Thanks for the compliment! ;-) Glad you enjoyed the presentation--I enjoyed being there.

Madagascar would be a great place to go to see plants.

I know of a tour that's going to Brazil and it will be this summer. I recommend it if you have the funds.

Tom

Here is a link that might be useful: Brazil Bromeliads Trip.

Aaaah! So *that* is who philofan is! Thanks for the wonderful photos and talk.

The Brazil trip looks terrific, wish I could go, but my summer is already booked, and no bromeliads expected. But there's always next year...

I'd love that Brazil trip. I asked my cat,Mumma, if it would be ok for me to be away for a few weeks,and she said
'NO!',so that takes care of that. ;^)
But as for past trips,the good news is that I've been to many of the Carribean Islands,Bermuda,Puerto Rico,Mexico,and Hawaii. ;)
The bad news is, that it all took place before I became interested in bromeliads. :(
But I do remember the lush rain forest in Eastern PR, the amazing desert areas of Mexico,and the beauty of Hawaii.
Would love to go back,but....
Bob

For me, Madagascar is a real unforgettable place, I had been there two times.
The most fantastic for nature lover.

You may have a chance to sit by blooming Pachypodium rosulatum v. gracilius.
{{gwi:454428}}

or standing under giant Baobab tree
{{gwi:454429}}

Observing new species of Pachypodium in Grand Tsingy.
{{gwi:454430}}

Playing with a huge caudex Adenia while Lemurs are around.
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Or hugging a lovely Cyphostemma in the lost world.
{{gwi:454432}}

Hi
probably the best place to go is Costa Rica. Easy and cheap to get there ,ground travel is cheap reliable,safe and clean.. You can make it as easy or as difficult as you like since 90 percent of the parks are accesible by bus or private car if you're into mountain driving lol
12 different climate zones in an area the size of West Virginia from permanent frost to permanent tropics in the same day!! Both oceans are visitable on the same day also.
Would love to visit S. America particularly Colombia but the political situation in most of S. America is terrible lol Check with the state dept. when planning a trip. A good idea no matter where you're going.
Stephania A trip to Madagascar now that would be FANTASTIC!! But certainly not easy o cheap from my neck of the woods lol Love the pix. Can we see some more??? gary

Stephania, always the most amazing photos from you. That baobab tree is killer. The Cyphostemma is very friendly! I hope to see some baobabs and lemurs in habitat when I get there.

Gary, I agree Costa Rica would be very good for seeing broms, but many other Central and South American countries can be visited as safely as visiting Los Angeles or New York City. Ok, maybe not Colombia, but others.

I wish I had been paying closer attention to plants when I was in the Yucatan area of Mexico many years ago. I remember seeing epiphytes in trees, but didn't know anything about them.

That's funny to read...Jerry Robinson of Rainforest Flora was telling our group last night how he and Paul had been living in Central America back before he was even aware of epiphytes and never really noticed them at te time. Same story.

catkim
Have never heard any traveler say New york or L A were safe to visit lol. One terrific advantage over most of SA is than most will speak English .Okay not really but at least they can point to the Bus station lol
Another is that you can actally read the street signs which will give you a clue to which sections of the city to stay out of and at what hours lol
Always remembered a quote from noted "Jungle" traveler Herbert Axelrod when asked what was the most dangerous thing he'd ever encountered in his extensive travels through the darkest jungles. "Short people with machine guns" was his answer lol gary

Hmmm,
I remember reading a travel story in the Cargo Report,where Dennis asked his driver-guide,as they were stopped at a jungle road block by 'short men with machine guns',
"what do you suppose they want?"
the guides answer was "anything we have"
On a vacation trip to Acapulco Mexico,our luxury(?)hotel grounds were patroled by multiple pairs of uniformed guards with machine guns....Somehow,we did'nt exactly feel perfectly 'safe'. Kind of the same feeling you have when you go to pick up your rental car off grounds at the Miami airport :(
Bob

Hey Stephania,
I think that Boabab tree in your photo is holding the Earth together ! Wow !

And as for that Cyphostemma....well,I guess it can get pretty lonely out there after awhile ;)

ps:
[and if those camouflage pants really worked,you would never have been able to find them]
(insert laugh track here)

Bob ;^)