The Global Guy » Henry Malmgren's escapades around the globe.

Isla Lobos, Galapagos

January 5, 2010 Posted in Latin America

The first stop on the Galapagos trip was a small little island just off the coast of Isla Santa Cruz. It’s not the most spectacular island, but for a group of tourists who are very eager to get their first wildlife experience, it is in just about the perfect location. After leaving the harbor, it took about 20 minutes of sailing to get there, and then it was off to the beach.

The name literally translates to “Wolf Island”, but our guide kept calling it Sea Lion Island. Whatever the real translation was, there were plenty of sea lions to be found. It is also a nesting site for the Blue Footed Booby, and the frigate-bird. I’m really glad that we stopped here, as this was the only place during the entire week that we’d see Frigate-birds displaying their inflated red pouches. Apparently we’d just missed prime breeding time, and we were very fortunate to see the last poor unchosen males still desperately trying to find a mate.

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Baghdad’s International Zone

September 14, 2009 Posted in Middle East

After months of sitting in the same location in Victory Base, I finally had the opportunity to get out of the office, and make a brief trip to the International Zone in the center of Baghdad. The IZ was once the main hub of the US occupational government, but has been slowly turned back over to the Iraqi’s. There are two FOB (Forward Operating Bases) still over there, and to get between them you have to drive in an unarmored truck on roads whose legal status can be described as “murky” at best.

Seeing the sights was a nice break..we ended up at most of the “tourist” places…Assassian’s gate, the Hands of Victory monument, the roof of the former Republican Guard palace. Lots of fun, and on the way back home to Camp Victory, we got caught in the first thunderstorm of the season…very cool…at least till I found out about the mud!