Thursday Thoughts – Feeling Blue

30 mars, 20172 april, 2017 / Leya / 10 kommentarer

Mmm…tonight I’m feeling blue. So…I will return to one of the velvet blue mornings in the Galápagos archipelago. Blue, oh, so blue…this last morning of our great adventure.

Early morning, Galápagos, Santa Cruz, leaving our ship in the pangas. heading for the mangroves, the birds and the turtles.

Blue- footed Boobies, shining – waiting for the sunrise. Frigate birds high up in the sky.

And the admirers arrive in their tiny boats…but we do not care…

…just keep following our morning routines…and chores…

…on the lookout for food. Here I am – Mr. Lava Heron, grey and blue.

And the admirers return to their ship, a bit more light blue…but still. Knowing these are the last glimpses of Paradise.

Thursday Thoughts

23 mars, 201723 mars, 2017 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

Spring is finally here. I am so grateful. Today we had a great 10 kilometre hike, me, my mother and Totti. We were out the whole afternoon, and brought food and coffee as well. The first day this year for eating outdoors, which is something we highly treasure here in Sweden. A short gallery of the day – we were all very happy and enjoying every second!

Thursday Thoughts – Longing…

2 mars, 20172 mars, 2017 / Leya / 13 kommentarer

Sometimes I find myself longing for those velvet and satin nights. Nights with only the sound of…distant birds. Nights when you walk slowly, holding the air in the palm of your hand… and feel tuned in to… the whole creation. Sometimes, these cold, windy and rainy Nordic nights…

Thursday Thoughts – Moving a Town

23 februari, 201723 februari, 2017 / Leya / 24 kommentarer

Kiruna is the northernmost town in Sweden, situated in the province of Lapland in Norrbotten County. Inhabitants – about 20 000.

Esrange Space Center was established in Kiruna in the 1960s, and they also have the Institute of Space Physics^.

The re-development of Kiruna is a reconstruction project, as the Kirunavaara mine, run by LKAB, undermines the current town center. Several buildings, including Sweden´s most beautiful church and the famous Town Hall, are to be moved or demolished. The whole town center is to be moved 3 kilometers to the east.

The ground deformations became apparent in 2003, and the redevelopment started in 2007. The moving of the town was started in 2014 and is expected to be finished by 2100. According to the plan, there will be a denser city centre with a greater focus on sustainability, green and blue infrastructure, pedestrians and public transport rather than automobiles.

Walking the empty streets at night, the snowy silence is almost visible, touchable, embedding you in cotton cold. I wonder how the people here really feel…knowing most of them will have to leave their homes and their familiar surroundings for something they have not chosen themselves. A great piece of history will be lost, and I guess a piece of Lapland´s soul as well.

Thursday Thoughts – Jokkmokks Marknad -412 Years Old

16 februari, 201717 februari, 2017 / Leya / 10 kommentarer

”Jokkmokk’s Market has a long history and is considered to have a four hundred-year unbroken tradition. Permanent marketplaces near the Sámi’s winter settlements were established by the Swedish crown at the beginning of the 17th century in all the Sámi Lappish territories on both sides of the Gulf of Bothnia. The purpose was to strengthen the state’s control of the population in the north as well as to collect taxes, hold legal court and spread the Word of God. Planning a market in the Lappish territories during the coldest time of the year had several advantages. The Sámi were gathered in their winter settlements in the forest area with winter grazing for their reindeer and the frozen waterways constituted magnificent roads for the merchants, state officials and men of the church.”

http://www.jokkmokksmarknad.se/visitors/history/

”Renrajden” is every year led by Per Kuhmunen and his family. It takes at least a year to tame the reindeer as much as needed to follow their leaders through the market place and let people touch them. At the Snow Scene in the middle of the market place, they sometimes let themselves be interviewed and photographed in the traditional Gákti. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%A1kti

His wife makes all the beautiful clothes for the family…

…but now the older children make their own Sámi clothes

Once in a while Per might say a word or two…but must be coaxed into it…

Not many words from his wife either. I guess that is the way of northeners.

The Sámi people have always led a harsh life, and today they also have problems with the global warming that hits hard up north. As the weather wavers between warm and cold, the ground will get icy and the reindeer cannot find food enough. Last year some 30000 reindeer starved to death in northern Russia.

Per Kuhmunen and his family comes back every year to Jokkmokk’s Market. Today they are met by film cameras and ordinary cameras, radio and TV. But they seem to enjoy it.

Between Old and New.

Thursday Thoughts

2 februari, 20172 februari, 2017 / Leya / 35 kommentarer

This country road passes an old homestead, long since abandoned. I pass here maybe once a month, and every time I think…I really should stop and walk up that old road…

Today I drove past again…but something told me – this time I really must stop –

– so I finally did. I turned the car and parked it on the meadow nearby.

Happy to have made this decision, I slowly started walking towards the stonefences marking the road up to the house.

To the right, the fine old cellar that used to store food for the winter.

Then the house itself, on the left side of the road. I wonder who once lived here and why they left? The house lies beautifully on a hill, close to the forest and surrounding meadows.

My love for these roads with grass in the middle has a long story…all those childhood years I walked forest roads, meadow roads…and always with grass in the middle. StilI it is in me…I just have to follow them, to see where they go and what I eventually will find.

This road was very well kept, and must be used fairly often…

…at least by hunters

Another reminder of childhood days was this old telephone pole

Some finds I made, even if the walk did not last for more than 15 minutes. I was happy.

I believe we should try to do those little things…follow those whims and ideas we sometimes have. What do you think? It may take some time…but, I try to. Often with a positive outcome – for both me and people around me.

Thursday Thoughts – The Importance of Festivities

26 januari, 201726 januari, 2017 / Leya / 5 kommentarer

Travelling means learning new things every day. I guess that is one of the best parts of life – learning new things. In this 2 million people capital, Quito, Ecuador, I enjoyed every second. Almost 3000 metres up in the Andes – you had to take it a bit easy the first day.

Do you, for instance, know which mountain is the world´s highest? I learned from the Ecuadorian businessman sitting next to me in the plane between Guayaquil and Baltra, that it is…..Chimborazo, a big volcano in Ecuador. It is higher than Mount Everest – if you count from the middle of our planet Earth.

Colourful Old Town Quito, together with Krakow, Poland, 1978 became the first UNESCO World Heritage sites. And they keep it colourful, clean and tidy.

There were grand festivities this week – December 6 was celebrated everywhere. So, what did they celebrate? Their freedom? No, they celebrated the Spaniards conquering them in the 16th century…I asked them how this could be something to celebrate – and they all answered that they had put all this behind them – this day was just a good day for festivities and having fun. That sounded just great to me!

Ecuador Ama la Vida

Music and Dancing in the street

Miss Quito and Gentleman

Lovely festive ladies

These musicians were absolutely professional – we did not leave even if we had finished our meal…

Beautiful city and beautiful people – and wonderful food! We enjoyed Quito despite some rain. Old and young, everybody in a good mood.

A young man came up to me with a rose. You know, the thing they do everywhere down in Europe, expecting you to give some money…This young guy was in a group of students, and he was the only one to have a single rose in his hand. I shook my head and told him I had no money, but his eyes were shining when he smiled, saying that he did not want any money…just to give me the rose.

Thursday Thoughts – Our Young…

19 januari, 201720 januari, 2017 / Leya / 27 kommentarer

Take good care of our young – let them be safe with their parents, let them play and give them food, and raise them to be able to fend for themselves, to stand on their own feet.

Animals know how to do…

Swallowtailed Gull…

Only let them – and try to learn from them…

Half grown Red-footed Boobie…

…adult with chick

Because we are much the same – only humans seem to have forgotten how to raise children properly…

Frigatebirds…

Surely you want your children to grow up to great, magnificent people?

Like this Red-billed Tropicbird. People who use their own wings – and fly! Together!

Animals still know how to do…Let us believe there is hope for us humans to restore that knowledge. Because once we had it – at least many more of us had it…

Tomorrow will bring a more unstable world…let us all do our very best to make it safer for nature, animals and our young. We must decide not to give in to all these difficulties and negative movements in society, – we have to fight for the good things that are still here!

Thursday Thoughts – The Winner Takes It All…

5 januari, 20175 januari, 2017 / Leya / 23 kommentarer

Islas Plazas and their beautiful land iguanas were spectacular. The yellowish males are highly territorial and engage in head-butting battles to get rid of intruders. We saw two fights and the winners…took it all.

Land iguanas eat cactus fruit and other parts of the cactus, but in general they cannot climb it …instead they choose a cactus plant as their own, lie down under it and wait for a fruit to fall into their mouths…

This brave iguana had managed the impossible though…and its friends on the ground were eagerly waiting for it to drop something tasty to them…

After watching it for a while, we noticed something happening on the ground below…

…on the tasty lunch…

…but then a big yellow male turned up – and chased away all the others who were patiently waiting…

…and the 100 cm long winner took it all – at least he took their place in waiting!

Thursday Thoughts – To Paradise and Back Again

29 december, 201629 december, 2016 / Leya / 16 kommentarer

So, I have been to Paradise – and back again. From Sweden to Amsterdam and then to Quito. After a couple of interesting days in beautiful world heritage, Quito Old Town, we flew down to the Amazon basin, Coca.

From Coca 1 1/2hour by motorized canoe on the Napo River …

Then 30 minutes hiking on jungle boardwalk before the last bit in a paddle canoe.

There was a slight drizzle, but we saw an abundance of flowers and birds already on this short way before reaching the lodge.

At Sacha Lodge we were welcomed by our hosts. The Lodge had rooms for 65 guests, but at the moment we were only 13-14. Lots of space and attention from our excellent guides.

Our own lodge was incredibly fresh and simple, just as in my dreams – but even better!

Spacey and open – in fact no walls on one side, so both shower and bedroom were open to the jungle. The only thing to separate us from the real world was a net, with all the sounds of the rainforest and its inhabitants just two steps away…I tell you, I have never slept better in my entire life. Birds, insects and howler monkeys feasting!

I remember staying in a clay and straw hut in the Nepalese jungle of Chitwan, in 1986, with giant spiders covering the ceiling and lizards and rats owning the mud floor. I did not sleep anything at all…even if I was young and brave.

A short canoe ride on the little lake Pilchicocha – Stinky Turkey, the most typical of the Amazon birds

Getting dark…but oh, the sounds of thousands and the beauty of the water

Back at the lodge for some food

We saw flycatchers and kingfishers among other birds, and in the waters below our breakfast house dwells….a cajman called Lucy!

Tarantula – less adorable

On the night walk we met many animals…many crawlers (millipeeds too), possums and some spiders of gigantic size. One of the The tarantulas was a pink toed giant sitting high up under the roof of the butterfly house. We also saw a wolf spider about the same size…Crickets, grasshoppers and the world’s biggest ant – a bullet ant – who has got the worst bite in the world with terrible pain for 24 hours. ”Watch out where you put your hands” was the advice. They might walk on the same rails or twigs you happen to use…

My favourite was the charming tree frog of course…!

This was our first day at Sacha Lodge – and I just Loved every minute of it. For the next day we were promised parrots, weavers, a women’s collective, curare, arrows and local cooking, canoe through narrow rainforest waterways and maybe…anaconda.

Good night to our extremely initiated and knowledgeable guides, Pablo and Luis.