Jeremy Tucker

Oh Hello!

2008-08-24T15:42:00.001+01:00

Obuasi by night

2008-08-22T18:46:00.004+01:00

Here are a few pics I took the other night in and around Obuasi.

Mie Mia Ghana

2008-08-06T14:58:00.004+01:00

It's been a while (again) since I posted on my blog, this time I have some kind of excuse! I am recovering from malaria which wasn't very nice, luckily this time seems to be a fairly light attack, nevertheless it still hits you for six.

Here are few photos from Mie Mia the other weekend:

Photos from Tanzania trip

2008-06-28T01:59:00.013+01:00

It's high time I updated my blog with a few photos from my recent trip to Tanzania. The holiday itself was very enjoyable and relaxing, Jane and I set a goal of spotting 45 animals during our trip, we managed 44!

List:

Elephant
Red Hartebeest
Giraffe
Lion
Zebra
Cape Buffalo
Black Backed Jackal
Impala
Dik Dik
Ground Squirrel - short version
Waterbuck
Baboon
Vervet Monkey
Grants Gazelle
Rock Hyrax
Small Bat
Warthog
Ground - long version
Black Tipped Mongoose
Black Banded Mongoose
Wildebeest
Hartebeest - standard
Golden Jackal
Thompsons Gazelle
Spotted Hyena
Hippo
Leopard
Cheetah
Eland
Serval
Hare
Rhino
Genet
White Tailed Mongoose
Dwarf Mongoose
Reed Buck
Topi
Silver Backed Jackal
African Wildcat
Bushbuck
Blue Monkey
Marsh Mongoose
Bushbaby
Large bat

I took over 1200 photos during the trip, here are some of my favorites, expect some more photos in the near future.

A Masai herder in the Ngorongoro crater

Cape Buffalo

Rock Hyrax (Dassie)

Lilac Breasted Roller

A Golden Jackal take a leap over a stream

Old Elephant in the Ngorongoro crater

Our Masai guide

Lioness checking out some potential prey

Male Lion

This Lioness may looked aggressive or distressed but she was in fact just yawning

The brothers

The sisters

Cheetah

Giraffes, I just love the backdrop to this photo

Silver backed Jackal

Zebra enjoying a dust bath

Zebra mid stride

More running Zebras

Crested eagle

Red Hartebeest mid stride

Typical African sunset

Ol Doinyo Lengai Volcano - active

Mount Kilimanjaro

A Masai dog sleeping in the flowers, someone commented that this looked like a doggie funeral!

Tanzania

2008-06-03T13:15:00.001+01:00

From: Jeremy Tucker <jez.tucker@gmail.com>
Sent: 03 June 2008 09:18
To: jez.tucker.170371@blogger.com
Subject: Tanzania

After no jet fuel in Accra, cancelled flights to Lagos, etc. (the joys of travelling in Africa!) I finally made it Kilimanjaro airport last Saturday evening and stayed the night in the KIA Lodge whch is a few minutes drive from the airport.

After a decent nights sleep I met up with Jane at the airport the following morning, unfortunately Jane's luggage was not with her, as you can tell we had an eventful start!

We finally made it to the Maee Ninga tented camp on Monday evening which is located in the Tarangire national park, Northern Tanzania.

I have taken a few photos with my phone to add to this post, so don't expect good photos!. I cannot get over the fact that I can post messages on my blog while I am really in the middle of nowhere!

Kitten update

2008-05-17T14:39:00.011+01:00

It's about time I did an update on the progress of the kittens. First off, I have some really sad news, Vladkat went missing a couple of weeks ago and I searched high and low for her. I was told a few days later that someone had seen a small white cat dead by the road outside, I searched for her but could not find her body.

Sadly Vladkat is no longer with us :-(.

R.I.P Vladkat.

After a few days I deceided to get another kitten, seeing how Meowrie and Vladkat interacted and played together made me feel a bit guilty that Meowrie did not have a play partner, so I decided to get another one.

Say hello to James:

This is the first photo I took of James, he was very frightened at the time! He stayed in my bathroom for a few days while he got used to his surroundings and I could eventually pick him up. Initially Meowrie was aggressive towards him spitting and growling at him when all he wanted to do was be friendly. Now they are good friends! On another note I discovered that Meowrie is in fact a tom, so Meowrie will now be known as Adie.

Here are some recent photos of Adie & James:

Wakey wakey!

What time is it?

The morning stretching exercises.

Time to playfight!

Ready... fight!

The kitten half-nelson with bite-to-head.

The winner celebrates...

...then does a spiderman impression.

This man should be in a circus!

2008-05-09T08:07:00.005+01:00

I have seen this man a few times in Obuasi, he rides a bicycle through heavy traffic while balancing 3 or 4 bamboo poles on his head in what can only be described as an incredible feat of balance.

I was told that he was previously jailed for petty theft, since getting out of jail he bought himself a bike and most days he rides into the bush to find bamboo poles, he then puts them on his head and rides back into town to sell them. They are used as TV aerial poles.

Mind you, I would be much more impressed if he was riding a hicycle!!!

Swallows drinking and cooling down.

2008-05-02T14:40:00.004+01:00

Yesterday was a holiday in Ghana (May Day). We spent most of the afternoon relaxing by the pool. I got the camera out and managed to get a few shots of the swallows drinking on the fly from the surface of the pool.

Elmina panorana

2008-04-29T23:49:00.003+01:00

This a panoramic photo of Elmina Castle, Ghana. Click on photo for large version (this applies to all my photos).

Beach or desert with clouds, or maybe not?

2008-04-29T21:04:00.003+01:00

I took this photo on the beach at dusk. The photo is long exposure with the shutter open for about 30 seconds. At first glance it may look like a beach or desert with the sky and clouds in the background, in fact they are not clouds but ocean waves breaking.

Vladkat and Meowrie update

2008-04-26T15:28:00.005+01:00

Both kittens are doing well, they get fed corned beef or tuna at least twice a day and love chasing the flies at night.

Excuse me, I want attention.

I said, I want attention!!!

That's better.

Vladkat being camera shy and hiding inside the pool table.

Monkey Forest Resort

2008-04-26T12:20:00.004+01:00

While we were near Kakum we visited the Monkey Forest Resort which is run by a Dutch man called Dennis and his wife. There are quite a few local animals to see in their zoo, it's a nice place but I think it's a shame that you have to see the local wildlife in a zoo rather than in the wild.

A Genet.

Young monkey.

Vladka with monkey.

A young tortoise, only a few weeks old.

Night sky

2008-04-26T09:42:00.003+01:00

I took this photo while I was next to the pool at the Golden Tulip hotel in Kumasi.

Kakum national park

2008-04-24T09:25:00.005+01:00

The Kakum national park is about 30 kilometers north of Cape Coast and contains a canopy walkway, one of only four in the world and the only one in Africa. The highest point is 40 meters, there are 7 bridges and the total length is 330 meters, making it the longest canopy walkway in the world.

It certainly an experience being on top of the the rainforest canopy, unfortunately there are very few animals in the area because of the human activity. We did hear some monkeys but were unable to see them. "Bushmeat" is considered a delicacy by many Ghanaians and many forest animals such as monkeys, deer and pangolins are still killed and eaten.

This is our guide "Fifi", he has worked at the park for 12 years and gets paid about £120 a month, he told me that he has to provide his own uniform and footwear because the Ghana Wildlife Society doesn't provide him with anything. I wonder where the park fees are going then?

40 meters up looking over the rainforest canopy.

Vladka taking the first steps.

Looking 40 meters down. At this point I asked Fifi who maintained the walkway, he told me that Paratroopers did the maintenance. This made sense because Paratroopers are used to heights and are generally well trained, further into the conversation I realised that he was saying "parrot trappers"! Parrot trappers make their money from climbing high trees and trapping parrots funnily enough, when they are caught and arrested they are then put to work maintaining the walkway.

Looking down one of the walkway bridges.

Marie on the walkway.

Vladka on the walkway.

One of the bridges.

Marie & Vladka standing next to the biggest tree in the forest.

Fungi.

Elephant skull.

Hans Cottage Botel

2008-04-23T22:29:00.008+01:00

Hans Cottage Botel is an amazing place, it is located between Cape Coast and the Kakum forest. The restaurant is built on stilts over a lake that is inhabited by several dozen crocodiles. There are also several hundred weaver birds building nests along the bank, the weaver is a fascinating little bird to observe! Unfortunately the rooms are not great and are rather expensive for what you get.

The restaurant at night.

Office & statue at night.

A kingfisher aims for a fish...

...and misses.

One of the crocs.

The same croc.

We were throwing bread into the water which attracted the fish, in this photo the croc is actually going for the fish which are going for the bread.

Marie making friends.

A worker fills up his water can next to a croc.

A schools party visits the Botel.

A smaller reptile.

This once was quite large and supposedly friendly.

The friendly one again.

A weaver bird.

Coconut Grove Hotel, Elmina - Ghana

2008-04-23T20:12:00.006+01:00

The Coconut Grove Hotel is located very close to the Elmina Castle, it's a great place to spend a night or two.

Vladka at Coconut Grove Hotel

Coconut trees and fishing canoe.

The restaurant and Bar.

The pool.

The beach at night.

After a couple of G& T's we decided to do some "light painting". This involves a bright LED torch and then putting the camera on long exposure and the "painting or writing" with said torch.

Marie writes "I heart Adie"

Vladka writes "Milanek" (I think).

My man with 2 dogs and a ball.

Vladka's, erm, rabbit?

My volleyball match.

The waiter was impressed when I wrote him name.

My man upset with his dog for messing on the beach.

Maries, erm, Pinapple?

Maries "Hippodog" jumping onto a wall.

My man playing with ball and dog that made another mess.

Elmina castle

2008-04-20T23:48:00.009+01:00

Elmina castle was erected by the Potuguese in 1482, that makes it 526 years old. The castle later became one of the most important stops on the route of the Atlantic Slave Trade. To save me typing, you can find out much more about the history of Elmina castle on Wikipedia.

I have been to Elmina several times and it always makes you stop and think what those people went through.

Elmina castle from the coast.

Elmina Castle.

The governors residence inside the castle.

The Portuguese church.

Another photo of the church.

Looking down from the governors balcony towards the church.

The point of no return.

Walking through the point of no return.

One of the cannonballs from the many Portuguese/Dutch wars over the castle.

A visitor picking up the cannon ball.

Cannons facing seaward.

Marie & Vladka.

Elmina town.

Looking Westward from the castle.

Looking Eastward from the castle.

Kite flying past.

The pillar you see are the remains of the jetty where the slave ships used to berth.

The fishing boats at Elmina.

Vladka & Marie

2008-04-19T10:51:00.005+01:00

Although Vladka and Marie have gone back they are still here. The real Vladka and Marie have now flown back home but my sister was kind enough to leave me with 2 little kittens which she rescued!

So, without further delay here are Vladka & Marie:

Marie is the black white one and Vladka is the one at the back.

Vladka just being herself. :-)

Marie screaming for attention!

Lake Bosumtwi (again)

2008-04-14T12:56:00.007+01:00

After golf we took a drive to lake Bosumtwi. This time it was much busier and a couple were celebrating their engagement.

People having fun in the water.

No comment.

People.

Vladka and Marie were impressed with this guys ball skills

A chalet by the lake.

Marie gave these girls a pen and they were happy, so was she.

The cruise boat.

Village by the lake.

More people swimming.

Walking by the lake shore.

Boy carrying chairs from the engagement party.

Fishing planks.

The lake shore.

Have fun, but think...

Bekwai sunset.

Playing golf in Obuasi.

2008-04-14T12:32:00.007+01:00

On Sunday morning we decided to have a game of golf, it was Vladka's first ever time and she enjoyed it very much.

On the putting green.

Marie sinking a birdie.

Vladka sinking an eagle.

Vladka teeing off.

Marie teeing off.

The clubhouse.

Playing at Luigi's

2008-04-14T12:16:00.005+01:00

On Saturday we enjoyed the afternoon swimming in the pool, playing with dogs and having a braai at Luigi's.

Marie being chased by Leo and trying to escape.

An African swallow taking a dip.

Marie in the chief's chair.

Vladka in the chief's chair.

Obuasi market

2008-04-14T10:59:00.008+01:00

Vladka & Marie took a trip to the market last Friday, they decided to walk the hour long journey instead of taking a 5 min taxi ride. Here are some of the sights they saw.

Mosque in Obuasi.

This is an area on the edge of the market where people smoke fish to sell.

Vladka & Marie walked past a school and were mobbed by lots of children wanting to have their photos taken.

Obuasi sunset.

A lady carrying her daughter.

Marie made a balloon dog and gave it to this kid, he was happy!

Marie with dress makers at the market.

Marie learning to sew (Mum would be impresed).

Vladka teaching the Ghanaian ladies to sew (Lin would be impressed).

Marie was grabbed by a stall holder who would not let her go!

A lady cooking bankum.

Vladka exploring the market.

Marie learning how to braid hair.

Vlada making the dress makers laugh with her Czech jokes (c-a-m-i-e-r-a).

Going underground at Ashanti.

2008-04-11T15:45:00.007+01:00

This morning we took a trip underground in the Anglogold Ashanti gold mine which is one of the biggest in the world.

Vladka & Marie getting kitted up.

Vladka just about ready to go.

Sansu Pit.

Sansu portal sign.

Gate to the portal.

Toro loader.

Truck on ramp.

Explosives magazine.

Roof support.

Vladka "driving" the loco.

Marie "driving" the loco.

The ladder going up the raise.

Exiting the portal.

Adullam Orphanage

2008-04-11T15:23:00.004+01:00

Yesterday we visited Adullam Orphanage which was established 12 years ago by a lady called Louise and her husband Andrew, they have truly done an amazing job and given the less fortunate children in Obuasi a second chance in life.

If anyone is interested in donating to the orphanage or doing some fund raising then please get in touch with me and I'll pass your details onto Louise, you can find the Adullam Orphanage website here.

Vladka blowing bubbles for the kids.

The deaf school at Adullam.

Marie "talking" to the deaf school teacher.

Marie blowing baloons for the children.

More lighting!

2008-04-07T22:36:00.007+01:00

This evening we were treated to a spectacular thunderstorm, I managed to get a few decent shots of the lighting.

Half-wet elephant

2008-04-01T09:12:00.004+01:00

Back in 2006 I sent a photograph of an elephant emerging from the Chobe river in Botswana, I sent the photo to the BBC which they published, see photo number 4.

the photograph has since become quite a hit on the internet, just do a search for "half wet elephant on Google" or click here. There seem to be dozens of sites displaying my elephant photo. I suppose it's flattering, but it would be nice to be recognised.

Here is another photo of the same elephant. Webmasters, if you use my photographs, please link back to my blog and give me some credit.

Maybe I should sell posters! ;-)

Bug in my hair

2008-03-30T22:23:00.005+01:00

I just felt something in my hair and here it is!

Lizard exposes woman in Church!

2008-03-29T22:07:00.002Z

This is a story from a newspaper in Ghana. I don't really have much to add, just read the report:

Click on the image above to get full, readable size.

Rain Rain Rain!

2008-03-25T23:19:00.004Z

In Ghana we get some impressive tropical thunderstorms, today I was caught in the middle of a huge thunderstorm on my way from Accra to Obuasi. At one stage I had to pull over and stop because the visibility was terrible.

Fallen trees are quite a common site during thunderstorms, luckily I managed to get around this one without to much trouble.

Right here, right now

2008-03-23T12:11:00.000Z

I have heard that it is cold & windy back in th UK, aww.

What type of bike is this?

2008-03-22T18:09:00.005Z

More strange sights from Ghana, this is Kweku riding the "Hicycle" (made that up!), I just saw him riding it along the road so I stopped and took some pics.

How does he get on? If you look at the bottom bike you will see a single pedal, he sort of runs beside the bike to get it going and uses the 3rd pedal at the bottom as a step and simply jumps on.

African Bull

2008-03-22T16:45:00.005Z

The other day I drove around a corner to meet this beast ahead of me!

This reminds me of a joke:
Q. Why do the swiss but cow bells on cows?
A. Because their horns don't work.

Electrical problems

2008-03-14T08:21:00.000Z

The air conditioning cooling fan is not working on my Nissan, MBC guys fault finding.

Leo & Leah, the Boerboels

2008-03-09T21:41:00.008Z

These dogs belong to a friend of mine, the breed is from South Africa and is called a Boerboel or South African Mastiff.

They are great dogs and very playful, but I wouldn't like to be on the wrong end of an aggressive Boerboel!

From Wikipedia: "Boerboels are a very dominant but intelligent breed, with a strong watchdog instinct. They are self-assured and fearless, but responsive to the needs of the family displaying an intuitive ability to sense if the family is in danger. Like other large dogs with a strong guard instinct, the Boerboel needs to be watched around strangers always, and introduced to friends and other dogs early on to avoid aggression, and like all dogs should never be left with young children unattended. They are a dog that thrive on love and attention and need constant companionship from their owners and cannot be left alone for regular extended periods without becoming destructive, reckless and dangerous."

Above are photos of Leo, a three year old Boerboel dog.

And this is Leah, a seven month old Boerboel bitch.

Leah & Leo playing.

Sunday at Obuasi

2008-03-09T11:58:00.000Z

View from the balcony on a Sunday morning.

Ashanti Gold vs Sahel FC

2008-03-07T19:26:00.002Z

Last Sunday I went to watch a football match between the local team Ashanti Gold and a team from Niger called Sahel FC.

This was the second leg, Ashgold had lost the first leg 1-0 in Niger so then needed a convincing victory to go through to the next round. I was fortune enough to sit with the VVIP's and was only a few seats away from the delegates from the away team Sahel FC.

The first half was very tense, both teams scored within minutes of each other after about 15 minutes. At halftime most of the crowd was disappointed by the way that Ashgold had played, then came the second half!

About 10 minutes after half time I noticed a disturbance in the crowd where the away supporters were seated, these seemed to be a number of Ashgold fans fighting with the away supporters, yes it even happens in Africa! I then notice the police chasing a couple of of the away fans, then 5 minutes later the two away fans appeared just in front of me being treated by the St. John's medics. It later transpired that the two fans had Juju or black magic on them that were preventing Ashgold from scoring, during the disagreement the Juju was taken from the away fans and Ashgold went on to score a further 5 goals, winning 6-2 on aggregate.

I have uploaded quite a few photos of the match to my Flickr account, slide show is below:

Slide show of match between Ashanti Gold of Ghana & Sahel FC of Niger.

Scruff

2008-03-07T17:27:00.000Z

This is Arie's dog, Scruff. I am testing to see if I can post to my blog from my phone.

Lightning!

2008-03-07T00:04:00.003Z

This evening we were treated to a pretty awesome thunderstorm, unfortunately most of the lightning was sheet lightning, but about 30 minutes after the rain had stopped I managed to get some half decent lightning photos.

It was the first time I had tried taking photos of lightning but I was fairly happy with the results, hopefully the next storm will be much more spectacular!

Fisherman on the beach

2008-02-29T11:19:00.008Z

The other day I drove from Obuasi to Accra to return a vehicle I had been renting for the past couple of weeks. The drive itself is about 4-5 hours long and used to be an awful drive, the stretch from Cape Coast to Accra used to be treacherous because the road was in such a poor condition. I'm happy to say that the road has been completely renovated and is now in a first class condition. Additionally there are dozens more police on the road and highway patrol vehicles making sure people drive sensibly, this was something that needed to be done.

The route from Obuasi to Accra.

The best thing about the drive is the opportunity to stop off at a beach resort and stop for a bit of lunch and a break from the driving, it certainly beats the little chef on the A303! I usually stop off at a place called Biriwa Beach, but this time I thought I would try somewhere different and opted for the Anomabu Beach Resort which was very nice indeed.

The "Little Chef" Ghana style.

The view from my table.

Looking the other way.

A boy throws a ball for his dog.

A view of the beach.

A fisherman looks out.

Fishermen prepare to pull the net in.

It's fun to stay at the...

The net being pulled in, I was going to hang around to see what they caught but I was told that they would be pulling it in for 3 hours!

There is a newspaper in Ghana called "People & Places", it is the Ghanaian tabloid and comes out every Thursday, It is full of strange stories of people turning into lizards and wizards flying in the night. I will get a copy next week and scan it for the blog!

Jeremy.

Lake Bosomtwe

2008-02-26T16:16:00.007Z

Last Sunday I took a drive out to lake Bosomtwe, an ancient meteorite impact crater that is over a million years old. There is a fair amount of information on the lake on Wikipedia.

I met a man there called Fred, he was a retired soldier and a true gentleman, he was very interesting to talk to and had lots of stories to tell. I spent a couple of hours with Fred talking about the history of the lake and the people that live around the lake. At the moment apart from a hotel and a few bamboo huts there is not much at all to attract visitors, there are plans to introduce speed boats and jetskis to the lake but it would spoil the peace and tranquility of the area.

Having said that, the amenities are very basic and there is room for a controlled level of development to attract visitors to the area. The lake itself is huge, Fred said that the lake is 20 kilometers wide at the widest point - I have since checked on Google Earth and the widest point is 8.5 kilometers which ties in the the sizes stated on Wikipedia. Oops, I'm beginning to sound like some kind of geek!

According to legend, lake Bosomtwe was discovered by a hunter called Bompe, he was chasing a small antelope through the rainforest when the antelope fell into a small pond, it was if the water was trying to save the antelope. Bompe gave up and caught some fish instead. The name Bosomtwe actually means "Fetish antelope" and the lake is scared to the Ashanti people, this is the reason why I think that speedboats and jetskis should not be allowed. Even the fishermen use simple planks to get around.

Fishermen on lake Bosomtwe.

A Heron flies gracefully across the surface of the lake.

The shores of lake Bosomtwe.

Fishing nets hung up to dry.

The lake Bosomtwe pleasure boats.

You can stay in these bamboo huts for $15 a night.

The first of the 2 photos above shows my location on my GPS according to Google Earth and the second photo is the locations itself, clever stuff! You may be wondering why the visibility seems to be poor in the photographs, this is because it is currently harmattan season in Ghana. The harmataan is a dry dusty trade wind that blows down from the Sahara and brings fine dust particles with it, it makes the photos appear misty or foggy, but believe me it is very hot in Ghana at the moment!

The man Fred himself!

Finally, I asked Fred to give a brief history on the lake and I recorded him.

Video of Fred giving a brief history of Lake Bosomtwe.

The Liberian Refugees

2008-02-26T15:44:00.008Z

Finding a decent internet connection to update my blog is proving to be difficult!

About 40 kilometers east of Accra there is a refugee camp that houses about 40,000 refugees from Liberia that were displaced by the civil war 17 years ago. In the past few years Liberia has returned to relative normality and the refugees want to go home.

The problem is that there is currently a stalemate between the Ghanaian government and the UNHCR over the cost of repatriation. The government of Ghana has done a tremendous job homing the refugees for the past 17 years and looking after them, now the UNHCR expects Ghana to bear the brunt of the repatriation costs. As you can imagine, the cost of sending 40,000 people back home does not come cheap, apart from transportation costs the refugees will also need funds to restart their lives in Liberia. The UNHCR should step in here and pay for the repatriation

Anyway, I was driving past the refugee camp a few days ago and the women were holding a protest so I stopped to take some photos.

The women holding up their banners, the whole line is probably 3 times longer than this.

Some refugees holding the Liberian flag,

Click on the photos for larger versions.

A Ghanaian passer by stops to read the protesters banners.

And so the adventure starts!

2008-02-14T17:16:00.004Z

Hello everyone,

I have recently started a job in Ghana (West Africa) as a Sales Manager for a company involved in supplying consumables to the mining industry.I promised myself that I would join the world of blogging so my friends and family could see what I was up to. So here is where it all starts.

To be honest there has not been much to write about so far. I could tell you all about Ghana itself, but you can just search Google for that information. This blog will be about my experiences and what I come across from day to day.

I first came to Ghana in 1996 and the one thing I have noticed is a difference in the roads, there is now a highway going from Accra to Winneba! In the 90's this road was treacherous! This road forms part of the Trans West African Coastal Highway or TWACH, the leaders of 15 West African states have signed an agreement to build a 4.560 Kilometer highway from Nouakchott, Mauritania, to Lagos, Nigeria to boost trade between the nations of West Africa.

Now bear in mind that parts of the proposed highway still look like this:

Thank you Robert Grossman!

Above is part of the newly constructed road from Accra to Winneba, which forms part of the Trans West African Coastal Highway,

The rehabilitation of the Trans West African Coastal Highway in progress.

This is the proposed route (in blue).

So, thats the end of my first blog input, OK it wasn't very exciting but it was a start! I will update my blog as often as possible, hopefully twice a week!

Remember to comment!

Bye for now,

Jeremy.

Tarifa

2007-10-19T14:43:00.001+01:00

From Wikipedia: "Tarifa is a small town on the southernmost coast of Spain. It is part of the province of Cádiz, which, in turn, is part of the Andalusia region. The town is located on the Costa de la Luz ("coast of light") and across the Straits of Gibraltar from Morocco, from which the lights of Tarifa are visible at night. The municipality includes Punta de Tarifa, the southernmost point in continental Europe."

Tarifa a Mecca for wind & kite surfers because it is, yes you guessed it, windy! There are also dozens of wind turbines dotted all over the mountains. The drive from Gibraltar to Tarifa is amazing, there is a little cafe overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar towards Morocco, on a clear day you can quite clearly see the town of Cueta in Morocco.

Looking over the Straits of Gibraltar towards Morocco

A few photos of the kite & wind surfers:

The wind turbines:

The moon in Spain

2007-10-19T14:27:00.001+01:00

A photo of the moon I took with my nifty new lens:

Gibraltar

2007-10-19T13:34:00.000+01:00

From Wikipedia: "Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory shares a border with Spain to the north. Gibraltar has historically been an important base for the British Armed Forces and is the site of a Royal Navy base."

Gibraltar is unusual, once you pass the border post the only way onto the rock is across the runway either by bus, car or by foot. One one occasion the traffic lights went red and spike strips were place across the road by the policeman to stop anyone driving across the road, a few minutes later a Monarch Airlines flight landed right in front of us. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me to get the landing.

Looking over the runway towards the rock:

Walking over the runway:

On another visit to the rock i decided to take the cable car up to the top of the rock to visit the Monkeys (Barbary Macaques) that have been on the rock for well over a thousand years (not the same individuals).

Going up:

Here are a few photos of the Macaques, how cute is the little one!

While I was taking photos of the macaques I noticed an Iberia plane coming into land, so I quickly changed lenses and managed to get a decent shot...

A view of Gibraltar city from the top of the rock, you can see the runway on the right:

A Royal Navy frigate turning or something:

Gibraltars main shopping street:

Gibraltar is well worth a visit if you have the chance, it is very British and different at the same time. It's a place I have always wanted to visit and I have no regrets.

More Lions

2006-10-25T11:34:00.000+01:00

Lazy young male, Chobe Park Botswana.
Two young males playing, Chobe park Botswana.
Male lion, Kruger Park South Africa.Lioness, Kruger park South Africa.

Glow worm

2006-10-20T12:32:00.001+01:00

I almost forgot this one!

This is a photo of a Glow worm, I am pleased to see that this one made it onto the BBC website back in 2004 - photo number 2. I remember that I have to hold a dim torch with one hand while taking the photo to illuminate the worm itself.

Sunsets

2006-10-20T12:11:00.000+01:00

Today I thought I would upload a few of my sunset photos, all of these were taken either in Zambia or Botswana, I hope you enjoy them.

Three Hippos

2006-10-19T14:01:00.000+01:00

Another photo taken at the Chobe park in Botswana. The hippo is the most dangerous animal in Africa and is quite capable of killing crocodiles & lions. They are responsible for more human deaths that any other african animal, the hippo is a herbivore and only kills to defend its terrotiry.

Bush fire

2006-10-19T12:33:00.000+01:00

I took this one from a fast moving vehicle, so forgive me for the composition etc. During the dry season in Zambia you can see countless bushfires and from time to time you will drive through one. One thing that suprised me at the moment I took the photo was the heat coming from the fire!

Baby Elephant

2006-10-19T10:44:00.000+01:00

Chobe park has the highest concentration of Elephants in Africa, the current estimate is between 150,000 & 200,000 elephants, here is a photo of one of the latest additions drinking with his mum:

Birds in flight

2006-10-19T10:36:00.000+01:00

Both of these photos were taken at the Chobe park in Botswana

Grey headed gull: Yellow Hornbill:

Kafue flats

2006-10-19T09:22:00.000+01:00

On first thoughts you could be forgiven for thinking that the photo above is of a lake, well I can tell you that there is not one drop of water in the image. These are the Kafue flats (grasslands) in Zambia, a vast area that is home to thousands of Kafue Lechwe (see below) and a great deal of bird life.

The reason why the grasslands appear shiny is that they are covered with millions of cobwebs, here is a close up:
Kafue Lechwe:

Seville, Spain

2006-10-18T19:48:00.000+01:00

In August 2006 I spent a few days in Seville, Spain which was great. Probably one of the most photogenic cities I have visited. Unfortunately I only had a small Fuji digital camera with me at the time so I was unable to get the shots I really wanted, I will definitely have to go again!

Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla:
Guadalquivir river:
Plaza de Españaa:

Ghana eclipse

2006-10-18T18:41:00.000+01:00

On the 29th of March 2006 I was fortunate enough to witness a total Solar Eclipse near Cape Coast in Ghana, it was spectacular.

The photos I took could never portray the surreal atmosphere surrounding an eclipse, there were approximately 3 and half minutes of totality. During totality it was 80% dark compared to the night sky.

View of fishing boats shortly before the eclipse:
Looking through the clouds a few minutes before totality:
The final seconds before totality:
Totality - wow!:
The "diamond ring", occurs just as the sun comes out from behind the moon:
I would recommend to everyone that has the chance to witness a total eclipse sometime in there lifetime, it is magical. In case you are interested the next one is on Easter Island on July the 11th 2010, see you there!

Sunset on the Zambezi

2006-10-18T17:51:00.000+01:00

This photo was taken on the Zambezi river just upstream from Victoria Falls. We were on a "booze cruize", basically you pay $30 and you drink as much as you want for a few hours while cruising the Zambezi river. Of course, the only reason I did the "booze cruise" was to get photos like this...

Bat in flight

2006-10-18T14:45:00.000+01:00

Not a particulary good photograph, but I just had to upload this one because of the sheer amount of time I spent trying to get a photo of this bat. I took the photo when I was camping near Victoria Falls and spent the best part of an hour trying to time it right. Eventually I managed to get this shot. You can clearly see the structure of the bats wings.

Barcelona Sky

2006-10-18T14:38:00.000+01:00

This was another case of being in the right place at the right time, I took this one in Barcelona on New Years Eve. I was in a shopping complex and remember looking up and thinking "Wow, that ceiling looks amazing". It took me a few seconds to realise that the ceiling was in fact the sky, it was surreal. I instantly went outside to look for a subject to photograph with the sky.

Tiger

2006-10-18T14:31:00.000+01:00

I will never forget this photograph! I took it in South Africa, there is a tiger breeding program in South Africa to help save the species. I had to get very close to an electric fence to take the photo and yes, you guessed it; I touched the fence and got knocked off my feet! Still, I think it was worth the pain.

Cloud

2006-10-18T14:28:00.000+01:00

I took this photo during a flight from Johannesburg to Ndola (Zambia). I guess the cloud itself must have been several thousand feet high, right place, right time I guess.

Roan Antelope

2006-10-18T14:01:00.000+01:00

OK, what's so special about this photo? While this photo is not particularly good it is my first ever photograph of a Roan Antelope. I've been trying to get a photo of this creature for as long as I can remember, I hope next time I see one I'll get a nicer photo.

Hippo

2006-10-18T13:45:00.000+01:00

I took this photo of the hippo in the Kruger park in South Africa, it seems to have become my "signature photograph". The weeds surrounding the hippo certainly create a great photo, but they are a major problem because they clog up many of the lakes in Southern Africa.

Sparring elephants

2006-10-18T12:35:00.000+01:00

These two young bull elephants were testing each other strength in a friendly way. Photo was taken in the Chobe park in Botswana.

Dust Storm in Chirundu

2006-10-18T12:24:00.000+01:00

This photo was taken in Chirundu which is one of the main border towns between Zambia & Zimbabwe. I noticed a small dust storm gathering to my right and I only had a few seconds to capture the photograph of the little boy before the dust blew past. This is another one of my personal favorites because of the emotive nature and atmosphere of the photograph.

Hawker Dragonfly

2006-10-18T11:55:00.000+01:00

This is another one that I am rather proud of, it appeared on the BBC website on the 15th of October 2006 photo number 4. It took me over two hours to get the shot, just as I managed to focus on the dragon flies they would move. Thankfully this one managed to stay in position for the couple of extra seconds I needed.

Victoria falls

2006-10-18T07:58:00.000+01:00

This morning I'm going to put up some pictures of Victoria falls - one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

It's very difficult to portray the sheer scale of the fall just by showing a few photographs, but consider these facts:

Height 128m (Niagara 52m)
Width 1700m (Niagara 323m)

Take it from me, they are massive and very very impressive indeed.

The falls are know locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya, the "smoke that thunders". During high rainfall the mist from the falls can raise over 3,000m into the air.

Here is the plaque that is under the statue of David Livingstone, the man that visited Victoria falls in 1855 and renamed them after Queen Victoria, click on the photo to enlarge it.

Victoria falls from the air:

Victoria falls bridge:
Finally, after our helicopter flight over the falls the pilot took us for an amazing flight through the Batoka Gorge which I videoed. Apologies about the cheesy Airwolf music, click play in the window below.

Young male lion

2006-10-17T18:50:00.000+01:00

I took this one at Chobe park in Botswana, this was a young male just wandering past our jeep. The lions of Chobe have been documented killing adult elephants and are the only lion known to kill elephants regularly.

Stranglely enough we didn't come across any fully grown male lions at Chobe, they were around because we heard them. Unfortunaley I was unable to get a classic "lion with mane" shot this time!

Lilac Breasted Roller

2006-10-17T18:40:00.000+01:00

Well, what can I say about this bird? It's like a kid has got hold of it and dipped it in their various paint pots. I think it should be called the "Lilac breasted, yellow headed, green necked, oranged cheeked, blue winged, purple tailed roller. It is simply one of the most stunning birds I have photographed.

I remember seeing Lilac Breasted Rollers on the golf course when I was a kid living in Zambia but at the time it was just a bird, you know, nothing special.

The Lilac Breasted roller is the national bird of Botswana and who can blame them!

Two toned elephant

2006-10-17T18:13:00.000+01:00

I am quite proud of this one because it made it onto the BBC website as one of the best photographs of the week on the 6th of October 2006 photo number 4. The photo was taken in the Chobe park in Botswana.There was quite a lot of luck involved because the elephant did not totally submerge before walking out onto dry land again which resulted in the two tone effect.

On the left is a photo of the same elephant before it came out onto dry land.

Shortly after these two photos the elephant got back into the water and crossed the river.

P.S. Over the last few days I've been informed that the top photo is doing the rounds on the Internet. I don't mind my photos being used as long there is some recognition.

break.com (no recognition)
abum.com (no recognition) - link is not work safe!
stroke.blog.co.uk (recognition, thanks!)

I don't mind if you would like to post any of my photos on your blog, but please leave the watermark intact.

Wild dog kill

2006-10-17T16:02:00.000+01:00

This is one of my personal favorites. OK, it may look a little barbaric and the photo is technically not very good. However it is so rare to see wild dogs in the wild, but to see them in the middle of a kill is something special.
At the time we were on the outskirts of the Kafue Park in Zambia on our way to Lochinvar Park when we suddenly noticed a commotion in the distance, needless to say I grabbed my camera. Unfortunately I had to use the full range of my digital zoom to get this photograph because the dogs were some distance away.

Photoshop

2005-11-15T11:13:00.000Z

From time to time I gather up enough concentration to play around with Photoshop. For those of you that don't know, Photoshop is a software program made by Adobe and it allows you to do whatever you want with photographs really. I have been using Photoshop for about 7 years now and am entirely self-taught.

Here are some of the creations I have come up with over the past few years, I will update the blog when I get round to doing more Photoshop stuff.

Chrome Mustang

1/3 man, 1/3 baboon, 1/3 owl

I called this one "ultimate zorbing"

Face in the clouds

A frog (look again)

Toad in a bottle

Friend paddling a glass bowl