Canada (November, 2021) – Arriving late afternoon; I was drawn to the museum's exterior gardens. Roaming around, I felt the surroundings reminiscent of a Cristo installation. It was a small moment of joy prior to the fantasy of modern architecture and ancient texts waiting inside.

Madagascar (March, 2010) – Given we departed and returned on the first FCE train since the cyclone, it seemed every possible banana grown in banana-land was loaded onto the train. Interestingly, the train carried three times as many produce cars as it did passenger cars. It was an overwhelming realization; that the country's overdue banana crops were loaded, destined for distribution throughout the country. Instead of the 4 hours to Tolonguina, the reverse trip took more than eight hours. In addition to being several hours late the train struggled with the weight it carried, taxingly piloting the sharp mountainous declines without having cars flying off the rails. 

India (December, 2016) – After feeding on a modest local menu and unsettling our caretakers afternoon nap time. We toured nonchalantly around the small village; introducing ourselves to the curious neighbourly voyeurs whilst admiring the foggy fields in panorama all around us. We continued our drive toward Bhangarh Fort; the nebulous mist vanished replaced by a thirsty, dusty desertscape.

France (September, 2014) – We sauntered into another collection of exotic animal relics. It was a bizarre experience and I wasn't quite sure how to feel. Between the monstrous horned beasts of the past to the enormous whale skeleton; I felt a sense of amazement mixed with an underlying presence of bad ju-ju. It was an adventure into the evolutionary past; some botany, chemistry and comparative anatomy – the architecture is also rather lovely.