Resting On Tusks

 

 

A National geographic photography showing a mahout (elephant driver) resting with his elephant Rajan, after a hard day's work in front of Radha Nagar Beach in Havelock, Andaman Islands.

 

Monkeys And Primates, Singapore

This one is curious, as it sez at the back of the postcard 'endangered species found in tropical forests of Southeast Asia', and it took some research...to find out the first one is a Tarsier (which I have already posted a great postcard of) which is not endangered on The Philippines but highly so on Sulawesi and some tiny other Indonesian islands. Now the second one...if I'm not mistaken is a Roloway Monkey, found only in eastern Côte d'Ivoire and the forests of Ghana. The last one is also not-endangered Squirrel Monkey from South America. The creature bottom left I haven't yet managed to identify...maybe a type of lemur as it has a protruding snout. So hardly a well-depicted postcard!

Nevertheless, I am happy its in my collection, thank you Lilin :) Lovely stamps too.

 

Green Greetings From Suriname

What a fantastic card! So green and, well, so reptiley :) Showing the  emerald tree boa, Surinam horned frog and Giant Ameiva (though not giant in itself, growing up to 50 cm). Now most of you will think among the three the boa is the bast*rd but hear this about the frog: they prey upon the other species of horned frog, and the tadpoles attack each other (and tadpoles from other species) soon after being hatched. Nice!

Happy 5th anniversary Cheryll, and thank you for celebrating by sending me this card, I just LOVE it :))

 

UNESCO - Taos Pueblo, USA

This Pueblo Indian settlement, consisting of adobe dwellings and ceremonial buildings, is situated in the valley of a small tributary of the Rio Grande in New Mexico. It was established in the late 13th and early 14th centuries and exemplifies the enduring culture of a group of the present-day Pueblo Indians.

The buildings at Taos originally had few windows and no standard doorways. Instead, access to rooms was through square holes in the roof that the people reached by climbing long, wooden ladders. Cedar logs (or vigas) supported roofs that had layers of branches, grass, mud, and plaster covering them. The round dome is a bread oven, as the sender explained. Thank you cuzcopete :)

Pueblos are definitely one of the highlights that I would love to see when I finally visit one day!

 

UNESCO - Western Caucasus, Russia

The Western Caucasus  is one of the few large mountain areas of Europe that has not experienced significant human impact.Its habitats are exceptionally varied for such a small area, ranging from lowlands to glaciers. The site is situated 50 km to the north from the Russian resort of Sochi.

This particular view can be seen in the Nature Reserve, and the stamps are matching - great card to receive via a tag, thank you Lidiya!

UNESCO - Landscape Of Grand Pré, Canada

The Grand Pré  landscape is an exceptional example of the adaptation of the first European settlers to the conditions of the North American Atlantic coast.  Over 1,300 ha, the cultural landscape encompasses a large expanse of polder farmland and archaeological elements of the towns of Grand Pré and Hortonville, which were built by the Acadians and their successors.

The postcard shows a statue of Evangeline (an epic poem Acadian heroine), a stained-glass window in the nearby church, and a panoramic view of this National Historic Site. Thank you Susannah :)

 

NI Multiples - Picnic

Its been a while since I posted a multiple...and since I've received one to be frank. So I found this little shop in Ghent which had quite a selection, and the day was sunny and relaxing, just right for a picnic :) (wish I could transport myself there right now..!)

Olive Grove By Van Gogh

Visit to the Van Gogh Museum last autumn in Amsterdam was a wonderful experience - as I love olive trees this was my first choice of a postcard :) Vincent van Gogh painted at least 18 paintings of olive trees, mostly in Saint-Rémy in 1889. At his own request, he lived at an asylum there from May 1889 through May 1890 painting the gardens of the asylum and, when he had permission to venture outside its walls, nearby olive trees, cypresses and wheat fields.

This particular painting came to life in 1889. I was very happy to realise the museum shop had some special stamps to sell - a whole sheet issued for the occasion of the reopening of the Rijksmuseum on 13 April 2013, showing details of works of art displayed at this great museum.