Emily Kam Kngwarray Painter, 1914-1996

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  1 March 2024

Featured Image: Detail from Wild Yam V 1995, Hassall Collection Sydney, 153 x 243 cm

Emily Kam Kngwarray Painter (~1914 to September 1996)

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Main Points

• Introduction
• Two Major Emily Kam Kngwarray Exhibitions 2008 and 2024
• Welcome to Country
• Language and Skin Names
• Pre-Artistic Biography
• A Summer Project
• Art Background
• The Work
• Last Word
• Comment

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1 Introduction

Appreciation of art is subjective. Over time certain artists are recognised as above most others of their age. Vermeer or Picasso would raise few objections these days. Although, there were plenty of contemporaries who were also wonderful.

In Australia some rate Sidney Nolan and Brett Whiteley as the stars of their generations. Others would disagree vehemently.

Indigenous art in Australia is ancient. Collectible indigenous art in the form of bark paintings in the early 20^th century and conventional paintings later has been a 20^th century phenomenon.

From 1934 Albert Namatjira became the first widely known aboriginal artist by name for his watercolours.

Indigenous art in Australia received a huge boost in 1971-72 when art teacher Geoffrey Bardon provided aboriginal male artists from Papunya northwest of Alice Springs with materials and their dreamtime stories, custodianship, culture and heritage poured out of them onto wood and canvas. Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri was one of the famous artists to emerge from this movement. The artists established their own company the Papunya Tula Artists Pty Ltd.

The rest is history. Indigenous Australian art became very collectible and spread to the rest of the world. Problems and exploitation emerged but the fame and prices continued to rise.

Two names emerged from many as leading artists, Rover Thomas at Turkey Creek in the 1980s and Emily Kam Kngwarray from Utopia in the late 1980s and the 1990s.

Emily or Kam’s life journey is fascinating and her brief artistic career extraordinary. She is the type of painter recognised as a genius, and almost universally acknowledged as such.

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Southern African Safari, Large Raptors

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  1 February 2024

Featured image: Lappet-faced and White-backed Vultures at Waterhole with Giraffe, Eastern Etosha, Namibia, 7 October 2023.

Large Raptors on a Birding Safari to Southern Africa

The trip to Africa was a Rockjumper birding tour.  Our guide was Greg de Klerk. The tour was for 18-days through Namibia, Botswana to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. We saw many raptors. This article is primarily about the terrestrial meat eating large raptors.

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Main Points

• What is a raptor?
• Large Southern African raptors
• Bird and raptor vision
• Putrid food
• Types of food
• Vultures: Lappett-faced Vulture, White-backed Vulture, Hooded Vulture
• Eagles: Martial Eagle, Verreux’s Eagle, Bateleur, Tawny Eagle, Black-chested Snake Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle
• Marabou Stork, Secretary Bird, Southern Ground Hornbill
• Comment

1 What is a Raptor?

A raptor is a bird of prey and may be thought of as a hunter or killer. Although, this is not true of all raptors. Amongst large raptors, some are eaters of carrion or scavengers, whilst others are genuine hunters. Some raptors come from ranks or families of birds that are not considered raptors.

Safari to Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls, Part 2

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  2 January 2024

A Birding Safari to Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Part 2 Etosha to Victoria Falls

Featured image: Spotted Hyena in Waterhole, Central Etosha National Park, Namibia, 6 October 2023

Bird Trip Overview

Our Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls Overland … investigate[d] the gravel plains and Red Dunes of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the seemingly inhospitable Etosha National Park and the desolate, vast Etosha Pan, the Burkea woodlands on the dry, hot Kalahari sands of the Caprivi Strip and, finally, the antithesis of the Okavango Panhandle and the Victoria Falls where water is in abundance. (Rockjumper Trip Report)

This rather dangerous looking white rock surface is typical of large parts of Etosha National Park. 

The eye-sight of big cats is wider than humans, but they don’t see the richness of colour. They see shades in blue and green, but red and pink can be confusing. They also tend to be more short-sight focused. Movement is as important, as it is in humans, to see things which blend into the landscape. But, the eyes  of lions and especially leopards are much more dark-adapted than humans. They can hunt in very low light.

Safari to Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls, Part 1

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  11 December 2023

A Birding Safari to Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe

Feature, Lesser Flamingo, Walvis Bay, Namibia 2 October

Part 1 Windhoek to Etosha

Bird Trip Overview

Our Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls Overland … investigate[d] the gravel plains and Red Dunes of the Namib-Naukluft National Park, the seemingly inhospitable Etosha National Park and the desolate, vast Etosha Pan, the Burkea woodlands on the dry, hot Kalahari sands of the Caprivi Strip and, finally, the antithesis of the Okavango Panhandle and the Victoria Falls where water is in abundance. (Rockjumper Trip Report)

Main Points

• Windhoek
• Khomas Hochland
• Namib-Naukluft National Park
• Walvis Bay
• Spitzkoppe
• Erongo Mountains

1 Introduction

The trip to Africa for the Rockjumper birding tour came about almost by accident, with some intense planning thereafter. The tour was for 18-days through Namibia, Botswana to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe. Our part of the group, almost half, consisted of Denise and I and our friend Robyn from Australia.

We stayed at the City Lodge Hotel at OR Tambo airport, Johannesburg overnight (~$180 AUD a double, all prices to follow are per couple per night). It was a short, very safe internal walk from the terminal. We caught a flight to Windhoek in Namibia the next morning.

Surprisingly, I always enjoy being met at the airport and taken to my destination. It is probably a hangover from the days of hard travel, when everything including arrival required decision-making.

The photographs below are not representative of the birds. I intend to highlight birds in further articles, such as, A Lark in Africa.

Welwitschia

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  24 November 2023

Marvellous Welwitschia

Featured Image: Intrepid Welwitschia Hunters in the Namib Desert, Namibia

1 Introduction

I’m not much of a botanist but a friend and fellow art dabbler Max Bourke when he heard we were going to Southern Africa said that we had to do two things and tell him about it.

We had to see a Red-billed Quelea (Quelea quelea) which is the most numerous wild bird in the world, a population of around 1.5 billion breeding birds; and

We had to visit a Welwitschia plant (Welwitschia mirabilis) one of the strangest plants in the world.

We managed to do both. We saw Red-billed Quelea, only in dozens of birds. Massive flocks are the scourge of grain growers in Africa.

We undertook an 18-day birding tour in Namibia and Botswana with a firm called Rockjumper in September-October 2023. The tour ended in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe).

However, We saw Welwitschia in the Namib-Naukluft National Park near Walvis Bay and Swakopmund in Namibia.

The Namib-Naukluft National Park at 49,768 sq km (19,216 sq miles) is the largest game park in Africa.  It consists of a strip of land 600 km long between the Atlantic Ocean and the edge of the Great Escarpment in Namibia. It encompasses the Namib Desert, considered the world’s oldest desert, the Naukluft mountain range and the lagoon at Sandwich Harbour.

A Lark in Africa

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  8 November 2023

Stark’s Lark, Side of Road, Namib Desert, Namibia 30 Sept 2023

Main Points?

• Introduction
• What are Larks?
• What are LBJs?
• Stark’s Lark, Sabota Lark and Dune Lark
• Comment

1 Introduction

This is not a humorous adventure, but about a bird or birds for that matter called larks. Although, perhaps it is light-hearted.

We undertook an 18-day birding tour in Namibia and Botswana with a firm called Rockjumper in September-October 2023. The tour ended in Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe).

I will be writing a series of small articles on our African adventure, showcasing photographs. But, I am beginning with a most unlikely one on small birds called larks.

One in particular Stark’s Lark (pronounced in a ponderous manner) took my fancy early on. We found it always in such bleak or unpromising surroundings that one wondered how it could live there. We saw Stark’s Lark early in the first few days of the trip (on four different days). We also saw the Sabota Lark, a more ubiquitous, lark most frequently on the trip on seven different days. Other species (11) we saw less frequently.

What is History 13: World History and Big History

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  11 September 2023

Featured Image David Christian This Fleeting World 2011

World History and Big History an Overview

Main Points

• Introduction: the Big Bang, Alfred Wegener, plate tectonics
• David Christian, World History, Big History
• My discovery of World History
• What is World History?
• What is Big History?
• Some Background to World History and Big History
• Conclusion: the status of world history

1 Introduction

I remember physicist Paul Davies in conversation with Phillip Adams (The Big Questions 1996). Davies said:

The significance of this [background] radiation is that it gives us a clue about the state of the universe shortly after the beginning. I was a student in the mid-sixties, and I can well remember the professor in my department giving a lecture about cosmology, talking about the origin of the universe, and saying that on the basis of the recent discovery of the cosmic heat radiation it was possible to reconstruct the physics of events that took place in the first three minutes after the big bang! And everyone fell about laughing. They thought it was utterly audacious to hypothesise about what happened just a few minutes after the origin of the universe. Yet today this is standard textbook stuff.

Today, physics knows to within the first microscecond.

Similarly, an enlightened geography teacher taught us Wegener’s theory of continental drift in middle high school. I bought my copy of Arthur Strahler Earth Sciences in the 1965 edition. Strahler said of Wegener’s theory that it was unlikely without a mechanism. Within a year, on not much new data, plate tectonics had become accepted. I always thought that geology didn’t really make sense until plate tectonics.

What is History 12: References from Jared Diamond, Guns Germs and Steel

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   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  14 August 2023

Jared Diamond, Guns Germs and Steel, Further Readings

(I could have also headed this article some random old books and papers that I think you should know about.)

Main Points

• Introduction
• What is History? Series
• Aspects of Guns Germs and Steel
• Further Readings by Jared Diamond
• Prominent Books from Further Readings
• World History Introduced
• Conclusions

1 Introduction

This is the third article on Jared Diamond and Guns, Germs and Steel.

When I first read Guns, Germs and Steel in 1998, I was impressed that Jared Diamond rather than providing a bibliography wrote a very readable Further Readings section, broken into chapter headings. I used his further readings as an entrée into a world about which I had very little prior knowledge.

I now find that I was only interested in the books he referred in his introduction (see Overview), those regarding Polynesia as a Natural experiment of history, and those related to the beginnings of agriculture and food production in general, both crops and domestication of animals.

In his Further Readings section Jared Diamond broke all these relevant chapters into three sections: 1 Prologue, 2 Chapter 2, and 3 Chapters 4-10 combined.

The prologue section provided overview books. Chapter 2 was on Polynesia (natural experiment) and Chapters 4-10 on food production were, respectively: about the power conferred by farming, history’s haves and have nots, why farm, why did some regions fail to domesticate plants, and the domestication of animals.

The next chapter 11 on germs, I already knew about. Chapter 1 was on the evolution of humans, which I also knew about. The following chapters, while interesting, just didn’t stimulate enough interest to engage in systematic further reading. Although, I did read some books.

Nonetheless, I was impressed enough by Guns, Germs and Steel to spend the next decade reading books mentioned by Diamond, which led to wider reading, photocopying and making notes.

I recently discovered an old database of books (in Filemaker Pro) that I read during this period, so I don’t need to rely only on memory. It is surprising how much pleasure I experienced in the reading and research involved. All this was down to Jared Diamond’s Further Readings.

Street Food Bangkok 2023

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Featured Image: Buying a Take-Away Dinner at a Street Stall

   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  23 June 2023

This is the  second article on street food. The article on street food in Chiang Mai is the 8th article on food in Chiang Mai, to see the others go Street Food in Chiang Mai. This is the companion article to the present article on Street Food in Bangkok. Another article on Bangkok is about the Klong Saen Saep Transport System.

Main Points

• Introduction
• Food tours in Chinatown and Bang Rak
• The main areas for street food in Bangkok
• Michelin Guide recommendations
• Other trusted sources
• Final comment
• Further information and links to other sites

1 Introduction

In the bustling city of Bangkok, street food culture captivates everybody. A panoply of flavours and aromas were experienced on this trip mostly in the crowded streets of Chinatown and in Bang Rak, in the old colonial European quarter.

With a population of over 11 million in Bangkok, the culinary landscape encompasses everything from modest stalls and budget restaurants to high-end establishments catering to the city’s elite. The humble and the exquisite blur with street food, creating unique food experiences. This applies equally to low income Thais, even though they rely on street food out of necessity, and to those foreigners and Thais who can afford to eat almost anywhere.

The aim in this article is to share our firsthand experiences both past and present, with thorough research and insights from trusted sources.

2 Two Tours

In my previous article, Street Food Chiang Mai 2023, I explored the diverse range of food tours available. Now, let’s delve into our experiences during two absorbing street food tours we undertook in different districts, or khet, of Bangkok.

2.1 A Chef’s Tour, Chinatown (Samphanthawong District)

Introduction

As we ventured into Chinatown, the bustling streets and laneways intrigued us.

It’s worth noting that taxi drivers may display some reluctance to navigate through this area due to the congestion, often requesting a slightly higher fare than the usual metered rates. Within reasonable limits, this is quite understandable. Additionally, Chinatown is conveniently accessible via two nearby metro stops (Hua Lampomg and Wat Mangkok) and the Chao Phraya River express boats.

Chinatown evoked a mix of emotions within me. It exudes an exotic charm, but the crowds and the heat can be overwhelming at times.

Street Food Chiang Mai 2023

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Featured Image: Cowboy Hat Lady, Chang Phuak Market

   Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony,  8 May 2023

Articles in the series on food and restaurants in Chiang Mai are: 1 Akha Tribal Food, 2 Pho Vieng Chane, 3 Khao Soy, 4 French & Italian Restaurants, 5 Airport Plaza, 6 Update 2017, 7 Update 2023, 8 Street Food. Another article is about What Travel Costs in Chiang Mai, part of another memorable series.

Food in Chiang Mai 8: Street Food

Main Points

• Food Tours
• A Short History of Thai and Northern Thai Food
• Typical Chiang Mai Street Food
• 13 Terrific Places to Go for Authentic Chiang Mai Street Food
• Further Sources of Information

1 Preamble on Food Tours

This article the eighth on food in Chiang Mai is also a companion article to Street Food in Bangkok (my next article).

When we arrived in Bangkok in January 2023, we took a Chef’s Tour hosted by Nutth lasting four hours. This was a terrific and well-organised tour around Chinatown lasting around four hours.

I’d done some research on food tours in Bangkok before leaving Australia and there appeared to be quite a number. There were also plenty of blog articles recommending street food and cheap restaurants, indeed all types of restaurants some of which were excellent. This is a big change on only a few years ago.

We’d previously done a food tour in Bangkok on a visit for my nephew’s wedding in 2017 in the old European quarter of Bang Rak, which was also terrific.

However, although there seemed to be plenty of tours, closer investigation showed that the number of tours that focussed on better and more inventive food were actually limited. This may change as Thailand really comes out of Covid tourism. Our ad hoc estimate down south was that in January/ February 2023 numbers were around 40% of pre-covid levels.

Many popular tours that didn’t appeal to us seemed to be targeted at first time or relatively new visitors to Thailand. I’m not knocking these, as they are probably excellent, but we were looking at something more in-depth. A Chef’s Tour seemed to fill our bill and they made a clever marketing statement that they wouldn’t take us to a pad Thai venue. This isn’t to say there is anything wrong with pad Thai but a more discriminating palate wants something a bit more special.