Hiking Through Pictures

Last Thursday, I decided to take a day off to remember a very special person and I decided to honor them by doing something they would have liked which was to go on a hike to some old ruins and take a lot of pictures. A couple of things I forgot:

1. I don't like hiking. I like going downhill, lunch and waterfalls I can swim in.
2. I do not like uphill
3. I do not like sweaty
4. I am not a photographer.  If the shot isn't great the first time then it's not my fault and I'm bored with it already.

But, I do like the feeling of accomplishment I get at the end. It's the beginning and middle I'm not so fond of. I picked Solstice Canyon out in Malibu for my hike because you can hike in to see an old mansion called Tropical Terrace that was built in the 50's and burnt down in the early 80's. I like to have a purpose for hikes, just going up to the top of some big mountain thing and coming down is not good enough. Unless there is a cafe at the top and a chair ride down.

Perfect day for...not climbing up this.

More my style - nice and flat.  Could do with more park benches.  Also I peed under that tree.

The New Zealand Mudsnail.  Australia has its snakes and poisonous spiders, Florida has its gators and we have...the mudsnail.  You think Zombies are bad?  Wait until a mudsnail has you in it's sights and starts chasing you.  Although you probably have a fair bit of time to get away...

Safe to say this is dead.

You might think this is the top.  But you would be wrong...If there was a Suggestion Box, I would have suggested that this be the top.

It looked a lot steeper when I was there.  I think I have made this look too easy.  Can you see the path winding through the trees at the bottom?  I should have stayed there.

Some dumb tree thing.

There's a lot of dead up here.  No blackberries in sight.  Just climbing up a sodding great hill to look at dead plants.  Whose idea was this?

Photo of something you can't really see.  I have a lot of these. 

This is another one.  Boring, isn't it?

Ooh look!  More of the same. On the plus side I'm getting closer to sitting down

Closer...

And I made it.  Bit disappointing to be honest. 

And I'm not surprised it burned down, look at all the chimneys.

It was very tropical down at the ruins after the dryness of the canyon top above.  There were supposed to be parrots. 

Instead I got a snake.  Which I have identified as an Anaconda (the photo shows him as being deceptively small which is not helping to convey the extreme danger I was in).  I was about ready to go all Downward Dog on his arse but then he looked at me. 

So I just waited for him to leave.  Which he didn't but I didn't really want to go that way.

This is a SoCal waterfall - bit on the dry side.  Did not get the swim I was hoping for...

This is a very rare butterfly that I am the first to discover.  I have named it "Brown Butterfly".  Or Moth for short.

So this is what socks are for.

Get out of my picture.

Pacific Coast Highway

My Animal Encounters Over The Years And Around The World

I like to think I am an animal whisperer. Although last night I yelled at Albert for looking at me wrong. Which wasn't really fair. There's probably only one way of looking when you just have the one eye.

I've done a fair bit of traveling over the years and recently going through my photos I noticed how much interaction I've had with animals. And how much I have not as you'll see below.

I don't know this chicks story. We shared a sprite and then both moved on with our lives. He wasn't much for talking.  Also I don't understand Thai.

I don't know this pig's story but I think it ended badly. Suspect is not there of his own free will. Probably would have preferred to ride on the handlebars.

Log cabin bear. Rescued him. Originally he was on his back with a glass table top resting on his paws. I liberated a bear. That's right, PETA.

Go to Alaska they said. You won't be able to move for all the wildlife. Looks like I have plenty of room. That dot in the middle was allegedly a moose. On inspection it turned out to be more of a log moose. Luckily we timed our Alaska trip when all the beluga whales were out in force. Right up until I came over. Then they made a pact and headed for the bottom of the ocean, laughing hysterically at me snapping shots of empty water.

Diving in Greece. Look at all the sea animals I am not surrounded by. There is a world wide pact with all water creatures to avoid me. Except for jellyfish, sea lice and freshwater crayfish (or Koura in NZ). If it can sting or bite, it will find me. Go all the way to Greece they said. Learn how to dive they said. Look at all the nothing you will see.

Monkeys in India. This is a gang. When you try and pass, they will cut you. You can't see their knives. They're in their pockets. The little ones will just hiss at you. They're too busy getting tattoos to chase you.

Monkey at Taj Mahal. Talk about monkey on your back. This one has a huge chip on his shoulder. He didn't even take the time to get to know me before deciding I was worthless. Hence the arse in the air..

Yep - on a camel. The one I've previously posted about - Raju. He's right up there with angry monkeys. How's my riding style though? As long as he doesn't move. Three days galloping(ish) through a desert in India..well, lets just say there was chafing.

This thing landed near my friend - just fell out of the Cambodian sky. Was almost the size of his hand.  Waitress laughed hysterically at our fright. It bit her and drew blood. We laughed hysterically at her pain.

Iguana in Thailand. Yes, he was alive. When he breathed, I almost dropped him. Then we went to happy hour.

Thai cockroaches - quite hard to tell from American or New Zealand cockroaches as they don't have much of an accent. Let that be a lesson to you, cockroaches. You will not wander through my packet of peanuts without consequences. Actually you will since I ran screaming from the room and left my boyfriend to dose them with a can of fly spray.

Pronounced Hairy Coo in Scotland. Way up north we had a face-off with this cow type bull thing. By mutual agreement we reversed. Well, he stayed where he was...

Snake skin. Turns out I do not know how to cure snake skins and make them into shoes. After two days it will stink and rot. Yes, I know you all hate me but in rural China, it was the equivalent of a chicken.

Snake blood wine. Snake tastes like nothing and the most disappointing part about this was they handed me the snake to hold onto and while I was holding him, cut off his head with a pair of scissors. That's why there are no photos of me and actual live snake. I got the aftermath.

Mmm, bag of scorpions to go, thanks. China, you have the best snacks. So easy to travel with.

Elephant Island - New Delhi, India. I know what you're thinking. Dangerous incident with elephant where I was either nearly trampled to death or picked up in it's trunk so it could do trunk curls. Before eating me. Makes a good story but no. Monkeys...lots of monkeys attacking you. Which is why there is no photo...

A Study Of Carrots*

Yes, this is how I spent my Sunday afternoon.  Why?

When good carrots go bad...and grow horns.

Carrot porn

Dirty carrot

Easter Island Carrot

Carrot in a bikini**

Hawaiian Carrot - Aloha!

Incognito Carrot - pretending to be a snake

Native American carrot

Carrot on a zebra - "We ride at dawn!"

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Carrot

Punk Rocker carrot

Here comes the bride...carrot

Positive carrot

Xmas Tree carrot

*No carrots were abused or harmed in the writing of this post.  They were however, eaten.  Some of them had glue on them.  They should not have been eaten.
**Awkward moment where I have just realized a carrot looks better in a bikini than me.