}

15 October 1970

Moments that have taken my breath away

Life is not about the number of breaths you take but the moments that take your breath away.

Love 

Deep nostalgia

Wonder
  • Encounters with great white bears in the Arctic
  • On a beach with 50000 King penguins in South Georgia
  • beautiful leopard coming right up to my car window in the Kruger National Park
  • Soaring condors at Colca Canyon (Peru)
  • Swimming with wild dolphins and a whale at Llandadno (South Africa).
  • Swimming with a turtle in Dahab's Blue Hole (Sinai, Egypt)
  • Diving in the Canyon and the bottomless Blue Hole in the Red Sea (Sinai, Egypt)
  • Snorkeling with turtles at Barbados and Galapagos Islands
  • Seeing the world's tiniest bible and a statue of Peter with his foot rubbed away at the Vatican (Rome, Italy)
  • The Tomb of Queen Nefertiti (Luxor, Egypt)
  • Seeing Tutankamin's treasures in the Museum of Cairo (Egypt)
  • The mighty power of the Augrabie Falls (South Africa), Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe) and Iguazu Falls (Argentina)
  • The enormous blue gums in Shanon National Park (Australia)
  • My first sight of Abu Simbel and The Pyramids (Egypt)
  • The ceiling of The Sistine Chapel (Rome)
  • The amazing Meteora monasteries, perched on the top of huge boulders (Greece)
  • Seeing thousands of flamingos in Ngorongoro Crater (Africa)
  • Watching hundreds of hummingbirds in Mindo, Ecuador
  • Walking amongst a colony of half a million Megellanic Penguins at Puerto Tombo in Patagonia, Argentina
  • Watching huge chunks of ice fall of the Morraine Glacier
  • Exploring hallucinogenic salt deserts, spurting geysers and eerie lagoons around the Uyuni Salt pans (Bolivia)
  • Sunrise over the sacred and mysterious city of Machu Picchu (Peru)
  • Hundred of thousands of sea birds (including beautiful Inca terns) at the Ballestas Islands (Ecuador)
  • Photographing Horses in the Mist in Ecuador
  • Snorkeling with penguins, sharks, turtles and rays and getting close and personal with tortoises and marine iguanas in the surreal islands of Galapagos
  • The awe inspiring stars on The Orange River (Namibia)
  • Richard Attenboroughs´s documentaries, especially "Blue Planet" and "Life of Birds."
  • Seeing millions of Soldier Crabs on a beach in Newcastle (Australia)

Beauty
  • The blue haze of the Blue Mountains outside Sydney
  • The view from a Roman fort, looking down onto the emerald waters of Olympus (Turkey)
  • Sunset over the rocks in Wadi Rum desert in Jordan.
  • Exploring the stunning Taj Mahal (India) at sunrise
  • Snorkeling in Lake Malawi and watching beautiful tropical fish (Africa)
  • The undulating hills and tropical forests of Umfolozi, Mkuzi, Hluhluwe game reserves (South Africa)
  • Photographing Cambridge colleges at dusk (UK)
  • Hiking the stunning Vicos Gorge in Greece
  • Hiking the stark and scenic Fish River Canyon (Namibia)
  • Walking through the lush Tsitsikama forest (South Africa)
  • Exploring the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam after a joint (Holland)
  • The beauty of the Lake District (UK)
  • The perfect blue colour of the sea in Turkey
  • The tempestuous, wild coastline of Storm's River
  • The view of Table Mountain from Blouberg Beach
  • The stormy Isle of Skye (Scotland)
  • The beautiful views from the Island of Capri (Italy)
  • The petrified forest in the Namib desert and its beautiful sand dunes
  • The extraordinary colour of the Morraine Lake (Canada)
  • Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness (Scotland)
  • The multi coloured buildings of Burano Island  inVenice
  • The redness of the rock as the sun rose over Hanging Rock in The Blue Mountains (Australia)
  • Photographing the changing mood of the Fitzroy Mountains and the breathtaking sight of Laguna Tres and Laguna Torres
  • Viewing Sydney's harbour and sights from the air from a helicopter
  • Watching the first ray of sun hit the Torres pillars in Torres del Paine (Chile)
  • Exploring the vast swamps of the Brazilain Pantanol (Brazil)
  • Snorkeling in crystal clear rivers and caving in Bonito (Brazil)
  • Hiking along the ancient road of the Incas on the Inca trail (Peru)
  • Exploring the flooded forests of the Cuyabeno Jungle (Ecuador)
  • The moon setting over The 12 Apostles (Australia)
  • Beethoven's Ode To Joy
  • The redness of Uluru at sunrise

Peace
  • Rowing on the beautiful, aqua blue Pokhara Lake (Nepal)
  • Gazing at the stars from Palmiet beach (South Africa) at night
  • Watching puffins from the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)
  • Watching the sun set over the Mediteranean from the walls of an ancient castle at Kizkalesi (Turkey)
  • Floating on my back at night in the Citrusdahl hot baths (South Africa) looking up at the stars
  • Putting a message into the Wailing Wall and meditating in the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem (Israel)
  • Climbing to the top of the The Monastery (Petra, Jordan) and looking out into the desert
  • Meditating by a little lake in Muktinath, high in the Himalaya mountains (Nepal)
  • Meditating on a mountain overlooking Butterfly Valley (Turkey)
  • Watching swifts swirling through the sunset at Monsoon Palace (Uidaipur, India)
  • Sleeping out in the desert dunes in Rajistan (India)
  • Sitting on a log, looking out into a blue lake in Chitwan National Park (Nepal)
  • Watching the sun rise and the moon setting at the same time from Masada mountain (Israel)
  • Watching the sunset at the Temple of Psoedian (Greece)
  • A secluded white beach on the Otter Trail (Garden route, South Africa)
  • Floating through the riverlets of the Okovango Delta on a Makura and listening to the cry of the fish eagle (Botswana)
  • Three weeks alone communing with nature in The Kruger National Park.

Contentment
  • Long, lazy days at Buckaneers BackPackers (South Africa)
  • Contemplating life from the walls of the Jaisselmer fort (India)
  • Cuddling Ally in a river in Franschhoek (South Africa) during our honeymoon
  • Lazily watching the Nile float by from a felucca (Egypt)
  • Playing volleyball on Clifton beach after work and then watching the sunset
  • A romantic holiday in the tropical paradise of Paradise Island (Mozambique)
  • Making love in a secluded island castle (Ireland)
  • Lazing on the beaches in Zanzibar (Tanzania)
  • Soul enriching time with Ally in Barbados
  • Lazing on the beach on Paradise Island
  • Lazy weekend life in Cambridge, punting and cycling and picnicking with Ally. 

Excitement
  • See a wild platypus for the first time in North Queensland (Australia)
  • The excitement of Gran and Gramps moving to South Africa
  • Seeing the Big 5 (lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo, Rhino) in the Serengetti Game Reserve (Kenya)
  • Seeing a Pels Fishing owl at Ndumu reserve (South Africa)
  • Exploring an isolated forest in Zululand in search of elusive bird species (South Africa)
  • Seeing my first Laughing Kookaburra (Australia)
  • Seeing my first Toucan (Brazil)
  • Seeing my first Lammergeier (Nepal)
  • Seeing my first African Finfoot at Nature's Valley (Garden route)
  • Seeing a Green Coucal in Mkuzi (South Africa)
  • Getting close to the Black Eagles on Devil's Peak
  • Bush babies in the Kruger
  • Seeing my first wild bear in Banff (Canada)
  • The start of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the last Ark
  • Sydney's amazing New Year's Eve fireworks
  • My first sight of the Sydney Opera House (Sydney)
  • My first date with Ally - a picnic in Kirstenbosch
  • See many new birds in Mindo, Provincial Esteros del Iberia and Chitwan
  • Winning four medals in School athletics
  • Winning the acting prize at School
  • My first Koala in the wild
  • Seeing my 1000th bird species  in the wild
  • Seeing lots of albatrosses up close on a boat trip outside Sydney
  • Seeing the 250th movie on the IMDB Top 250 list

Joy and exhilaration
  • Exhilerating leaps into the sky
  • The views from the top of Mount Olympus (Greece) after a 3 day hike
  • Rollerblading an endless downhill stretch with Keira at Stanley Park (Canada)
  • South Africa winning the rugby world cup in 1994 (and 2007! )
  • Paddle skiing down waves at Muizenberg (South Africa) and Manly (Australia).
  • Doing the Cobra Rollercoaster ride 6 times in a row to get the perfect shot
  • The Friday Night rollerblading skate in London
  • Sandboarding at the desert oasis of Huacachina (Ecuador)
  • Skinny dipping in icy cold mountain pools
  • Playing paintball and breaking the record for the most paintballs fired (South Africa)
  • My whole experience as a tour leader in The Middle East

Breathless Adventure
  • Battling scorpions in the desert in Botswana
  • Swimming out to an island in Kizkalesi (Turkey) and exploring its ruins
  • Climbing to the Telicho Lake, the highest lake in the world at 6700 metres in the Himalayas (Nepal)
  • Paraglinding over the lagoon of Oludinez (Turkey)
  • Jumping from high cliffs on a day boat trip in Oludinez (Turkey)
  • A very high leap from a cliff in Parati (Brazil)
  • Zip lining between giant trees at Whistler (Canada)
  • White river rafting grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi River (Zimbabwe)
  • Quad biking on the dunes of Swakopmund (Namibia)
  • Jumping off a 3rd story balcony in Luxor (Egypt) into the pool (to impress my tour group)
  • Hiking Suicide Gorge in South Africa with mighty leaps into the river
  • Climbing a live volcano in Pucon, watching lava spew, and then sliding down the mountain on our bums
  • Whiteriver rafting grade 5 rapids on the Zambezi River
  • Hurtling down the worlds most dangerous road on mountain bikes and then chilling out in Coroico (Bolivia)
  • Exploring an abandoned shale mine in Glen Davis, braving snakes, and feeling like Indianna Jones
  • Ice climbing and hiking on The Grey Glacier (Chile)
  • A very close shave with a bull elephant in The Kruger National Park

Rapture
  • Thick shakes at Dahab (Egypt)
  • Granny Station´s chicken roast dinners as a kid
  • Gran's trifle and lumpy custard
  • Lunch at the beautiful Lake Palace in Udaipur (India)
  • Reading Lord of the Rings on the Annapurna Circuit (Nepal) and watching the movies
  • Mum's chocolate mousse and crème caramel
  • San Marco Italian ice cream as a kid
  • Mum's Xmas pudding and brandy butter 
  • Reading Jack Reacher novels
  • Reading Enid Blyton stories as a kid
  • Reading The Hobbit as a kid
  • Watching my first James Bond movie as a kid
  • Watching Mattias Klum, nature photographer extraordinaire present his work at The Sydney Opera House

Fascination

Fun and laughter
  • Frolicking in the mud in Parati (Brazil)
  • Mud fights in the nude at Saklikent Gorge as a tourleader (Turkey)
  • Somersaulting down sand dunes on the Nile (Egypt)
  • Listening to Gramps tell his funny stories
  • Dancing spontaneously to "What the world needs now is love, sweet love." with Russel and Roger at Bain´s Kloof (South Africa)
  • Doing the speech at Jo and Antony's wedding
  • Prancing on stage as Pharaoh in the musical of Joseph and his Technicolored Dream Coat at school
  • Fun times with zany, wonderful Russell
  • Tight leopard skin trousers and a mullet at an 80's party
  • Riding an ostrich in Oudtshoorn
  • Having as cool down under the world's highest shower
  • Practising dancing with Jo as a teenager
  • Playing silly devils with friends at The Uyuni Salt Pans (Bolivia)
  • Being a naughty Santa at the Hardcore Hiking Club Xmas party
  • Hanging out in the nude in Croatia
  • Taking a mouthfull of shampoo thinking it was fruit juice

Surprise
  • The ending of The Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, The Others and Fight Club

Related

1 comments:

Eva said...

Amazing stuff, you make me me want to do more!

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