Wild dogs are one of the rarest mammals in Africa: there are only about 5000 left. They were never plentiful to start with, but recently their numbers have collapsed due to habitat loss, vermin extermination campaigns and canine distemper. If you have never seen one, imagine a German shepherd body set on spindly supermodel legs and a funky-colored pelt in blacks, brown and ocher, earning them the alternative name “painted wolf”.

When resting, they radiate a seemingly sweet disposition which says: “Take me home, I will make a perfect pet” but this illusion disappears when they yawn. Then you see a mouthful of vicious canine teeth, and these are meant for use, not ornamentation: Wild dogs are the most successful hunters on the African savanna. They run their prey (usually impala) to ground to exhaustion with a combination of speed, stamina, and well-orchestrated teamwork. Everything is over within minutes and it is impossible to follow a hunt on land from beginning to end. In fact, the first film of a complete hunt was taken by the Planet Earth team from the air in a microlight. Where? In Botswana, of course.

The wilderness lodge Kwando Lagoon in northern Botswana practically guarantees wild dog sightings, which is a big deal because these canines move frequently and fast: Here today, gone thirty miles tomorrow! In late May 2010, we followed a pack of 17 for three days. One day we surprised them resting (they do that a lot), the next day setting out for the hunt, as some command–inaudible to us, meant for dog ears–set them in quick motion and all sprinted in the direction of the kill made by the ace hunters in the pack. The victim was a warthog which was fractions of a second too late disappearing into its burrow and was dragged out and devoured right there and then in a confusion of muzzles, tails and legs. It was over very quickly because dogs don’t bother chewing their food–rather, they swallow it whole and carry it back to their den to regurgitate for the stay-at-home dogs and pups.

Next day we came across them again–and once more we had missed their killing of an impala bull. This time we watched the younger members of the pack play with the leftovers: The hide, the head, the legs.

     After a convoluted journey taking the Upgrade Me for Free travel staff to Tokyo, Seoul and then to Bali, we were relieved to check into the Legian Hotel. This hotel is located on the beach in Seminyak and truly is a 5 star. After 2 solid days of traveling, what a pleasure to find a chilled bottle of chanpagne and Indonesian snacks waiting for you on a late arrival. Indonesia is known for excellence in service and this was apparent from check-in to check-out. The food was great but usually did not involve the local fare. Seminyak is a tourist destination and it catered to a foreign palate with Japanese, Italian, Thai and even burgers and fries. Don’t think that you can escape McDonald’s even in this remote land. A highlight of the trip was a meal at the Chenai hotel, located in Ubud. This hotel is affiliated with the Legian and had created a magical open air dining room in the middle of a rice field. Who knows from where it came, possibly underage children with palm frond fans, from but a breeze crossed through the hall maintaining a suprisingly perfect temperature for lunch in the heat of the day. It certainly felt decadent to sip on cool margaritas while watching field workers harvesting rice.

    When planning a trip to Indonesia, it’s important to think about what you want from your vacation because it can be as relaxing or as busy as you want. This is truly the land of temples as every house, business and community has a temple in the yard. Eventually, you suffer temple fatigue but many standouts keep your interest peaked.

On a more serious note, Cumberland Island is magical. The twisting branches of the oak trees bring to mind Tolkien’s woods. The forest is so quiet, you can hear yourself breathe. The sunlight is filtered and diffused through overarching vines and branches (making photography very difficult). Armadillos, raccoons and other creatures rustle in the palmetto underbrush. You hear the gentle splashing of water moving through the salt marsh and view crumbling mansions from bygone eras. You are blinded by sunlight reflecting off water and expansive sandy beach as you emerge from the live oak forest. Cumberland Island, Georgia’s largest and Southernmost barrier island is protected as a National seashore.

We only saw the southern tip of the island, because it is the most accessible by ferry from St. Mary’s on the mainland. There are only a limited number of spaces available for camping so prepare early. Spots are given out on a “first booked” basis at Sea camp. You can also choose to do the “back country” camping which seemed a bit too extreme for the June heat. You can also come for a day trip but you’ll be rushed. Seen from the beach, the live oak forest canopy is so tangled and dense that one is astonished to feel any sea breeze at all. But, thankfully, a little breeze did reach the tents. That being said, a portable, rechargeable air conditioner was my first search after getting back to my computer.

The Dungeness ruins (the former Carnagie mansion) give fascinating insights into the recent human footprint on the island, which came from a very expensive shoe! The island was first cleared for cotton and indigo plantations. Today’s forests and marshes testify to the forces of nature reasserting itself over human development.