Category Archives: World

A Road Trip Around British Columbia’s Coast, Mountains and Forests:

Posted on August 5, 2023 by moselman

Anyone who works in the environmental sector will tell you that there’s no such thing as a “proper” holiday; indeed, sitting on the beach for 2 weeks sounds to me like the very epitome of sensory deprivation. By contrast, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe Trips, Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Uncategorized, Wild Places, World | Tagged BC Provincial Parks, BC Rockies, CLayoquot Sound, ecotourism, mountains, nature, Okanagan, outdoors, RV, Salmon Arm, Shuswap, Stanley Park, Sunshine Coast, Tofino, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Whale watching, wildfires | Leave a comment

Galapagos – Fragile paradise on the edge

Posted on June 1, 2022 by moselman

In reality, many places around the planet never quite match up to the expectations and preconceptions that we have for these places. Glossy tourist brochures and websites, churn out endless images of unspoiled nature, friendly locals, incredible food and culture … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe Trips, Uncategorized, Wild Places, World | Tagged biodiversity, Charles Darwin, Ecuador, Galapagos, Giant Tortoises, Iguanas, Oceanic islands, Overtourism, Pacific Ocean, Pollution, Sangay 89 Expedition, Sea turtles, Sealions, Theory of Evolution by Natural Section | Leave a comment

Rough Tracks from the Andes to the Sea

Posted on May 29, 2022 by moselman

Sometimes I’ll start writing a post or a story and then get completely distracted with other stuff, with the good intention of revisiting it sometime later – could just be a case of writers block or a lack of inspiration … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, World | Tagged Avenue of the Volcanoes, Central Valley of the Ecuadorian Andes, Ecuadorian Andes, Ibarra, Ibarra to San Lorenzo train, Mangroves, Otavalo, Pacific Coast, Quito, San Lorenzo, Sangay 89 Expedition | 3 Comments

Hell & High Water: Ecuadorian Andes to Amazon – Part 2

Posted on March 22, 2021 by moselman

This post covers part 2 the “Sangay’89” Research Expedition – The expedition surveyed the natural ecosystems and biodiversity of Volcan Sangay National Park in Ecuador, from the High Andes to the rainforests of the upper Amazon Basin. In Part 1 … Continue reading →

Posted in Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World | Tagged Aloa Valley, altitudinal zonation, Amazonia, Andes to Amazon, Baños de Agua Santa, bromeliads, cloud forest, Ecuadorian Andes, El Altar, elphin woodland, Leguna Negra, páramo grasslands, Puyo, Rio Palora, Riobamba, Sangay 89 Expedition, Sangay'89, subtropical rainforest, tree frogs, Tungarahua, University of Wales, Volcan Sangay National Park | 4 Comments

Hell & High Water: Ecuadorian Andes to Amazon – Part 1

Posted on March 13, 2021 by moselman

This post covers part 1 of the “Sangay’89” Research Expedition – The expedition surveyed the natural ecosystems and biodiversity of Volcan Sangay National Park in Ecuador, from the high Andes to the rainforests of the upper Amazon Basin. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Mountain Treks, Trees & Greenspaces, Uncategorized, Wild Places, World | Tagged Amazon, Avenue of the Volcanoes, biodiversity, Chimbarazo, cloud forests, Ecuadorian Andes, Edward Whymper, El Altar, forest ecology, jaguars, mountain tapir, páramo, Polylepis, pumas, puyas, Riobamba, Sangay 89 Expedition, spectacled bear, Tungurahua, UNESCO World Heritage, Volcan Sangay National Park | Leave a comment

Hiking the West Coast Trail – Vancouver Island

Posted on March 3, 2021 by moselman

After writing a couple of long and challenging posts about the Spice Islands of Indonesia, I thought it would be a pleasant relief to write something rather more short and simple – something that might take only 15 minutes to … Continue reading →

Posted in Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World | Tagged BC, British Columbia, Canada, Coastal rainforests, Ditidaht, Gordon River, Graveyard of the Pacific, Huuay-aht, Pacheedaht, Pachena Bay, Pacific Coast, Victoria, West Coast Trail, western red cedar | Leave a comment

Seram: In the Indonesian Rainforest – Part 2.

Posted on March 2, 2021 by moselman

This post covers the second part of Operation Raleigh 10F Expedition to the Island of Seram in Indonesia – The Expedition ran from July to October 1987 as part of a global comparative research programme on the diversity of tropical … Continue reading →

Posted in History & Culture, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World | Tagged "alang-alang" grassland, Alfred Russell Wallace, Ambon, Binaiya, biodiversity hotspots, bioluminescence, centipedes, coral reefs, death adders, endemic species, fishing, fogging machine, Gunung Binaiya, Jarkarta, KM Rinjani, Kobipoto Ridge, Manusela National Park, marine resources, mechanised logging, Moluccas Islands, Museum of Natural History, Natural Resources, Operation Raleigh, Pasahari, rainforest ecosystems, rainforest surveys, Sawai Island, Seram, Solea Camp, timber extraction, Transmigration, vegetation transects, Wae Issal, Wallacea, Wandy Swales, Wild Pig project | Leave a comment

Seram: In the Indonesian Rainforest – Part 1.

Posted on February 23, 2021 by moselman

This post covers the first part of Operation Raleigh 10F Expedition to the Island of Seram in Indonesia – The Expedition ran from July to October 1987 as part of a global comparative research programme on the diversity of tropical … Continue reading →

Posted in History & Culture, Trees & Greenspaces, Wild Places, World | Tagged agathis, Alifuru, Ambon, arrows, bananas, bioresources, birds, bows, butterflies, Calloa, cassava, cassowary, cloves, comparative rainforest programme, deer, Elimata, Enclave, epiphytes, ethnobotany, exotic bird trade, Expedition 10F, flora and fauna, forest gaps, forest gardens, Gunung Binaiya, Hua Ulu, hunting, hymenoptera, kamane resin, Kanikeh, keladi, KM Rinjani, Kobipoto, lepidoptera, mace, Maluku Province, Manusela, Manusela National Park, mechanised logging, Merkele Ridge, Mt. Binaiya, nutmeg, Operation Raleigh, orchids, parrots, patatas, purple naped lorikeets, sago palm, Salimena, salmon crested cockatoos, Seram, spears, Spice islands, sugarcane, swiddens, Wahai, wild pigs | Leave a comment

Koh Tao – Searching for “The Beach”

Posted on February 13, 2021 by moselman

Danny Boyle’s film “The Beach” Starring Leonardo DiCaprio was set around the theme of a mythical beach, located in a pristine bay which was tucked away somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand. In the movie, the beach had assumed a … Continue reading →

Posted in Canoe Trips, Wild Places, World | Tagged "The Beach" movie, Bangkok, Gulf of Thailand, Kho Pha Ngan, Ko Phi Phi, Ko Samui, Koh Tao | Leave a comment

Langtang – Paradise Changed

Posted on February 9, 2021 by moselman

There are some natural events which are on a scale beyond our ability to comprehend. The 2015 earthquake in Nepal was undoubtedly one of these events. The Langtang Valley in Central Nepal, located just 50km to the North of the … Continue reading →

Posted in History & Culture, Mountain Treks, Wild Places, World | Tagged 2015 earthquake, Himalayas, Kyanjin Gompa, Lama Hotel, Langsisa Kharka, Langtang Valley, trekking | Leave a comment