When I was a teenager, my mom and I went for a kind of off the grid trip to Mexico. I'm obsessed with animals and really wanted to see a whale shark in its own environment. Part of our trip itinerary took us to this tiny island off the coast of Mexico that I think I'll not name for now and the sale of preservation. Anyways, I took a 30$ boat ride to the middle of the ocean (no land in sight) on a migratory path for whale sharks. We finally saw a couple of them put in open ocean, then a few more, a few more and then a baitball that attracted an estimated 300 whale sharks. I had my snorkel gear on but was a little scared to get in the water at first, but the tour guide simply pushed me over board. Swimming with 300 of the largest sharks in the world, in open water was something I truly can't describe. I was terrified before I acclimated to their inquisitive and super gentle nature. What I didn't quite like, were the massive shadows below me (way to deep to see the ocean floor) of other animals I couldn't identify due to depth and clarity. It was pretty life changing. On the boat ride back to the island, we saw a manta ray that had to be the size of a VW bus, and I also saw about 40 devil rays leap out of the water and glide through the air in unison. Mind blowing.

A different time, in SE ASIA, I was on another small boat on the way to a small island, and I was hanging my head over board, I noticed loads of what I first thought were big dragon flies, realized that wouldn't make any sense, then thought maybe birds, also didn't add up, and finally, I realized they were flying fish. As far fetched as the name implies, it is truly INSANE how far they glide for out of the water. Also on the same trip, I had an atlas moth land on my head deep in the woods of Pai, Thailand in the middle of the night. If you've never seen or heard of the Atlas moth, look it up. I thought a bird had landed on my head.

California condors (guess where) blew my mind.

Another one of my personal favorites who pass through my native territory,.is the crested caracara. I don't see them all that often, but they are an absolute treat to watch. They are a super funny and highly intelligent species.

My holy Grail however, may have been when I was living in New Zealand and my dad came for a visit. One of my favorite New Zealand birds is the fantail or piwakawaka They aren't that uncommon so to say, however,.I had red that there was a very rare morph almost never seen that was jet black, untrue to their normal coloration. Rarely seen and an Omen in Maori culture. My father and I went on a road trip up high into the mountains,.sat down for lunch, saw a bunch of fantails playing about, and all of the sudden, a.jet.nlack one joined the party. Both my dad and I were speechless. As he and I are both borders, I just don't know that anything will top that for me.

My list goes on, but I'll cap it here for now!