PHOTO: Tortured Face of a Glacier at Paradise Bay in Antarctica

The tortured face of a glacier in Paradise Harbour, Antarctica

On a jaw-droppingly beautiful morning, I climbed into a tiny inflatable zodiac boat at Paradise Bay in Antarctica. Wide swaths of sea ice stippled a dead calm ultramarine sea. On the horizon, mountains huddled beneath a blanket of unsullied snow, showing only their jagged black peaks. From every direction, crevassed glaciers marched from the mountaintops … Read more

PHOTO: Up Close and Personal with the Penguins of Antarctica

Close up and personal with the penguins of Antarctica

The giant, ice-covered landmass at the bottom of our earth may be the remotest, coldest, driest environment on earth, but it’s paradise to the penguins of Antarctica. I was fortunate to have an up-close and personal experience with three of the four Antarctic species during my recent expedition cruise. I was quite surprised by how … Read more

The Birdman Cult of Easter Island

Houses at the Orongo ceremonial village were built on a narrow ledge of land between the volcano crater and the sea

After the decline of Moai culture on Easter Island, a new cult emerged that revolved around fertility and the worship of migratory seabirds. As the Moai had represented the idea of ancestor worship, the new Birdman Cult was represented by the Tangatu-mana (birdman), a human body with the head of a bird. The village of … Read more

Easter Island – One of the Most Spiritual Places on Earth

Ahu Ko Te Riku, the only Moai of Easter Island discovered with intact eyes

For years, friends have raved that Easter Island is the most spiritual place they have ever visited. This speck of land in the eastern Pacific, known to locals as Rapa Nui, had been on my wish list for years. Since childhood I had read about the Moai, enormous statues that the indigenous people carved and … Read more