Journey to Kathmandu: Beautiful Documentary About Nepal’s Dashain Festival
There is a big place in my heart for the people of Southeast Asia. Smiles. Generosity. Beauty. Simplicity. So it’s no surprise that I love this trailer for Journey to Kathmandu.
The documentary is about the once-in-a-lifetime journey that goats make from their lives in Tibet to their sacrificial deaths in Kathmandu during the annual Dashain Festival, and this trailer is downright beautiful. I was so inspired by it I interviewed the documentary’s director, Chris Parkhurst. Here’s an excerpt.
What has inspired you to focus on SE Asia?
As ‘Bombhunters’ opened my eyes up to the wonderful world of documentary films, it also inspired me to travel and do work in SE Asia. Cambodia blew me away. SE Asia, as a whole, blows me away. It’s very difficult to explain to people who have never been. Sure, all the cliches apply here. It’s life-changing. Once you’ve been, you’re forever changed. But, you know, it’s absolutely true.
What can I say? It just gets in your blood, in your heart, on the brain. Once I’d done it, I only wanted more. I was addicted. Don’t get me wrong, this is not to say that countries like Cambodia, Nepal, Indonesia, Thailand… they’re not for everybody. They’re uncomfortable. They’re dirty. They’re corrupt. They make you sweat. They can make you sicker than you’ve ever been in your life. You’ll see some of the most decrepit, sorry things you’ll ever see. People without limbs. Kids playing in garbage dumps the size of my neighborhood back home. But I love that. I really can’t get enough.
Because what goes along with all of this are the beautiful things that you don’t get here in the States. Community. Perspective. Compassion. Appreciation for friends, family, your neighbors. Soul and spirituality. People treat one another with a kind of dignity, honesty and love that seems to be lacking here. These are all things that I hope to share with Westerners in hopes of creating some sort of better consciousness, some better ways of living and interacting with one another.
Read the whole interview over at Elephant Journal.
Travel Spots to Avoid: Galapagos, Antarctica and Beyond
It’s tempting to write about the top ten places to travel, but it’s equally important to focus on the places NOT to go, particularly because of environmental reasons. Here’s an excerpt from my latest post on EcoSalon.
With a rise in eco-tourism, it’s tempting to think that sustainable travel is easily achievable, but in some places, exploring and voyaging have a higher impact than the supposed benefits. In fact, many organizations around the world are constantly working to develop stricter regulations that will protect local environments, cultures and populations. Thinking about ourtravel impact is essential.
When it comes down to it, no matter how badly we want to visit, there are some places that we just shouldn’t go, and if we do travel to them we need to be very conscious of our impact. We’ve pulled together a list of places that we hope travelers will pass on, be it for environment, social or cultural reasons. But since we do believe in the power of seeing the world, we’ve also provided some great alternatives.
1. Galapagos Islands
Although a popular destination for seeing biodiversity at its purest, the Galapagos is under threat. In 2007 UNESCO deemed increasing human immigration and uncontrolled development of tourism as threatening the “outstanding value and physical integrity” of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Ecuadorian government sees the same problem, and last year raised the entrance fee to the park.
So where to go if you still want to see some of South America’s island biodiversity? The Islas Bellestas. Often called the Galapagos of Peru, Islas Ballestas is a natural reserve comprised of over 700,000 acres. In order to protect the wildlife, visitors are not allowed to land on the island, but you’re sure to spot sea lions, penguins, pelicans and a diverse array of bird species from the comfort of the boat. You’ll have much less of an impact but still get to see some amazing wildlife.
2. Antarctica
A pristine environment threatened by climate change, many travelers are flocking to Antarctica to see the continent up close before it’s too late. But the increase in tourists has not been beneficial for Antarctica. Over 45,000 people visited Antarctica in the s2008, up from 10,000 a decade ago.
An increased number of tourists has meant increased methods of travel, and cruise ships pose a significant concern to the continent and its surroundings. After the MS Explorer cruise ship sank in 2007, leaving a diesel stain five kilometers in diameter, the countries of the Antarctic Treaty came together and decided to limit tourism to the region by controlling the size of cruise ships and the number of tourists taken ashore in order to prevent environmental damage.
Check out the other four places on the list here.
[Photo: alh1]
Friday Photo: Water Droplets
I have a thing for taken photos of water droplets on leaves. When I visit my parents’ house, I’m known to do a morning photo tour of the garden just so I can get the last of the dew, or if I’m lucky, the leftovers of overnight rain. It’s always so beautiful.
Help Haiti: Ways You Can Help Via Organizations and Social Media
We posted this over at Under Solen this morning. There are many relief efforts underway, and we’ve noted a couple of lists that will be updated as the situation evolves.
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An earthquake registering 7.0 on the Richter scale hit Haiti yesterday. Centered just outside of the populated capital, Port-au-Prince, the quake’s effects have been devastating. Within less than 24 hours the outpouring of international support has been impressive. So how can you take part? Here’s just a small collection of what’s out there.
1. Huffington Post has an ongoing list of relief efforts and how you can get involved that it is going to continue updating. Check it out here.
2. Matador is trying to use the power of its network of passionate travels to make a difference. They’re trying to get Jet Blue to sponsor a flight of volunteers to provide on the ground support. They need help with exposure, logistics and simply spreading the word. Take a couple of minutes to help out and re-tweet this message:
@JetBlue: If @MatadorNetwork could fill a plane with volunteers, would you fly them to Santo Domingo to help #quake vics in #Haiti?
3. CNN has compiled a list of organizations that will be providing support to the estimated 3 million people that have been affected by the earthquake.
4. Many people are engaging the Twitter community to raise awareness, as well as funds. Search “Haiti” and see what the latest updates are.
[Photo: luvjnx, Flickr]
How to Work From Anywhere
Three years ago I didn’t think I would ever be writing an article entitled “How to Work From Anywhere.” But one thing led to another, and soon I had gone from teaching English abroad to working at a magazine to co-founding a business. It’s interesting how important small choices can be, and how much of an impact even negative experiences can have on positive outcomes.
In any event, Matador Life published an article of mine this week to give others a little look into just what it takes to run a business from anywhere. Nothing too out of the ordinary — buy a good computer, remember to back up, etc. — but hopefully it provides for some inspiration and useful help.
Here’s an excerpt:
Working remotely is on the dream list for a lot of people with a sense of wanderlust. Even if your work isn’t travel related, having a job that lets you move around certainly makes life more enjoyable. So how do you run your business from anywhere? Here’s a quick guide to the essential tools you’ll need if you want to pick up and run your business from all corners of the globe.
Invest in a good computer
This may sound like a no-brainer, but if you’re serious about running a business that can be executed from anywhere, your computer is going to be one of your main investments. Some businesses are obviously more computer dependent than others, but at a bare minimum you’re going to need it to do business transactions via the Internet, keep track of your finances, etc. So don’t skimp! Make a list of everything you are going to need your computer to do, and buy accordingly. Invest in insurance for your technology as well; dealing with a computer crash on your own is no business owners dream.
Read the whole article here.
Friday Photo: Winter Tree
While the rest of the world is experiencing extremely low temperatures and plenty of snow and wintry weather, I’m stuck in dreary drizzle. Which means I’m longing for genuine winter. I love the lines of this tree; the way the white snow lays on the dark green and creates an interesting perspective of shade. A simple photo that says a lot.
Here’s to some snow…
Mountainfilm: Submit to a Fantastic Festival of Film, Art and Culture
Photo by Jennifer Koskinen
I heart Mountainfilm Festival, an amazing festival of film, art and culture, and I’m so excited about attending the real deal this year (don’t worry, I’ve been to the one on tour)! So here’s a little something from the Under Solen blog to inspire all you creative types:
Art + Adventure + Culture + Environment. Does it get any better than that?
In its 32nd year, Mountainfilm Festival is so much more than a film festival. It’s a four-day six-senses experience of all those things we love: art, adventure, culture and environment. With the motto “Celebrating the Indomitable Spirit” it’s hard not to get excited.
The festival takes place over Memorial Day Weekend (this year May 28-31), and although it might seem a little early to be making travel plans, if you’re a filmmaker, you’ll want to pay attention. Submissions for the 2010 festival are still being accepted, and if you submit before January 12, 2010 the submission fee is only $60. Submit by February 12, 2010 and your fee bumps up to $70. (Short films — 20 minutes or less — have a submission fee of $25 and will be accepted until February 12, 2010).
Why submit? Because Mountainfilm “is America’s premier festival celebrating achievement in mountain, adventure, culture and environment.”
What do they accept? Mountainfilm accepts and screens films – doc and narrative, feature and short – on a broad range of subjects. They’re particularly into quirky causes and indomitable spirit. Learn more about submitting here. To get a feel for the festival you can also check out a list of last year’s films, and others, here.
Passports With Purpose: Building a School and Then Some
It’s always inspiring to take part in a powerful movement. I was blown away in the last month and a half by the amount of response to Passports With Purpose, the online fundraising campaign powered by travel bloggers. With an original goal of $13,000, PWP surpassed expectations and raised over $26,000, allowing them not only to build a school in rural Cambodia with American Assistance for Cambodia, but also providing students with a school nurse, clean water, school supplies and at least one complete meal per day.
A big congrats goes out to Scott Ruthfield who scored the Sierra Designs Lighting XT 4 tent.
Here’s to another successful PWP next year!
Printmaking: Winter Trees and Rosehips
I made a commitment to set aside more time to being creative (read: spend time away from the computer) in 2010 and so far, so good. Result? First prints of the New Year!
I was inspired by wintry flora, which turned into a tree series as well as a rosehip print.
Both of the prints were carved onto simple erasers and then printed onto white and brown paper. Need some printing inspiration? Check out the fantastic book Printing by Hand by Lena Corwin.
Public Art and Architecture: Creative Subways Around the World
One of my favorite parts about traveling is finding fabulous works of public art and design. I can spend hours walking around cities on the lookout for creative installations, which is why I am a sucker for interesting subway architecture. Stockholm’s subway system happens to be a personal favorite, but there are many other underground systems around the world that make taking public transportation more than just getting from point A to point B.
I pulled together a list of cool subways over at Been Seen, along with a number of photos. The list is long, going from New York all the way to Dubai. Here’s a visual taste:
Check out the full article here.
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