I’ve had a small break from blogging and after my first post in a while I was over the moon to see a notification that someone had commented on my post. Yes, people are still following me! The comment was from McKenna Paulley, the author of Adventures Of A New Floridian nominating me for a Liebster Award.

Firstly, thank you McKenna for the nomination, your blog is a pleasure to read and being nominated by you means a lot. For those of you that don’t know about her blog, here are my impressions:

I first found her blog when looking for other people who shared my passion for ‘herping’ (looking for reptiles and amphibians). I stumbled accross her post entitled: My Three Favorite Hobbies that Get Me Outside and instantly related to her view on herpetology and wildlife in general. She wrote:

“Because I love photographing the critters that I find, herping also allows me to practice and improve my photography skills. By dedicating a little bit of your time, you would be amazed by the animals you are able to find”.

People are always saying to me; ‘I don’t know how you spot all the wildlife you do’ and I, like McKenna, beleive that with a little time and patience you can find wildlife almost anywhere.

Her posts about her adventures with wildlife are interesting to read and the accompanying pictures are beautiful, absorbing you into the moment and filling you with wanderlust and envy at the same time.

My Questions from McKenna:

1. If you could only take one more trip, where would you go and why?

If I could only take one more trip in my life, I’d have to go to Madagascar. Madagascar is home to so many unique and unusual animal species and with so many of them being endemic to the island, where better to go and see them!?

2. How long would you be able to survive a zombie apocalypse? Justify your answer!

I’d like to think that in a zombie apocalypse I’d be able to last at least a month. I’m always trying to improve my knowledge of survival techniques and I’d love to put some of them to use. I’d head into the jungle, build a shelter and begin my jungle life….hopefully with minimal zombies to fend off!

3. If you could have any superpower, which would you choose and why?

If I had any superpower I think it’d be the ability to communicate with animals, I’d love to be able to predict what their next move is or at least tell them that i’m not going to eat them! I just want to get close enough for a photo without them running away.

4. Where is your favorite place to get your blogging done?

I don’t really have a favourite place to do my blogging, more like a favourite time. I love to do my blogging in the late afternoon, after a day of exploring whilst it’s all still fresh in my mind or early morning if I was out exploring the night before.

5. What inspired you to blog in the first place?

I’ve always been inspired by nature and I’ve been lucky enough to have lived in countries (Kenya and Thailand) with a great diversity of wildlife. I wanted a way to keep track of all the wonderful wildlife that I’ve seen over the years to use as a reference for future spottings, and as a nostalgic tool to relive my wildlife encounters. I enjoy taking people out to see wildlife and my blog is another way in which I can share my passion for wildlife.

6.If you had to choose between scuba diving and skydiving, which would you choose? Why?

I would choose scuba diving. I’ve been skydiving before and it was AWESOME but I’ve never been scuba diving and I’ve always wanted to give it a try. Furthermore, I majored in Marine Biology at university, so I think it’s about time that I took an extended (deeper) swim in the great blue somewhere!

7. What is your favorite meal to cook?

I love cooking curries, I love the process, I love preparing all the ingredients before hand and then combining them at the correct time and in the right amounts to make a tasty aromatic curry.

8. What is the best prank you have ever pulled on someone?

I am a teacher and I once had a student who never did his work and habitually fell asleep in my classes. At the end of class one day, when I noticed he had fallen asleep, I signalled to the class to pack their bags, get up quietly and leave the room. We all left locked the doors and switched off the lights. He was still fast asleep. I kicked the door and he began to stir, we watched as he slowly opened his eyes then did a double take. He walked over to the doors but they were locked, he looked out the windows but no-one was there. I could see panic beginning to set in so I signalled to a student to open the door and let him out. He was a great sport and what’s more, he never fell asleep in my class again!

9.What is your ultimate dream job?

My dream job would be to be in charge of my own little conservation area, leading nature walks, maintaining paths and other facilities and documenting the species present. This wouldn’t feel like a job, it would be an absolute pleasure.

10. List your top 3 favorite places in the world. Why are they your favorites

Hinwong Bay, Koh Tao, Thailand

Like most of the Thai islands, there are the party beaches/bays, and then there are the less visited quiter ones. Hinwong Bay is the epitomy of the latter. There aren’t many accommodation options, so there are never too many people there. The water is warm and clear, perfect for snorkelling, which is how I spend part of everyday while i’m there.

Mathioya River, Abadares ,Kenya

This has to be one of the most peaceful places I have ever been. The hills are blanketed in tea plantations and below there is a clear cool river which is the perfect place for flyfishing for the elusive rainbow trout

Phang Nga Province, Thailand

I was lucky enough to have lived in this beautiful part of Thailand for two years and in that time I fell in love with the place. It is a place of contrasts: The Sea Gypsy villages made up of Woven Palm frond houses stand next to modern towering luxury hotel complexes, large white limestone Karsts rise out of dense green jungle and wildlife lives side by side with domesticated animals.  Phang nga is truly a magical place to live in or travel to.  As a wildlife enthusiast I spent almost every weekend in a national park or wild area, and boy, there are a lot to choose from!

Before I get to who I have nominated, here are the rules for those of you I have nominated:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and put a link to their blog on your blog.
2. Display the award on your blog.
3. Write a 150-300 word post about your favorite blog that is not your own. Explain why you like the blog, provide links.
4. Provide 10 random facts about yourself (optional).
6. Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 200 followers.
7. List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here or simply link to the official rules page).
8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster award and provide a link.

Here are my nominees for this award, In no particular oder:

Cornish Rock Pools

Earthstarblog

Owen Travels

Ray Cannon’s Travel Blog

Chad Keates

Tanya Travel Tales

My Questions of my Nominees

1. What inspired you to start blogging?
2. What tips would you give someone who is new to blogging that you wish someone had told you when you started?
3. What animals are on your wishlist/ bucketlist to see?
4. What has been your favourite animal encounter and why?
5. What are three of your favourite books and why?
6. What keeps you motivated to write your blog?
7. Which post has been your most popular post since you started blogging (feel free to leave the link)?
8. What 3 adjectives best decsribe you and why?
9. Who has been the biggest inspiration in your life?
10. Talk about a set back/ negative experience that made you better/ stronger.
11. What’s the best piece of advice that you have ever been given?