Wildlife watching in Yellowstone

One of my favorite things about the United States is our National Park system. Seriously, our parks rule! And while I try my hardest to go as often as I can, it isn't always easy to truly appreciate everything that our parks have to offer. That's why I'm so grateful to the Yellowstone Association for their scholarship so that I could attend the Lamar Wildlife Getaway!

The iconic animal of Yellowstone is the bison, and they truly are majestic. Large herds graze in the Lamar Valley, where we spent quite a bit of time just watching them do their thing.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but this baby had just been born and we could actually see the afterbirth still attached to the mom. Sadly, our guide Carolyn said the birth was a bit late in the season and it would be hard for the calf to gain enough weight to survive the next winter...

The program took us on several hikes each day, and it was gorgeous. The group consisted of about 12 people, including three other teachers. We had two guides with us each day, who helped with spotting and with setting up our scopes. Carolyn and Carlin were absolutely amazing, seeing things that I ever would have found. Note to self: get a professional guide if you want to have a fuller, richer experience!!

Everyone is always excited to spot bears, and we were lucky enough to see several, including this mom black bear and her two cubs. We were hiking off-trail, and almost ran right into them. During the trip, we also saw several grizzlies, but mostly from further away.

Another famous Yellowstone animal is the wolf, which virtually disappeared in the first half of the 20th century. In the mid 90s, 41 wild wolves were reintroduced, and now the population is up to around 450 in the greater Yellowstone area. We tried hard to find one, and after staring into this field for about 2 hours, one actually popped out from the ledge right under us, about 25 meters away!!

For the time I was there, I stayed at the Lamar Buffalo Ranch in the Lamar Valley. It was misty and rained in the evenings a few times, but we never got rained on during our expeditions. Overall it was nice, comfortable, and quiet. I even got my own room!

After the program was over, I spent an extra day driving around Yellowstone by myself... and I wish I had spent even more time there! The wildlife there is amazing...

...but let's be honest. Yellowstone is known for its amazing geologic features. I loved hiking around the geothermal area,

travertine terraces,

 Grand Prismatic Spring,

and of course, Old Faithful.

Get outside and enjoy your National Parks, everyone! 

Spring Break Siem Reap

Since we were all the way in Southeast Asia, we decided to take a quick trip to Cambodia. Because... Cambodia!! I've always wanted to see Angkor Wat, so this was the perfect opportunity for a few days exploring the temples.

We started in Siem Reap and were taken to our hotel on the outskirts of the city. It's not very big, but we had to take tuk-tuks to get around town. First impression? HOT, so I'm glad we hired a guide to take us around the temples rather than try to go in tuk tuks.

 
The next morning we were met by our private guide, Nol. He was friendly and helpful, though he didn't know very much about the Hindu history and Anil had to give him a few lessons on what we saw. We started at the Angkor complex, where we had to buy our passes. Then, we finally made it to Angkor Wat - the largest religious monument in the world.

Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century as a Hindu temple for the Khmer Empire, but later switched to a Buddhist temple. There are extensive bas-relief carvings all over, depicting various scenes from Hindu epics.

Standing at the center of Angkor Wat - standing at the center of the universe

 
We also visited several other temples in the Angkor complex.

Banteay Kdei - the "Citadel of Monks' Cells"

Ta Prohm - Tomb Raider Temple - 
originally a Buddhist monastery and university

Ta Nei - a late 12th century temple dedicated to Buddha

  

One of the most interesting temples is Bayon, known as the Happy Face Temple. It was built in the late 12th c as the state temple and center of Jayavarman VII's capital. It's famous for over 200 stone faces on 49 towers (37 still survive).





The next morning, we got up early to see Angkor Wat at dawn. It was nice to get there before the sun rose since it was cooler, though many others had the same idea... This meant we could see a few more temples before it got too hot.

Banteay Srei

Preah Khan

That evening we wandered through the Night Market.
  





On our last day, we visited the floating village of Chong Kneas on Tonle Sap Lake before heading back to Singapore.

The homes along the riverbank

Villagers

Fishing

Overall, it was a great trip... Thanks, Ev!!

Spring Break Singapore

Evelyn's in Singapore, so Anil and I had to go for a visit!
Outside Ev's house on campus at National University Singapore is a reflexology path. Rocks line the path, and if you walk barefoot down it, toxins are flushed out of your body. The more it hurts, the more toxins you have...

and it hurt like heck!!

Lunch at the hawker stands

Nature prevails

We decided to spend the day in Pulau Ubin, a small island on Singapore's eastern coast. It's considered the last kampung village and is definitely on the more rural side.

On the bumboat to Pulau Ubin

We rented bikes and explored the island

The boardwalk through the mangrove swamp

We then headed to the botanical gardens

Cannonball Tree

 

The next day, we explored Singapore.

Even though the city is incredibly green, there are gardens everywhere!

Sri Mariamman Temple

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple

Street snacks

Chili Crab

Mmmmm... snow ice...

We had to go the Raffles Hotel...

Trying a Singapore Sling

Little India

From the top of the Marina Bay Sands

Gardens by the Bay

Nice views!