Sept. 2006 Photos of Papua New Guinea

We visited Papua New Guinea during September of 2006, starting with an intense two days of the 50th Goroka Show. Singsing groups from over 100 clans performed in competition in cacaphony of sight and sound. We spent several days on the Sepik River and tributaries visiting several villages and their Spirit Houses. From there we went back into the Highlands to visit Huli Villages and see Birds of Paradise at Ambua. Later we flew to Ambullua to traverse and climb Mt Wilhelm, the highest peak in Papua New Guinea. We ended our stay with a couple days at Malolo Plantation near Madang before visiting the Atherton Tablelands in northern Australia for the final few days. We've posted a few photos at http://www.mfaucher.com

July 2006 North and South Luangwa National Parks Zambia

We visited North and South Luangwa National Parks in Zambia during July of 2006. These 2 parks are located about 250 miles northeast of Lusaka, the capital city, and share the Luangwa River. The Luanga River is a wild river with lots of hippos and crocodiles in it and many elephant, impala, and puku around it. We viewed much of the wildlife in vehicle safaris but we also had a chance to walk through the bush on several occasions to see wildlife. As Zambia is in the Southern Hemisphere, it was the winter season and the weather was cool in the evenings and pleasant during the day. In South Luangwa National Park, we spent all of our time in the Nsefu sector, a piece of the park on the eastern side of the Luangwa River. In North Luangwa National Park, we spent most of our time along the Mwaleshi River. We were able to see some zebra (Crawshay's), giraffe (Thornicroft's) and wildebeest (Cookson's) species unique to this area. We were also able to see some of the nocturnal animals during game drives after sunset. Here are a few highlights at http://www.mfaucher.com

March 2006 Niger Total Solar Eclipse

We visited Niger in March, 2006 to observe a total solar eclipse on the fringe of the Sahara Desert in a region called the Erg of Tenere. Our visit started in Agadez in north central Niger and we headed into the Air Mountains to the north to ride camels for a few days. We then headed east to rendezvous with the path of a total solar eclipse on March 29th near the salt mines of Bilma, observing about 4 minutes of totality. We returned to Agadez for the trip home. For a look, check out http://www.mfaucher.com