twikga stories about life, travels and other passions
What you love is what you cherish. We believe that opening your hart to the small wonders of life will make you appreciate what you have and passionate about preserving the world around you. Sadly, in times of climate change the urgency of wildlife conservation is brought right to our doorsteps. We realize how privileged we are to travel the world and hope that by sharing our pictures with a broader audience, through our websites, exhibitions and social media, that we may contribute to the protection of the places we were fortunate enough to visit over the years…
On walking safaris you try to avoid the big game
On our last safari in Kenya we did some great walking in the Naboisho conservancy in the Mara. The scenery is stunning, with both wide open planes and nice little rivers flanked by beautiful trees. Observing wildlife on foot is quite different than from a car. You tend to focus on the "small" stuff, like birds, insects and the vegetation. Most of the animals tend to run, as soon as they see a...
The 3irds in the Red Chair
"This is not fair! Normally we are not allowed to come near this chair, now we have to pose in it. Well, whatever, guess Tanja is the boss. She is ok though, leaves us alone when she works on her books. So let's be nice, smile guys! Well who are we, what shall we say? We are the 3irds, we team up with Duvel the publisher's dog, for naughty stuff. My name is Funny bird, I have a big mouth and a...
A visit to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
A year ago, we decided to sponsor some of the elephants in the Elephant Orphanage of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. During our last safari to Kenya, we visited the Nursery in the Nairobi National Park. It was endearing to see the elephants run towards their "home" after a long day in the bush. Before bed the little ones get a bottle of milk and some freshly cut leaves. The trained keepers...
3birds in a dog’s bed
"Wow, this has been a tough day, Duvel. The food was all right. But walking around in the rain is nothing for a Funny old bird, like me. Beats me why you keep on sniffing those bushes. Oh well, must have something to do with your territory. I could use some rest now. Duvel, thank you so much for letting us sleep in your bed. It took you some time, to get used to us. I knew we would be friends in...
Eröffnung Ausstellung Wild Picha in Galerie Lehmweg 33
Am Freitag wurde in Gallerie Lehmweg 33 in Hamburg die Wild Picha Ausstellung eröffnet. Sie zeigt Afrika Fotografien in schwarz-weiß von Willem und Tanja Dekker. Galeristin Johanna Beil sprach bei der Eröffnung die Bücher an, die Tanja Dekker herausbringt..., "die sich (wen wundert´s) um Afrika drehen. Hier mischt und webt Tanja Dekker ihrer beider Fotografien mit illustratorischen Mitteln zu...
Tata&Squack in the Red Chair
Squack is more than a little chubby creature on a key chain. We gave him his name to honor Squack Evans, a great safari guide. The orange puppet in the book was designed as a mix of different animals, with spots in his fur from a hyena, he has the scruffy manes of a young lion, a bear belly, monkey hands and sticky-out ears. I felted him around a frame with real joints, which means he can be...
Summer-time, garden-time, tea-time, naughty-time…
"Wow, so much green and look at those beautiful flowers!" "Little bird, don't be so romantic. We prefer to have a closer look at that cake. It looks delicious, maybe we can have some. What do you think Duvel?" "Naughty Bird, keep on dreaming. The boss told me to stay away from it. She will be back in no time and I will not take the blame if anything happens to it. She might even bring me one of...
Duvel the variomatic terrier
After a few days of summer, there was the rain again. The good thing is that it brought our dog back to action. During the hot days he moved like a snail, he is quite an actor. It amazes me how many kinds of "walks" he can do. You could write a book about his body language. The last few days he was walking like "leave me alone - I am hot - can't you see my tongue hanging out?!" This morning he...
Squack Evans in the Red Chair on location in the Serengeti
On his blog Squack describes himself as a professional safari guide, photographer, bush boy and conservationist. Following the advice: "Find a job you love and you will never work another day in your life" Squack became a safari guide. With photographic opportunities literally around every corner when on safari an interest in photography was a natural path. He grew up in the bush, spending the...
Elephants may be gone soon – unless something happens
Last fall we visited Samburu National Reserve in Kenya to research the new Tata&Squack elephant adventure. We were in awe of the majestic animals. Touched by the caring they display for each other. Amazed by the stories how elephants grieve their dead and yet have the courage to turn the page and get on with life. There are lots of things they still can teach us humans. Therefore I am sad to...
