A huge reason many people travel is to get away from city life and into nature. In Episode 327 of The Thoughtful Travel Podcast we don't just get into nature - we hear about some really rare and unique encounters with the natural world.

First up, I chat with Satyajit Das, a veteran of many intriguing wildlife encounters on his travels, who explains how lucky he was in coming across the small cats of South and Central America: ocelots, margays and onchillas.

Next, Paul Christie explains something of the history of the sakura or cherry blossom in Japan, and leaves me with the surprising fact that you don't necessarily have to be in Japan in springtime to see the beautiful cherry trees bloom.

Finally, Iris Villarreal tells the story of her experience with a nomadic Kazakh ethnic minority in western Mongolia, and in particular, how they train and use eagles for hunting.

Links:

• Satyajit Das - author of Wild Quests - Journeys into Ecotourism and the Future for Animals - https://amzn.to/4eMWpP9 
• Paul Christie, CEO of Walk Japan - https://walkjapan.com/ 
• Iris Villarreal - https://www.instagram.com/outventurenow
•  'Cherry' Ingram: The Englishman Who Saved Japan's Blossoms by Naoko Abe - https://amzn.to/4cR2Z6I 
• Join our Facebook group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://www.facebook.com/groups/thoughtfultravellers
• Join our LinkedIn group for Thoughtful Travellers - https://notaballerina.com/linkedin
• Sign up for the Thoughtful Travellers newsletter at Substack - https://thoughtfultravel.substack.com 
• Show notes: https://notaballerina.com/327