Bucket list destination- Galapagos

jeff kushner

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Like a LOT of folks here I'll bet, I've wanted to go since I first learned of the existence of the islands in the early 1960's. I had read a story in Readers Digest and it's been on my list ever since.


Fast forward to 2022 and jeff gets his renewed passport.......hmmmmm.

On a whim, I check Airfare from BWI airport......$1,290 round trip, not too bad.....28 hour trip duration, very bad <LOL>

Okay, now that I'm "there", a 8 day custom cruise is around 7-$8,000 so all in, around $10,000 per person!


I call my Kerry


"Honey, I can go to the Galapagos in August after all, but you won't be able to go for 2 more years though"



LMAO............................it's still on the list though....and when I go, it will be with Kerry.......
 

Maggie3fan

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Like a LOT of folks here I'll bet, I've wanted to go since I first learned of the existence of the islands in the early 1960's. I had read a story in Readers Digest and it's been on my list ever since.


Fast forward to 2022 and jeff gets his renewed passport.......hmmmmm.

On a whim, I check Airfare from BWI airport......$1,290 round trip, not too bad.....28 hour trip duration, very bad <LOL>

Okay, now that I'm "there", a 8 day custom cruise is around 7-$8,000 so all in, around $10,000 per person!


I call my Kerry


"Honey, I can go to the Galapagos in August after all, but you won't be able to go for 2 more years though"



LMAO............................it's still on the list though....and when I go, it will be with Kerry.......
so pedestrian...lol:)
 

TammyJ

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Wow. A dream that needs to come true for you! I had a downright miracle years ago when my friend's husband (they are in Australia) invited me All Expenses Paid!!! to pay her a real surprise visit for her 60th Birthday! Me, little old me, in Australia! The whole trip was beyond awesome for me. I actually saw face to face, a Komodo Dragon! At the Taronga Zoo. And wild goannas. Once in a lifetime. Do it.
 

wellington

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Wow. A dream that needs to come true for you! I had a downright miracle years ago when my friend's husband (they are in Australia) invited me All Expenses Paid!!! to pay her a real surprise visit for her 60th Birthday! Me, little old me, in Australia! The whole trip was beyond awesome for me. I actually saw face to face, a Komodo Dragon! At the Taronga Zoo. And wild goannas. Once in a lifetime. Do it.
We have Komodo dragons, or at least did, not sure it's still there at our aquarium. What really surprised me was seeing one at the aquarium fish warehouse. The aquarium store I work for gets some of our fish from. It was the warehouse owners komodo. Who has one of those as a pet! Of course I thought it was too cool and wanted one. Went home and looked them up to see about their care. Oh wait, human, dead within hours of a bite, ah no thank you lol
 

jeff kushner

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Wow Tammy, Australia.....that's super cool and that's quite a trip! 18 hours in a plane.......ugh.....but that's the price we pay for getting there NOW!

I got my old passport returned last night, no holes punched in it though. They used to do that when they renewed them. I guess counterfeiters are far beyond trying to copy them using a printer?

You guys are great.........you all understand how cool life is and that if we miss appreciating it, we miss so much more. I really have to stop watching travel shows.....they stoke the urges.

When my folks retired years ago, they traveled for months at a time they would go to Europe, Greenland or Tammy's AU....and I asked my Dad why all the sudden(to us kids) urge to travel. He simply and honestly said, "I might be dead later".

My dad was also a genius so when he spoke, I listened (if I wasn't arguing with him)................and yes, as many have surmised....this apple fell FAR from that tree of knowledge. Like in a whole different orchard, kind of far!

You know Wellington, if you don't kiss your pets and they behave and don't bite the hand that feeds them, a Dragon would be fine, right?
LOL
 

dd33

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We have Komodo dragons, or at least did, not sure it's still there at our aquarium. What really surprised me was seeing one at the aquarium fish warehouse. The aquarium store I work for gets some of our fish from. It was the warehouse owners komodo. Who has one of those as a pet! Of course I thought it was too cool and wanted one. Went home and looked them up to see about their care. Oh wait, human, dead within hours of a bite, ah no thank you lol
Are you 100% sure that it was a Komodo dragon and not a water monitor or something else? I thought that (legal) Komodos within the US pet trade were non existent.
 

Tom

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We have Komodo dragons, or at least did, not sure it's still there at our aquarium. What really surprised me was seeing one at the aquarium fish warehouse. The aquarium store I work for gets some of our fish from. It was the warehouse owners komodo. Who has one of those as a pet! Of course I thought it was too cool and wanted one. Went home and looked them up to see about their care. Oh wait, human, dead within hours of a bite, ah no thank you lol
That is not true. You don't die from a bite, and despite the protestations of the grad student trying to make a name for himself, salivary glands are do not produce "venom".

Second, there is no way the fish warehouse guy had a Komodo, and if he did, no one would know about it. It was most likely a water monitor, Varanus salvator. They are readily available, look similar, and are in fact the closest living relative of the Komodo. If there was a way to get one, me and about a half dozen other people I know would have them.
 

Tom

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Are you 100% sure that it was a Komodo dragon and not a water monitor or something else? I thought that (legal) Komodos within the US pet trade were non existent.
They are not illegal. They are just a monitor lizard. But if they exist in private hands, no one knows about it, and you know the kind of people I know... I keep hoping to find one or a group somewhere in private hands, but no go. Of course, in the last few years I've also learned about secret colonies of other types of giant reptiles that almost no one knows about, so I keep hoping.
 

TammyJ

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Well. If I had a choice now between the Komodos and the Galapagos Islands, I would take the Galapagos. To be in the esteemed and magnificent presence of a giant tortoise plus go to such an exotic place!
 

dd33

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Never been to the Galapagos but it is on our list. We went to Komodo a few years ago and really liked it.komodo.jpg
 

wellington

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That is not true. You don't die from a bite, and despite the protestations of the grad student trying to make a name for himself, salivary glands are do not produce "venom".

Second, there is no way the fish warehouse guy had a Komodo, and if he did, no one would know about it. It was most likely a water monitor, Varanus salvator. They are readily available, look similar, and are in fact the closest living relative of the Komodo. If there was a way to get one, me and about a half dozen other people I know would have them.
Wow Tom, that's calling a lot of people a liar!
I know what I was told and thats all I know about the one I seen! Btw this was 15 years ago or more.
Who is this grad student you don't know but seem to be bashing?
 
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wellington

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That is not true. You don't die from a bite, and despite the protestations of the grad student trying to make a name for himself, salivary glands are do not produce "venom".

Second, there is no way the fish warehouse guy had a Komodo, and if he did, no one would know about it. It was most likely a water monitor, Varanus salvator. They are readily available, look similar, and are in fact the closest living relative of the Komodo. If there was a way to get one, me and about a half dozen other people I know would have them.
 

wellington

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Are you 100% sure that it was a Komodo dragon and not a water monitor or something else? I thought that (legal) Komodos within the US pet trade were non existent.
All I know is what they told me it was. It looked just like a komodo too. This btw was about 15 years ago maybe a few more then that. The warehouse had not only fish but also reptiles and rodents. They were not open to the public only to fish retailers.
 

Tom

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Wow Tom, that's calling a lot of people a liar!
I know what I was told and thats all I know about the one I seen! Btw this was 15 years ago or more.
Who is this grad student you don't know but seem to be bashing?
Some grad student did a paper on his finding that kimonos were venomous. He "discovered" a salivary gland. I and other people who actually work with Komodos, and or other monitors remain skeptical.

There is no doubt that a bite from them is about as nasty as nasty gets, and bacterial infection is highly likely, but its not venomous. Ever been bit by a house cat? Or a human? Those are two of the nastiest bites there are, and both are likely to land you in the hospital with septicemia and the characteristic red streaks running up your arm. A bite from a human or a house cat could easily kill you without medical treatment, but humans aren't venomous.

I've been keeping monitor lizards since the 80s. I've been searching for komodos since that time. Some of the people I know have been part of the reptile community since the 60s. Importers, wholesalers, breeders, retailers, zoo keepers, wildlife biologists, zoo administrators, exotic animals vets... Mentors of mine that know everyone that has anything to do with reptiles. Not a single one of them has ever heard of a komodo in private hands in the US, and we've all been actively searching for decades. I'm familiar with how the tropical fish business works. I was a retailer for 8 years and a wholesaler for a year before I started my current career. I saw all sorts of shady illegal stuff going down. Not even a hint of a komodo.

The komodo and the baboon are my favorite animals on the planet, so I've done a lot of study on them. You know me well enough to know that I don't make bold assertions lightly. I'm asserting that the grad student who "discovered" the komodo venom glands, discovered a salivary gland, and a large portion of the scientific community bought into it because it makes a good story. I'm also willing tote a large sum of money the the fish wholesaler did not have a komodo. With what I have seen and what I know of the world, it is not 100% impossible, but it is definitely 100% extremely unlikely. What is more likely is that he had a large dark water monitor and called it a komodo for fun. Like when people call their chow chow their little bear, or when I use the term Maligator referring to Seven.
 

wellington

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Some grad student did a paper on his finding that kimonos were venomous. He "discovered" a salivary gland. I and other people who actually work with Komodos, and or other monitors remain skeptical.

There is no doubt that a bite from them is about as nasty as nasty gets, and bacterial infection is highly likely, but its not venomous. Ever been bit by a house cat? Or a human? Those are two of the nastiest bites there are, and both are likely to land you in the hospital with septicemia and the characteristic red streaks running up your arm. A bite from a human or a house cat could easily kill you without medical treatment, but humans aren't venomous.

I've been keeping monitor lizards since the 80s. I've been searching for komodos since that time. Some of the people I know have been part of the reptile community since the 60s. Importers, wholesalers, breeders, retailers, zoo keepers, wildlife biologists, zoo administrators, exotic animals vets... Mentors of mine that know everyone that has anything to do with reptiles. Not a single one of them has ever heard of a komodo in private hands in the US, and we've all been actively searching for decades. I'm familiar with how the tropical fish business works. I was a retailer for 8 years and a wholesaler for a year before I started my current career. I saw all sorts of shady illegal stuff going down. Not even a hint of a komodo.

The komodo and the baboon are my favorite animals on the planet, so I've done a lot of study on them. You know me well enough to know that I don't make bold assertions lightly. I'm asserting that the grad student who "discovered" the komodo venom glands, discovered a salivary gland, and a large portion of the scientific community bought into it because it makes a good story. I'm also willing tote a large sum of money the the fish wholesaler did not have a komodo. With what I have seen and what I know of the world, it is not 100% impossible, but it is definitely 100% extremely unlikely. What is more likely is that he had a large dark water monitor and called it a komodo for fun. Like when people call their chow chow their little bear, or when I use the term Maligator referring to Seven.
Like I said, I only know what they said. I also know it is very possible it was exactly what they said it was. They had no reason to lie. You may know a lot of people but you dont know everyone. There are unfortunately animals and other things sold illegally all the time.
Whatever it was, it was huge and still quite young.
 

Tom

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Like I said, I only know what they said. I also know it is very possible it was exactly what they said it was. They had no reason to lie. You may know a lot of people but you dont know everyone. There are unfortunately animals and other things sold illegally all the time.
Whatever it was, it was huge and still quite young.
I wish you had a picture! I would LOVE it if it were true because that means there is hope that I could someday legally get one, or a breeding group.
 

TammyJ

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Why baboons, Tom? What I have seen and read of them seems scary. But I have to admit that apes in general are my least favourite animals, maybe because they are so much like humans, but aren't.
 
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