Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
This post’s actual footprints come from bears in Alaska, birds on the Indian subcontinent and continental Australia, a Tasmanian wombat, and humans in an African desert and Australian suburbia.
The musical bonus is courtesy of one of the greatest jazz musicians – equally so as composer, virtuoso instrumentalist and inspired improviser.
There’s also a metaphorical footnote which involves New Zealand’s largest farm…
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Gnu/wildebeest are bona fide antelopes.
However, as the Blue Wildebeest’s scientific name – Connochaetes taurinus – suggests, most human newcomers assume that wildebeest are bovine beasts.
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From a very sensible “5 Quick Tips For Better Wildlife Shots”, which is worth reading:
One very important rule when photographing wildlife is to focus on the eyes of your subject.
As you can see, today’s photo breaks this rule…to its advantage, I think.
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The expression comes from the USA, and is usually applied to places like Montana or to ruggedly handsome “big” men in America’s “Wild West”.
”High, wide and handsome” perfectly describes a deal of Namibia, especially western Namibia’s Brandberg massif.
It covers circa 650 square kilometres, has a circumference of circa 140 kilometres, and Its high point – Namibia’s highest peak – is a deal taller than Australia’s Mount Kosciuszko.
Unlike the Great Wall of China, which is not in fact readily discernible to an astronaut’s naked eyes, the Brandberg is clearly visible from the International Space Station.
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This post’s photo was not taken in a national park, nor on a “game drive”.
In northwestern Namibia – in fact, just about anywhere in Namibia – an interesting wildlife encounter is never a certainty, but is almost always a less-than-remote possibility.
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At least during the festive season, Australian human behaviour is sometimes surprisingly similar to certain fleeter-footed – but also well-fed – Namibian cats’…
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The Namib is generally considered the world’s oldest desert; certainly, it is many millions of years older than the Sahara.
Some of the Namib’s dunes are uncommonly stable, exquisitely coloured, remarkably tall.
Contrary to common belief – and to claims made by promoters of various African and Eurasian deserts – the world tallest dunes are not in Africa, nor Arabia, nor China; by a considerable margin, they are in South America.
The Namib’s “sand sea” is, however, singularly beautiful, most especially around Sossusvlei.
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Sick of strange, odd, eccentric or exceptional persons, things and phenomena?
You believe signs/believe in signs?
if your answer to both questions is “yes”, a town/region you have never heard of has “just the place” for you!
It is conveniently located in the world’s second least densely populated nation, not far from its border with Angola…
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…at least in portrait view, Pelecanus onocrotalus – the Great White Pelican – is much more colourful than any version of Santa Claus.
No Santa – whether “bad” or “good”, repackaged by Coca-Cola or not – could even begin to match the pictured individual’s élan…almost-dishevelled, post-punk meets psychedeliia.
S/he (“she”, I think) and Pelican Yoga wish you a joyous festive season!
(to meet our hero/ine in person, Australians would need to use their passports)
Much as I would love to have taken this photo…
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