  Bhutan - The Cloud Kingdom
Bhutan is one of the three small countries between China and India, along with Nepal and Tibet. It has purposely sought to isolate itself high in the Himalayan mountains south of Mt. Everest.
Bhutan’s king took note of the deleterious aspect of tourism in Tibet and Nepal, and not wanting to subject his own country to such negative impacts, he has enacted some tough stipulations for visitors.  Each visitor must pay the kingdom $240 a day for the privilege of entering. This serves to restrict the influx of backpackers and other economy travelers.
 The result is a nation of people living very much as they have for centuries. This country was never invaded by a foreign power, so its monasteries and art treasures are largely intact. There are probably around 2,000 temples and monasteries... it has been a religious country since its beginning in the 8th Century.
 By western standards, Bhutan may even seem a little backward. But this backwardness is the singular source of it’s appeal and charm. There’s only one highway. The roadwork and paving is still being done by hand. Farming too, is largely a manual enterprise. Mechanization has made few inroads into farming practices, so Bhutan may be virtually the only place—certainly one of the few places—where cultivating with wooden plows and oxen is still common. Rice fields and other cultivated areas are often filled with people as they work communally to produce their food.
Tom Sterling has captured this country and its customs, people, and even its wildlife,  in a stunning panorama. The color, people in their homes, at work, performing artful dances...,  which are part of their sacred traditions as well as folk culture. Tom shows us details of Bhutanese homes, sleeping and eating customs that are so different to our own. The wild creatures and birds, also different than anything we see in the mountains of our own country.
There is so much that remains unknown to us about Bhutan. That is what accounts for its fascination for us. Tom Sterling has captured it in an engrossing and captivating way. You too will be fascinated.
• Bhutan - The Cloud Kingdom
Venture to Alaska!
 Visiting Alaska today displays some differences from the Alaska I knew when I lived there some years ago. Global warming is having a more noticeable effect up here… glaciers are receding at an ever accelerating rate for example. More people live here than formerly… especially in Anchorage.
However, there is still adventure in this state, which can no longer be called ‘the Last Frontier’ with any degree of honesty. But vast areas of lonely forest and mountain still exist in places… even as humans endeavor to change that. Wild creatures are still to be seen, though difficult to see from Alaska’s highways any longer. One exception is moose. Sometimes they can be seen right in the city of Anchorage. For me, that too is a change, but we’ll see it in my new film.
Driving up the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe is still an adventure. Closed to the public when I lived in the state,  I had driven it many times in the course of my filming in northern Alaska. Now anyone can drive it. It is still the main supply route for the oil fields of Prudhoe and it is still trucks that comprise most of the traffic along this gravel/dirt road. It takes us through the very heart of the Brooks Range and along the western border of ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) which has come to national attention because of speculation about it’s potential for oil. We’ll visit there and see some of the wild creatures that currently make it their home.
Wales, Alaska is the westernmost point on the North American Continent… 60 miles from Russia. It has been inhabited by Inuit Eskimos since at least 600 B.C. Eskimos on both sides of the Bering Sea, Alaska and Russia, speak the same language. It is still an Eskimo village today, but western influence has promoted changes, as you might expect. One American Caucasian man from California has been here for 30 years. Married to an Eskimo lady, he is a resourceful and energetic man, solving a myriad of problems in his corner of Alaska and how he does it is a story in itself. The villagers still meet to practice their ancient dances and try to preserve the culture through their children.
 Surprisingly, Alaska has a farming tradition, with limited economic influence. But it does go on in this state. What they have that is almost unlimited in the summer is lots of sunshine. In the Matanuska Valley, about 40 miles north of Anchorage, the abundant sunshine propels vegetables to grow… and grow. A beet of 32 pounds, 80-pound cabbages, a 168-pound watermelon, 13-foot-high corn stalks, and surely the winner anywhere, a 942-pound pumpkin. Twenty-two hours of sunshine each day prompts such surging growth… perhaps unique to Alaska.
We will visit Anchorage, Fairbanks, and the capital of Juneau, probably the only capital city that cannot be accessed by auto. There are no roads or highways connecting Juneau to the outside world. You must fly in or arrive by boat to get to this city.
Salmon fishing and processing are a main industry in Juneau and Southeast Alaska .
The Women’s 4th of July Race up Marathon Mountain near Seward on the Kenia Peninsula displays Alaskan toughness.
Grizzly bears frolic and fight as they pursue salmon on Admiralty Island.
People, too, catch huge salmon, sometimes standing cheek-to-cheek to do so. At other times, fisherman may fish a river in total isolation from any other human.
Alaska is full of surprises, flamboyance, astounding scenery, intimate portraits of wild creatures at their own work, a tossed salad of people in cities, villages and isolated outposts.
• Venture to Alaska!
Exploring the colorful World of the Maya...
 After a summer in Belize and Guatemala, we’re beginning work on Sandy’s new film, "World of the Maya".
We left for Belize, and later, Guatemala, with a great deal of trepidation this past summer. U.S. State Department reports were cautionary and negative. These reports were long, extend back to events of previous years, and were darkly foreboding. They even implied that an accident, or death, on the roadways of Belize was almost a certainty.
In fact, driving in Belize turned out to be slower and friendlier than in the U.S. (Both Sandy and I each drive about 60,000 miles a year in the U.S., so we have some expertise on the subject.) There is just more tolerance of other drivers than on American highways and streets. The pace is not as aggressive, in general.
There are places in Belize City and Guatemala City where one shouldn’t wander at night. Probably the same can be said for almost any city of comparable size in the U.S. However, we never found ourselves in any situation where we felt threatened in these two countries. In spite of our experiences, we certainly do not advocate being foolish about personal safety when there. We’re simply stating that our experiences were consistently positive while visiting during the past summer of 2006.
 Guatemala has been called the land of eternal Spring. We found it to be so. While most of the U.S. was enduring temperatures of 100-plus degrees this past summer, we were enjoying cool nights and temperatures in the mid 70’s during the day. The landscapes in this mountainous country are of surpassing beauty. It is Switzerland without the snow. It hardly seemed possible to make an ugly scenic photograph.
The mountain slopes are intensively farmed by the Mayan peasants. These slopes are a rich volcanic soil, which make it a productive land, and we would see corn growing 10 feet tall.
Tikal, in Guatemala, is the most prominent Mayan ruin in these two countries. Recent excavations at Caracol in Belize, however, promises a ruin to rival Tikal. Serious excavations were begun about 6 years ago, and the main temple is even taller than the highest temple at Tikal. Researchers estimate that there are probably around 1200 Mayan buildings still buried at the Caracol site.
We met Dr. Jamie Awe, head of the Belize Department of Archeology, and the driving force behind the new studies and excavations at Caracol. He invited us to accompany him as he led a review of Caracol, a location still protected by the military. We were able to film this insider’s personal comprehension and explanation of this astounding place.
There are many, many ancient Mayan cities in Belize, Guatemala, Mexico and Honduras. The Mayan civilization was large, complex and expansive. They developed a calendar more accurate than the Gregorian Calendar that we use. Like ancient Jewish cultures, they also practiced sacrifice.
 In some places, Mayan religious practices have not died out. We sort of blundered into a sacrificial ceremony one day, where two chickens were committed to the ritual of the Mayan religion. A fascinating ceremony which we were allowed to film. It was one of many unusual circumstances that we were lucky enough to encounter during our venture.
We found ourselves in a Mayan village on market day, well before daylight one morning. Mayan farmers and peasants from smaller villages were streaming in with all manner of goods, carrying them on their backs, setting up stalls, preparing food, readying for a festive day at market. The main square of the village between two churches was completely filled with vendors. Some of the Mayan religious practices would take place on the steps of the church, as they sometimes combine the Catholic and Mayan rituals into one. It was difficult to negotiate between the crowds, as every bit of space seemed to be occupied by a human body. The excitement was palpable.
We came across a band of cowboys branding calves one morning. These were real cowboys, about 15 to 18 young men, doing their work on horseback in exactly the way it must have been done in the American West 150 years ago.
The men were branding about 200 calves, collected in a roundup of the previous day, and the excitement of the melee was infectious as those boys roped calves, drug them up for branding, smoke wafting up from the hot irons. It took three men just to keep the branding irons hot and ready in a huge fire in the corral. We filmed for a couple of hours as this scene was repeated over and over... a scene that sometimes turned dangerous as one of the larger Brahman calves would break loose and crash crazily into horse, fence, or unwary cowboy.
We were able to film in one of the Mennonite settlements in Belize, something not easily done. We had assisted a Mennonite man one day who then invited us to come to the settlement. When we arrived we were not very welcome in this closed society, and our host must have been the only person to speak English. All schooling is conducted in German, even though the official language of Belize is English. They are a pretty self-sufficient community, still traveling in horse-drawn buggies and wagons, although tractors are used for many farming chores. People were reluctant to be filmed because they equated that to TV, which is a sinful medium in their view.
 We visited a cave in Belize large enough to fly a small plane into. In remote parts of the cave, far from the entrance, there are Mayan artifacts, left as found. You wonder what drove them so deep into the cave when lighting must have been most difficult for them. One location within the cave required crossing a small river stream and negotiating a steep cliff in order to reach it.
We filmed, with our underwater camera, the barrier reef of Belize. It is second in size to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. An amazing place and experience. It will be familiar to many, since many people have visited here. We were able to see people swimming with sharks at ‘Shark Ray Alley’, now becoming more widely known.
One day we made our way to Laguna Village in southern Belize, where we spent the night. We were invited to dinner in the home of one of the villagers, a one room thatched roof house made of small tree branches. A family with 6 children live, cook, and sleep in this dwelling which has a dirt floor. We were served an excellent meal of tortillas, plantains, and a chicken-rice dish. This was served with a chocolate drink made from cacao which they had roasted and ground themselves. A small peccary roamed under the makeshift table as we ate... a table erected in our honor with buckets as  seats.
Not far from here we toured Cockscomb National Park, the only Jaguar preserve in the world. We were guided by Ernesto Saqui, a Mayan native who was instrumental in establishing this park. These are Mayan people who seek to preserve their natural world, and are trying to earn a living without destroying the natural resources. I recommend the guide service and amenities offered in Mayan Center Village. Visit them on the internet at http://www.cockscombmayatours.com.
Too many other experiences to enumerate here, but all contribute to a great new film... "The World of the Maya".
-Dale and Sandy Johnson
• Also from Belize: Alien
 New!
Watercolor Prints of Norway
 We
are pleased to offer an impressive body of work by a new associate,
Norman Guyaz of Maine. This past spring, I presented my Norway
- From the Land of Vikings at the Sayer Institute in Greene,
Maine, and during intermission a gentleman showed me some watercolor
art that he had done on Norway.
I
thought they were such iconic representations of the Norway
I had seen myself as I traveled there, I wanted to offer them for
sale to anyone interested in Norway, or in art for that matter.
 Norman is of Swiss-Scandinavian descent and I think his paintings
display the strong connection he still feels for that background.
All paintings were done in recent travels to Norway.
The
paintings are of exquisite design and color, and capture the powerful
compositions that one is constantly confronted with while experiencing
that country of Norway. Any visitor there will agree that it is
one of the most profoundly beautiful countries anywhere, and I
think these watercolors capture that in a memorable way .
All images are laser print reproductions of original watercolors
on acid-free paper .
They are printed actual size—approximately 10-3/4" by 14-1/2".
Each print is $40 plus shipping and handling from Maine.
Take a look at the thumbnail picture of each one on the page linked
to our Norway video. If you are a
Scandinavian enthusiast, or even if you're not, I think you may
find a unique gift idea there for a friend, or yourself.
Dale Johnson
• More Information
 Seasons of the Otter has
now been completed and released by Bob Landis and myself. We had
hoped to have it out last year, but now it is finished.
If you have an interest in otters, Yellowstone,
wildlife or nature in general, we believe this film will have been
worth waiting for.
Bob has captured some of the most intimate otter behavior, and
it was all shot in the wild! None of this photography has been
done with controlled animals as is sometimes done in nature films.
These wild creatures of Yellowstone are motivated entirely and
exclusively by their own inner compulsions. Well,... the exception
is when they are influenced by the acts of other animals,...
...other animals such as coyotes. Coyotes
steal fish from otters. This turns out to be a contest
that has gone on for eons, and you may be surprised to learn
that coyotes, and other creatures, can literally be dependent
on otters in order to survive the coldest months of winter.
Because otters can catch fish in Yellowstone Lake, even in the
winter, some other mammals and birds sometimes steal enough of
the otters' catch to get them through lean times.
We also have some remarkable footage
shot deep in Yellowstone Lake, where we see mysterious thermal
spires not previously known to exist on the lake bottom.
This geologic activity is just beginning to be recognized and
studied in Yellowstone Lake, and the otters take us there for
a fascinating look as part of this film.
 Otters
are synonymous with humor. A bald
eagle boldly confronts an otter, seeming to demand that the otter
hand over its fish! A coyote catches an otter diving into a hole
in the ice and pulls him out by the tail. Otter pups play and slide
on the ice in an explosively comic way. Geese, expecting to land
in water, find themselves sliding on new ice.
There are four short additional programs
as a bonus on this disc, interviews with otter experts
and a 12-minute piece on how the underwater photography was done
with a remote underwater vehicle.
This is a fun film. We hope you like it.
Dale Johnson
Yellowstone
Soundscapes
During
the Christmas holidays, Bob Landis and I produced an audio CD,
which we are calling Yellowstone Soundscapes.
It has been digitally recorded by Bob over the past few years.
It begins with the call of wolves over the moonlit landscape and
progresses the listener geographically and temporally through Yellowstone
Park...from place to place and from season to season.
You will hear a sound rarely heard by humans; the surreal sound
of ice forming on Yellowstone Lake at the beginning of winter.
Before the first heavy snowfalls of the season (which muffles the
sound) the ice on the lake expands as the temperature drops to
30° or 40° below zero. At this time the ice emits a sound difficult
to describe, but definitely seems "other world". It is
a sound that you might associate with a science fiction movie,
but it is real ...normally heard only by otters, coyotes, and ravens.
Technology will allow you to hear it without having to make a 70-mile
drive by snow machine in 30° below temperatures...sort of a dangerous
thing to do alone. 
This audio CD also has probably the best wolf and coyote calls
ever recorded. Bob has filmed the National Geographic Special, Return
of the Wolf, and usually goes out into Yellowstone Park
before daylight every day. When the wolves are
"talking", Bob is there recording. He has been filming
and recording for 30 years ...about 350 days a year! We hope to
have this CD ready for distribution and sales by the start of the
summer season.
We also have a new film about river otters
in production. We had hoped to have this, too, ready for the new
tourist season. But it seems we'll be completing it sometime this
coming summer. We have, undoubtedly, the most extensive photography
ever done on otters in the wild. They are such proficient hunters
of the fish they live on, that they can spend most of their time
romping and cavorting through their free-hearted days. They live
this way both in summer and winter. Winter is not a hardship for
them.
Because of thermal or warm springs in Yellowstone Lake, there are
holes in the ice which allows the otters to dive into the lake
and catch fish as easily as in they do in the summer. There are
some unusual underwater features in Yellowstone Lake, never seen
by the public, and we will bring these into focus as the otters
descend in their pursuit of fish. All audiences fall in love with
the otters, which seem not to have a care in the world.
Sandy continues some work on Ireland.
We shot forty hours of beautiful footage there last summer, so
I think her film will be a most profound overview of this surprisingly
lovely country ...a country brimming with interesting modern stories,
legends, and an engaging people. It's a huge job ...trying to condense
40 hours into a 90-minute program.
There are, of course, more people of Irish descent in the U.S.
than in Ireland itself. Probably around 30 million people of that
description in America, and only 8 million people living in Ireland
now. Sandy will explore some of the conditions that precipitated
that great migration to America in the Nineteenth Century. Everyone
knows that outflow of immigrants was put into motion by the potato
famine, but there are some fascinating aspects surrounding that
event that are not so widely known. Sandy will bring some surprising
insights ...not only about the famine, but about all of Ireland
itself!
We are also producing our first DVD (Grand
Canyon), finishing up Norway
- From the Land of Vikings, and a 52-minute TV version to
create, and transferring all our previous productions to digital
video. There are DVD's to be produced on all our Yellowstone productions
...(the Yellowstone Institute is asking for them ...quickly!)
• Yellowstone Soundscapes
Ireland
Overview
  Sandy
and I have returned from our shoot in Ireland. It really was
a great experience. Some thoughts on Ireland:
 Although
English is used in Ireland, it can sometimes come across as a
quite foreign language to me. They speak rapidly, and the accent
is distinct, pronounced, and different as you move from county
to county. Even to my unpracticed ear I can hear distinct differences
in accent from region to region.
In
Northern Ireland, for example, the English monetary system is
still used. When I got my first cash from the ATM there, I asked
a lady the value of a particular coin. "It's a poont" ,
I heard her say. When she repeated the word for me I understood
it as
"poond" and then I finally figured out that she was saying "pound"!
Inquiring
for the ATM was also enlightening. It's called a "hole in
the wall" in Northern Ireland. I could understand the cashier
in the restaurant very well as he explained this to us. He in
turn, was puzzled by the term "ATM".
 I
had not really realized that the Republic of Ireland and Northern
Ireland are two separate countries. I've been aware of "the
troubles" (as it's called here) in Ireland since the 1950's,
but only in a vague way. In simple terms it's a struggle between
Irish people who want to be a separate nation, and those who
wish to maintain strong links to England.
Historically
the English treated the Irish people quite harshly, and the resentment
about that still simmers ...somewhat like Civil War sentiments
in our own country. Of course, here it often breaks down along
religious lines, with Catholics wanting separation from Protestant
England and Protestants favoring strong ties.
We
have found many Irish people to be quite politically aware. Many
of them seem to know all about politics in American and can even
name some of our politicians. (Can you name the president of
the Republic of Ireland? Or any president of any country, other
than the U.S.?) Bill Clinton is greatly admired over here, while
George W. Bush is not. We've encountered quite a few people
who are ready and willing to speak out on this subject.
 Everywhere
we've gone we've found the Irish people to be most
friendly and extremely polite. I've wondered if extreme
politeness may not be necessary in a land which has experienced
so much internal strife. Politeness has become a way to circumvent
trouble before it starts, perhaps.
In
many of the smaller towns and villages there may not be a restaurant.
Food is usually served in bars and pubs in these locations and
can range from mediocre to very good on occasion. With our American
view of bars, I was surprised, however (almost amazed), to see
a small collection box in some pubs and bars for missions collections,
i.e. collections for missionary activities sponsored by the local
church. To my Protestant eye this seemed quite incongruous, but
illustrates the different way in which bars are used here. They
are very much a social gathering place for the community and
entire families may be found there on some evenings.
 It
rains in Ireland. During the time we've been here we had
only partial days of sunshine ...about 4 half-days for the month
we've been here. However it turns out to be the rainiest
year on record ...more rain this year than since they began keeping
records and they've been doing that longer than we have
in the States. Recording weather data began in Ireland at the
18th Century ...about the time we were fighting our war of Independence
with Britain.
Farmers
have been unable to plant crops this year. Or those who did may
have to plow them under because they are rotting in the fields
in some cases. The land is completely saturated throughout the
nation. If praying for sunshine will do any good, we have plenty
of help. All of Ireland is sick of rain.
Ireland
was an unexpectedly beautiful country. I guess because of the
constancy of the rain, even in drier years, it truly is an "Emerald
Isle". The fields marked by hedgerows or divided by stone
fences present bucolic views every minute of every journey. (Except
that the hedgerows often prevent any distant view for a few miles
at times.) Trees are often allowed to grow right over the narrow
roads and trimmed from below. This forms a charming
"tunnel" through trees that can be most enchanting to
drive through.
 Driving
is done on the left here. The left lane is the "slow" lane
when there are 4-lane
"carriageways". The car on the right always has the right-of-way,
and many intersections are "roundabouts". That means
that the intersection is a circle, which you can enter as soon
at there is a chance and no vehicle coming from the right. (You
have to remember ...car on the right always has right-of-way.)
Once you get into the circle then you have right-of-way and need
not worry about traffic on your left. This is so much more efficient
than traffic lights since no stop is necessary if traffic in the
circle permits you a space to get in ...you can just drive in and
then exit when you get to your street or road.
The
attitude about driving is a striking contrast to our sensibilities
in the U.S., where the slightest infraction of any driving convention
seems to produce a lot of anger and resentment. Here, people
seem most patient about someone who has stopped on a two lane
road which has no shoulder. He will be parked right out on the
roadway. Other drivers just wait for opposing traffic to pass
then they go around the stopped vehicle without any emotional
reaction.
When
two cars approach each other on a street which is just wide enough
for two cars to pass, but where one side of the street is filled
with parked cars, one driver will pull into an empty space to
let the other driver pass, or maybe pull up onto the sidewalk
so both cars can get through. It's all done as a cooperative
venture rather than drivers vying for one-upmanship.
Driving
in town, or even a village, is quite a different matter than
in the U.S. Driving any particular road can carry you toward
every point of the compass in the course of a mile. In the villages
you can't just drive around the block to get back to where
you wish to go ...you'll probably have to drive out of town
on another road then back in to get to a turn you missed.
 The
Euro is the unit of exchange used now (only since Jan. of 2002).
It is roughly equivalent to the value of a U.S. dollar, so calculating
prices is easy. Food is generally somewhat more expensive than
in the U.S., although milk cost $1.05 for a two-liter bottle
(approximately 1/2 gallon). Food has been better than I thought
it would be.
Shopping
for food isn't too different from the U.S. There are somewhat
fewer products, but the experience is very much like being in
an American supermarket. However, people bring their own shopping
bags, or the plastic bags they used from the last trip to the
store. If you have to have one of the plastic bags furnished
by the market it will cost you 15 cents for each one. This sure
cuts down on the waste of those damnable plastic bags and I wish
we would adopt this policy here in the U.S.
Watching
the Irish at restaurants was amusing to my American eye ...in
this respect: Most Irish people use their fork in their left
hand and use the knife in their right to push and scrape vegetables
onto the fork. Furthermore the fork is held in an upside-down
position! Looks like a real balancing feat to me, but it really
distinguishes an American from a European.
We
finally had two weeks of sunshine before returning to the States.
Everyone knows it rains in Ireland ...but not ALL the time!
Dale & Sandy Johnson
• Ireland: Celtic Myths and splendors
• Irish Stories & Glories
 The
Wolves of Yellowstone
Dale Johnson finally got a look at
the finished film, Return of the
Wolf,
the National Geographic Special which he edited with
Christine Henry. This is the story of the reintroduction of the
wolf to Yellowstone National Park. It was his
first look at the film with the final narration and music applied.
 Most of the filming was done by Bob Landis over
an 18 month period, but also incorporated footage that he has
been collecting since the wolves were brought back in 1997. Bob
has succeeded in getting some astonishing footage of wolf behavior,
including the adoption of a new leader by an
existing pack of wolves that had lost their Alpha wolf. This is something that had never been filmed, and,
as it turned out, something that had never been witnessed, not
even by wolf researchers!
Return
of the Wolf is a revealing hour with a creature
of myth and legend, a creature that really only wants to
get his next meal. And Yellowstone is the perfect place for
that ...a banquet table has been set for him in Yellowstone,
due to the abundance of elk in the park.
Videotapes
of the program may be available from National Geographic after
the initial TV broadcast. We do, however, have a half hour program
on Yellowstone's wolves, called The
Druids of Lamar.
This is designed for educational institutions and is narrated
by Doug Smith, head of the Wolf Recovery program in Yellowstone.
(Doug is also featured in the Geographic production
Return of the Wolf). This program has been offered for
$100 to colleges and universities. Our other Yellowstone titles
include Yellowstone - High
Country Treasure and Yellowstone:
The Unfinished Song.
Notes
from Norway
I'm back from
Norway. It is the most profoundly beautiful country I've ever
been in...and I've seen some beautiful country, having lived
in Alaska five years. I wrote the following after being in Norway
for several weeks:
Today
is my first chance to check email for three weeks. In a country
where everyone is on email and has their own service, it's difficult
to find a cyber cafe. I'm now above the Arctic circle and the
number of tourists passing through doesn't justify maintaining
such a facility here. However, I'm in Tromsö today and found
a computer in the bowling alley that I could use. Tromsö has
the most northern university in the World they say...and the
most northern Burger King.
Even
though I'm now about 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle the
weather is surprisingly mild ...especially when down near sea-level.
Norway, of course, has always supported a high level of human
existence and enterprise because it is warmed by the Gulf Stream
Current. Even the winters are milder than in many parts of the
U.S. The current flows north and warms this Scandinavian coast
almost all the way to Russia.
I
have been trying to film the salmon farming. It's become a big
business here and I've encountered it in several locations. But
the owners are reluctant. There was an outbreak of disease in
the salmon stocks three years ago and many farmers were ruined.
Salmon prices have gone up and now a license is worth millions
of Krone. The fish is harvested all year, but not at every facility
...it takes two to four years to produce the mature fish so I'll
have to get lucky and find someone harvesting and willing to let
me shoot at the same time.
Dairy
farmers are also especially sensitive to foreign visitors coming
around. If you're from the United Kingdom, forget it! They don't
want strangers around their cattle. I understand.
I
finally did get to shoot in a salmon farm near Alta, Norway.
They were crating up 2 tons of salmon for shipping ...to Seattle!
I have to wonder where all those Alaskan salmon served up in
Seattle restaurants may have actually come from.
My
brother was with me for two weeks in late May. He had wanted
to see moose, which are known as 'elk' over here. Road signs
warning of them as a traffic hazard are posted everywhere. We
felt these were a bit over-optimistic, but I have seen moose
since he left. They do exist in great numbers and if you take
a walk in the woods anywhere you'll see proof of it.
I'm
finding the Norwegian people to be friendly and helpful generally,
but a bit more reserved than I found people to be in Sweden.
Almost everyone in Norway has either visited America or has a
relative there, so they know America and Americans. Almost everyone
speaks English ...to one degree or the other. In some places
I have been given the most generous help ...even invited into private
homes to spend the night a couple of times. But it is the history
of Norway that is most compelling.
I've
encountered quite a lot of history concerning the Vikings. Knowledge
of them has been expanded in recent years and, of course, we
now know for certain that they were the first Europeans to reach
the American Continent. (I already have footage of L'Anse aux
Meadows in Newfoundland of the Viking settlement there which
existed from 1000 to 1003.) Fascinating to learn that they actually
took their own building beams and lumber from Norway to Iceland
when they were settling there before the year 1000. They were
the first to learn how to set sails so that they could tack into
the wind and they may have been able to advance their navigation
beyond other Europeans because of a mineral called corderite.
This stone would polarize the light and allow them to see where
the sun was located even on heavily clouded days, so they could
keep their bearings. These developments made them able to escape
from other European sailors who feared to get out of sight of
land at that time, so the Vikings could raid with impunity.
Things
are fairly expensive here. A cup of coffee almost always cost
at least $1.50. Even modest hotels are about $120 a night. Not
as expensive I suppose as Tokyo or Rome. I've discovered, however,
the hytter ...little cabins. The word hytte (hytter is plural)
actually means 'hut'. They have them all over the country and
they are popular during the summer 'holiday' or vacation period.
These can usually be rented for about $25 - $30 a night. You
have to go to a separate building for the toilet and shower,
but the little rooms usually have a fridge, hot-plate or stove,
two or four bunk beds and, sometimes, a sink with running water.
On occasion, I've even gotten into one that had it's own bathroom,
shower, TV, and even a sauna! They are the most popular accommodations
for summer travelers.
Almost
every Norwegian aspires to own a hut ...a hytte ...out in the
country somewhere in a remote area. They are only used for the
two months of summer, but some people build them quite elaborately
now. I'm told that some people make them nicer than their permanent
homes ...those that get a little into it, I guess.
I'll
be editing this program as I tour throughout the autumn and into
next spring. It'll be finished in October.
• Norway: From the Land of Vikings
Exploring
Costa Rica - Colors, Creatures, Curiosities
Costa Rica has been playing
on the circuit since January now. However, Sandy has spent much
of the summer working on the one hour version for TV distribution.
It can be a real struggle to reduce an 80-minute film to 56 minutes
(the required time for a 1-hour show) and still maintain the spirit
and wonderment of the original document.
This
16 millimeter film is a mini-IMAX approach, with lots of point-of-view
shots of this remarkable place. Hiking through Manual Antonio
National Park... taking the aerial tram high up through the rain
forest canopy... a rappelling thrill on a cable across the top
of a canyon near Rincon de la Viegha National Park, as well as
by car, bus, boat, plane and foot to see some of the most remote
areas. An isolated biological station in Tourteguero on the Atlantic
coast, a private ranch in Guantecoste and a mountaintop Indian
Village in the south, plus featuring all the critters she could
find ...and a whole lot more. Even couch potatoes can get worn
out watching this one!
Dale
writes:
We
had returned to Costa Rica for a second time in order to try
to capture the beauty and diversity...and richness ...of a
Country that Americans often think of as a poor Country. But
the richness of this Country may lie in its ecosystem ...and
its genuine affinity for America and Americans.
I
traveled to Costa Rica for the first time in 1965. Crossing
the border at that time there were only two pictures on the
wall of the Guard Station...  one of President
Johnson and one of President Kennedy. In a time when "Yankee
go home" was
commonly seen throughout Central America, it made Costa Rica
a memorable place.
Today 30,000 other
Americans have found it so as well. That's how many Americans
live there now. About 3,000 students from the U.S. attend college
there in any given year. So the American influence is still
strong, but Costa Rica maintains its own unique character.
• Exploring Costa Rica!
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