I read a few chapters of a book called “Samarkand” by Amin Maalouf. It is about the life of the Persian poet Omar Khayyam.
While not exactly a game, a daily ritual of ours at camp was taking turns trying to identify the reptiles and amphibians we had seen on our hikes. It’s a lot of fun trying to compare pictures from the field to the pictures in the guide books. We also spent a lot of time consulting the local forest rangers for species identification. These rangers are from the villages surrounding the forest and have remarkable knowledge of the local wildlife.
One morning, as we ventured into the forest to collect leeches, we noticed smoke rising from the forest edge. We traced it to a logged tree which had been slowly smoldering like a cigarette, leaving a trail of thick ash. We quickly got to work putting it out this potential fire. We split up taking turns pouring water and refilling from camp. Putting out a forest fire is not how I usually start my day in New York City!
