Animal Close Encounters of Every Kind: A Photo Essay
Animal Close Encounters: A variety of curious, playful, frightening, joyful, intimate, and privileged connections with so with many creatures, great and small…
Table of Contents
Iguanas (Patong Beach, Thailand)
Don’t ask me how they got there… or how I got them off!
Canine Himalayan Trekking Companion
This sweet doggie followed me for ten miles in the Himalayas and never asked for a thing except my company.
Feline Territorial Dispute (Camino de Santiago)
Don’t worry: Furry never flew.
Chinese Fish Massage (Beijing)
Gotta try once, why not when in Beijing!
The Luckiest Cat Ever (Bosporus, Turkiye)
I could not have staged this any better!
Tom Turkey (Salkantay Trek, Peru)
This is as close as I dared to get (Tom was definitely king of the hill).
Pigeons (Saint Mark’s Square, Venice)
Even more than the Basilica, Doge’s Palace, and Bridge of Sighs, the pigeons are the real attraction here!
Congregation of Ducks (near Loch Lomond)
A curious night time convention in a paved parking lot!
Hungry Birds (Bosporus, Turkiye)
There’s something joyful about connecting with creatures, great and small.
Gray Horses (Scottish Highlands)
How can you not fall in love?
Mare and Foal on the Loose! (Ireland)
Mom baby somehow got loose and were slightly panicked, not knowing how to navigate the streets. Naturally, I stopped the car until everything worked out.
Golden Eagle (Karakorum, Mongolia)
Wow! (Enough said)
Horse Riding (Karakorum, Mongolia)
Pretending that I know what I’m doing! (as the family who owns the horse looks on nervously).
Highland Cow (Scotland)
A curious mix of cuteness and intimidation… as if an orangutan, bull, and sheep dog got together.
Snake Charmers (Djemma El Fna, Marrakesh, Morocco)
I had not choice, knowing it would be a regret for life if I didn’t go all in…
Yes, that’s two snakes (do you see the nervousness in my smile?)… BTW, there was gaggle of cobras doing their cobra thing just a few feet behind us.
After a snake gets draped around your neck and the snake charmer assesses your degree of panic, it’s time to make a wish…
Of course, you must pay a nice fee and kiss the snake on the back of the head for the wish to come true. Who was I to argue?
Camel Ride (Karakorum Mongolia)
FYI: Camel = two humps, Dromedary = one hump which meant good news for me!
Pretending I know what I’m doing on the back of a camel! (The young man you see and I just survived riding the sand dunes in a thunderstorm).
Land Snail (Inishmore, Aran Islands, Ireland)
So fascinating to see a land snail traveling over the fossilized remains of its ancient ancestors.
Giraffe (Masai Mara, Kenya)
Warning: Giraffes in this image are closer than they appear!
Nursing the Lambs (Kerry, Ireland)
Absolute joy is an understatement.
Yaks (Himalayas)
Frank thinks these may actually be a different animal with a different name. Does anybody out there know?
These colorful beasts of burden are like the 18 wheelers of the Himalayas.
Elephants (Masai Mara, Kenya)
What a privilege to experience these majestic beasts in the wild.
Barbary Macaques (Gibraltar)
Warning: Be extremely careful when visiting the rock of Gibraltar. Don’t even think about bringing food or anything that might be associate with food (including a backpack), because it’s almost guarnateed that the clever, sneaky, and aggressive Macaques will find a way to take you stuff.
This guy terrorized everyone who came and went (and there was only one way to came and went).
Yes, that’s raw meat hanging from a short stick held in my gritted teeth.
The moment of truth!
Relief! (Glad I did it, glad it’s over!)
Jack Russel (Prague)
This really got my attention: A sweet doggie suffering some separation anxiety as his owner does a bit of shopping.
Squirrel Monkey (Amazon, Ecuador)
As you can plainly see, the most moving connection I’ve ever made with another species.
Spider (Amazonia, Ecuador)
Giant Tortoise (Galapagos)
Gecko (Galapagos)
Hands down, the tiniest vertebrate I’ve every seen, much less came so close to!
Cape Buffalo (Masai Mara, Kenya)
I’ve heard their eyesight is terrible, but that they kill more humans than any other animal in East Africa.
Donkey (Salkantay Trek, Peru)
You can’t make this stuff up!
Curious, Friendly Doggie (Camino de Santiago)
Just as if he was just saying “Hey, what’s up?”
Sweet Doggie Girl (Finisterre, Spain)
A warm moment of connection in the cold wind.
Llama (Mitad del Mundo, Ecuador)
I know this is a stage tourist thing, but still pretty cool!
Curious Cat (Hydra, Greece)
The cats in Hydra are the best fed and cared for anywhere in the world!
Sheep in the Road (Dingle, Ireland)
A special occasion that every visiting driver hopes to experience at least once!
Two Curious Donkeys (Mayo, Ireland)
Just saying hi.
Black & White Horses (Milltown, Ireland)
I’d never seen horses like this before.
New Born Calf (Kerry, Ireland)
John O’Sullivan showing me how it’s done, sprinkling salt on the calf to encourage mom to start licking, while cautioning me to keep my distance.
Puffin Close Up (Skellig Michael, Ireland)
Such a privilege to get so close to these comical adorable creatures. Puffins look neither airworthy nor seaworthy yet somehow manage to accomplish both.
Curious Cows (Ireland)
OMG, the size of those eyes! How cute and curious can you get? It took some quiet patience, but they eventually came close enough to say hello.
Little Girl Playing with Pigeons (Ulanbator, Mongolia)
Pure joy to watch her gently feed them and connect.
It is, and I watched the vets practice All Creatures Great snd small, on TV when the series first came out here in England xx a fair few years ago now 😉
Thanks so much, Susan. And being able to travel has been a great privilege and liberty, a privilege and liberty that the overwhelming majority of humans do not enjoy. For this I am beyond grateful… especially for so many of the lessons learned along the way.
JJ is fine 🙂 And thanks but you don’t need to apologise..at all
Copy that, JJ. Cheers!
You know I’m female, right? 😂
Sorry, I didn’t, Elaine. I do now. A thousand pardons.
💫💫💫💫💫
Five stars! I’ll take that any day! Thanks for the vote of approval, man.
Loved your photos, thank you x
Thanks, JJ.
The photos are simply wonderful, Frank! And then the last one “conservemos lo nuestro”, so funny and very fitting!
Thanks so much, Stella, for appreciating the set and for recognizing how fittingly the last image put an exclamation point on things.
Thank You, Frank!! Thank you for taking us on your incredible adventures. Great shots!!
Thank you for the kind words and for joining me, Wondrous D.
I LOVE all these pictures, Frank! Thank you for brightening an otherwise grey Saturday afternoon!!!
Thanks for the most kind words, Jill. I’m glad to be of service. Cheers!
Outstanding collection, Frank! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for digging it, Larry. I’ve certainly won the lottery when it’s come with the liberty and means to see the world. All the best.
Thank you for bringing a smile to my face 😊 These days that’s quite an accomplishment 🙏🏼
Glad to be of service, Margaret.
And I hear you.
Keep on building bridges!
Cheers!
A wonderful collection of “aww”s, smiles, and a few creepy things! Thanks for the round-the-world treat of animal pics, Frank.
Thanks for the most kind words of appreciation, Jane. My face and eyes with the squirrel monkey on my shoulder tells it all. All the best!
What a fabulous collection of your travels among so many creatures, both Great, and Small… Wonderful
Have a very Happy New Year Frank x
Thanks for the words of appreciation, Sue. By the way, “All creatures great and small” is such a lovely show.
Wishing you all the best in 2025 as well.
It is, and I watched the vets practice All Creatures Great snd small, on TV when the series first came out here in England xx a fair few years ago now 😉
Gorgeous photos, Frank! You’ve been around, I see. 😊
Thanks so much, Susan. And being able to travel has been a great privilege and liberty, a privilege and liberty that the overwhelming majority of humans do not enjoy. For this I am beyond grateful… especially for so many of the lessons learned along the way.
I appreciate how you bring your experiences to life here on your blog.
Thanks so much for the most kind words of appreciation and encouragement, Susan.
A remarkable show. We shall call you the snake-kisser!
You made me laugh out loud, Gerald. Kissing the snake was required for the snake charmer’s blessing to work!
Glad you took it in the way I intended. You have led quite a life! Hat’s off, buddy!
Thanks, Gerald. Such has been a great privilege for which I am eternal grateful, just one of many ways that I’ve won the lottery in life!
Great photos, Frank. Thanks.
Thanks for checking in and for the words of appreciation, Jack.