lunch. Feasted again and leisurely absorbed the afternoon on the edge of the Nile from our tent.

At 5pm we were off again driving around the park. We did not see any lions this time, but enjoyed the drive and scenery,

Dinner was at 8pm with lots of good conversation and bed at 9:30.

Tuesday, March 10 2026

Off again at 5:30 along the same track as other days. Encountered two female lion from the group of six just laying around. Carried on and found Nelson and the three ladies finishing another Kob and making more babies.

We spent some time helping Jonathan decide where to build an airstrip to improve access to Kulu Ora. Mark spent some time casting for Nile perch while Jonathan and I had breakfast on the river bank. The hotel staff had prepared a dish called “rolex” for us and cooked them on a small BBQ. It turned out to be an omelet rolled up and cooked in a tortilla. It was tasty, if a bit greasy.

The day was mixed with hot sun in the morning and cool rain in the late afternoon.

For a change, we have dinner at 7:30pm and head out for a game drive at night.