After coming back from Galapagos, I have enjoyed some ‘deserved’ rest after the exhausting traveling I did over the last year. With my family I stayed in Tuscany for a week and I visited the Palio in Siena on the 2nd of July. This is a horse race in which ten horses and riders, dressed in the appropriate colours, represent ten of the seventeen Contrade, or city wards. Dating back from 1590, this is a very impressive event, which even brought me some chills: the excitment of the people, spectacle, singing and amazing Tuscan culture, makes it an unique event that everyone should see. This video gives you a small impression of what the Palio is about.

This weekend I went to see the amazing Waved Albatrosses at Espanola Island, located in the far south of the Galapagos archipelago.

Scientists used to believe that albatrosses followed a strange mathematical formula when flying around the globe in search of food. Turns out they were wrong. New data suggests that albatrosses have no rhyme or… reason to their movements, and indeed are flying long distances completely randomly.

According to this article in the New Zealand Herald, data gathered over ten years ago suggested that the albatrosses followed a pattern called a Levy flight. Sayeth the article, “A Levy flight occurs when a search is conducted in a semi-orderly manner, with clusters of short searches over a relatively small area interweaved between long-distance flights from one region to another. Mathematicians showed this was an optimal strategy for foraging for sparse food.”

Nope. They don’t. Using sophisticated logging instruments and reviewing the previous research, scientists found that the birds do not conform to the formula as previously thought. Not only that but it turns out the old research into bees and deer saying these creatures followed the Levy pattern was also false.

Albatrosses are one of the most well traveled creatures on the globe, able to fly distances of over 1.5 million MILES in its lifetime. Unfortunately over 100,000 Albatrosses are killed by long line fishing annualy.

For now I can not upload my pictures yet, since I don´t have CS3 on my computer here. When I get back home, I will edit them all and post them on my website. I did want to give you a taste of what I have seen so far, hunting penguins being the most spectaculair (I didn´t see the pelicans getting involved in the feeding frenzy tough). Further more I am off to Espanola to see the Albatrosses this weekend, so I am very excited!

After 2 months filled with New York steaks, Surf & Turf, Bacon & Cheese burgers, Steak sandwiches, Budweiser, Coke and Ben & Jerry’s, I am ready for some Obama-style CHANGE. During my stay on the Galapagos Islands, I will find out how life as a Vegetarian is and not eat any meat or fish, nor drink any softdrinks or beer. We’ll see what happens…