Geography Coursework...

Two years ago Ashlynn used our trip to Tokyo as inspiration for her food technology coursework. It was cool that she was able to use her trek in a Kenyan rainforest to collect data for this year’s geography coursework, which will be entitled The Impact of Logging on Biodiversity on Mount Londiani.

She planned ahead and borrowed some of the school’s scientific equipment to use for her data collection.

Four friends helped her measure soil moisture, temperature and pH as well as biodiversity of plants and light intensity.

That same afternoon, the other kids were also working but their groups were collecting water or geotagging trees.

Illegal Logging...

It was quick to see the negative impacts of illegal logging of cedar trees.

As much as she hated what she saw, Ashlynn understood that the locals can’t just be told to stop logging without other means for them to earn money to feed and educate their families.

Gold Award Trek...

The next stage of the Kenya trip was to head to a nearby rainforest along a volcano crater called Mount Londiani Forest, an unmapped area. They hiked about five hours carrying heavy packs; Ashlynn carried seven liters of water and food for herself for four days. This was true backcountry camping with no signs of human activity beyond illegal logging (more on that later).

They were led by the owner of the campsite where they’d stayed for the previous two weeks and accompanied by a local park ranger. They had planned to camp at a cleared area, but it had been burnt so they put up their tents in this tight spot between the trees on a ridge which they discovered while hiking in the dark. Every morning they packed up everything and moved to another location. On the fourth day they were relieved to find a clearing, which made pitching the tents much easier.

 The trees were beautiful with a mix of olive, cedar...

 ...and bamboo among others.

It was chillier at the higher altitude of 8,450 feet (2.575 meters). Apparently there were elephants in the vicinity, but the only animals they saw were birds.

As you can see, they had some serious hills to contend with. While they followed logging paths much of the way, they had to clear a section of the path themselves. Ashlynn was the only girl to volunteer to use a machete; she loved how satisfying it was to wield such a powerful tool.

Gay Pride Balloons...

Not only were there balloons in the parade, but there were balloons being sold.

The balloons for sale were unlike any that I’d seen before...

...and I couldn’t help but giggle whenever someone walked past me with one. This girl’s outfit was especially well matched with her balloon.

Sadly, many of those balloons made getaways. While their escapes did make me laugh and made for funny photos, my joy was short-lived as I know that released helium balloons are actually an environmental disaster as they harm many birds and marine animals while littering the world. 

More Interesting Sightings...

This classy dame was slurping her Heineken through a straw.

Leading this trio of drag queens was Conchita Wurst, the winner of Eurovision 2014.

This unusual couple actually stopped to pose for me.

There wasn’t much space for cycling, but that didn’t stop this guy.

Hopefully these guys kept a good watch on their passed out friend. The latest statistic I could find was that 50 people accidentally drowned in Amsterdam canals between 2009 and 2011. Most apparently were men who fell in while relieving themselves.

People Watching at Gay Pride..

Although my view of the boats was partially blocked, I had a great vantage point for people watching and saw lots of interesting outfits.

Crowds at Gay Pride...

It is estimated that 500,000 people watched this year’s parade of 80 boats. Incredibly, this was the only police we saw in the two hours we were there.

Despite the crowds being massive, the atmosphere was full of peace and love.

Although I’m not a huge fan of crowds, I was thrilled to be there and have already marked my calendar for next year.

More Floats at Gay Pride...

There was also inflatable hearts and confetti...

...and pedestals...

that could go up and down.

There were also some impressive acrobatics...

...and powerful messages.

Floats at Gay Pride...

The crowds definitely blocked much of my view of the boats, but luckily many of the floats had quite large features so could be seen from a distance such as this large inflatable rainbow...

...and this inflatable masked man that had to lay flat to pass under the bridge.

I could only glimpse partial views of the many costumes including these cavemen...

...this colorful rainbow mohawk headdress...

...and this large gold cape.

Hashers at Gay Pride...

It had been three years since we were in town during Amsterdam’s Gay Pride Boat Parade. We were thrilled to get an invite to brunch at Abbie and Derek’s in the heart of the city. After we ate, we went on a short walk where we encountered thousands of people lined up along the main canal. I was happy to be able to stake out a spot to take photos from the stairs in front of this building, where I was occasionally joined by some hashers.

Jimmy enjoyed venturing down to the street to embrace the throngs of spectators.

He’d occasionally pop by to bring me some Prosecco. 

It was great to see Alan and Julie, who were visiting from Brussels.

Here is Reinhardt helping to show that the No Peeing Please sign seemed more like an invitation rather than a deterrent.