September 29, 2011
Storm Clouds Over DUMBO
No rain was falling while the clouds passed overhead, but shortly afterwards, there was quite a downpour!
Posted by tien mao in NYC, Photos at 4:29 PM
February 4, 2011
Honeymoon: Our Cottage in the Mara
Back to the photos from our honeymoon in August! I should really get through all of these sometime soon before the details slip away.
While in the Masai Mara, we stayed at The Lodge at Saruni. This wasn't a rustic camp at all. It was a beautiful lodge with six cottages overlooking the planes. As an open camp, animals were free to wander through the area. We saw elephants on the first day, saw water buffalo off in the distance another day, heard hyenas one night, and I saw a zebra steps away from our actual cottage (it saw me, we stared at each other for a few seconds before it snorted and ran off with its group).
These luxurious cottages weren't without their drawbacks — it would get really, really cold at night. When we were in Africa, it was winter and colder than we expected. While it wasn't cold like much of the United States is experiencing now, it was still pretty cold. You have to keep in mind that there was no heat and the sides of the cottage were essentially canvas with screens for windows. One thing's for sure, the cool temperatures meant we got dressed very quickly before our morning game drives.
Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Kenya, Photos, Travel at 7:30 PM
January 11, 2011
Christmas in Lacon, 2010
My first Christmas in Illinois with the in-laws! In previous years I was just a boyfriend or fiancé. But now a son/brother-in-law. Crazy times! As always though, it was a fantastic time with an absurd amount of gifts.
Posted by tien mao in Friends/Family, Illinois, Photos, Travel at 5:43 PM
November 29, 2010
Honeymoon: Video of Our Time in Africa
Honeymoon in Africa from tienmao on Vimeo.
Our honeymoon to South Africa (Cape Town area), Kenya (Masai Mara) and Tanzania (Zanzibar).
As it's taking me forever to put up photos of our honeymoon, here's something to keep you entertained for at least nine minutes. Shannan put together a video of our time in Africa using clips that she shot on her iPhone 4. It features white sharks, lions, leopards, elephants, me dancing and many other things. Fun times!
Posted by tien mao in Kenya, South Africa, Travel at 4:15 PM
November 9, 2010
Honeymoon: Day 2 in the Masai Mara
Finally, the photos from day 2 on safari. This was our first full day on the Mara — waking up at 5:30 AM in a freezing room, heading out before sunrise, a bush breakfast, heading back out in the afternoon after a nap and watching the sunset with a sundowner. The long day was not without some great sightings.
It seemed like this day was a lesson on the lifecycle of the Mara. While we would head out each morning hoping to witness a kill (predators hunt in the early morning and evenings), we didn't see one this morning, but we did get to see hyenas feasting on the carcass of a wildebeest.
The previous night at dinner, we were told about a lioness who had her cubs killed by a male lion that recently took over the pride. In the morning, we spotted her walking across the plains calling out for her two cubs, which all the other animals took note of (3rd photo). Our bush breakfast was cut short when our guides heard that someone spotted a leopard. We quickly made our way to the scene to look at the rarely seen cat. There wasn't much to see as the leopard was just lounging around on the rocks.
In the afternoon, we saw two lions mating (the same lioness looking for her cubs). Let me tell you, if you weren't watching, you would miss it. Except for maybe the fact that the male lion lets out a furious roar at one point. On our way up to our sundowner, eagle-eyed Shannan spotted a cheeta. It turns out that cheetahs are very rarely spotted in the mountainous area where this pregnant cheeta was spotted.
Posted by tien mao in Honeymoon, Kenya, Photos, Travel at 10:48 AM
