Lisa Niver's Blog: We Said Go Travel, page 431

Medellin, Colombia: City of Hope

“A woman was shot dead in this bar a few years ago” says my host brightly, passing me a plate of empanadas and a beer, “She was sitting right where you are now actually”.

I resist the urge to leap out of my seat and head for the nearest airport. Medelllin, Colombia (pronounced Med-e-jin ) is, after all, a very different place now than it was 10 years ago when the city was still reeling from the dark reign of drug lord Pablo Escobar and the Medellin Cartel and murder rates ran at over 2000 per year. Modern Medellin is a city of hope, throwing itself headlong into the future and challenging the rest of South America to keep up. Medellín is now Colombia’s second largest industrial center, and home to factories making everything from designer clothing to trucks. It also has a blossoming tourist industry with thousands of visitors discovering it’s unique charm each year. Whilst many countries still issue general warnings about travelling in Colombia, Medellin is now considered one of the safer destinations-a vast leap forward from two decades ago when it had the dubious honour of being named “The most dangerous city in the world.”

The joyful and exuberant spirit of the city is symbolised by the “chiva” or party bus (less a bus, perhaps, than a wagon) which tours the city each night with disco lights flashing, music blaring and impossibly gorgeous people dancing energetically whilst trying at the same time to avoid banging their heads on the low ceiling. It is perhaps due to my more advanced years that I feel they are better experienced from the outside than the inside.

There is beauty in spadefuls in Medellin and the surrounding area, as seen from the air as you come into land in Jose Maria Cordova Airport. Medellin itself nestles in Arruba valley, surrounded by the majestic Andres Mountains and is just a short drive from such gems as Guatalape, Rio Claro nature reserve and the coffee region of Antioquia. Inside the city limits, Medellin boasts world famous gardens, as well museums, a cathedral, theatres and many well-respected universities.As a visiting teacher on a cultural exchange programme, I am treated to a tour of all that the city is proud of, from the Museo de Antioquia to the Plaza Botero, and it is as much the pride and hopefulness of my hosts that touches me as the sights I am shown.

Yes, there are shanty towns (favelas), but Medellin strives to embrace and develop them rather than hide them away. Sergio Fajardo Valderrama-Mayor of Medellin from 2003-2007- worked tirelessly for social integration in the city and an impressive cable car system (the Metrocable) connects the favelas to the centre of the city, allowing affordable access to jobs, education and healthcare Even in poorest areas there is a sense of ingenuity with locals selling everything from garden earth to guinea pigs to make a living and a unique outdoors escalator used as a transport system up and down the mountain in the San Javier area, to the west of the city.

Time is used to control resources effectively in Medellin. Public schools are taught in shifts with a separate morning shift and an afternoon shift to allow access to education for all (“There would be a third shift if the kids could stay awake that long” the principal of one school tells me, darkly). Driving in the city is restricted to certain hours for certain number-plates to prevent congestion. You get the impression that a great deal of thought and planning has gone into modern Medellin and it comes as no surprise to learn that in 2013 it was awarded the title of Innovative City of the Year by The Wall Street Journal, outranking rivals New York and Tel Aviv

There is no doubt that Medellin has reinvented itself, shrugging off its notoriously violent past whilst still managing to retain its strong cultural identity. The residents of the city, or “paisas,” are proud of this transformation; as my host says “There are so many bad memories but now we are working hard to change people’s perceptions of Medellin.” Whilst still not entirely drug or crime free (what major city is?), Medellin is certainly on the right track. It is known locally as “The City of Everlasting Spring” and one gets the sense that this is as much a reference to Medellin’s positive philosophy as to its temperate climate. In many ways, Medellin embodies the modern fairytale, with the evil of decades being destroyed and peace and calm being restored to the kingdom. Sitting in a bar, sharing a typical local meal with my smiling host whilst Medellin life carries on all around us, I am glad to be part of its “happy ever after.”

About the Author: Fran Conley

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In Iceland with Kids

My love affair with Iceland started after reading about it on a local blog. Until I read about it there, I always thought of it as a barren, cold, and inhospitable place and had no interest in visiting. But as I read it all, I began looking for more online. It took no time at all for a spark to ignite that made my hunger for more information about Iceland bigger, only to end up hooked on the idea of having to see it.

I researched the World Wide Web far and wide for ways to do it with my family.

My husband, who was stationed in Iceland years ago, while in the military, had a very low opinion about traveling there. At the time, he never got to travel, he was always stuck inside the base and that did not leave a good impression on him. I on the other hand, after reading so much information online I had to go despite his opinions, so convincing him was needed. When he finally said yes I began preparing for what was going to be the trip of a lifetime. The hardest part was waiting to go to Iceland.

We landed in Reykjavik after a very long flight due to seven hours of delay with our connecting flight, in Oslo. There is a direct flight from Brussels to Reykjavik but for some reason we could not book it. So we got there in the middle of the night, which looked more like 5am in Belgium due to the almost perpetual daytime in spring/summer. The streets were full of people and music was blasting from all directions. It was a very surreal experience for me. After much needed sleep, the next day, our adventure began.

We started with exploring Reykjavik a little bit. After that is was all countryside and wilderness with occasional incursions into bigger towns.

The kids were great most of the time. The only thing hard on all of us was the perpetual day. Waking up at 3am and thinking it’s time to get up, only to realize its 3am was a hard thing to get used to. The weather in May is like spring all over the temperate climate world, lots of sunshine but also lots of rain. With good gear, acquired in past winter trips, that was not a problem.

Our tour started with the famous Golden Circle made up by the Þingvellir National Park, Gullfoss waterfall, and the geothermal active valley of Haukadalur, which contains the geysers Geysir and Strokkur.

We continued driving south where we passed through some of the weirdest terrain I’ve ever seen, like, dried lava fields covered by bright green moss, and large areas of completely black soil, not a spec of grass or other vegetation, and huge rocks and mountains, guarding this vast emptiness like dormant giants. It was absolutely incredible, something I had never seen before. To me it looked like the closest thing to being on the moon. We encountered the famous Icelandic horses, sheep and even herds of reindeer. Crossing Kollufell, 1025m, in the southeast of Iceland was an incredible experience and I am grateful to our agency for recommending it.

We traveled about two hundred kilometers daily and every day was a different hotel, everyday a different place to see.

When we got to lake Mývatn, in the north of Iceland, we took the kids on volcano hikes and observed hot boiling mud volcanoes. We walked though a park 2300 years old, full of massive dried lava formations, at Dimmuborgir, a place of ancient Icelandic legends.

This was our two day stay and for good reason, we succeeded in exploring the Diamond Circle, where I got see the large and thundering Dettifoss waterfall (having the reputation of Europe’s most powerful waterfall) , and go whale watching in Húsavík.

Whale watching with the kids was incredible; we were taken to a little Puffin island inhabited by thousands of puffins followed by spending the rest of the sea tour in the company of dolphins, humpback and minke whales. The kids were mesmerized and pointing in all directions, it was an experience I will never forget.

Exploring the West Fjord, was incredible and scary at the same time. We experienced really bad terrain, gale force winds and rain, fog so dense we had to drive extremely slow. But what an incredible and out of this world place it is.

From the beautiful town of Ísafjörður, my favorite in Iceland, to the Cliffs of Látrabjarg, home to millions of puffins, gannets and other Arctic birds. We drove alongside whales swimming in waters so clear and of the best shade of turquoise I have ever seen. We observed wild seals basking in the sun.

The West Fjords are very rugged and you need a better car than the station wagon we had. The best vehicles for that kind of terrain are the 4×4 ones. However, we made it work and made incredible memories there.

Coming back to Reykjavik made me sad because it meant going home. I would have loved to stay there a few of years to really get to know the land. I have noticed Iceland has that effect of people, including my husband who thanked me for replacing his old memories of Iceland with beautiful new ones.

A lot of people use the work quirky when referring to Iceland, I used to say it too, but thinking about it, Iceland is much more than that. It’s a place that is exceptionally beautiful, wild and many times, yes, weird but the kind of weird that makes you beg for more. In two weeks and 3500km traveled we experienced incredible things with our family, ate amazing and sometimes weird food like Hákarl – which consists of Greenland shark that has been cured with a particular fermentation process and hung to dry for four to five months. We took our kids volcano hiking and glacier hiking, we saw huge and one of a kind waterfalls, saw whales, puffins by the thousands. People should not be afraid to take kids to Iceland. The Icelandic people are very family and kids oriented people and will make your family feel very at home. I cannot remember how many times kids ate free at hotels and restaurants. It’s a place that will forever have a special place in my heart and one I hope to see again and again.

About the Author: Adriana Yampey: Romanian traveler living in Belgium.

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A Wanderer in Kowloon, Hong Kong

A teeming million flows in a flawed rhythm through a busy street in Kowloon. Days prior to Christmas bring in more and more people from Mainland China and other South-East Asian countries. The colourful spirit of the season adds to the pleasant experience of shopping that Hong Kong is famous for. Temperatures are highly volatile on a day-to-day basis and demand different styles of clothing and protection.

Shopping malls and restaurants are the ones where you need to exercise your patience to a good level. There are times when moving with the millions may prove to be tedious and your legs might crave to take shelter inside that fast-food outlet which teases you, ‘I’m Loving It’. Western food outlets are sometimes handy when bamboozled by menus in Mandarin. Then you enter, hoping to take a bite of the oft-tasted snack for the time being, but find that there’s hardly a seat that you can occupy. The malls are sought after for shopping branded items which display the luring festival discount tags. Then again, some stores admit only twenty to twenty-five at a time to dispel unpleasant crowding. Amazingly, there are fans ready in a beeline outside the shops for their turn to nose the branded smell.

A stroll on the streets near Mong Kok in Kowloon takes you to some interesting sights like performances in the middle of the road. My linguistic challenges are brushed aside by Cathy and Ling, a former student and a former colleague.

“Let’s stand here so we can have a good view”, Cathy from Hong Kong makes me comfortable before the start of a Qigong show.

“And take care of your heartbeats”, Ling premonitions me with a chuckle.

A stoic Qigong master, probably trained somewhere in Mainland China, gets ready for his ‘enduring task’ as he explains to the onlookers in Mandarin. Donning fluffy and loose-fitting, bright yellow trousers and white sports-shoes, the master looks mostly traditional. He wears at least six rosary-bead bracelets on his left hand. The spectators obediently form a symmetrical circle, listening to his instructions.

Ling indicated, “He may be from Shaolin. They are known for highly enduring martial arts like Kung Fu.”

“I’m curious”, hoping I would not get to see those torturous actions. Ling’s words may have meanings.

The bald-headed performer inspects the whole circle, coming closer to the spectators and greets almost every one of them with joined palms and bowed head. He retreats to the centre and whispers some words to his assistant. Then like a lightning, he takes out a very long and slim iron rod from a big basket and brandishes it in the air. He announces something to the spectators and soon begins to hold one end of the rod tightly to his neck while his assistant holds the other. He starts to twist the rod around his neck while writhing in pain. His mien develops a contorted structure. His eyelids press his eyes in a way that you feel that he is in a sense of excruciating rapture. The assistant continues to hold the other end and the performer’s changing physiognomy signals challenge to win a fight. The struggle continues for a few minutes. Finally he wraps the rod around his neck, leaving reddish brown marks on his neck and nape. He bows down and greets the onlookers again, suggesting the end. A few go forward and drop coins into a tray while the rest disperse. The performer gifts the donators with a lucky charm in the form of a bracelet made of rosary-beads.

“They don’t actually feel the pain. They are trained that way. It’s their endurance power”, Ling enlightens me a bit on Qigong while anticipating my query.

I poke fun at Cathy who had turned away during the show. “It’s your turn, Cathy”. She lolls her tongue shyly.

A few feet away, there’s a chorus rehearsing Christmas songs for the December 25 programme. Pretty ladies and tall gentlemen sing spiritedly and watch the director’s baton movements. Many around them are delighted to take out their phones and video the pre-performance. Cathy takes out her Blackberry, but the master is probably not pleased with a tune and he cuts it short. They resume after a few minutes and go on to achieve perfection. Just on the other side of the chorus are some attention-seeking teenage girls and boys holding placards which read “Free hugs and kisses”. What better warmth in the cold!

About the Author:  Pramod Kanakath: I am a part-time travel writer and a photographer. I’m an Indian national based in Indonesia. Please visit my website and my facebook page.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter  our next Travel Writing competition  and tell your story.

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Place of Inspiration: First Prize $1,000usd

Thank  you to everyone for your interest in our Travel Writing Contests! We have published all of the Gratitude Contest entries and will be announcing the winners at the end of this month.

The Inspiration Travel Writing Contest is open and has a $1,000usd first prize! Enter by February 14, 2014 at midnight PST.

We are looking for an article about a place that inspires you to spend your time with no regrets. In Arnold Bennett’s book, How to Live on 24 Hours a Day, he writes about how time is the ideal democracy. “No one can take [time] from you. It is unstealable. And no one receives either more or less than you receive.” Every morning we have a new day, as he says, “The supply of time is truly a daily miracle.” Where and how do you wish to spend your time?

THEME:  Inspiration: A place that inspires you to spend your time wisely with no regrets.

More information: CLICK HERE
Books to inspire you:

If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit recommended by Guy Kawasaki
Lonely Planet Travel Writing by Don George
On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft By Stephen King, recommended by Russell and Asia
TRAVEL WRITING 2.0: Earning Money from your Travels in the New Media Landscape recommended by Nora the Professional Hobo
A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration (Travelers’ Tales) recommended by David Farley
Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting
Super Brand You recommended by Dr. Jessie Voigts
Write Out Loud by Carol Barash. This book is written for high school students but I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to improve their writing! Lisa Niver Rajna

More Resources: Click here!

Traveling In Sin: A True Tale of Transformation Through Love and Travel from Lisa Niver Rajna

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Nigeria: The Church is my Place of Inspiration

THE CHURCH

Just like the popular saying “deep calleth unto deep” I found somewhere so deep in teaching, so peaceful, where I can actually get inspired with no regrets.

The Church is the place where i go to receive instruction and information from the Lord.

I never want to leave home with the intention of promoting my own ideas or myself, so, I found it beneficial for me to come humble and willing to be educated concerning the righteousness of God.

The Lord has a message for the entire human family and he speaks to me and send me a message through the Church. So if I go to church with a premeditated mind or with unbelief, I will miss the important news delivered from heaven.

The word of God says what it says, and it does not change….

We are now in the 21st century and much has changed over the years. The world and the ways of mankind have become modernized in many facets of life and some think that the word of God also should be “updated” to fit the trend of the world today.

If you be in the church throughout a day, you’ll experience peace like no other and things of the deep will be revealed unto you.

Staying in church has helped me come to reckon with the fact that God loves to help us achieve our dreams, I got to know that he has a better, and a bigger dream for us than we could imagine.

How sweet the love of God is.

If I had been at any other place, I wouldn’t have been able to be inspired the way I am.

I was inspired especially with the words from Isaiah 60 vs 20-22 “thy sun shall no longer go down, neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for God shall be thine everlasting light and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified. A little one shall become a thousand, and a small one a strong nation: I the Lord will hasten it in my time.”

What a word of greatness. It helped me in setting my goals for the year and I made sure those goals where within the ambits of His desire. Being in the presence of God has enabled me to live in God’s dream for my life and its the best place to be. Yes it is!!!

Whenever I’m in the house of God, I get new ideas, I’m moved to add a meaning to someone’s life, I’m inspired to make others feel loved and valued and that’s exactly the hallmark of discipleship.

If I were to be in a library, or the club or at home, or probably spend the day with circle of friends, idle-talking, I’ll never know what God has in store for me; I’ll never know how the church could reveal so much to me after spending so much time on existence.

How can I regret a place which has taught me so much than anticipated? Is it possible to regret staying in an atmosphere of inspiration?

Listening to acts and tales of the disciples who gave everything they had to the poor make me frazzled with emotions and inspiration.

My bible teacher says: we have the ability to words of faith which causes miracles to happen. When I’m in church, I have the freedom to associate with people of like minds and we share so much about the word been taught.

Quietness have a way of strengthing our character and I get it when am in church. When I was in church studying, I’m always taught the basics of praise and worship and as my teacher says “you may be faced with a difficult situation, for which you’ve prayed and confessed and nothing seems to happen, don’t give up, its time you offered to God the unusual praise. Sing in praise and thanksgiving and as you do, God will move on your behalf and you’ll have a great miracle” I never believed till I tried it out. I was divinely enriched and showed the secret to success and the basics of praises.

I’m inspired to do great things, I’m inspired to lead people to Christ through my writings and bring to their understanding that truly, the best place to get an inspiration is in the house and in the presence of God. Quote me ” not just any kind of inspiration will you get here, you’ll get the right and best inspiration that will add value and give meaning to your life.

The church is and will always remain my place of inspiration.

Check it out someday.

About the Author: Ruth Dulac. I’m a young inspirational writer from Nigeria.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter  our next Travel Writing competition  and tell your story.

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Earth and Chai in Hampi, India

Hatulah wore the same purple T-shirt every day. His name wasn’t really Hatulah, ‘cat’ in Hebrew, it was something else, an Indian name, but Israeli tourists dubbed him this because of his unique green, sea-glass eyes. Every time I passed him in the busy market of Pushkar, working at the falafel shop (because of all the Israelis), he caught me by the arm to sit me down in a plastic chair for tea. Swirling, spiced, milky tea. River-after-rainfall colored.

We’d talk about our families and things, and every so often he’d leap from his chair, throw out his arms in a singsong shout to an unsuspecting passerby, “Hello, my brother!”

He was twenty-three, wearing a purple shirt.

Miko, not his brother but like his brother, manned the big metal skillet-disc with a sly and constant half-smile, pressing vegetables hot and salty into wraps. Stooped in the kitchen all elbows and knees, Manda, not like his brother, but actually his brother, chopped ingredients. At sixteen, the stick bug was already arranged to be married. So was Pankaj, the calm one, the almost-perfectionist with an intelligent, pointed chin containing his delicate face like the knot of a latex balloon. The father figure of them all sat with a hand on one thigh, wise, grey hairs growing like wisps of smoke from his ears. Manak, overseer of all things falafel.

By day, I sat sipping tea with other travelers, caught-by-the-arm. At night, the dark purple town yawning and blinking, I’d be back in that plastic chair, brought-by-my-feet. Always just in time for the closing hour falafel circus. Giggles bubbling up like boiling water, I’d watch their coiled springs bounce off the street, a doorway, each other. A cow. People like the falafel boys (some like brothers, some actually brothers) really make it hard to leave a place.

But sometimes you don’t meet this type of people, but instead the kind that keep you running, harried and frantic. Sometimes, the person you meet is a wheeling, dealing auto-rickshaw driver who victimizes you, of all people, who once burst into tears at age ten for accidently bringing home an unpaid for pack of multicolored hairbands. Sometimes, the people you meet are after more than your money. The spindly, spider-fingers of the man sitting next to you on the dark and crowded night bus try to crawl their way into your lap, fingernails clicking instead of pincers, as you press away desperately- rigid, awake and longing for sunrise.

And sometimes, more often than some times, you’ll meet children. Their dusty knees and matted hair, four fingers and a tiny thumb pressed together at the tips pointing to a mouth. Sometimes, a mouth that can’t even ask yet. A young woman with an infant on her hip, weaving through the pulse of traffic, peering into your car window. Two bananas, a loaf of bread. And a guilty twist in your stomach for the hunger pains in theirs.

But some times are different. Those cloudless, bright blue sky times. The mother and you, in a rhythmic flinging and dragging of iron spades. A quiet rest in the shade of a mango tree. Insect wings buzzing, breeze through leaves and word bartering.

Vaana, rain. Maanu, tree. She calls you “sister.” Two separate pairs of hands caked with the same red soil. However fleeting, the connection fuses, holding you in place, with this new and wonderful person holding open your heart.

Like that crazy, laughing cat- “Hello, my brother!”

Hatulah in his purple shirt.With sea greenness for eyes.

About the Author: Isabel Atkinson went backpacking in India for three months to learn as much as she could and wrote everything down. She travelled with everything on her back in a bag that grew heavier each week, being sure to maintain her journals. No matter how her location, lifestyle or outlook may change in the future, she still will have journals that captured a specific time in her life and what she experienced.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter  our next Travel Writing competition  and tell your story.

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Malaysia: Spirit of Liberation

It was not my usual Sunday to begin with. This was probably the highlight of my 2013 year. After more than 3 decades living in this beautiful land, I had the opportunity to visit Batu Caves during Thaipusam festival for the very first time. Yes! first time. Shocker, right? Well..I’ve visited Batu Caves many times but not once I have the opportunity to be there during Thaipusam. So here I was, and this is my story of Spirit of Liberation.

I woke up at 5am and while this is not my usual waking hours, I was anxious with my level of curiosity running high on what to expect today. I used to watch on tv and browse through pictures in the internet during Thaipusam in Batu Caves, but never dare to step my foot there as it will be crowded with normally more than 1 million people!

I started walking to one of the most captivating scene with miracle and mysterious event celebrated mostly by the Hindus on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). The festival computerate when the goddess Parvati gave Lord Muruga the VEL (spear) so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadman. It is also believed that Thaipusam festival is to take a vow and pray to God so that bad traits will be demolished.

As I approached towards the entrance of Batu Caves, the place was already packed with people and loud music. I could see the Lord Muruga statue shining bright from the staring of the sun.

It was massive and crowded. We decided to break into smaller groups as it would be impossible to stick as one while we gazed ourselves into the crowd. Various types of devotion ranging from kavadi bearer, spear piercing through cheeks and tongue, hooks stuck at the back, some are in trance while some shave their heads and undertake a pilgrimage route while carrying a pot of milk.

Mind blowing and simply give me goosebumps while I’m writing this, it was one the most fascinating festival I’ve been to. I still find it hard to digest the miracle of endurance the devotees when through. A humbling experience and how it grips my soul almost effortlessly. As I asked for forgiveness and blessing while praying to Lord Muruga, it was a mixed baggage of emotional. A little teary moment as I witnessed and felt the strong vibe of determination, passion and strong will! It was like recollecting all the advise and lesson taught by my late grandma when i was younger. Never give up no matter what happen coz somehow or rather if you put your mind to it, God will lead the way.

I’ve decided to climb that 272 steps and check out what happen up there. So up I went passing through massive crowd while the devotees chanting VEL VEL .

Upon reaching the top I could see most of the devotees are taking off their kavadi. Some are sitting and reminiscing the moment while some are giving offering in forms of coconut and fruits to the temple while the priest says the prayers. Inside a cave, packed of people from walks of life came here for one reason. Simply a bizarre scene but all in the name for good deed.

The experience was simply exhilarating and overwhelming. You could even see many tourists from all around the world come to Batu Caves simply to witness the anticipation. It was a grand festival and am proud that our own Malaysia able to provide all this indescribable experience. After all that I’ve decided to come down as I supposed to meet the others by 11am. I went to the bridge and took some more photos as the parade was not over. There are more devotees walking through to pay their vows under the scorching sun.

Thank you Lord making me felt so touched, realized and humble with anticipation on this very day. I will sure to come back next year and try to capture more of Thaipusam moment. For those of you out there who want to capture this moment like I did, you may opt to take the train to Batu Caves Komuter as certain roads will be closed on that day. But if you planned to just visit on a normal day, you may drive and park your car inside. Be amazed, be amused, be inspired and most importantly love your life and make it interesting. So come, bring along your family, friends from local or even abroad and visit this legendary God’s creation cave to believe it yourself!

About the Author: Umadevi Vengdesh aka Devi da lil’ Devil adore travelling and as much as enthusiastically discovering the culture, tradition, art and beauty of life through photography. Her passion among others are being an adventure junkie and joining all sorts of contests and competition which had lead her interesting life to travel for free, being on newspaper, radio and on televisions.

Thank you for reading and commenting. Please enter  our next Travel Writing competition  and tell your story.

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Saving Thailand’s Elephants

It’s a reality that travel is now an accessible commodity to much of the population.

We’ve the freedom to travel to the locations that stir our sense of wanderlust, but do we have the foresight to ensure our trip doesn’t have a negative impact on the local area?

I recently spoke to some of travel’s top bloggers and asked them “What does sustainable travel mean to you?”

Their responses were varied but all agreed that being mindful of where we spend tourism dollars was vital if we are to protect the resources of this beautiful planet on which we live.

Ethical Travel Makes All The Difference

Can you imagine how it would feel if your very soul was stripped of everything that made you the person you are?

How would you feel if the motivation for such a brutal act was the pursuit of attracting tourism dollars to your community? Is cruelty and exploitation something you can justify?

For Asian elephants in Thailand this process of abuse is the wretched reality of their existence.

Captured as infants or born into captivity the elephants of Thailand’s tourism industry suffer immeasurably. There’s really no other way to describe it. The light within their heart is extinguished during an abhorrent process of abuse which domesticates the animal and renders it a cordial servant.

Once highly regarded and reserved for use in warfare and farming, elephants have long been the subject of human exploitation. Yet, it is evident that the respect which was once shown to these beautiful creatures is no longer displayed by their captors.

Dating back thousands of years the inception of elephant domestication was at a time when the estimated population was hundreds of thousands. Sadly we now live in a world where the possibility of extinction is not just a notion but an imminent possibility.

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Education Is The Key To Understanding

Now more than ever it is vital that we are all mindful of where our travel fund is headed when we spend on our credit cards and hand over cash abroad.

Those who ride atop an elephant’s back are effectively voting with their dollars in favour of domestication. While it may be deemed a quintessential Thailand experience, are you really prepared to contribute to this repugnant cycle of abuse?

Having learnt of the horrific nature of domestication I must also tell you that the act of riding an elephant causes further distress and injury.

For over 8 hours each day these animals carry weights over and above their capability which results in painful sores and irreversible injury to their spines.

The thought is harrowing but unless we can educate those visiting the region of the detriment the activity causes, sadly the practise will likely continue.

Save Elephant Foundation

For the elephants of Thailand there is hope.

Lek Chalert, founder of the Save Elephant Foundation is working tirelessly to pick up the pieces of a local industry devoid of ethics by rescuing captive and abused animals. Based in Chaing Mai the foundation manages the Elephant Nature Park, a positive place where elephants are brought to recover from the mental and physical wounds they’ve received while in captivity.

Today I’d like to ask for your support on their behalf.

While Lek and her team continue to support those animals already rescued from the darkness of elephant tourism, their facility is at capacity and they are unable to offer sanctuary to any more.

Having seen first-hand the impact unethical tourism has had on Asia’s elephant population a team of travel bloggers have come together in support of Lek and her foundation.

The Travel Blogging Calendar

Creating a digital Travel Blogging Calendar the bloggers are offering those who donate the chance to win a trip to Thailand to visit the Elephant Nature Park.

With 100% of all funds raised going straight to the charity, this is a project which packs punch. The bloggers and their partners are offering one lucky winner USD$2,000 towards return flights to Thailand, and an 8 day, 7 night tour for two including transport, hotels, city tours and a visit to the Save Elephant Foundation.

While those who donate will be entered into the prize draw, they will also be granted access to an exclusive weekly blog packed full of rousing travel articles and inspiration covering religious festivals, holidays and celebrations taking place across the globe.

If your plans for 2014 involve travel then I implore you to be considered in your choice of itinerary. However in the meantime, I invite you to donate to the Save Elephant Foundation and travel the world with the team of the Travel Blogging Calendar.

- All images in this post used with the permission of Jeremy Foster

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Australian Water Animals

Above the ground are some of the world’s most deadliest animals; below the ground and in the water are some of the world’s most deadliest animals – why would anyone want to go to Australia? Simply: it is awesome.

Australia is a country and continent unlike any other. For the adventurous traveler, it can be paradise. For the not so adventurous type, it can still be paradise. The entire country has ecosystems to explore by jumping in car, hiking through forest and mountains or diving into an underwater world – all of which I find myself to pause and question if I am still on planet earth.

My time in Australia was filled with endless curiosity for the diverse number of animals creating a life in the extreme weather conditions down under. Here’s a look at some amazing underwater animals one can see around Australia:

With its blue spots shimmering in the sun rays, we saw this blue spotted ray cruising by on the Nigaloo Reef.

  Wary of swimmers, and anything bigger than themselves, we were lucky to get a photo of this school of squid at  Lady Elliot Island.

Port Hedland has one of the few documented beaches in the world where the flat back turtle is known to nest. Until fairly recent times scientist did not even recognize or think of flat back turtles as their own species (it is now agreed there are seven species of sea turtles in the world). The nesting female population estimated at about 20,000 and the species is listed as endangered.

The first time I saw a reef shark while snorkeling, I was startled and sure a scene from Jaws was going to be re-enacted. I had all these images of sharp, giant teeth gnawing into my skin. As my knowledge and exposure to sharks grew, I became more comfortable and realized most encounters are the exact opposite from my initial irrational fears. Many sharks are shy creatures, easily scared off by swimmers and I was lucky to be seeing them before they swam away.

Above is a black tip reef shark we saw in Nigaloo Marine Park.

Full of bumps and a rougher texture, this cow ray was resting on the ocean floor near Lady Elliot Island.

Ever watching with skeptical eyes, this ‘freshie’  or fresh water crocodile was resting in the waters in the town of Kununurra.

Here are two male humpback whales on their annual Northern migration seen off the western coast of Australia in June. You can often see whales in pull off spots driving along in Western Australia.

Managed for over forty years, Indo Pacific Dolphins have been coming almost every day to Monkey Mia in Western Australia. Indo Pacific Dolphins are  distinguished by their splotchy undersides.

Hardly able to be detected with it’s camouflaged features, this octopus above started  moving around in a few inches of water. We took every chance we had to slowly wander through tide pools, you never know what you might find there.

With side fins that never seem to stop moving, puffer fish remind me of mini helicopters moving through the ocean. We saw these on both the Nigaloo Reef and Great Barrier Reef.

Gliding through the water like a fast moving shadow, these big rays went back and forth along the shore line in a feeding frenzie. We admired these guys around Merimbula in New South Wales.

In June, we completed one of our life time goals to swim with whale sharks. Swimming with these gentle giants is a must do. They are filter feeders and glide along the surface of the water eating small plankton’s. We went with Nigaloo Blue, which upheld a high standard of environmental practices and we were happy in our experience with them.

The world is big and the animals are many. If you would like to see two more additional animal related post, check out  Austrlian Animals and Lady Elliot Island. As a traveler, I go to new regions of the world to experience the culture, food and environment. By viewing the animals that inhabit other parts of the earth, I embrace the fact I get to dive deeper into how other living creatures strive to create a life on this planet can thrive live on this planet. I hope to never loose the fascination, empathy and understanding that all of us have a desire to create a home on this earth.

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Going Bald for God: Would You?

 

Bathing at the Ghat

Babu Ghat has a vantage location that hugs the eastern bank of the historic Hooghly River in eastern India.  Now while dusk is surely the nicest time to stroll along the riverfront, mornings are when most of the action takes place.

Facade

 

Built in 1830, the facade of the ghat has a Doric-Greek style pavilion flanked by solid cream pillars.This ghat is hard to miss from the street, and is buzzing with pujaris (priests). Originally named ‘Baboo Raj Chandra Ghat’, it was a matter of time before locals would soon compress it to Babu Ghat. Babu in Bengali is a gentle or a refined man. And Ghat? It is simply a series of steps that leads down to a river, lake or water tank. So there you have it – Babu Ghat!

Stepping on Fresh Hair

Before you step down into the river, be prepared for the black clumps of human hair which could wedge themselves firmly into to the soles of your shoes. Hair along a riverfront — how come you might ask?

This is because plenty of male devotees get their heads completely shaved as part of their religious  beliefs. Speaking to the them, you’ll see that their reasons are not always similar. Someone craves a beautiful bride, another wants a male child, another seeks success in business. And then there are those who’ve come to give thanks for a favor received. Someone received a beautiful bride, someone’s bride gave birth to a baby boy, someone’s business took off, someones mother recovered from a deathly attack of typhoid. Death in the family is another time when men could shave their heads too.

The Balding

The question arises — why tonsure the entire head?

As simplistic as it may sound, I’d relate this to Khalil Gibran’s quote on Giving:

‘You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.’

So yes, while giving money is an easier option perhaps more practical if used to help the poor, the shorning of hair is tougher to do as it requires total submission and humility. When you offer your hair to God, you are giving of your Self to Him.

Absolution of sins is yet another reason why some devotees get tonsured before taking a Holy Dip in the river. They then proceed to bow before the deity (or the sun) in a manifestation of seeking forgiveness and attempting to become a changed person. The equivalent of being Born Again into someone new.

The ghat is a big hit with trigger-happy foreigners who are awestruck by the sequence of events playing out here. The devotees, priests and barbers are quite habituated to the attention they receive, and will seldom react aggressively.

French-Colombian lover of India, Colombe muses when asked whether she’d go bald for God. She says, ‘I don’t think I’d shave my head bald because I don’t have such a tradition, and more importantly I don’t believe it would make any difference. That said, I respect the deep intention of these men and women.

According to me, a judgmental vision of a God who would punish or reward is a reductive human perspective and not a God perspective if any (no religion here, I believe in the universal law of life which creates and has created everything).

However I strongly believe in the law of attraction which would paradoxically made me believe in the powerful intention of these people who are shaving their head to obtain favors or repent or thank God. I strongly believe in the power of thoughts in a sense that the way we deeply think makes and creates our own reality no matter what. This is not a matter of good or bad, it’s more about every action having a result like Karma.

So if we go back to a person who strongly believes that the moment she would shave her head, something will change in her life, than I do believe this change can miraculously happen. I don’t believe in this tradition, but if I did, I would probably shave my head.’

Making Pictures

Regardless of your religious beliefs, would you sport a bald pate for atonement, thanksgiving or favors? While you figure this one out, here is a video of the shorning at the ghat.

Babus on the Ghat

 

 

 

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