Valetta, Malta

Malta is Catholic (it’s even in the Maltese constitution) because Paul was here many years ago. Malta also belongs to the European Union (EU) but not because Paul was shipwrecked on Maltese shores. My case in point: Paul was not even close to Austria, yet it also belongs to the EU and people there do not speak Maltese. They speak Maltese in some parts of Australia (which sounds very much like Austria), but Australia is neither predominantly Catholic nor does it belong to the EU. This makes sense because Paul never got shipwrecked in Australia. He may have wished that he’d been in Australia because there were lots of heathens in the outbacks to convert and he would have been far from Rome. Rome is where Paul ended up after 3 months on Malta and Rome is where he was beheaded by Caesar. That’s why Rome is now where the head of the Catholic Church resides and Malta is where St Paul’s Bay is located.

As you can see, it helps to have some background in ancient history and geography to understand the intricate details and connections between the events that shaped our religions and political structures.   You’ll need that kind of knowledge when visiting Malta.

Malta oozes history. I soaked it all up during an extensive 4-hour tour of the island that included a (rewarding) visit to a great winery. The more wine I drank, the clearer the history of this fascinating island became. Numerous peoples have occupied Malta in the course of its history: Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Spanish, French and English. Oh yeah, and the Germans and Italians dropped 14,000 tons of bombs on this tiny island during a 157 day bombing raid in 1942. After that, the island was declared “unsinkable”.

It was that unsinkable determination of the Maltese people to resist occupation of their strategically important island that allowed them to survive. And they were rewarded for it: on April 15 th , 1942 King George VI awarded the George Cross to the Maltese people on a collective basis. This was done “…to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history.” The George Cross, one of the highest honours bestowed by the British Crown, has even been incorporated in the Maltese flag. To commemorate the lives lost during this epic struggle, the Malta Siege Memorial with its huge bell (picture #001) was erected at the entrance of the Grand Harbour in Valetta, Malta’s capital city. Queen Elizabeth inaugurated the monument in 1992.

When traveling, one notices quickly how well a particular country functions and how well the country’s political institutions serve its people. Upon entering Malta, your first impressions leave no doubt: this is a country that works well and looks after its people. As a democratic republic and a member nation of the European Union, Malta cherishes its history, fosters national pride, looks after the less fortunate in society and encourages economic growth and development. And while the country has adopted a policy of neutrality, its ties to the rest of Europe, especially England, remain very strong. Malta’s neutrality led to this tiny island being the venue for the first face-to-face meeting between President George H. W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Their efforts eventually resulted in the end of the Cold War.

Here are some interesting facts about Malta:

Malta…
·        …has the second-highest voter turnout in the world
·        …is classified as an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund
·        …produces only 20% of its food needs
·        …lists limestone as its only major resource
·        …hosts numerous film productions
·        …does not charge property taxes
·        …GDP per capita stands at 76% of the EU average
·        …has the fourth highest car ownership of the EU
·        …advertises itself as a medical tourist destination
·        …has the highest population density of any country in the EU
·        …voted to legalize divorce in 2011
·        …has a population of 412,000
·        …the Maltese language is a mixture of Arabic, English, French and Italian; Maltese is spoken only in Malta and certain parts of Australia
·        …has 365 churches (roughly 1 church for every 1,000 residents)
-      …welcomes three times more tourists (per year) than it has residents
·        …98% of the Maltese population is Roman Catholic
·        …the majority of people leaving Malta go to Australia
·        …faces a dire financial situation; after the first 4 months in 2012 the government reached the deficit it had projected for the entire year.

By the way, I wasn’t kidding about Paul being ship-wrecked on Malta. The amount of research that has gone into this issue by scholars and historians is astounding. Researchers now believe to have found the cove/bay on Malta where Paul is thought to have landed after drifting across the Mediterranean for 14 days during a persistent gale in the year 60 A.D. After landing on Malta, Paul didn’t waste any time. During his 3 months on Malta, he preached the Gospel of Jesus and left behind a lively Christian congregation. Now, of course, St Paul’s Bay is a major tourist resort town.

Malta really is a special place. I admire the courage of the Maltese people and the role this small country plays today in a strategically rather vulnerable location. I just have one complaint: will anybody please send them some paint!! I have rarely seen more boring houses.

Lantau Island, Hong Kong, China

This commentary was written in 2012. Certain parts of the story may be outdated and no longer apply.

A few years ago I was in Japan on business where a tour of local Buddhist shrines, temples and monasteries was arranged for me. I was picked up at my hotel by a chauffeur driving a shiny stretched Mercedes limousine and treated like royalty as I visited several wonderful spiritual sites. However, I found it odd that all kinds of McDonalds bags and soft drink containers were strewn all over the car. As my tour came to an end, I finally met my host and the mystery owner of this beautiful car: a Buddhist monk. The fast food garbage on the back seat was left by his children the night before.

Since then, my ideas about Buddhism have never been the same. In my head, I simply could not reconcile the idea of a monk driving Mercedes. Aren’t monks supposed to live austere and simple lifestyles, totally devoted to a pursuit of enlightenment?

In Hong Kong I had a chance to adjust my warped perception of Buddhism and monks: I came to visit the Po Lin Monastery and the Big Buddha statue on Lantau Island. The monastery is located on top of a mountain - perfect place for a reclusive lifestyle and reflection. In fact, half way there we had to change busses because regular city busses cannot make it up the steep hills and around the sharp switch-back curves.

The first you see of the monastery is The Buddha. You can see the statue already from miles away on top of the mountain. Almost 34 m (111 ft) in height and 255 metric tons in weight, it is an imposing structure, and it grows more impressive as you get closer. It is the largest sitting Buddha in the world. Once at the top, a whole different picture emerges: parking lots with busses, souvenir shops galore, restaurants and washrooms for every physical yearning and, eventually and if you make it this far, the temple. Wow! – this is quite an operation! And now they are adding on: an entire new huge temple building is under construction.

Established in 1905, this complex of spiritual life has grown to become a spectacular destination for pilgrims and families alike, despite the fact that it was destroyed by fire and re-built twice. The number of monks at Po Lin has steadily increased, too: from 3 at the time of the monastery’s establishment in 1905 to 5 monks in 2012.

Without doubt, many people come here to pray, to pay their respects to The Buddha, to bring offerings and find solace and comfort in their spiritual practice. People write their concerns and desires on red cards which they hang inside an incense coil for the smoke to carry their prayers up to the heavens. It is a beautiful and moving experience to see the devotion and earnest spiritual pursuit of the worshippers in the temple, seemingly oblivious to the commotion around them.

The faithful write their prayers and concerns on red cards and hang them up inside an incense coil. The smoke will carry their burdens to the heavens.

Also on Lantau Island you’ll find a wonderful old-fashioned fishing village. Far from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong, the village of Tai O has remained much the same over the last century. With houses on stilts and transportation happening on water, much of the village’s market activities are restricted to narrow aisle ways. Here, dried fish is the main commodity for sale. Walking through town, the eyes can feast on dead octopus and fish bladder. The smell can be overwhelming.

Fishing boats in the fishing village of Tai O on Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

As in many other parts of the world, the fish harvest in Hong Kong is in decline. To curb consumption and the demise of fish stocks in the region, the government has now decided to restrict fishing. From next year on, fishing off the coast of China will only be allowed for the months of June and July. I wonder what this will do to the livelihoods of people in Tai O.

Hong Kong, China

This commentary was written in 2012. Some of the information contained in the story may be outdated.

It’s difficult to leave China without being impacted and impressed by the challenges and possibilities of the country’s enormous population. On my itinerary, Hong Kong followed Shanghai and, in many ways, it was interesting to see the differences and similarities between those two cities.

Hong Kong has over 7 million people living on approx. 1,100 sqkm (422 sqmiles). 95% of the city’s population is Chinese. The city’s size is about 1/6 the size of Shanghai, so you can imagine how close together people live here. Designated a “Special Administrative Region” of China, it does not share the same laws with the rest of China. For example, the right of free expression and the right to demonstrate are still part of the city’s constitution – for another 35 years, that is. Hong Kong also does not have to adhere to the 1 child policy (1 birth policy – to be more precise) and does not have capital punishment. In contrast, China executed 4,000 prisoners last year (7,000 the year before). When Hong Kong was returned from British rule to China in 1997, the Chinese government agreed to keep the city’s special status for 50 years. After that period, Hong Kong will be amalgamated with the rest of China.

Here are some interesting facts about Hong Kong:

• HK has 262 outlying islands, 95% of which are uninhabited

• The average apartment in HK is between 26 sqm and 46 sqm (280 sqft and 500 sqft) in size. A typical apartment building is 50 – 60 stories high.

• An apartment costs on the average US$ 10,000.- to US$ 13,000.- per sqm (US$ 1,000.- to US$ 1,300.- per sqft). Approx. 50% of the apartments are owned, 30% are government subsidized housing and the rest is rented. I saw a 51 sqm (550 sqft) apartment advertised for US$ 606,000.-

• Average monthly income is between US$ 533.- and US$ 800.- Minimum wage is US$ 3.73/hr.

• Regular gas is US$ 2.20 per ltr (US$ 8.32/gal). Most cars on the road are company cars or private cars of the wealthy. Car ownership is discouraged because of congestion. Car buyers pay a 90% import tax. A second license plate for Mainland China is required if you wish to drive to Mainland China. Cost: US$ 100,000.-

• The majority of young people are focussed on making money. They marry late (average age of marriage is 32 for men and 28 for women) and have few children (1.6 children per family). In order to replace the dying in Hong Kong, a birthrate of 2.1 children per family is needed. The government is providing incentives for couples to have 3 – 4 children. My question: where are they going to live? In 400 sqft apartments?

• Much of Hong Kong’s population growth comes through immigration from Mainland China. To accommodate growth on a limited land base, the city has had to claim land from the sea. Large portions of the city are now located on fill that has been deposited in the harbour. A common sentiment is: “Stop filling in the harbour, otherwise we won’t have a port left.” Even the tallest building in Hong Kong (the 4. tallest building in the world), the ICC Tower with its 484 m (1,588 ft) height and 118 stories, was built on fill in 2010.

• Over 100,000 students graduate from high school every year, but only 1/3 can be accepted at local universities. The rest try to study in the USA.  The Hong Kong education system is currently changing over to the North American system of 6 years elementary school, 6 years high school and 4 years of university.

• Hong Kong welcomes 35 million tourists each year, 55% of which are from Mainland China. Most tourists come to shop. The S.A.R.S. epidemic in 2003 cost 1,700 lives in Hong Kong. Many people panicked, stayed home and didn’t go to work. As a result the economy suffered and tourism dropped sharply. Only now are tourists starting to come back.

• There are some remarkable construction projects under way in Hong Kong. Planning is under way for the airport to build a third runway. Only 14 years after the airport was opened, it is overcrowded already and needs to expand in order to remain competitive. Also, a high-speed passenger train service is under construction between Hong Kong and Beijing. Air travel between the two cities takes 2 – 3 hours. The current train needs 28 hours while the new high-speed bullet train will be able to cover the distance in just under 8 hours. The project should be completed in 3 to 5 years.

• Disneyland opened in Hong Kong several years ago and has been profitable for the last two years. The theme park took 5 years to build and was initiated as a 49/51% partnership between Disney and the Chinese government. China owns the 51% portion. Now Disney is coming to Shanghai.

• Hong Kong is building a new hospital on Landau Island but won’t be able to open due to the lack of nurses. Universities have increased spaces to train more health care professionals and the salaries for nurses have increased to US$2,700.- When ill, most people in Hong Kong go to a western Dr. first for relief of symptoms, then they visit a Chinese Dr. for prescriptions of traditional herbal medicine and a cure for their ailment.

• Interest in religion and spirituality has subsided during the last 2 or 3 decades. There used to be over 50 Buddhist monks during the 1960s, now there are 25 in all of Hong Kong. Young people in particular face a dilemma with age-old customs and traditions: how to make time for spiritual practice, family time and observance of cultural traditions while staying competitive in a career environment. I have heard from a number of people about their inner conflict. On the one hand they feel pressure from parents and grandparents to observe the customs of their ethnic group, on the other hand they simply do not have the time. One such custom is to pack up the family BBQ, head for the cemetery and make food offerings to the ancestors at their gravesite.

Do you believe there are circumstances under which a totalitarian government is preferable to a democratic system? I have thought about that question a lot during our journey through these highly populated places. If China actually turned towards democracy, do we as westerners really think that peace could be maintained in this country with all its ethnic minorities? Wouldn’t it face the same fate as the Soviet Union in 1989 or many countries on the African continent at the end of colonial rule? Do you think China could feed its people if suddenly political leaders were to be elected for political office and had to woo public opinion instead of being appointed and able to make unpopular but necessary decisions? I can just see it: “Vote for me and I will do away with the one-child policy. As my first act in office I will make sure that every family in China can have as many children as they desire.” Or “If elected, I will work towards the goal of everybody in the country being able to afford their own car.” That would be just as foolish as Newt Gingrich’s promise of $2.50/gal gas.

China’s 1,700 km (1,100 mile) long Grand Canal from Shanghai to Beijing was dug by hand by millions of peasant workers. 33 times as long as the Panama Canal, it is a perfect example of the kind of projects the Chinese are capable to completing. Enormous manpower also built the 6,000 km (4,000 mile) long Great Wall and, more recently, the Three Gorges Hydroelectric Dam. All of the above required huge sacrifices on part of the population and without much consideration for the environment or human life.

How can we as westerners, with our obsession for individualism, our addiction to deficit budgets, our concern about human rights, and our anxiety around environmental degradation, ever compete economically with China?

Camogli, Italy

If pictures could transmit smell, you’d be enjoying the fragrance of fish right now. I predict, that will be the next big invention: open a computer file with a picture of a fishing village and a tiny door opens on your laptop and you’ll smell fish.

Yes, I am in Camogli in the northern province of Genoa - Italy at its finest. It can’t get more picturesque. Take pictures in any direction and you’ll see fishing boats, tourists, beautifully painted houses, tourists, a quaint church, tourists and more tourists…and flowers. Everybody loves flowers around here, even the tourists.

By the way, Camogli (casa delle mogli) means “House of Wives” (mogli = wives), referring to the fact that the men were out at sea while their wives did the laundry at home. The town used to be called “City of a Thousand White Sails”. I like that a lot better.  

Coorong National Park, South Australia

Could it be that I am turning into one? For most of my life I thought birders (birdwatchers) were the most boring people. How else would you describe a person who slogs through marshland with his trusty binoculars, notebook, and camera in hand only to observe flocks of birds for hours on end?

Along with other shore and water birds, black swans (Cygnus atratus) have thrived enormously recently and increased in numbers due to the amount of rain in the Coorong wetlands and along the Murray River water course.

Looking through my pictures of my trips, I see lots of birds. Could this be? Am I a birder? It’s not enough that I love to take pictures of birds. No! After I get back to my computer, I look up bird ID websites and study the pictures I have taken. By comparing the birds’ beaks and plumage and feet and eyes, I find the scientific names of the species and file them away in my brain somewhere. Mission accomplished! Now that I am a self-identified birder I will need more photo equipment – don’t you think?

With a length of 2,500 km (1,560 mi), the Murray River is Australia’s longest water course. It starts in the Australian Alps, draws water from 1/7th of Australia’s landmass and drains into the Southern Ocean at the Coorong National Park. The Coorong, which is a myriad of waterways, lakes, dunes and ocean 156 km (97 mi) south-east of Adelaide, is a birder’s paradise. The beauty of this area is absolutely stunning.

~ RT

Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

Attitude

Davo answered my question with some trepidation. As a descendent of original European settlers, I thought he should know something about the topic but I had clearly made him uncomfortable. “This is a controversial and difficult subject to talk about” he said, “people have strong feelings about this topic.” Davo waited until some hikers had passed us on the trail before he began to share his views on the matter of race relations in Australia. “Despite much effort, the relationship between white Europeans and Indigenous Australians is still strained. There doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. The Aboriginal Australians have a huge chip on their shoulder. Even after 230 years they still carry a grudge that we (the Europeans) took away their land. Why can’t they get over it?”

His last comment struck me as absurd, so I pulled out my calculator. The Indigenous people of Australia are the oldest continuous human civilization on earth. They have occupied and lived on the Australian continent for at least 50,000 years (give or take 10,000 years); 230 years represent 0.46% of that time. Just imagine you have been married for 50 years, your partner dies and you get told by your friends after three months: “Why aren’t you finished grieving yet? Get over it!” Just as it is impossible to erase the impact 50 years have had on your life, it is unrealistic to expect that it is any easier to leave behind (without any adverse effects) 50,000 years of tradition, language, tribal community and a semi-nomadic hunting and gathering lifestyle.   

“Invasion”

When the first Europeans set foot on the Australian continent many years ago, all they encountered were people so different from themselves, they considered them sub-human. Through the eyes of the first settlers, the Indigenous Australians were primitive and no match for the advanced civilizations of 18th century Europe. Initially, there was curiosity on both sides but when the settlers razed the land in preparation for grazing sheep and cattle, conflicts arose between the new arrivals and the Native population. The losses on the side of the Indigenous Australians were especially heavy. If they weren’t killed in skirmishes with the white farmers, they were wiped out by diseases brought from Europe for which the Natives had no immunity. The population of Indigenous Australians at the time of European contact was estimated to be 750,000 to 1 million. By 1933, the Native population of Australia had shrunk to 74,000.

The atrocities committed by the Europeans range from cold-blooded murder to forced integration in residential schools to removal of half-white (half-caste) children from their mothers. The latter was designed to give the children a “white upbringing” separate from the “savage” lifestyle of their parents. Survivors of this time are now considered the “Stolen Generation”. 

Near Geraldton, Western Australia

Underestimated

Little did the Europeans know about the intricate and complex lives of the Indigenous people and the enormous body of knowledge that was acquired by them over millennia.  To survive in as harsh an environment as the Great Sandy Desert in Western Australia for example, the Aboriginal population had to learn how to find and maintain water holes, read the tracks of animals and people, prepare meals from insects, seeds and emu, build shelters suitable to their nomadic lifestyle and how to rely on each other in the tribe and on other tribes for survival. Even today we can learn from their communal lives, the tribal initiation rituals for young people, the way Natives deal with conflict and how they treat their elderly at the end of their lives. There was nothing “primitive” about the lives of the Aboriginal Australians in the desert. The qualitative “primitive” label was a matter of perspective.

The Native tribes and their intricate social structures and way of life developed in total isolation from the outside world. There was no need to wear clothes. There was no need to accumulate material goods. There was no need for profit and no need to exploit earth. While their luxuries were meager (as judged by today’s consensus opinion) the Aboriginal Australians of the 18th century saw no need for change.

Far away from the traditional trade routes, most European explorers and trade vessels left Australia alone, and when they landed at the shores of this continent during the 17th and 18th centuries, they either crashed their boats on the coral reefs or found the land to be hot, unappealing, without water and “infested” with “savages”. But contact, exploration and the establishment of settlements on the Australian continent were inevitable and had to happen sooner or later. The fact that the land was taken away from the Native population was not the cardinal sin. Colonization by European powers happened all over the world. It was the ruthlessness and ignorance with which it was done that is so appalling.  

Perth, Western Australia

Talent in the Desert

Jimmy Pike was born in the Great Sandy Desert in 1940. He, his family and tribe lived the traditional lifestyle well into the 1950’s. They lived off the land without cultivation of agricultural crops or animal husbandry. They lived in harmony with the desert environment to the detriment of nobody and nothing. They were aware of airplanes, the incursions by the white people, the harm being done to other tribes, the destruction of the environment far away, the end of the Great War and the existence of motor vehicles. News travel fast even in the desert. They learned about the existence of “stations” – cattle and sheep ranches – where work was to be had and where life would be easier. Soon, some members of the desert tribes made the move, joined the ranches and worked for the settlers. Others followed until, eventually, the desert was empty. In his middle age, Jimmy returned to his tribe’s water holes and their camp sites in 1987. Even after over 30 years, he knew exactly where to find everything and picked up where he left off as a teenager. The heightened sense of orientation he developed as a young man kicked back into gear. Finding your bearings was a matter of survival in this harsh environment – get lost and you’ll die.

Even after all these years, the desert is still there, but it has changed. Trees have fallen and disappeared with new saplings growing nearby. Because there has been no clearing by fire, desert grasses and low bushes are dense. Now there are mining roads in the desert and signs of soil erosion everywhere. Dingo tracks are still numerous but the other animals have disappeared. Feral goats, cats and pigs have taken over much of the landscape. Afghan camels roam free in great numbers. At dusk, the birds no longer call. Finally, everybody realizes: humans habitation of the desert was essential to the well-being of the millennia-old ecosystem. With the exodus of the tribes from the desert, there was nobody left to look after the land, to say the prayers and to perform the ceremonies that ensure the continuity of living things. Eventually, Jimmy Pike moved to Broome to become a famous painter of Aboriginal art. For us, he left a legacy of beautiful paintings before dying of a heart attack in 2002.

(Pat Lowe, Jimmy Pike’s wife, describes her and Jimmy’s life in the desert in the book “You Call it Desert – We Used to Live There”, published by Magabala Books 2009.

Today, there are 649,000 (2016) Indigenous people in Australia, making up 2.8% of the total population. Life for the Aboriginal communities is tough. Poor health and education, spousal abuse, unemployment, poverty, substance abuse and crime are ongoing issues of concern. The life expectancy of Indigenous people is in the 60s for men (11 years less than non-Indigenous men) and 70s for women (10 years less than non-Indigenous women). There still is much healing that needs to take place; 230 years are obviously not enough. 

Kalbarri National Park, Western Australia

Competition for Land

James Morrill was an English sailor who got shipwrecked near the Burdekin River on Australia’s east coast (south of Cairns) in 1846. He was the only survivor of his ship. After 42 days floating in the ocean on a raft, James was picked up by the Natives, nurtured back to health and adopted by the tribe. He accepted their life style, learned their dialect and became one of them for 17 years. By 1863 the settlers had encroached on the tribe’s territory and James felt the need to return to his “own people”. Upon leaving, the tribe elders, with tears in their eyes, pleaded with James to pass on a message to the newcomers: “Ask the white man to let us have some of our own ground to live on. They can have the land to the south of the Burdekin River while we keep the north shore, which is low swampy ground and no good to anybody but ourselves.” This anecdote shows the willingness of Aboriginal Australians to compromise and partner with the European settlers.

(James Morrill writes about his experiences among the Aboriginal Australians in the book “17 Years Wandering Among the Aboriginals”, published by David M Welch, 2006. Australian Aboriginal Culture Series No. 1.)

As of today, 18% of Australia’s landmass has been returned to the Aboriginal communities and is under Native title.  

Nice Words

The Public Library in Perth has these words written on the wall of its entrance hall:

The City of Perth acknowledges the Wadjuk people of the Noongar Nation upon the lands of which the City of Perth and metropolitan region is built. We recognise the continuing connection to the land, waters and community of this area, and pay our respects to elders past, present and future, in the spirit of reconciliation.

Nice words, but will they be followed up with actions that will heal the broken soul of a nation?

“Roos” north of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

January 26th is Australia Day in this country. As a national holiday, it marks the anniversary of Capt. Phillip’s arrival in Port Jackson, where he planted the British flag on Australia’s shore and claimed the continent for King George III. It is also the start of, what some people consider genocide of the Native population. This year (2018) is the 230th anniversary of that moment in history.

Every year the holiday celebrations are accompanied by demonstrations and tinged with resentment on part of Native activists. On the one hand, it is truly remarkable how much the European settlers have achieved in such a relatively short period of time. Australia has become a very successful, multi-cultural country offering its citizens one of the best living standards in the world. This is absolutely worthy of recognition and celebration. On the other hand, however, the grievances of the Aboriginal Australians have not been fully addressed and the wounds have not yet healed. Until that happens, and only the Native population can tell when this has happened, Australia Day will remain a bitter-sweet affair for all Australians.

~ RT

Eden, New South Wales, Australia

This is Graham Moore. He is from the south coast of New South Wales. He is newly married, holds three university degrees, has authored several books, and is an Aboriginal Australian. His mother was black; his father white – Graham belongs to the “Stolen Generation”. He is one of seven children. Among his siblings are two sisters who were taken away early to receive a “white upbringing”. He has never seen them again.

Now, Graham spends his time teaching the traditional language of the Yuin people to the next generation. He was taught by the elders and feels a strong desire to pass on what he has learned in his childhood. Australia is the only country in the Commonwealth that does not have negotiated treaty agreements with its Indigenous people. Initiatives like these are often based on personal commitment and perseverance.

Graham is a reminder that the “pure Aboriginal Australian race” will eventually be extinguished. In a liberal, open and multi-cultural society like Australia, that cannot be avoided. What can be avoided, however, is the loss of traditional dialects, bush life expertise and tribal rituals.

Indigenous people of Australia have a long-standing tradition of initiating their young boys into manhood. Before they can join the adult men of the tribe on hunting trips, they have to learn to live in solitude, be able to endure pain and to overcome fear. In some tribes this would take as long as 9 months. While Graham and I are overlooking a desolate rock in the ocean where boys were banished from the tribe and initiated into manhood, I asked Graham if he himself had to endure the initiation process. Graham looked at me sternly, took his walking stick and jammed it into the ground by my feet. I (think) I got my answer. Did I tell you that body language was an important communication technique for the Yuin people?      

Meeting Graham and hearing his story made me aware of a couple of things: a) how fresh the conflict between the white population and the Aboriginal Australians still is and b) how little the state and federal governments have done to heal the wounds.

Today (January 26th), most Australians celebrated Australia Day. This national holiday marks the arrival of European settlers in 1788. Again, as in previous years, the Aboriginal population and Indigenous activists, protested by the tens of thousands in the streets of Brisbane, Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney. They do not mind celebrating Australia, but they object to the date – a date that essentially marks the beginning of the genocide of the Indigenous people.

In my opinion, any government that has a mere ounce of sensitivity towards the past wrongs committed would be willing to change the date. There are plenty of other dates to choose from. The government’s unwillingness to do so feels like a slap in the face to the people who were robbed of their land and murdered in the process.

From the distance, Australia looks like a prosperous nation at peace with itself. It isn’t. It is a myth. As long as the Aboriginal Australians are pushed aside and told “to get over it”, the angry voices in the streets will grow louder and January 26th will feel increasingly like a day of mourning rather than celebration.

Kalbarri, Western Australia

There is nowhere else I'd rather be,

nothing else I would prefer to be doing.

I am at the beach looking west with the continent

behind me as the sun tracks down to the sea.

I have my bearings.

Tim Wonton

Bali, Indonesia

Somebody should write a song about monsoon rains. They are iconic. There is a reason why nobody talks about monsoon sprinkles or monsoon mist. When the heavens open up during monsoon season, it pours volumes. First the rain water floods the streets, but eventually it has to go somewhere. In Bali, like on every tropical island, as the water drains away, it takes with it much of the garbage on the streets. Everything and anything that is not nailed down, ends up in the ocean. Plastic bottles, cigarette stubs, waste paper, plastic bags, oil residue, plastic rope, condoms – it all floats among the fishes and causes horrible deaths for many ocean creatures.

Aggressive grey long-tailed monkeys at the Uluwatu temple in southern Bali have a serious appetite for cell phones. Chasing them is pointless, especially when there are 400 of them. I wonder if they stash them somewhere in tree cavities. Bye bye beloved phone!

I consider the lack of care for the environment in developing nations a travesty. Is there no solution to the garbage in the streets and on the beaches? Somebody should do a study and find out how much garbage is actually washed into the oceans by surface water run-off in the tropics or blown into the waters by high winds, especially during hurricanes or typhoons. This is definitely a topic that occupies my mind often as I travel around the globe.

So, please forgive my cynicism when I read about the iconic rice terraces of Bali and learn how rice farmers on this Indonesian island care so much about “environmental balance”, “sustainability” and “nature being an equitable partner rather than a source to be exploited”.  My first reaction is not very charitable. Really? How can you be so concerned about the environment when it affects your own livelihood but have a totally different attitude and not care when environmental degradation has global implications?  I guess I just answered my own question: because it feeds their families.

Rice production on Bali is nothing new. Farmers have been growing this important food staple for millennia. What is unique about their approach to rice production is the subak, a community-based association of farmers who cooperatively share two important resource: water and manpower. The subak, a model developed in the 9th century, reflects the three philosophical concepts of tri hita karana, which brings together the realms of nature, spirit and the human world. In essence, subaks regulates the distribution of water from the mountain lakes to ensure that all farmers receive their fair share. By doing so, water resources are being carefully used and re-used in harmony with nature. Water is channeled passively through trenches and tunnels to flood the rice paddies at specific times during the crop cycle. No artificial fertilizers and pesticides are used.

The subaks also address the distribution of a labour force to ensure farmers have the manpower to plant and harvest their crops in time. Subak members work together to ensure that all rice farmers, no matter how much status they carry in the community, are treated equally.

The worship of Dewi Sri, the goddess of fertility and prosperity, completes the spiritual aspect of tri hita karana. Altars and temples are everywhere. So-called water temples, which are located at distribution points for water (e.g. lakes, rivers) are important places of worship and gifts offerings. In addition, every family’s home compound has a place set aside for altars and shrines. The role of spirituality in rice farming on Bali cannot be overstated.

Bali is a tourist’s paradise. It has beautiful beaches, an amazing culture, kind people and great seafood. But it is also overpopulated. With a size comparable to the tiny nation of Brunei in Borneo, Bali has 10 times the population. So, it is no wonder that you can find air pollution in Bali.

There are 1,200 subaks in Bali, each consisting of 50 to 400 smallholder farmers (average farm size is 0.8 ha). Each subak is managed separately but all use the same water source for the flooding of their rice paddies – Lake Bratan.  The fact that this system of cooperative water management has survived for over 1,000 years is remarkable.  

I started my commentary on a negative note but must say that I am impressed with Bali’s rice production system. The terraces are not only beautiful but also witness to a well-functioning, community-based, spirituality-driven and environmentally responsible network that has allowed for a peaceful sharing of a limited resource. With all the things I do find wrong with the island of Bali, the subak system is an impressive cultural feature that appears to be working just fine.

Komodo Island, Indonesia

It looks hot, desolate and hostile from shore and at a length of 35 km, it is no more than a speck on the map. It is home to venomous snakes, poisonous spiders and carnivorous reptiles, and if it weren’t for one famous but mysterious animal that lives here, you probably wouldn’t even recognize its name: Komodo Island, the home of the Komodo dragon (or Komodo Monitor).

Komodo dragons use their forked tongue to sample the air for scents. They can "smell" carrion from 11 km (6.8 mi) away.

Komodo Island is one of 17,508 islands in Indonesia. There are no roads on Komodo Island, no motor vehicles and no regular ferry service exists for its 2,000 inhabitants to connect with the outside world. As descendants of former convicts who have been banished to this place and mixed with the Bugis from Sulawesi, the people who live here make a living from fishing, carving wooden dragons as souvenirs and guiding a sparse number of tourists around the Komodo National Park. There are no acceptable options for accommodation on this island (by western standards) and no picnic or camping spots at this UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve. Despite Komodo Island having been recognized as one of the “New 7 Natural Wonders of the World”, it appears that the world has yet to discover this place. For now, the unique fauna on this island and the spectacular marine life and coral reefs surrounding it will remain largely undiscovered by mass tourism.

During the rainy season, the tropical Komodo Island is lush and green.

The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), the reason why we came to this island, is the largest lizard on earth. Called “ora” or “land crocodile” by the natives, it is believed to have lived across Indonesia and Australia at least 4 million years ago when a land bridge existed between the two continents. The end of the ice age stranded the dragons on the Lesser Sunda Islands where they lived undiscovered by the developed world. In 1910 a Dutch sailors visited the island and claimed to have seen creatures that were 7 m (23 ft) long, constantly spitting fire. I guess the long journey home played tricks with the sailors’ imagination as later excursions, launched in response to these reports, found the largest dragon specimen to be no longer than 3.35 m (11 ft), weighing 166 kg (366 lbs). The supposed flame-throwing capabilities of the dragons were quickly reduced to a venomous drool. Interestingly, fossils of a V. komodoensis-like reptile were found in Australia, leading scientists to believe that the size of the Komodo dragon has not changed very much over the past million years.  

In the wild, baby dragons get frequently eaten by adult Komodos. They protect themselves from cannibalistic behavior by spending most of their young lives in trees (adults cannot climb trees), surviving on geckos, insects and snakes.

Female dragons mate May to August; 20 to 30 eggs are laid into dug holes or into abandoned megapode birds’ nests in September; the eggs hatch 7 to 9 months later. Apparently, dragon parents do not think that upbringing and educating their young is part of their job. The hatchlings are left to fend for themselves. 

Very conveniently, female dragons can become pregnant and lay viable eggs without the help of a male. However, they do this only in the prolonged absence of a male partner (e.g. when females are separated from male dragons in a zoo environment). This phenomenon, called “facultative parthenogenesis”, only produces dragons of male gender and allows the female to eventually mate with its own offspring, ensuring survival of the species. Dragons mature after 8 to 9 years and can live for 30 to 50 years. 

Komodo dragons have very poor eye sight. They mostly react to movement, such as a deer walking by.

Young Komodo dragons comprise 10 % of an adult Komodo dragon’s food intake. Yes, they eat their young. To avoid being eaten, baby dragons take advantage of two crucial characteristics that all adult Komodos share: a) they are too heavy to climb trees and b) they have a strong dislike for fecal matter. Consequently, young dragons spend a lot of time in trees and they roll in dragon poo to make hungry adults run the other way. Who told them to do this? 

Adult dragons can run as fast a 20 km/h (13 mi/h) but only for a short distance. They can also swim fast and dive to a depth of 4.5 m (15 ft) so don’t even think about out-running or out-swimming a Komodo dragon. Its powerful legs and claws allow the dragon to accelerate very quickly. Given the mode of operation the Komodo employs during an attack, it will not have to run very far, anyway. Being at the top of the food chain has its advantages. Waiting patiently for hours in the shade near game trails, the dragon pounces on prey as it unsuspectingly walks towards the water hole. The Komodo’s favourite food is goats, deer, wild horses, fruit bats, water buffalo and wild boar. Often, the dragon is unsuccessful in bringing down an animal, but as long as the dragon has been able to bite its victim, it will die – even if it takes a few days. And that’s where the dragon’s exceptional smell comes in handy: The dragon can sense prey from up to 5 km (3 mi) away by sampling airborne molecules with its tongue. By touching the tips of the forked tongue against the roof of its mouth and swinging its head from side to side, the dragon can tell in which direction it has to walk to retrieve its dying prey. 

The Komodo dragon has a venomous saliva that contains bacteria and anticoagulants. When hunting, one bite in the buffalo's leg is enough. After that, it's a waiting game. Gradually, due to the neurotoxins introduced to the blood stream, the buffalo will grow weak and eventually die. With it's incredible sense of smell, the dragon can find the body and feast for days.

Once it has been able to bite and draw blood, the Komodo can be pretty sure that its attack has been a success. That is because the saliva of the dragon contains 57 strains of bacteria. Most likely, the attack has produced a flesh wound which will become infected from the pathogens very soon, leading to blood poisoning and the eventual death of the animal. The claim about the bacteria being the main cause for the prey’s death was challenged in 2009 by Australian researchers who performed an MRI scan of a dragon’s skull and found two glands in the lower jaw. These glands are said to secrete venom in the form of several toxic proteins. The effects of the venom include inhibition of blood clotting, lowering of blood pressure, muscle paralysis and the induction of hypothermia and shock. The truth about the enormously successful hunting technique of the Komodo dragon still remains a mystery, but may very well lie in a combination of the two deadly biological processes

A young dragon, approximately one year old, lives dangerously as he walks on the forest floor right in front of some adults. Sometimes, young Komodos have to come down from their perch in the trees to find food. By doing so, they risk becoming food themselves. Komodo dragon parents play no part in the upbringing of their young. From the time the eggs hatch, they are on their own.

Once the prey has been retrieved, the feeding begins. Komodo dragons are ferocious when it comes to devouring deer or buffalo or goats. They can rip and tear into the body of their prey quickly using their 60 curved, serrated and up to 2.5 cm (1 inch) long teeth. Their stomach expands easily and will accommodate up to 80 % of the dragon’s body weight in food. Dragons are not too selective when it comes to deciding which body parts are edible and which are not. Komodos can swallow an entire goat in 15 to 20 minutes. They will consume the entire animal but will eventually regurgitate horns, hooves and hide. Intestines are especially delicious but only after they have been emptied of fecal matter. This is accomplished by swinging the intestines around in circles or hitting them against trees. In all, only 12 % of the prey animal is left uneaten. This compares favourably to large mammalian carnivores, such as lions, which tend to leave 25 to 30 % unconsumed. After the meal, the dragon will spend 10 to 15 minutes cleaning and wiping its mouth. Flossing does not appear to be a common practice among Komodos. Then the dragon will drag himself to a sunny place where he can lie and digest in peace. Should the peace be short-lived and a challenger wants to pick a fight, the Komodo will regurgitate the entire meal to make himself lighter for battle. Larger meals are shared with other dragons. While Komodos are quite solitary in nature, they do come together during mealtime and mating. Large dragons eat first while smaller Komodos wait until it’s their turn. There is an advantage of eating such huge amounts of meat all at once: dragons can survive on only 12 meals in a year.  

A typical dragon meal.

Despite the Komodo dragon’s ferocious reputation, these lizards tend to shy away from confrontations with humans and will only attack if cornered or threatened. While somewhat reassured by that statement, I was still careful not to make intense eye contact or to swing my camera around while photographing the dragons. Apparently, Komodos can see moving objects from 300 m (985 ft) away but have difficulty discerning stationary objects. The dragons also have a much narrower hearing range than humans, being able to pick up sounds in the 400 to 2,000 hertz range while we can hear sounds between 20 and 20,000 hertz.

Komodo dragons fight when they defend their territory, their nests or compete for females.

As of last year, roughly 4,000 Komodo dragons were still living in the wild,. Their distribution is limited to three islands in the Lesser Sunda Islands region, including Komodo Island where 1,170 of dragons live. According to the park rangers, their numbers are slightly increasing. Of greatest concern is the low number of female dragons in the National Park; only 350 breeding females remain. The conservation efforts for this ancient lizard species are hampered by ongoing poaching, tourism pressures, loss of habitat and lack of prey. As a result, the Komodo dragon has been listed as a species that is “vulnerable to extinction”.

A photographer does not need a high shutter speed to get a sharp image of a Komodo dragon..... Most of the time, they move very slowly.

During our visit to the Singaporean Zoo a few years ago, we were able to see a rarity: a Komodo dragon baby that hatched in the Singapore Zoo in 2009. After 34 years of trying to breed and rear a Komodo dragon at the zoo and an extensive search for a suitable male and female dragon, the scientists and zoo keepers finally succeeded. The story of the breeding success, as it was published in the newspapers around the world, is proudly displayed in front of the Komodo dragon’s zoo exhibit. A sign in front of the exhibit says it all: this young baby dragon is “…more precious than the Mona Lisa.” How true!

Blending in well with the floor of dry open woodland savannah, the Komodo dragon waits for prey to walk past the waterhole or trail. When it charges a deer or buffalo, it can reach speeds of up to 20 kph (13 mph).

Why do the dragons fascinate me so much? Perhaps it is the near-perfect instinctual behaviour designed to ensure survival or the otherworldly look of these ancient animals or the impressive power behind their enormous paws. In popular culture, dragons are often portrayed as cute and cuddly. There is nothing warm and fuzzy about these guys. Komodo dragons are very efficient killing machines with no discernible signs of emotion. After looking deep into the eyes of a Komodo dragon I am convinced: there is not much there, except instinct.

Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

I was seriously tempted to take him home. He had a kind look, was just the right size and seemed very smart and alert…but then I was reminded that bringing a dingo home as a pet might not be a great idea. Aside, his howling on the plane would have really annoyed the other passengers.

There has been a long-standing debate in the scientific community about the origin of Australian dingoes. What are they – dogs or wolves? Where did they come from and who brought them to the continent? What roles are the dingoes playing in the eco system?

Most scientists now believe the dingoes arrived on the Australian continent between 3,500 and 5,000 years ago. They seem to have been brought across the waters by Sulawesi (an Indonesian island) hunter-gatherers for whom the dingoes were semi-domesticated companions. Consequently, the dingoes are not indigenous to Australia but were introduced to the country many millennia ago.

Genetically, dingoes are a sub-species of the Asian wolf. While they are wild animals, the aborigines used them as companions, protectors and hunting dogs. It is also known that the native Australians cuddled up to their dingoes for warmth at night. When the first European arrived in 1778, they noticed dingoes living within the aboriginal communities.

The dingoes’ symbiotic lifestyle with the aboriginal Australians ended during the continent’s colonialization. Firstly, they got into trouble when they chased after the Europeans’ sheep and cattle. Being wild animals, the dingoes killed and ate a lot of their life stock. To minimize the dingoes’ access to the lambs and calves, the settlers built the longest man-made structure in the world: a 5,614 km (3,488 mi) long fence. It took 5 years (1880 to 1885) to construct the barrier and was quite successful. Secondly, the dingoes started to breed with dogs introduce by the Europeans. Some experts argue that the dingoes are distinct enough to warrant protection of the species. Already 1/3 of all dingoes in Australia are no longer genetically pure.

“What is the harm in that?” you might ask. We do know for a fact that free-ranging feral dogs are inefficient predators, do not form packs and do not breed cooperatively (as dingoes do). The result: as poor predators, hybridized dingoes are useless to the eco system. They are unable to keep the kangaroo, rabbit, cat and mouse populations in Australia under control.  

If you checked the conservation status for dingoes, you’d find their status to be “vulnerable to extinction”. This is not because there are not enough dingoes, it is because of a rapidly decreasing number of genetically pure dingoes.

Before you take a couple of dingoes on the plane to breed them at home, let me advise you that dingoes get extremely attached and become very distraught every time you leave the house. When you come home, a dingo will ask you to perform the usual 15 minute-long welcoming ritual, which involves licking, hugging and kissing. Also, you can never let a dingo off a leash. It will attack other dogs or kill your neighbour’s beloved cat before your very own eyes.

Is it possible to keep a dingo as a pet? Yes, but be prepared to quit your job and ONLY pay attention to your dingo. In that case, say good-bye to your job and your marriage.   ;-)   Yes, dingoes are dogs – but very unique dogs.

Alotau, Papua New Guinea

It was one of those “pinch me!” moments. Is this for real? Am I really setting foot on the shores of Papua New Guinea (PNG), this small, ancient, obscure, rich, poor, forgotten land of 8 million people just off the north-eastern corner of Australia? I have always dreamt about visiting this place - the rain forests of New Guinea, one of the last intact “lungs” of our exploited planet and the remote villages of the interior highlands where tribal folks paint their bodies in the most outrageous colours. According to the ship’s GPS, yes, I have arrived. Were the two days I spent here enough to satisfy my curiosity? Definitely not!

 What our visit to PNG gave me, however, was a motivation to learn about a country that has over 800 tribal dialects (12 % of the world’s languages), practiced cannibalism until not too long ago, has uncontacted tribes in the mountains and is still coming to grips with its role in a modern world. I wanted to make sense of it all.

In so many ways Papua New Guinea has been and is very lucky. For a country that has so much to offer, it has achieved self-determination relatively early and remained mostly unscathed from the brutal forces of colonialism. The PNG can thank its rugged territory and impassable terrain for that. Over centuries, as European explorers approached the island and discovered how difficult it was to slug through dense tropical rain forests and mountain ranges with snow and glaciers, many gave up and moved on. Now, 130 years after the rest of the world started to pay serious attention to a land that has had a human population for more than 40,000 years, dramatic changes are under way in Papua New Guinea. The verdict is still out on how this will all end, but for now the people of PNG are learning to adjust and function in a modern world.

PNG’s nature and eco systems are still largely intact and mineral resources are still waiting to be exploited to the max. But this is about to change. Palm oil, mining, rubber, cattle and logging companies, the mortal enemies of undisturbed tropical eco systems, are increasing their activities. Already, they have started to chain-saw their way through 25 % of PNG’s rain forests. At the current rate of destruction, it is estimated that this number will increase to 50 % during the next decade. The eco systems, which comprise the world’s 3rd largest rain forests, house precious and rare birds of paradise, tree kangaroos, cassowaries and possums. They will disappear forever if drastic changes are not made in time – not to mention the fate of native tribes that live in the forest. So far, enforcement of pledges to reduce logging and curb the establishment of large scale mono culture plantations has been as weak as the country’s government.

Now, the mining companies have set their eyes set on the mineral-rich ocean floor around the PAG. Gold, Copper and oil already make up 72 % of export earnings; natural resources comprise 50 % of the GDP.  Lately, a Canadian mining company with the financial backing from Russia and Oman, has been experimenting with a technology that will allow tellurium, a metal used in high performance solar panels, to be mined from the ocean floor. Needless to say, the practice would destroy coral reefs and rich fish stocks. But how can an impoverished nation like Papua New Guinea, where 85 % of the population practices subsistence living and contributes only 30 % of the GDP through cash crops, turn its back on the profit potential from mineral exports?  Nautilus Minerals Inc., the Canadian company, is trying to make a point: mining the sea floor is better than destroying ancient forests. I guess that remains to be seen.

Today, when a country emerges from the dark ages to join the contemporary world, the entire adaptation process still feels like a huge experiment. Luckily for PNG, unlike those parts of the world that were colonized and exploited already centuries ago (e.g. South America, Africa), there is still time to do things right in Papua New Guinea: the native population does not need to be killed off, the rights of native tribes do not need to be violated and the forests do not need to be stripped of all life. Unluckily for PNG, though, corruption is rife among government officials in the country. Papua New Guinea ranks 136th among 176 nations on the Transparency International 2016 Corruption Perception Index. It is a well-known fact that government officials siphon funds from the public coffers to pad the businesses they own alongside their public service careers. There are no wealthy business owners in PNG, just wealthy politicians. With all of its natural resources, PNG should be booming. Instead, the very basic services for its citizens (e.g. education, health care) lag well behind other developing nations.

As I walk through Alotau, the provincial capital of Milne Bay Province in PNG, I notice that most men and many women have unappetizing looking red stains on their teeth and around their mouths. Later I learn that the stains come from chewing the popular betel nuts (Areca catechu). More a berry than a nut, Areca is chewed together with lime powder to achieve specific physiological effects like heightened alertness, euphoria and hunger suppression. On average, locals will chew between 8 and 10 betel nuts per day; it's cheaper than eating food. When finished chewing, the bright-red saliva and nut residue is spat out, making sidewalks and public places look like the floor in a butcher house. Because of this, chewing betel nuts is forbidden in some places (e.g. hotels, public squares). To nobody’s surprise, a prolonged chewing habit will have detrimental effects on a person’s health. From mouth cancer to loss of teeth to type II diabetes to a general aggravation of pre-existing conditions – the Areca nut has it all.

Worldwide, over 600 million people chew betel nuts, making it the 4th most prevalent addiction globally. Betel nut chewing, once reserved for sacred events, is now a widespread addiction in PNG - 50 % of the country uses the Areca nut. The chewing craze is an interesting side topic in a country that is full of super-friendly people, political drama and corruption, untouched natural beauty, crime, environmental threats and 40 millennia (!!) of traditions and customs. Is change coming to Papua New Guinea too quickly? I quietly wonder how the people cope. Perhaps the buzz they get from chewing betel nuts gives temporary relief to those New Guineans whose lives and culture have been turned upside down by a modern world.

The story of environmental degradation, corruption, greed and wealth inequality is a global (…and very human) one. When I grew up in Germany, the world had a population of roughly 3 billion. By 2100 the number will be an estimated 11 billion. The mining of scarce resources (commodities) will increasingly strain our beloved earth. There are no simple answers if we want to continue to put tires on our cars, eat beef and install solar panels on our roofs. Some people have suggested that we place 50 % of the planet under conservation protection. Is it an idea that is impossible to implement? I don’t think so, but if we want to save our earthly home, humanity will need to act with greater coordination and become much smarter in the way we deal with corruption and the care of our planet

On a different subject: Some of you may know that Australia has a refugee problem. Misery and hardship in developing countries throughout south-east Asia have prompted people to resort to desperate measures: they pay people smugglers to take them on leaky boats to Australia, the Promised Land. But Australia is spending millions of $$ to intercept rickety refugee boats and turning them around. Many of the asylum seekers are then transferred to “offshore processing centers”, like the one on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. There, the refugees are held for years under in-humane conditions until their fate has been decided. Dirty drinking water, lack of food and electricity, brutal attacks by armed guards and overflowing toilets appear to be the norm. Medical services for the detainees are virtually non-existent. As a result of these terrible conditions, several refugees have died.

New Zealand has offered to take in 150 asylum seekers, but Australia declined the offer. New Zealand offered money to ease the misery in the camps, but Australia declined the offer. From their perspective, helping the detainees would dilute the “stop the boats” deterrent. The official message from the Australian government is this: this cruelty is necessary in order to discourage others from paying people smugglers and hopping into leaking boats. As a consequence of this policy, 800 men, forgotten to the world, linger in Papua New Guinea while waiting to start a life that is better than the life they left behind.

So, when you go to bed tonight, send some loving thoughts to those unfortunate refugees in PNG - and then put yourself in the shoes of Australian leaders. What would you do to stop the flow of asylum seekers?

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

If I were a kangaroo,

I’d leave for you a clue or two,

For you to find me roaming free,

Happy as a roo can be.

This enormously creative piece of poetry came to me as we were driving around Southern Australia for hours looking for kangaroos. Roo droppings, flattened grass, even carcasses of kangaroos hit by cars were strong indications that they were close, but it wasn’t until hours of searching had passed that we finally spotted them among the eucalyptus trees.

Given my paragraph above, you may be forgiven to think that kangaroos are rare. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, roos are considered a pest in Australia. There are two kangaroos for every human in Aussieland. Perhaps my inability to find roos could be explained by the same kind of blindness that overcomes me when I look for butter in the fridge.

Anyway, the Australians are greatly conflicted about their roo dilemma. On the one hand this beloved animal is Australia’s national emblem, depicted on the country’s coat of arms and currency, adorning Australia’s largest air planes and giving identity to countless sports teams. On the other hand many scientists, farmers and citizens who find kangaroos in their backyards more often than not, believe that 49 million roos are enough and culling is needed to reduce the population to sustainable levels. While arguing that population levels are surging because all natural predators are extinct and that roos have become a threat to the country’s eco systems, kangaroo culling quotas are announced every year by the state governments.

Environmentalists question the wisdom of the cull. They claim that the roos’ population explosion is temporary and weather related. They argue that kangaroos are keeping the grass short, reduce the fire hazard and fertilize the nutrient-poor soils.

Killed kangaroos are not wasted. Their hides are used for leather and the meat is used for dog food and/or exported as a delicacy for human consumption to many parts of the world. In fact, Australians are urged to eat more kangaroo meat. The meat, nutritionists point out, is very tasty, organic, full of iron, free of antibiotics and pesticides and very lean. But feeding off the enormous kangaroo population results in more than just good health: it reduces the number roos through the Australian bush causing damage and it helps to curb greenhouse gases by reducing reliance on beef. Cattle, which was introduced by European settlers, releases tons of methane into the atmosphere while kangaroos do not.

Aboriginal Australians have been eating kangaroo meat for thousands of years, but when you suggest that white Australians do the same, there is strong resistance. I don’t understand: eating a national emblem may be un-patriotic and un-Australian but it has never been this tasty. Perhaps singing the national anthem while chucking roo steaks on the barbie will make their consumption a bit more palatable.

Tasmania, Australia

It is shaped like a heart and just as beautiful. It is the 26th largest island in the world, roughly the size of Sri Lanka and slightly smaller than Ireland. It represents less than 1% of the Australian landmass but contains 12% of the country's fresh water. It had almost its entire indigenous population wiped out during colonization and today is mostly populated by descendants of the "founding families" with British background. What is it?

Tasmania is a speck of land 240 km (150 mi) south-east of the Australian mainland. With a population of only 1/2 million and 7 people per square km, this Australian state is a sparsely populated, mountainous and remote place. Tasmania’s 3,000 lakes and vast areas of protected land also make it a dream destination for people who love to explore. It is home to the first environmental political party in the world and has designated 45% of its land mass to be either national parks or World Heritage Sites. Don’t you wish you could pack up your 4x4, your tent trailer and the kids and start exploring the remote parts of this paradise?

It is not without envy that I sit in Melbourne's harbor and watch one RV after the other being loaded onto the Spirit of Tasmania, the only ferry serving the island. The trip takes 10 hours but your patience is rewarded with clean air and water, curvy country roads, the largest remaining temperate rain forest in the southern hemisphere and beautiful beaches and lakes to enjoy.

Waitomo Caves, North Island, New Zealand

You’d better know how to glow if your name is luminosa, or Arachnocampa luminosa to be precise. The light emitting New Zealand glowworm is one of nature’s most marvelous inventions, even though (and ironically), it is easily disturbed by light. That’s why you have to go deep into caves, grottos or dark, damp places in the forest to find them, preferably without your camera or flashlight. The caves of New Zealand’s North Island are great places to see them. The Arachnocampa luminosa is actually a fungus gnat that goes through 4 developmental stages during its lifetime. During three of those the insect has the ability to glow.

Shortly before they die, female adult gnats create nests and attach their eggs to the ceiling of the cave. The eggs hatch and larvae emerge. To feed itself, each larva produces silk and mucous to hang threads (snares) from the dark ceiling of the cave. Like a spider’s web, insects are caught in the snares, retrieved and eaten by the larva. To attract the insects, the larva creates a blueish-green glow in its abdomen, perhaps to fool the insects into believing they are under starry skies.

The larva stage is the longest in the gnat’s life; it will last 6 to 12 months depending on food availability. When the larva pupates, the pupa also glows but this time to attract a mate. Hanging vertically from a short thread, the female pupa glows especially bright, attracting adult male gnats which wait just outside the door for the female adult to emerge. Once she has freed herself from her prison, the female mates with her patient partner and the cycle starts all over again. Adult fungus gnats only live a few days. Their sole purpose in life appears to be reproduction. By the way, adult gnats cannot be caught in the snares. They are too big and can free themselves. 

Our boat is gliding silently through the cave while we are watching in amazement the ceiling lit up like a star-filled sky on a clear night. It is a wonderous and surreal experience. As picture-taking was strictly forbidden inside the cave, I don’t have pictures of my own to show you, but I hope you get an idea of the beauty of this place.

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

It is August 1986. Ed from St. Louis sits beside me in a natural hot springs pool in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories. We are soaking our sore bodies after a long day of travelling hundreds of miles of gravel road. Ed and I are sharing stories from the road. He and his wife have just returned from Alaska, driving their motorhome through some of the most spectacular scenery on earth. Wolves, moose, salmon, crystal clear lakes, grizzlies and remote snow-covered mountain ranges are all part of the landscape in this part of the world. A magical place, still unspoiled by human intervention. “There is nothing up here!” Ed says, “what a waste of time and money. Can’t wait to get back to civilization!” I didn’t argue with Ed, obviously beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but his comments were a lesson to me: The moment I stop to look for beauty everywhere, to marvel in the mystery in nature and to acknowledge the magic all around me, I might as well be dead!

To me, every journey is a quest – a quest to find myth, beauty, mystery and magic in places and people I have not seen or met before. Discovery doesn’t always come easy. Sometimes, you have to scratch the surface to see the beauty or ask questions to discover the mystery.

Lana'i, Hawaii, U.S.A.

“How do you enforce law and order on a private island?” I asked Bruce, our guide. I was referring to the fact that the Hawaiian resort island of Lana’i has a population of 3,000 while owned by Oracle founder and chairman Larry Ellison. Bruce didn’t need long to respond: “If you have a dispute, you talk to the person with whom you have the grievance.” What a concept! Litigation, America’s favorite pastime, doesn’t seem to play a major role on Hawaii’s 6th largest populated island.

Perhaps it is idealistic to assume that all conflicts can be resolved over a cup of coffee, but I understood the message Bruce wanted to convey: we live in a small community and people here tend to work things out among themselves. They rarely need intervention by the police or the courts.

It has not always been this peaceful on Lana’i. In fact, the soil on this beautiful island is soaked by the blood of the Hawaiian people. In the late 18th century, Hawaii’s King Kamehameha-I killed all of the island’s 6,000 inhabitants when they resisted his attempts to unify all of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule. While he is revered by the Hawaiian people, the brutality of Kamehameha’s conquest is often overlooked. With the help of European canons and muskets, his warriors slaughtered the population of Lana’i and set the richly forested island on fire, destroying all plant, animal and human life.

The king’s attack on Lana’i altered the island forever. With the forests gone, the landscape on the island turned arid as the rains stopped and water became scarce. When meagre vegetation returned, Mormon missionaries settled on Lana’i. They tried to raise livestock in the 1870s, but thousands of goats and sheep eventually grazed all of the young trees and plants right to the ground. The 360 sqkm (140 sqmi) island could not sustain a livestock industry. In 1922 James Dole, the president of the Dole Food Company, bought the island and established the world’s largest pineapple plantation on Lana’i. Eventually, pineapple production became unprofitable and Castle & Cooke, then owner of 98% of Lana’i (the state owns the remaining 2%), moved the island’s economy away from agriculture towards tourism.

When Ellison purchased Castle & Cooke’s share of Lana’i for roughly US $ 500 million in 2012, he also took control of two Four Seasons Hotels on the island– one located close to beautiful Manele Bay, the other near Lana’i City on the cool slopes of the island’s extinguished volcano. Both hotels have been or are in the process of being totally renovated and converted into what will arguably become the most exclusive and luxurious Four Seasons Hotels in the world. The prices for accommodation range from US $1,000 per night for a room at the low end of the spectrum to US $ 21,000 per night for a three-bedroom suite. Connected to Lahaina on the island of Maui by a 45-minute ride on a passenger ferry and weekly barge service, Lana’i is open to the general public, but its exclusive hotels have become a playground for the ultra-wealthy. 

The impact Ellison’s ownership of Lana’i has had on the island cannot be overstated. Not only did he make sure that the unemployed plantation workers found work in the resort hotels, the island’s three golf courses and other tourist related businesses, he also gave all of the private homes and public buildings in Lana’i City a new paint job, restored the island’s dilapidated infra structure and built a state-of-the-art movie theatre. Eventually, Ellison wants to achieve a totally self-sustained community which derives its power entirely from renewable sources and its food from sustainable agriculture.

The trees are returning to Lana’i, too. During recent years the island’s hills, road sides and mountain ridges have been partly re-forested with Cook pines (Araucaria columnaris). The intention is to allow the trees to capture moisture from the ocean mist and causing water droplets to enter the soil. Hopefully, over time, this will restore the island’s depleted water table.

Born in 1944, Allison is getting on in years. Perhaps one day in the not too distant future, Lana’i will once again experience the kind of climate the island has had before it was destroyed by fire and abused by greed and ignorance. Larry Allison, however, will not be around to see these changes, but with the enormous financial resources at his disposal (his net worth is $43.2 billion in 2016) and his exciting vision for the future of this small island, he is setting an example for others to follow. Eventually leaving behind a legacy of a restored landscape, prosperity for an entire community and a model for a sustainable economy, Larry Allison will be remembered for more than the multibillion dollar software giant he founded.

~ RT 

New York, New York, U.S.A.

The Statue of Liberty is one of the best-known landmarks in the “Big Apple”. Since it was gifted to America by the French in the 1886, it has been a world-renowned symbol of freedom and democracy, greeting millions of people at the entrance to the New York harbour. The statue has special meaning to all who have come from around the world to start a new life in America. A plaque inside displays a poem by Emma Lazarus, it reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor,

You huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

As America closes its “golden door” to refugees and is at risk of electing a president who wishes to build walls rather than welcoming “the homeless” and “tempest-tossed”, I wonder what will become of the America that has become great because and not despite of its immigrants.

~ RT 

Ketchikan, Alaska, U.S.A.

As our tiny boat silently hugs the shoreline of a tiny island in Carroll Inlet just south of Ketchikan, we surprise a young black bear contently munching on juicy grass. He stares at us with a puzzled look on his face before disappearing in the woods behind him. It is brief moments like these that are priceless and awe inspiring, moments when we humans can witness and be a part of a world that used to work a lot BETTER without us – wilderness.  

By definition, wilderness areas are those ever-shrinking parts of our planet that are void of human influence, manipulation and interference – irreplaceable remnants from another era in earth history. Given the realities of climate change and the fact that those areas, sadly and ironically, often have to be managed by humans to stay wild, the purity and integrity of such places are increasingly compromised. To my knowledge, truly wild places that are totally beyond the impact and control of mankind, no longer exist on our planet. Yet, there are places where you can still discover the rawness and innocence of nature. Alaska is such a place.  

How important is it for us humans to have a relationship with wilderness? Does it really matter to our lives to know that wilderness still exists and to experience the wide open spaces, the silence of the forest and the awe inspiring sight of a truly wild animal in its native habitat? I firmly believe it does. Real life encounters like the one I described above, will change you and move the most hardened of hearts. They are, quite literally, food for the soul.

As always, photographs don’t communicate very well the essence of the experience and are a poor substitute for the real thing. But once you’ve left Alaska behind and re-entered civilization, the photos and your memories are all that’s left of your life-changing encounter with the wild.

~ RT 

Mauna Kea, Hawaii, U.S.A.

Up here above the clouds, the colours are brighter and more vivid, the air is clear and crisp and I can see endlessly into the distance. I can only imagine what the sky looks like from here at night time. It must be an otherworldly experience to be able to see the vastness of space – and that is exactly the point: it is here, on Mt. Mauna Kea on the island of Hawaii at 4,205 m (13,796 ft) that the world has placed its most powerful telescopes. This is the best place on earth to look deep into space, to explore the mysteries of the universe and perhaps, find out if we truly are made out of stardust.

I have never been particularly interested in astronomy. The concept of my being one of many billion people on earth, our sun being one of billions of suns in our galaxy and our galaxy being one of billions of galaxies in the universe is too mind-bending for me to grasp. This knowledge does not impact my life here on earth and will definitely not help me pay my bills. Or does it?

When visiting Mauna Kea you cannot stay untouched by the controversy surrounding this special mountain. Inevitably you are drawn into a discussion that challenges the validity and necessity of space exploration while questioning the state of indigenous rights in our society.

Mt. Mauna Kea is unlike any other mountain. Measured from the bottom of the ocean, it is the tallest mountain on earth – 1,200 m (4,000 ft) higher than Mt. Everest. Its peak, the highest point in the state of Hawaii, reaches 4% above the earth’s atmosphere, ensuring 300 days of cloudless sky in a year. At this high altitude, the environment is arid, the airflow stable, light pollution non-existent and the concentration of air-borne particles in the atmosphere extremely low. All of this means that the top of Mt. Mauna Kea is one of the best places, if not the best location from where to observe the universe. To date, 11 countries have located 13 telescopes near the peak. Among them are the two famous Keck observatories which, over the past few years, have contributed greatly to our understanding of the universe and its origin. Surrounded by a moon-like landscape, with nearby cinder cones acting as silent witnesses to past volcanic eruptions, the telescopes stand like aliens in a serene and otherworldly landscape. Few people venture this high up the mountain, not least because low oxygen levels make walking difficult and strenuous.

Mt. Mauna Kea is unlike any other mountain. To the indigenous Hawaiian people, Mt. Mauna Kea is the most sacred mountain of all. For this reason, visits to the mountain peak are prohibited by ancient Hawaiian law. Only high-ranking priests are allowed to ascent to the top. In Hawaiian myth, mother earth and father sky married and gave birth to the Hawaiian islands. Mt. Mauna Kea is believed to be the first-born son, thus its standing as the most sacred mountain of all. The native Hawaiian population did not approve of the construction of the telescopes on “their” mountain. The observatories were placed on the slopes of Mauna Kea without their permission while the actual mountain peak is graced with an ahu, a man-made ceremonial structure, a place for offerings and worship.

Since the year 2,000 the international scientific community has been talking about and planning the construction of a 30 meter telescope (TMT). A telescope of that size would be housed in a 66 meters (217 ft) wide dome, 18 stories high, and outfitted with the latest scientific technology. It would allow astronomers to observe faint objects in the night sky with a resolution many times greater than that of the Hubble Space Telescope, which continues to orbit earth. The TMT would help in the search for life on planets outside of our solar system and advance our understanding of star formation and how galaxies evolve.

After an extensive world-wide search for a suitable site, the international consortium managing the construction of the TMT, chose Mauna Kea as the best possible location. The TMT is to occupy 0.57 ha (1.4 acres) on a 2 ha (5 acre) parcel of land on the northern plateau of the mountain, 500 ft below the existing observatories on the summit ridge. The ground-breaking ceremony for the TMT project took place in October of 2014 but construction was interrupted by protesters right from the start. The activists claim that the construction of the TMT on Mt. Mauna Kea is not only violating and desecrating sacred land but also destroying fragile ecological environments that are home to, among other threatened species, the rare wekiu bug of the genus Nysius which can survive at such high elevations because it has antifreeze in its blood. Also at risk is the silversword fern (Argyroxiphium sandwicense var. sandwicense), a highly endangered endemic plant species whose population was, at one time, reduced to only 50 specimen.

Native Hawaiian activists also claim that the University of Hawaii, which leases the land to the observatories, has no authority over the mountain. The protesters state that Mauna Kea is crown land which used to belong to the Hawaiian Monarchy before it was annexed by the U.S.A. in 1898. In late 2015, the protesters’ grievances were brought before the state’s Supreme Court. In December the Court sided with the plaintiffs and rescinded the permit to build the TMT, stating improper handling of the “Contested Case Hearing” by the Board of Land and Natural Resources. The “Contested Case Hearing” is a process during which the potential impacts of the TMT project on the people’s rights and privileges were to be discussed. Apparently, the Board had approved the permit to build the TMT before the “Contested Case Hearing” had been completed. For the time being, the activists are claiming victory while the TMT Consortium views the Court’s decision as a minor setback. Still, the members of the TMT Consortium are worried enough to look at other suitable sites. One possibility under consideration is Mt. Saraswati, a 4,511 m (14,800 ft) high mountain peak in northern India, close to the Chinese border.

The TMT project is a US $ 1.4 billion undertaking to be completed by 2022. The countries spearheading TMT are the U.S.A, China, Japan, India and Canada. Anticipating opposition to the project, the TMT Consortium has undertaken an extensive public relations campaign. Since Mauna Kea is located on the island of Hawaii, most of the economic benefits would flow towards the island communities. Commitments made by the TMT Consortium include harm mitigation for the fragile mountain ecology, the removal of 3 outdated observatories to make room for the TMT, payments of US $ 1 million per year to support locally chosen education programs, hundreds of full time and part time jobs and the establishment of a local astrophysics industry paired with relevant educational training programs at local colleges. It is further estimated that TMT would add US $ 26 million to the island and state economy annually and significantly enhance the Big Island’s tourism industry. With a total population of an estimated 190,000 on the Big Island of Hawaii and an unemployment rate of around 10% among native Hawaiians (3.2% among the general population), a case could be made that astronomy is not just a pastime for scientists with lofty ambitions and never-ending curiosities, it is a nuts and bolts industry that can pay bills and put food on the table for many families.   

It strikes me as ironic that the ancestors of today’s native Hawaiian activists were Tahitian Polynesians whose intimate knowledge of the heavens allowed the navigation across the Pacific Ocean.  Their almost super-natural abilities to use star constellations as navigational instruments brought them to the Hawaiian Islands more than a thousand years ago. They were, without a doubt, the most skilled astronomers of ancient times. In my opinion, what better way to honour their ancestors and revere a sacred mountain than to respectfully use it for the exploration of the stars.

The value of sacred lands cannot be measured and their desecration by industrial development can hardly be undone. The world over, politicians and judges alike have to walk a fine line between the respectful treatment of indigenous rights while keeping in mind the overall benefits to the general population. These are emotional topics that often lack common sense rhetoric and realistic expectations. Still, what happened to the TMTproject was the result of reckless bureaucratic maneuvering. The Board of Land and Natural Resources did not act in a respectful manner towards the rights of native Hawaiians. I can’t help but wonder if similar road blocks would await the construction of the TMTtelescope in northern India.

I got an earful of opinions during my brief visit to Mauna Kea. There are valid arguments to be made on both sides. Thankfully, I am not embroiled in the controversy personally, able to go home knowing that I do not have to be the one who decides if research into extraterrestrial life should or should not proceed on Mt. Mauna Kea. Among astronomers, on the other hand, the possible loss of Mt. Mauna Kea as the flagship of American and international astronomy is seen as nothing less than “…catastrophic for science.” (Doug Simons, Director of the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope on Mt. Mauna Kea)

~ RT