TripLoop

Bruce Lee and the Temple of the Ancestors in Foshan

2010-02-05T04:47:00.000-08:00

I came to The Temple of the Ancestors in Foshan called Zumiao , which dates originally from the second half of the 11th Century, and was restored in 1372 following a fire. The Chinese name ''Zumiao'' means ''Temple of the Ancestors'', this simply indicates that it is the oldest temple in town, "the ancestor of temples".

There is a famous character with great of Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu) called IP Man who invent Wing Chun in Zumiao, he was the master of Li Xiao Long, also called Bruce Lee. He was widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the twentieth century and a cultural icon.

Alex, our Tripbod in Dubai, witnesses the opening of the world's tallest building

2010-01-11T08:56:00.000-08:00

The Burj Dubai, the worlds tallest building, opened just last week and is now taking tourists up to it's scary heights.

Construction began on 21 September 2004 and was inaugurated 4 of January 2010 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum - ruler of Dubai.

It is now the tallest man-made structure in the world. The observation deck on the 124th floor has handy handy electronic binoculars, where you can view the surrounding desert and city for miles and miles.

Burj Dubai – now named Burj Khalifa after the president of the United Arab Emirates is declared to be 828 metres tall – 10 metres higher than previous estimates. The tower's architecture and engineering was performed by Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill of Chicago.

By Alex - Tripbod in Dubai

Photos Courtesy of Alex's website www.clearandtransparent.com

Tsunami affected Indonesia – Aceh five years later, by Amanda George

2010-01-04T00:18:00.000-08:00

Prior to the tsunami, a long standing, low level conflict existed within Aceh. Aji, a young Indonesian Red Cross volunteer at the time, recalls how he used to evacuate at least one corpse every day, victims of the fighting. After 29 years of conflict, that meant a lot of bodies. Instability raged across turbulent Aceh.

Then, on Boxing Day 2004, an earthquake measuring nine on the Richter scale struck just off the coast of Aceh, violently waking up the sea and sending not one but three monstrous waves up to 20 metres high many kilometres inland. At least 120,000 and maybe as many as 160,000 died in this one province of Indonesia - well over half of the global death toll of the tsunami that affected 13 countries.

As the giant waves as high as six storey buildings decapitated towering palm trees and wiped out everything and everyone in its path, they also wiped out the conflict in Aceh. The enormity of the disaster took over everything. Conversations five years later rarely turn towards the conflict; it is always tsunami, tsunami, tsunami. After decades of conflict, that is saying something.

Within days, mass graves with tens of thousands of unidentified bodies filled up. A few miracle buildings were left standing, including a giant white mosque in Lhoknga, near Banda Aceh. The land was rearranged: where houses and palm trees once stood, there was nothing but water. A 2,600 tonne boat was carried five kilometres inland, where it still sits today. At least 30,000 people died in the capital of Banda Aceh alone. The city and surrounding countryside were completely and utterly destroyed.

Five years later, the astounding and overwhelmingly positive fact is that if you don’t dig under the surface or notice the finer detail it would be hard to tell what happened in Aceh five years ago. Of course there are the subtle reminders, such as headless palm trees, and not so subtle reminders, like the massive boat 5km inland. However there has been an incredible reconstruction effort that has pumped the city back to life – the few old buildings blending into the multitude of new ones, forming one vibrant and colourful city getting on with life. Streets from even two years ago are unrecognisable: they look so different now, so alive.

The British Red Cross has rebuilt over 2,200 houses and supported over 34,000 people to restore their livelihoods in numerous communities across Aceh. In the rebuilt villages, almost every house new, life is moving on in leaps and bounds. Take May Suriyati, 27, who has restarted her sewing business with the help of a cash grant from the British Red Cross. Her business has been so successful that she has built an extension on her Turkish Red Crescent house that now forms her tailoring shop, full of cupboards lined with colourful clothes made to order. The signs of recovery are clearly visible in both the personal and public faces of Aceh. (May's story is just one of many stories of recovery featured on the British Red Cross Tsunami anniversary site www.recoveringafuture.org.uk )

The tourist industry in the region has also begun to pick up, with visitors returning to the island of Sabang, famous for diving, and luckily relatively unscathed by the tsunami. It is encouraging to see tourists mingling with local people as they travel by ferry between Banda Aceh and the island that lies just off the coastline.

Although the emotional scars from the tsunami still run deep, it is both moving and awe-inspiring to see the incredible results of the tsunami recovery operation in Aceh five years after the disaster.

Further Tsunami photos can be found here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/britishredcross/sets/72157622849970237/

Amanda George

If you're visiting Indonesia then please connect with our wonderful Tripbod, Ristianto

Boxing Day Reflections

2010-01-04T00:13:00.000-08:00

This post is from http://britishredcross.posterous.com/

I think most people would agree that it seems like just yesterday that the devastating news of the Boxing Day tsunami hit our TV screens. I'm spending Christmas at my family home and like many people I can remember the exact moment that someone told me to turn on the TV as something terrible had happened across Asia.

Five years later, and life has moved on in leaps and bounds. Although another tsunami may happen again, one of the most important factors in the British Red Cross' recovery effort in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and the Maldives is that communities have been left stronger and better able to cope with the threat of future disasters.

When I was in Aceh last week, I saw the way houses have been designed to be flood resistant, built on stilts in flood-prone areas. I saw how they were designed with clearly signposted evacuation routes to allow people to escape if another tsunami happens. Coastal plantations have been built along the coastline, and community based action teams raise awareness in their communities about what to do in the face of future disasters. Communities are actively helping themselves.

It would be wonderful to think that more disasters like the Boxing Day tsunami will not happen again. But the reality is that natural disasters are increasing in frequency and organisations like the British Red Cross need to support communities to prepare themselves for the future. Disaster preparedness has become an integral part of the British Red Cross' recovery operations across the world. (To read about other BRC recovery programmes see our interactive map here).

As people enjoy today with their family and friends, memorial services are taking place across Aceh and the rest of the tsunami affected regions, and even here in the UK, remembering the hundreds of thousands who died. Today is also a time to reflect on the incredible recovery and reconstruction across Asia and the empowering of communities to deal with future disasters - the key to protecting the most vulnerable and saving lives.

www.recoveringafuture.org.uk

Dot's Trip to Moscow

2009-12-23T06:02:00.000-08:00

I forgot to take my camera battery charger so this is the only photo I took...

Day 1

“They shrug their shoulders and talk endlessly about the terrible, hopeless state of things”

“Russian must be the only language in which one hears so frequently over the phone ‘I’m on the plane’”

“My first impressions were the familiar musty smell, the layer of grime over everything and the darkness”

I flew to Moscow on an early morning empty flight. The purpose of my trip was so visit my friends that I had made during my 18 months living and working in Moscow and to meet a few more Tripbods. I had a very contented feeling of returning to a place I know well rather than the apprehension of travelling to a new place, so the journey gave me time to get some things done. I studied Russian at University and speak Russian so during my time in Moscow I really got to know the people, their ways, and I fell in love with the city.

As soon as we landed, we all jumped up, and the Russians got on their phones to tell their friends of their arrival. Russian must be the only language that hears so frequently over the phone ‘I’m on the plane’. We were shortly told to sit back down again. A small lady with bleached hair, a stoop and a medical-blue face mask boarded with a grey gun in hand that shone a light to read our temperatures. Russians are paranoid about letting disease in, which is why you need an HIV test to get a multi-entrance visa or work permit for Russia. As she came down the aisle pointing her gun at passengers in turn, almost no one could suppress a smirk at the absurdity and pointlessness of the exercise. It was a happy moment when I really felt that, yes here I am again in this strange and wonderful country.

I sped through security and passed taxi drivers, who disperse themselves amongst the crowds, making themselves known with a barely audible, “taxi, devushka, taxi”. You need to get passed this uncomfortable environment as quickly as possible and get on the AeroExpress – the fast train from Domodedovo to Paveletskiy Vokzal. My first impressions were the familiar musty smell, the layer of grime over everything and the darkness. I wondered whether, if they replaced the low yellow lights in the Metro with some bright bulbs, it would modernize the space or confirm its backwards place in its murky history.

On the metro carriage a man, reeking of a 20-year drinking binge, grabbed my suitcase. With less shock than you’d imagine, I turned around and attempted to take back my bag. But he was determined to look after it for me, ‘relax, don’t worry, stop worrying, take your hand away, I will look after it for you, you don’t have to worry until Mayakovksaya, I will watch it for you, I’m not going to run off with it’. In a strange way I trusted him but still decided it would be sensible to keep hold of it. So he politely gave up his seat and let me sit guard of my bag. Just as I thought that the episode was over and let my own far away thoughts take over, I felt a warm pungent breath on my neck as he leant in to my ear to make some comment about keeping hold of a bag, ‘hehehe’ he mused to himself watching my stiff determination to keep a tight grip on my bag.

I arrived at my place of stay after dragging my heavy suitcase up and down, up and down, endless underground bridges and tunnels. I was pleased at how second nature these tunnels still are to me but it struck me that just riding the metro could be an adventure, or an ordeal, for any foreign visitor. I did a very quick turnaround at the flat and flagged down a taxi to the restaurant to meet my friends. I deserved it after my commitment to public transport earlier. A muddy Lada pulled over and I negotiated a fee of £4 to Kitai Gorod, a good twenty-minute ride. We weaved our way through the four lanes of traffic, discussing the war in Afghanistan. To be precise, I received a lesson rather than took part in a discussion. ‘Ponimaete?’ (Understand?) finished every sentence. He told me that roads in Russia are dreadful because officials steal all the money, he fired stats at me comparing government expenditure in China, USA and Russia. He then told me about the Russian experience of Afghanistan. The conversation always leaves me with a feeling of, ‘ok then what can we do?’ With the inevitable regrettable answer of, ‘nothing’. This is the corner or powerlessness that Russians talk themselves in to. They shrug their shoulders and talk endlessly about the terrible, hopeless state of things.

I arrived at Propaganda, a great restaurant in Moscow that serves very reasonably priced food and has DJs from 12-6am. It is very accessible for foreigners and has been mentioned in enough guidebooks that you’ll see numerous table of Europeans and Americans here. I had got the times confused and arrived an hour and a half too early so I went to a cafe on Maroseika Street called Volkonsky. It is a very cosy place where tea is given enough adjectives and ritual to justify the £4 price tag. There is no standard pricing in Moscow. Take tea for example, in Cofemania (a pleasant, modern but coffee shop not unlike a London run-of-the-mill cafe) it is £8, whereas in Pushkin (one of the most ornate, beautiful and elegant restaurants in Moscow) it is only £1. I sat at a communal table and received curious stares as I began to read in English and scribble ideas on a napkin, in English. Russians have no qualms about staring and quite often whispering about you.

I caught up on Moscow news from one of the free newspapers, the Moscow News. It reminded me of this particular Russian expat rhetoric which looks down upon and mocks Russian politics and culture. My friends and I agree that this only strengthens our loyalty to the Russian people, feeling that they rarely get a fair deal in English-language communication. They do have funny peculiarities and behaviour, which is very easy to snigger at, but reverting to this status-quo prevents any more insightful investigation of what is happening in this country.

I went to meet my friends, and waited a while at the bar, with a beer, reading my book. It realized how comfortable I feel in this city. Once you get used to the stares and turn them in to something positive rather than threatening, you can enjoy floating around in this strange land, drifting and sitting and thinking. I find that the flow of ideas is slower in Moscow: they are not as impatient to change things as we are in London. We have an insatiable need to innovate in London, to throw out the old and welcome the new, until it becomes old a few months later. Moscow has a more cyclical flow of ideas, perhaps to do with their geographical, cultural and political isolation.

My friends arrived and it was just like yesterday that I saw them (in fact in was 7 months ago). We all ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad – a Moscow delicacy. Russian tastes are suitably inclined towards the rich, creamy, salty, ‘salad’ characteristics of the dish. I found that my appetite for this kind of food had declined after some time in London.

My two Russian girl friends fired questions at me about how London is different from Moscow: what people do in London, what’s cool there. I gave my experience of finding it much hastier; activities are fitted into much smaller time segments and are sandwiched very close together. I said that London is a hive of innovation and ideas, that there are too many opportunities to keep up with. I can only give my own experience, which is a lucky and privileged one. I don’t suppose everyone in London feels like this at the moment.

My first day left me with a very cosy feeling – that I had returned to a familiar and friendly city where I am welcome.

Day 2

“It’s also an ‘authentic Russian experience’ dealing with the usually difficult shop assistants”.

“My favourite city was feeling a bit more hostile but I refused to get angry at it, in case I provoked the beast even more”.

“Nothing is easy in Moscow, it is the opposite of convenience”.

I woke up late after a late-ish night and decided got myself organized with my Russian SIM card. You can buy a Russian pay as you go SIM for 150 rubles (≈£3) which has 150 rubles of credit on once you activate it. If you have Russian friends it is definitely worth doing as it will save you a package on your home phone bill and it’s much easier for them to call you. It’s also an ‘authentic Russian experience’ dealing with the usually difficult shop assistants.

I wanted to do some work on my first day so took a short walk from Biblioteka Lenina past the Kremlin and up Tverskaya to Kamegerskiy Pereulok where they have just opened a new Starbucks. They also have Prime Star, a Pret a Manger knock-off, and a Pain Quotidien. I tried to use Akademia for WiFi, to not immediately revert to a familiar chain but they didn’t have any plug sockets, so I went to PQ. Akademia is a good place for pizza in the evening or a very good business lunch, a set 2-3 course menu. If you want to know if they have a business lunch, it’s the same phrase in Russian – Business LANCH.

Unfortunately after a few contented hours doing my work in Moscow, I realised my wallet had been stolen somewhere since dinner the night before. My favourite city was feeling a bit more hostile but I refused to get angry at it, in case I provoked the beast even more. Instead I headed home (luckily my metro ticket was in a separate pocket) and cancelled my cards. I think my time living in Moscow taught me how to be calm and collected about dealing with difficult situations. Nothing is easy in Moscow, it is the opposite of convenience. People like to stand in your way, erect obstacles in your path, and generally be unhelpful. You learn to shrug your shoulders and find another way around it, and you become a little bit more Russian every day. Money is here one day, gone the next. Better to spend it all as soon as you get it.

Friday evening was just a few hours away from lift off and texts were flying around. We met atSolyanka for dinner. Again a reasonably-priced, slightly bohemian, well designed, restaurant/club (they remove the tables at 12 to make way for the dance floor) with music that is too techno for the space. After that we wanted to try a new club called Rolling Stones, apparently the new Simachev in town, but did not get in due to full capacity. You are more likely NOT to get in to a club than to get in in Moscow. So unless you’re feeling ambitious and ready to take taxies to several different places without losing the will to go on, just to get in to one of the finest Moscow establishments (Soho Rooms, Krysha, Opera), head somewhere ‘democratic’ as they call it (Propaganda, Krisis Zhanr). We went to Bonnie & Clyde on Tverskaya– a tacky bar with loud cheesy music, chandeliers and black velvet, gold rimmed chairs. We had a great time. At 3am it was time for some Karaoke. The place with private rooms on Tsvetnoi Bulvar was full so we ended up in Etazh on Belorusskaya, suffering with enjoyment communal karaoke until the morning.

Day 3

“The magnificent shapes of the cityscape are spectacularly lit up and the disarray of life swept aside by a tumultuous social, political and cultural development is blanked out”.

“Driving around Moscow at night gives me a great rush of excitement – the frustration of the Russian daily grind is put to rest and the excitement of the unruly excess wakes up”.

Saturday began late. We woke up at 3.30pm and made arrangements to meet for lunch at 5pm. We went to Filial, a new restaurant recently opened by the owners of Propaganda and Krisis Zhanr. Just like the other restaurants, it’s cosy and comfy and reasonably-priced. It’s a nice place but slightly lacking in depth of character, as it is brand new. I have no doubt it will only get better with time.

After a large meal, we drove home via Correa’s to get the best Honey Cake in town to take home and eat in front of a film. After a relaxing evening in, we went out at midnight to Sky Bar – a bar/restaurant on the 34^th floor of Swissotel. You pay for the view in the prices (cocktails are 800 rubles, nearly £20) but it is a great place for a relaxing, civilized couple of drinks away from the chaos of the city centre.

Moscow at night is my favourite view. The magnificent shapes of the cityscape are spectacularly lit up and the disarray of life swept aside by a tumultuous social, political and cultural development is blanked out. Driving around Moscow at night gives me a great rush of excitement – the frustration of the Russian daily grind is put to rest and the excitement of the unruly excess wakes up.

Day 4

“As the little lady swept the bunches of twigs over me and started hitting me with them, the heat grew to an intense level and I started to scream and laugh at the same time”.

On Sunday we went to Krasnopresnenskiy Banyi. It is not one of the most upmarket bath houses in Moscow but it does have the best steam. It costs 850 rubles for 2 hours and an extra 400 rubles for Vrenniki – a massage with birch twigs. The Banya comes with a lot of cultural history, ritual, associations and customs but you can easily go along and follow what everyone else is doing. If you can go with a Russian friend or someone who has been before, it will be more enjoyable. It was the first time that I’d had the Vrenniki massage in the banya and found it very hot and painful. As the little lady swept the bunches of twigs over me and started hitting me with them, the heat grew to an intense level and I started to scream and laugh at the same time. I wanted to run away but her words of ‘be healthy, get rid of the demons, relax, goodness comes in’ reassured me that this would be worth it. Finally after hitting me front and back she let me go, making sure that I plunged in to the ice bath with my head underneath the water 3 times. My entire body was pink with large white blotches – a sign that I had done Banya properly.

We spent the evening in a new establishment from the owners of Jean-Jacques, a very good French restaurant where you can draw on the tables with crayons provided. The new place is an English version of Jean Jacques called the John Donne pub. It serves British fodder and plays football matches but it is still unmistakably Russian with the table service and wooden chairs and tables, more suited to a bistro than a pub.

For the other few days I was enjoying a bit of working-leisure, using Moscow’s abundance of WIFI cafes to keep up with business developments. On Monday the first snow fell and I was delighted to find my office in a cosy Pain Quotidien looking out at the fresh metre of freshly dumped snow.

Moscow is wonderful at this time of year, if you’re lucky with the snow. The temperature is just right – between nought and minus five – which means that skiing, snowboarding and ice skating are all easily accessible. Many people are uncertain about a holiday to Moscow and usually I would not recommend it to go alone. However with a friend at the other end with Tripbod who can help you out with some good places to go and things to do, you will be able to see the warmth of the Russian people and skip the unfriendly reception that is an out-of-date and misleading preconception.

I connected with Baira, Tripbod in Moscow to plan my trip.

Visiting Rome this week

2009-12-19T04:46:00.000-08:00

Elena, our fantastic Tripbod in Rome, emailed to let us know that starting today (Dec 19th) until January 6th there will be a very special event every week-end in Rome's central archeaeological park.

Rarely open to the public, The House of Livia on the Palatine Hill - the house that belonged to Augustus' wife in 1st century b.C. with beautiful ancient frescoes - will open its doors to visitors. The Temple of Romulus in the Forum, a pagan temple that was turned into a church with an original huge bronze door, is also open and free to enjoy. This is something not to be missed!

FREE guided tours are available in English and combined with a brief theatrical show inside these two incredibly evocative locations.

There's a number you can call to book: (0039) 06 3996 7700
Or you can go there directly - the meeting point is at the Roman Forum ticket office at 10am, 11am, 12 and 1pm.

Hope you enjoy it! (And if you do visit, please let me know your feedback)

All best

Elena

Tripbod Rome

New Tripbod in Bangkok talks about his city

2009-12-14T08:23:00.000-08:00

I made Bangkok as my home town and have never regretted this decision. Bangkok reflects truly the heart of Thai culture and houses many of my countries most important and elaborately crafted temples. At the same time, it reflects my culture in art, performance, and food, yet it absorbs readily modern and foreign influences. It is a melting pot of cultures and traditions, of the past and the present, but also of rich and poor people. You will find with Chatuchak market one of the largest markets in the world, yet you can easily relax on a canal tour through the klongs (canals) or readily immerse yourself in the tranquility of Wat Mahathat or any other temple off the beaten track if you want to step away from the crowds.

Bangkok is also the perfect hub for other Thai destinations and the South East of Asia.

Contact Poramin to start planning your perfect trip to Bangkok...

Top ethical destinations to visit

2009-12-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

The original press release for this article can be found here: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/worlds-top-10-ethical-destinations,1075337.shtml

Are you the kind of traveler who wants to have a great time AND feel good about where your travel budget is going?

Ethical Traveler's new report, "The World's Best Ethical Destinations," identifies the 10 countries in the developing world that are best protecting their natural environments, promoting responsible travel, and building a tourism industry which provides real benefits to local communities.

"There's no doubt that worldwide interest in mindful, responsible travel is growing - not only among travelers, but within the countries that host us," says Jeff Greenwald, executive director of Ethical Traveler and co-author of the report. "Now is the perfect time for savvy travelers and well-intentioned governments to evolve together, each encouraging the other. This is especially true in the developing world, where travel and tourism can be developed as lucrative, low-impact alternatives to forestry, mining, and the destruction of ocean habitats."

In alphabetical order, the best ethical travel destinations for 2010 are:

Argentina

Belize

Chile

Ghana

Lithuania

Namibia

Poland

Seychelles

South Africa

Suriname

"In drafting our report, we use scores of information sources -- including publicly available data -- to rate each country's genuine commitment to environmental protection, social welfare and human rights," says Christy Hoover, co-author of the report. "Data sources include the United Nations Development Program, Human Rights Watch, Columbia University, Reporters Without Borders, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, and many others. Private interviews with NGO leaders are part of the process, as well." The full report can be viewed at http://www.ethicaltraveler.org/destinations

TRIPBOD FOUNDER, SALLY BROOM, SAYS::

‘It's great to see this report being published. Increasing numbers of travellers want to spend their time and money in the right places, and these sorts of guides really help them turn those intentions into action.’

However Broom added ‘It is still important to remember those wonderful destinations not mentioned but working very hard in all the areas mentioned in the report: environmental, social, economic and human. So it’s always worth checking that when planning a trip. But we need more of this kind of information and we thank Ethical Traveller for publishing this list...

... and hurray for South Africa and their World Cup Football games in 2010!

Welcoming Rwanda into the Commonwealth

2009-12-02T03:56:00.001-08:00

This week Rwanda was the 54th country to be welcomed into the commonwealth, in recognition of the progress made since the genocide of 1994.

It is right and proper that this progress is being celebrated; the commitment and dedication of each Rwandan citizen to re-building their society and protecting unique biodiversity is truly astounding.

Appropriately this is also the UN Year of the Gorilla, a focus on the wonderful work being done across East Africa and beyond in primate conservation. Rwanda is a focal point in this work, as a relatively small country boasting a unique wealth in biodiversity.

So Rwanda and its people are now being recognised for the role they are playing on a global scale to preserve and promote conservation and sustainable development.

Tripbod is proud to work with Edwin Sabuhoro, founder of Rwanda Ecotours, who is playing a leading role in this work.

Sally, founder of Tripbod, enjoyed a visit to a community tourism project with Rwanda Ecotours in June 2008

Top five festive days in Cumbria

2009-11-30T07:43:00.000-08:00

It's dry (at last), snow-capped and as beautiful as ever. Even better, it's also much quieter than normal! People, it's the best time to visit Cumbria so come on up, the weather's lovely

Despite the terrible recent flooding in Cumbria there are still plenty of wonderful places that are accessible and very much still available to enjoy. Most of South Lakes is perfectly passable and the flooding is easily avoidable. Now just as the festive sparkle starts to gather, so do the snowflakes on the peaks. So to help you make the most, here’s our Top Five festive days in the Lakes:

1. Kirkby Lonsdale, 10 mins off the M6

If you're in the mood for something festive why not turn off at junction 36 on the M6 and head east for 10 minutes. You'll arrive in Kirkby Lonsdale which is arguably one of the prettiest villages in Cumbria and perfect for finding that festive feeling.

Shop: Look out for the Christmas fair over the weekend of 5th and 6th December.

Eat: The Sun Inn is perfect for a mulled wine by the fire. We also love Avanti for a spot of lunch or Sublime cafe by the market square for a scone.

Wander: through the church yard and down to the river to feel as though you've stepped back in time

2. Ulverston, 35 mins off the M6

Ulverston is a larger market town but just as traditional and a great Christmas destination.

Clearing cobwebs: Walk up the Hoad (currently being restored) for fantastic views

Eats and drinks: warm up in Gillam's tea room over some lovely organic tea and cakes by a traditional stove complete with roasting chestnuts. It's all one rather lovely cliché. Also try the World Peace cafe for really tasty veggie food.

Sparkle: we tweeted recently about the rather lovely Italian platters on offer in Avanti Capitola Wine Bar - goes nicely with a glass of Prosecco over lunch. Hic!

Shop: I was enjoying Two by Two at the weekend, a lovely independent clothes shop that is part of the famous Tinner's Rabbit shop, an art gallery, gift shop and local book store all in one. Ulverston also boasts fantastic charity shops - check out St Mary's Hospice shop for some real high quality bargains.

3. Darkest Muncaster – a real day out amidst stunning scenery
Muncaster Castle is a delight at any time of the year but not least during the dark nights, when something magical happens... Muncaster is currently hosting a spectacular during the evenings called 'Darkest Muncaster' where there is a show of lights and sounds after dark, illuminating the grounds and surroundings. With a rum hot chocolate you can cosy up and enjoy the feast for eyes and ears.

4. Windermere

Given that Tripbod is about getting off the beaten track we wouldn't normally suggest dropping into Windermere as it's very much the honey pot of the area. But due to the flooding and national assumptions that the whole county is underwater, the town is not so crowded and this might be just the time to visit.

Start the day: Jump on the train and arrive into Windermere right next door to the flagship Lakeland Limited store. If you don't lose hours in here among the aisles of kitchenware you never realise you needed until now, then we'll be amazed.

Drinks and eats: From the station tottle down into the main part of town where you could do no better than checking out Francines bistro for lovely seafood, or drop into The Lighthouse for a mulled wine while people watching. Fish and chips just over the road is pretty good too

Shops: some independent gift shops and a lingerie shop that was recently praised in a national retail awards ceremony. You might just find the perfect Christmas gift in there for the lovely lady in your life...

5. Cartmel and a New Year's Eve to remember

The Faure Requiem will be performed in the hauntingly beautiful Cartmel Priory at 11pm on New Year's Eve. Have supper before hand in one of the lovely local pubs and then wander to the priory for an enchanting night and start of the new year.

****

If you want a few personalised tips to add to your visit to Cumbria then please do get in touch. We are your Tripbods in Cumbria, waiting to hear from you and share our local knowledge.

The other Rome

2009-11-25T01:38:00.000-08:00

Mass tourism leads fluxes of thousands of people a day through areas and monuments that are supposed to show you an image of grandeur and make you "feel the weight of History" (as Michelle Obama told my boss a few weeks ago!).

The other Rome is much less glamorous, but it has History too! You just can't appreciate the "rione" (neighborhood) Monti if you don't know that it was the center of the main business that supported this city throughout centuries: prostitution!
But the areas that still bear surprises even for me, are the ones that still live in what we call History. As if time had never gone by.

When my sister moved to a neighborhood called Pigneto, I started exploring and discovering areas of Rome that seemed to come right out of a Pasolini movie: Two enormous ancient aqueducts stripe the area, and people, ever since World War II, just "nest" in their cavities. That shows you the thin line between considering a bunch of two-thousand-year-old ruins, monuments or half-built half-price solid houses...
Its worth going to have a pizza between the two aqueducts: everyone around you chats lively and doesn't seem to mind the two "dinosaurs" of History looking into your plate...

Close by there is a park, the largest one in Rome, were locals like to go jogging. A friend of mine lives near it and took me once (although jogging is the equivalent of torture for me...). She talked and talked as I struggled to survive. From time to time we'd stumble on a Renaissance farm, or an imperial nympheum, or e medieval chapel: isolated dots in a vastness of green hills. There was no one around, just a few panels that explained a story. Sometimes school field trips go discover these places, but that's it. These are places that belong to the kids that play in them, making their imaginations run wild!

That night we went to a "trattoria" (a restaurant with paper tablecloths, wooden plates and waiters that speak "Roman" and not Italian at a very high volume), one of those places where the traditional cuisine is still served: tripes and brains and other succulent cuts that over the decades the poor have turned from discard to masterpieces.

Rome is not that big: about 1200 km2. With a half-hour car ride you can visit the villages that surround it, where time has stopped at the middle ages. Just last week I went to a jazz concert (talk about contrasts!) in one of these minuscule villages that occupy the tip of a pointy mount, with defensive stone walls around it, cobble stone streets and a castle at the top. Very pictoresque... When the concert was over my friends and I headed towards the door of the village and as we were going down we noticed a little old lady washing her dishes at the public fountain, she had emptied the scraps of her casserole onto the floor. She was dressed in black and told us that she only went down to the local market once every 6 months, because her husband had died 7 years ago. Very... retrò.

So, Rome is History, ancient mostly, but recent History gives it its charm too. Many areas of Rome that until no more than ten years ago, were simple, inhabited by the working class, are gradually being transformed by the youth that can no longer afford to live close to the center and that are investing in restyling their neighborhood. So, areas with a rather sad abandoned industrial taste, become popular, with caffes with poetry readings or photography expos, and gain a new charm, sometimes just by illuminating differently that same old building. And that is were students gather, those piazzas and alleys become lively hot-spots of the roman "movida". (Of course, usually the consequence is that after a few years, the prices to rent appartments in those same old crumbled buildings, rise up to infinity, and students have to find some other place)

About Industrial Archeology, as they call it, we picked up the idea from England and France, and by now we've made a few attempts at transforming ex-factories into museums or posh restaurants, that in my opinion are glorious results that tourists often miss. The thing is that because we have this very italian (especially roman) mania that keeps us from throwing anything away, these structures are never completely emptied. For example, the Gare d'Orsay in Paris is a magnificent building, voided, made neutral, to contain an art museum. Well, we just didn't have the heart... you'll find an ex-power plant turned into a museum, with white greco-roman statues next to turbines and alternators. Fascinating!

Yes, we like contrasts, and most of us have never been inside the Colosseum.

Elena is your Tripbod in Rome.
Connect with her now on Tripbod and start planning your perfect trip!

Hip Hip Hooray, for the Settle-Carlisle Railway!

2009-11-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to read in the Westmorland Gazette (a great regional newspaper in Cumbria) this morning that the wonderful Settle-Carlisle Railway was voted No2 in the ABC American News 'World's 10 Greatest Railways', second only to The Blue Train in South Africa

Settle is in North Yorkshire and Carlisle is the county town of Cumbria where I am a Tripbod.

This railway is very special and I am delighted that it is now appreciated across the globe, despite not being particularly grand. Yet apparently grandness does not matter, because the Settle-Carlisle line beats the Orient Express and the 'Palace on Wheels' in India!

Then again, with views like this, who needs luxury?!

It is difficult to express the breath-taking beauty the feeling of 'getting back to nature' that runs through you when you trundle along this route.

For me train journeys are often about being able to read or catch up on work, but this route leaves your eyes unable to move from the scenery. Even on a wet day the landscape is stunning.

The wonderful little stations through which you pass have barely changed for a century. It feels as though you are being transported, physically, back through time.

So pack a picnic, jump on the train (costing a whopping £10) and as the ABC article promises, 'your eyes will find plenty to feast on'.

Other individual railway lines we love include:

Lakeside and Haverthwaite Steam Railway

The West Highland Line

Photos courtesy of:

Please watch this film

2009-11-13T10:44:00.000-08:00

This moving film was played during the launch of World Responsible Tourism Day. Please take a moment to watch it...

Thanks
Sally

Courtesy of Ben Keene's Tribewanted blog

Tripbod at WTM 2009

2009-11-13T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thanks goodness it's Friday.... what a week it has been!

The 30th World Travel Market (WTM) took place in Excel, London and saw many thousands of travel folk from across the globe come together to talk travel, business and innovation.

One of the most rewarding experiences of this massive week was the amount of attention given to niche/local/responsible/positive (whatever you want to call it!) tourism. When I first started going to WTM and talked about connecting travellers to the grass roots and great local people, I was treated as an outsider, except by those wonderful people who have since become friends and a few of whom are now Tripbods.

But this year everyone was extolling the virtues of niche, grass root travel and I was inspired by the number of like-minded entrepreneurs who were in attendance, vying for their piece of an ever-fragmented marketplace.

The highlight of the whole week, however, had to be the Fringe event on Monday evening hosted in central London by Tripbod and friends. The Fringe is a global network of like-minded travel entrepreneurs and organisations, passionate about 'good' travel, the kind that benefits everyone and so-called because they are so often on the Fringe of big travel events. Well, not any longer - the Fringe WTM event was the place to be!

Sponsored generously by Intrepid, Rough Guides, The Blue Yonder and Travel To Care we saw 75 guests from 40 countries 'speed' networking away and enjoying a cosy evening in the basement bar of the Pavilion End pub, just next to St Paul's Cathedral. Lots of new friendships and business ideas were forged and it made for the perfect start to what turned out to be quite a crazy week.

Anyway, thank goodness it's Friday....

Fall Traditions in Veneto - Chesnuts and Novello wine

2009-11-13T02:26:00.000-08:00

The summer in Italy ended with a screeching halt two weeks ago, literally overnight the temperature went from hot and humid to cold and damp. However, as much as I do love the summer, the fall in Italy comes in a close second. With the changing of the weather comes a change in activities. The piazza is still the place to be in the evening with a spritz in hand, but the ice in the glass makes it a bit chilly so some adaptation needs to occur. With the added chill in the air comes the added treat of the little man who roasts chestnuts...yes, it's over an open fire and some “New Wine”.

I used to live in Boston and there would be a man downtown that would roast chestnuts, but he used a gas powered fire and the smell just about made me sick and he didn't do it by hand, he had a little machine that swept in circles inside of this steel barrel turning the nuts. On the contrary, my little roaster man here uses real wood that realizes a sweet smelling smoke that gently curls over the roofs of the nearby buildings lining the piazza. The nuts are actually roasted by hand by a gentleman who (in my opinion is nearly 80) uses a giant, cast iron skillet with holes in the bottom that has a long (about 6 feet) wooden handle.

I must admit that this little 80 year old man is my favorite roaster; he seems to know exactly how to toss the nuts into the air so that the shells come off of the nuts. Even as he continues to roast them, he never burns the actual nut inside and every single one has a warm, sweet, flavor that didn't exist with the roaster in Boston. Each skillet filled with nuts is just as perfect as the one before it and he seems to do it so effortlessly that you would think that the skillet is a feather in his hand.

The price for a bag of freshly roasted, piping hot chestnuts is roughly 1.50 Euro per etto (1 etto = 100 grams; 500 grams is 1.1 pounds) which is more than enough for 1 person. With all of this goodness around you, you can have a relaxing, romantic, fall evening in the piazza. But what if you get thirsty? Novello wine, roughly translated, means New Wine. Why? Because that's exactly what it is. From now until the beginning of summer, Italians alone will drink somewhere in the neighborhood of 100,000 bottles of this sweet, smooth, very young red wine. Every year this wine is typically produced from the beginning of November (usually the 6th) to the end of March...that's it.

Novello is an easy drinking wine that isn't very strong, and for those of you who think that you prefer something a little fruity, I guarantee this will be right up line of sight! Novello wine is meant to be drank immediately. Don't think about buying a bunch of bottles and storing them in your wine cellar, by this time next year the wine would be bad. Just pick up a bottle and uncork it, it's the way to do it. The main thing that makes Novello the way it is comes from the way that it is fermented. The grapes are not crushed like they are with most wines, but rather the wine is fermented using whole grapes, this allows for a minimum amount of sugar to be converted into alcohol, which consequently gives the wine it's smooth, fruity, flavor.

So if you're thinking of heading to Venice in the next few weeks, perhaps this could be a lovely alternative to the many enotecas and wine bars that abound in Venice. Find yourself a cozy piazza with a man roasting chestnuts and small enoteca that offers Novello wine...it might be the best night you'll ever spend in Venice. But don't think you have to come only to Venice to experience this, you can also find a wondeful array of roasters in Padova, Treviso, Bologna, as well as many other small towns around Northern Italy. If you happen to see me in the piazza make sure you say “Buona sera.”.

Brad is Tripbod in Veneto and Venice

See his profile and contact him to start planning your perfect trip

James talks about Scotland's overlooked legends and raiding the larder

2009-11-02T10:02:00.000-08:00

Everyone can come up with an Icon of Scotland when asked, whether it is Edinburgh it’s ancient Capital or St Andrews, the home of Golf or indeed Whisky or “Uisge Beatha” to give it its ancient name, the Water of Life.

Scotland however has so much more to offer, it has the deep history of its people and their proud achievements as Engineers, Artists, Missionaries and Sporting heroes to be explored and enjoyed. There are also many beautiful destinations in Scotland which quite often get overlooked by visitors.

For example the Angus Glens & Southern Scotland’s rolling hills or the truly breathtaking Inner Hebrides. Scotland is also a haven for the active visitor, with Walking, Cycling & Watersports centres, it’s a very different way to take in the beauty of this great country.

Like any other country it has its myths and legends, none more so than the Loch Ness Monster, which has beguiled many visitors and citizens to seek out the legend on a visit to Scotland. But also William Wallace & Robert the Bruce it’s great heroes, or Robert Burns who left us many songs, poems and traditions from Haggis Neeps and Tatties to Auld Langs Syne.

Scotland’s larder is also one of it’s major contributions to the enjoyment of its visitors, renowned the world over for its fresh seafood, unique cheeses, organic fruits and vegetables and of course the Haggis, Stornoway Black Pudding & the Arbroath Smokie.

This world beating produce is put to great use by award winning Scottish chef’s the world over, such as Gordon Ramsey, Tom Kitchin or Nick Nairn.

So even if you knew about Golf, Whisky & the Loch Ness Monster, there’s actually much more that you never realised you knew about Scotland, why not plan your trip now.

James is Tripbod for Glasgow and the Highlands.

See his profile and start planning your perfect trip to Scotland.

Make the trip to Joyce Bakeshop one afternoon and enjoy Brooklyn the way the (real) locals do...

2009-11-02T08:09:00.000-08:00

Situated near the beautiful Prospect Park, the monumental Brooklyn Museum and the ephemeral Botanical Gardens, Joyce Bakeshop is a perfect example of that which Brooklyn’s neighborhoods can offer. Just off the corner of Vanderbilt Avenue and Park Place, Joyce Bakeshop is this Brooklynite’s favorite spot to get coffee, tea, and of course, snacks. Open only since 2006, this family owned and operated spot provides the Prospect Heights neighborhood with the best of the best in hand-crafted pasteries. The owner and chef, Joyce, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute in NYC offers up fresh ideas and old favorites, with precision, every single day. My personal favorites are anything that has to do with Brioche, of which you can get whole loaves on Saturdays and Sundays. Moreover, they offer Brooklyn Roasted Gorrilla brand coffee (definitely better than the standard Starbucks or Koffee Khaus blend) and a wide array of loose teas to choose from.

I did not find Joyce Bakeshop by accident, and neither will anyone else. Admittedly, a good friend of mine (for years and years) is Joyce’s brother-in-law. The first time I ever set foot in the shop it was about three weeks after their grand opening (and two weeks after I returned to New York from a year living in St. Petersburg) and he was helping out while they were building up a staff. Upon my first entrance, I was wowed by the cozy atmosphere of the wood molding and the mind-blowing array of pastries behind the counter. I quickly settled down for a cup of black tea and a sampling of Joyce’s selection. By the time my friend was done with work (we were to go for dinner) I was completely full, having eaten about six or seven different things.

Since then, my friend has moved to San Francisco, but my enjoyment of Joyce’s pastries has not lessened one bit. In fact, it has grown with every bite. To emphasize how fantastic this shop is, I repeatedly traveled the 30 minutes on the metro from my Manhattan apartment for 2 years. Now, living in a different part of Brooklyn (Greenpoint), I make my weekly (or twice weekly if I have time) trip via bicycle despite the many good local cafes and bakeries within walking distance.

Even though it is not my neighborhood, the community that revolves around Joyce is a fantastic slice of New York life. This includes the adorable recognition they give to their “lifers”; that is those children who have been coming to Joyce with their parents their whole lives.

If on your next trip, you are hungry, or want some coffee, or really even if you don’t, make the trip to Joyce Bakeshop one afternoon and enjoy Brooklyn the way the (real) locals do. So go to Joyce and try everything(!), maybe take a friend or two so you don’t get too full.

Joyce Bakeshop
www.joycebakeshop.com
646 Vanderbilt Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11238
(718) 623-7470

Scott Ritner is the New York City Local Expert for Tripbod.

See his profile and start planning your perfect trip.

Art festivals in Paseo, Oklahoma

2009-10-29T03:28:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about being a Tripbod is trying to uncover just what it is that makes me think Oklahoma City is so great. I know that I love it, but if asked to articulate why exactly I happen to enjoy spending my time in a moderately sized metropolis, stuck in the middle of the plains, where the first image that pops into most people’s heads is of cowboys and Indians, sometimes I have to stop and think for a second. Or at least, I used to have to. As I’ve gotten older, well, not THAT much older, I have realized that as an adolescent and early college student I suffered from the near universal, often unrecognized and untreated, disease of birthplace loathing. Fortunately for me, I’ve been exposed to enough foreign cultures (cultivated, but not necessarily in a laboratory) to build up an immunity to this horrific thief of Midwestern youth. No longer do I aspire to get out for no other reason than a belief that everyone else in the world is having a hell of a lot better time that I am. For, you see, I have realized this simply is not the case.

Permit me an introduction, not to myself, but to a hidden and often unjustly despised part of my town that helped dispel me of the aforementioned loathing. My first apartment out of college bordered on an area called The Paseo. It cost $300/month and the lease was signed in the back of a truck on a piece of notebook paper with a landlord who firmly believed that he would make his fortune as an independent wholesale merchant of goat meat. My grandmother, despite swimming on one of the rooftops as a youth in the 1940s, was relieved to find out when I had moved out of a place that had received, probably rightly earned, a reputation that was less than wholesome through decades of disrepair and debauchery. I hope you have an unfavorable picture of this area. Why? Why would I want a potential visitor to have this image? Because I want you to have the same experience that I, as a local, had, and realize its blatant falsehood.

Not until I lived in the Paseo did I realize the richness of Oklahoma City. This area has undergone an INCREDIBLE revitalization over the past five years. Roughly 10 square blocks, itcontains 17 galleries and 60 artists. Not to mention numerous restaurants, music venues, and my favorite bar, the Red Rooster. The Paseo Arts festival in May brings out the city and state’s best artists and musicians in an incredibly pleasant and unpretentious atmosphere. Because of its unique place in OKC, many 20-30 year olds like to call this place home, and as someone fitting this category, I appreciate it as an area in which you actually know your neighbors, see them out, and can walk from place to place instead of drive. This quality makes the festival even better, as it really is like a large gathering of friends (and, admittedly, some of those friends of friends that you weren’t quite sure where they came from, but better not ask to leave out of politeness…). Despite reveling in all of this, I’ve recently discovered something more! The first Friday of every month, most of the galleries are opened up for late night viewing, wine tastings, and music. The next Saturday, many artists open their studios for demonstrations. With winter coming up, I should probably take advantage of November’s.

I realize a week from Friday might be rushing things a bit for you to make it over here. But maybe in December? And we don’t have to go see some artists. I hope I’m not being too forward, but I would love to have the opportunity to let you see a side of Oklahoma City that makes you think “I actually DO despise my hometown!” and “The people in Oklahoma City ARE actually having a hell of a lot better time than I am!”

By Hugh Long, Tripbod in Oklahoma
Go to his profile

Tripbod gets busy on TV

2009-10-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

We have decided at Tripbod that we love videos! With a global network the size of ours, there's only one way to feel a bit closer and that's through the most all encompassing medium there is so far - videos.

Here are some other great video websites:

Travelguru.tv

Thisismycity.tv

New Tripbod in Kenya

2009-10-22T03:27:00.001-07:00

Richard Trillo, writer of Rough Guides to Kenya and East Africa joins Tripbod.

See his profile

New opportunities at Tripbod

2009-10-22T02:30:00.001-07:00

Find out what it is to be a Tripbod and join our global network of trusted local experts.

Be A Tripbod!

View more presentations from Tripbod.

New Tripbod in Wicklow, knows all the best places to go

2009-10-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

Una is our newest recruit in Ireland. She is well connected to the local area, having worked in the local library for many years from where she is soon to retire. In retirement Una plans to spend her days enjoying the land and sea around her. She is an avid outdoor swimmer and plans to carry on swimming every day throughout winter. Una is also proud of the literary heritage of her area and is keen to help visitors explore the nooks and crannies of Greystones.

Here are some website recommended by Una:

www.mountainviews.ie
An Irish web-site that gives great route descriptions and links to other related sites.
http://winter-swimmers.blogspot.com The sea swimmers site, Greystones South Beach.
http://www.wicklowway.com The classic walk through Wicklow.
http://www.visitwicklow.ie/attractions/bray-greystones-cliff-walk.htm This is enough to bring a visitor to Greystones. It can be cycled too. http://www.festivalofworldcultures.com/ Next year this festival is in July .
http://www.mountainstosea.ie/ A literary festival.

Una talks about her local area:

"Greystones Wins First Place and Gold Medal in 2008 International Awards for Liveable Communities in Dongguan, in South China. The project achieved first place in the “whole city” section, judged as the world’s most liveable communities, population up to 20,000. I never get over the variety of beauty that surrounds me, we are enlosed by “hills” behind us and look out at the wide expanse of ocean (or Irish Sea).

Wicklow County has a wide range of tourist attractions, all are well advertised on the sites above. Wicklow has beautiful beaches, mountains, proximity to the City of Dublin and many Arts, Culture, Music and Community Festivals. It is well served by public transport. If you get the “DART” from Greystones to Dublin you will have the coast on your right and it is compared to the “Bay of Naples”. I see it every day going to work and it never ceases to amaze me, the mountains come down to the seas. It is a journey not many take unless they are going into Dublin to see the “sights”. Likewise a train trip in the other direction to Wexford is a good day out. Hire a bike and you could be in Enniskerry, Powerscourt, Djouce Woods, Devil’s Glen within the day. There are some very good hostels available too. One BLOG already refers to Glenmalure Hostel. It is in an idylic location, and if you are interested in Irish History and Local Heroes there is some very interesting reading to be done. Heard of Glendalough?

Go outside Wicklow! Where to? Guidebooks invariably head you to Killarney, Galway, Mayo and the best of the rest. All of these are well served by public transport, leaving you free to walk or hire bikes or use local buses to get around.

The Northern coast is one of my favourite trips. You can cycle and there are guides to day routes. The Mournes, Carlingford Lough, the strands of Portstewart and Donegal... Art exhibitions, Galleries, Bookshops, Literature festivals..Dun Laoghaire have regular author readings in the local libraries, all information is widely publicised on the web-sites. Walk down Dun Laoghaire pier before you head home on the ferry which leaves from the nearby terminal once a day, or go to Dublin Port where there is more choice, that way you can bring your bike with you (or your car). Prices are high for food, drink and accommodation.

You can do Ireland on a budget, you may just need some local advice. "

Contact Una to find out more

URBAN ADVENTURES OPENS A WHOLE WORLD

2009-10-05T03:55:00.000-07:00

On 1 October 2009, Urban Adventures (www.urbanadventures.com) opened a whole new world to travellers yearning to unlock the secrets of some of their favourite urban centres. Urban Adventures range from two-hour to one-day adventures and uncover back streets, hidden gems and fascinating sights. The Urban Adventures business is a unique and exciting new concept developed by Intrepid Travel (www.intrepidtravel.com) and WHL Group (www.whl.travel).

Anchored at launch in 25, Urban Adventures will be available in 65 cities with over 200 trips within six months. Departures are daily and prices start from US$15. Whether you're after an evening of home cooking and hanging locally in Istanbul, a full-day exploration of the magnificent temples of the Angkor complex in Cambodia, visiting the history and people of Johannesburg by bicycle or sampling Los Angeles, from Hollywood glitz to the quirkiness of Venice Beach, Urban Adventures really connect with the destination.

To celebrate the launch of Urban Adventures, travellers (and locals) have the opportunity to tour for FREE. Just register at http://bit.ly/8xGpW to become an Urban Adventures tester. In return for a free adventure, testers write trip reviews and take photos for the Urban Adventures website. In addition, travellers who submit feedback could win a monthly Urban Adventures prize pack.

This week's interview: Rocío from Costa Rica

2009-10-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

In my weekly blogs interview, I continue my Latin American tour, this time in Costa Rica, where I will interview Rocío to talk about a serious topic, not related directly (though yes indirectly) with tourism but definitely with our responsibilities as human beings: Animal welfare.

Alfonso: Hi Rocío, amongst your several interests, you seem to be very interested in animal welfare. How did you develop this interest?

Hello Alfonso, well, ever since I was little I showed a special concern about how some animals get mistreated and put in a very unfortunate position due to people’s irresponsibility and lack of consciousness. As I grew older I held stronger to this beliefs as I realized that it’s not only peoples responsibility’s but also governments play a very important part, not implementing stronger laws and not focusing on educating society.
And this passion became much stronger as my family and I began to experience the enormous gratification that rescuing a stray animal gives you, especially after you see the changes they go through and how much they appreciate that last chance given by life and their will to survive.

Alfonso: You decided to join an organization called APASFA? Why did you do that? What is this organization responsible for?

APASFA is a non-profit organization located on one of the central valley provinces, focused in the welfare and support of homeless, injured and neglected domestic animals. I decided to support them after last year’s earthquake, when I found out that they were one of the few organizations who spent time and resources rescuing and relocating the dozens of animals, victims of the catastrophe. http://www.apasfacr.org/servicios/index.html

Alfonso: How does this organization work? For instance, where do they get their funding from?

APASFA basically supports itself through donations and funds they collect from adoption and weekly castration campaigns at very low prices for the general population.

Alfonso: What are the most important projects that they are developing?

Right now their goal is to continue with these campaigns, in as many communities as possible, and expand an educational program for children, in all the different schools of the communities where the campaigns take place. They are also trying to collect funds to start an appropriate animal medical transportation and clinic/shelter, where they can keep all the rescued animals until they get recovered and relocated.
At this moment all of these animals are being kept in homes of good hearted people that support the cause, but this is not being enough compared to the amount of sufferers.

Alfonso: What kind of projects are now engaging in?

As a mentioned before, the main focus are both the adoption/relocation and castration campaigns for both homeless and domestic cats and dogs. There is also a project they began, called “Animal Rescue”, which consists of a group of volunteers, brave men and women who rescue neglected, abandoned animal. Mostly domestic, but in some cases wild animals are being helped as well.
Most of these animals used to belong to a house, but then got thrown out for several unjustified reasons or got an abusive treatment from their previous owners. Among these we find everything from puppies, elderly, sick pets, pregnant cats and dogs, some have been tied up their entire lives and manage to run away, and some have even been maliciously abused by street criminals or ran over as they wonder on the streets looking for food and shelter. They are also engaging in some educational campaigns; but require more funds and material to continue with this idea.

Alfonso: Are there any similar associations?

There are several associations in San Jose and other parts of the country, but still doesn’t seem to be enough to stop or even control the situation.
Unfortunately, as solutions may come in small dosages, there are also other problems that emerge, since some of the organizations get lost on the way to providing help and forget to continue their work as a NON PROFIT entity. So, as they miss their original focus and goals, the funds begin to be misused and the help, in many cases does not reach the ones in need.

Here I provide some examples of other organizations that support this cause and help homeless animals:
http://www.animalsheltercostarica.com/index2.html
http://www.cieloverdedelosperros.org/
http://www.anpacostarica.org/
http://adopcionescr.com/mascotas/
http://www.costa-rica-live.com/AnimalesAtenas/Adopciones.html
http://www.mckee-jaco.com/conozcanos.htm
**All of these groups and shelters survive thanks to the help and donations of the general public, since the government provides no funds for this particular crisis.

Alfonso: Is animal welfare a serious problem in Costa Rica? If so, why?

There is a big problem in Costa Rica, right now there are more than 1.000.000 homeless dogs and cats wondering in our streets, living in less than humane conditions. The main reason for this is because the population does not create any awareness regarding the importance of responsible animal ownership, birth control, and respect of their lives and needs, as living beings. There is also an enormous lack of education towards both children and adults and specially because the laws are so weak and breakable, there is absolutely no control from the authorities as there is no consequences for the responsible of neglecting animal lives, but most importantly, there is no such thing as Government Consciousness towards this big concern.
Also, the problem is not only affecting domestic animals, wildlife also suffers the costs of illegal hunting, black markets and abuse. That is why I strongly believe that it’s time to spread the word, and maybe with a little support from others we can start taking actions and finding solutions for this very sad situation, that has become larger and larger, not only in Costa Rica but in many parts of the world.
I really want to thank you for your time; before I go I would like to show you some interesting videos that support both side of the topic: Good will and support; and lack of consciousness and ignorance.

Help for the Ones in Need:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VueCHGwmKqk
The Guillermo Habacuc Case:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jIP8i1djg

Alfonso: Thank you very much for having taken the time to tell us about your projects. All the best!

Thanks Again!

Tripbod traveller in Rwanda inspired by locals!

2009-09-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Following the research I conducted, I realised I had made some valuable observations regarding African local business.

One major outcome found from talking to these locals was the immense good that the money was doing, as any money made was utilised so efficiently. The first use would always be school fees, because all these people want is an education, which is not state-covered like we receive yet barely appreciate.

The next main point I noticed while interviewing these locals was the selflessness and generosity of them all, as maybe half of the craft shops were set up to raise money for others:
• Some were raising money for a group of orphans, to pay for school fees and general essentials such as food and clothing. The children made crafts to sell, and some money was reinvested in the business to buy stock whilst the majority of the profit goes to the children. I mentioned they were orphans; this came about when some rebels from the Congo came over the border and massacred many of the locals here.
• There were a few stalls, all run separately but for similar purposes, where the majority of the proceeds is given to women, some of them widows, that are caring for their husbands and/or children with H.I.V. They make crafts from home and these are sold in the shop to pay for medicine, school fees and general essentials to survive.
• There were several different organisations set up where the profit goes towards good causes. It baffled me that the little that is made goes straight to bare essentials or good causes. The general ethos is to make something from nothing; maybe this is just a survival technique.
Whilst we were researching and interviewing the locals, Edwin was interviewing the managers at the exclusive lodges and hotels in the area to ask if they would also be interested in making a beneficial relationship with the locals to utilise local resources and build the capacity of the locals, hopefully further educating the population and expanding the ability for these areas to prosper and therefore develop, which will subsequently have a ripple effect across the country... Well, that’s the plan anyway, and so far people were being very receptive; or maybe Edwin was particularly good at explaining that everyone would benefit from these changes.

The afternoon was spent nosing around lodges and cottages, exclusive and very, very expensive, painfully so. Edwin was still discussing business with hotel owners at this point while myself and Doreen pretended we could afford to stay in this $1000 per person per night, fairly average in my eyes, hotel room. The part I would pay for is the view and the local interaction; this we got for the bargain price of $10 per night maximum at the Gorilla Friends guest house – plus an incomparable atmosphere!

Either way, the day ended on a positive note. We all returned to the Gorilla Friends guest house, to the starkly decorated bar, tired, but in that really satisfying exhausted way that the day had gone well.
The next day would be spent travelling back down, traversing the narrow, terrifying tracks out of the mountains in search of a far flung place called Kisoro.

Tripbod traveller in Rwanda interviews local vendors

2009-09-29T09:03:00.000-07:00

We are, as it happens, lodging at a humble guest-house called Gorilla Friends; we found this apt and somewhat amusing as we are friends of the gorillas – however the amusement may have been at the giant elephant that was in the room, which was that this guest house was a little basic, and we still had to investigate the long drop loos out in the back! Oh my... all we could do now was to have a few beers, happy days! Oh, and the food was fantastic, who would have thought it, eh?

As I had expected, I awoke and was amazed at the misty sunshine all around, like a winter morning in the Lake District really. Just glorious! Then, off we set to do our research; we were to interview the local people on the craft stalls in Bwindi.
As I have noticed, in Africa the idea of competitive pricing is not really evident and also there is no real knowledge that if you swamp the market then there is no market. Therefore, in towns, villages and jungles alike, if man set up a stall to sell crafts then suddenly, within seconds twelve more would pop up surrounding this man’s humble stall, all selling identical products. This is why in Kigali there are regions in the city only selling hardware or only selling clothes and so on, completely overwhelming the customer. This was evident in Bwindi; on one small stretch of road, maybe 100 metres in length, there were approximately twenty craft stalls. It was our job to interview these locals to ask them if they had any interest in expanding business and maybe diversifying into other areas such as agriculture, or interlinking with the private sector businesses such as the very smart private lodges catering to exclusive high-end clients, and selling their products there.

As expected, many already had been expanding, with any money earned being reinvested in the current shop, used to pay for school fees or invested in land - and maybe even in property building. These people utilise all they have, however small, and make it work for them; they make something from nothing. This was mind-boggling; the entrepreneurship and drive of these people in the middle of this forest was just inspirational!

Blog from an intrepid Tripbod traveller in...Uganda!

2009-09-29T08:33:00.000-07:00

I departed from Kigali at 11.30am on Wed. We set off for the border amid beautiful, green surroundings. The Rwandans and Ugandans put every possible piece of land into rotation; I’ve seen people hoeing on almost vertical hillsides! Impressive, but not necessarily environmental; the soil erosion must be massive! I am aware that, similar to the South Americans, plateaus are made into every hillside - no exaggeration; the entire panoramic view as far as the eye can see is a patchwork of greens and browns, ground being cultivated or harvested with massive valleys of tea plantations, hillsides of plantain and banana trees, or little wig-wam shapes across an expanse of hillside which I am told is used to support the beans that grow on vines. The ingenuity and ability to make something from nothing astounds me more and more as I advance further into more rural and more humble communities living in the mountains.

Crossing the border was easy enough; fill in a form, pay some money, the border official looks up to take his 379th passport of the day, looks down…then quickly double takes and suddenly takes an interest as to why this Muzungu would be here. And the questioning begins; ‘How long are you staying in Uganda for?’, ‘Where will you be staying?’, ‘Oh! Only one week?’ All this is asked out of interest and general amusement at the fact that I am there, a novelty if you will; there is no ill-meaning to this questioning at all. I am then – unlike the other people I am travelling with, who happen to be East African residents – welcomed warmly to Uganda; ‘…and please enjoy your trip and you must return to go to Kampala next time!’ All those travelling with me found it hilarious, of course, that they as residents get no welcome or special treatment, whilst I was welcomed. A cynic would say this is because all Africans relate Muzungus with money; I however like to think that it is curiosity which causes an interest in my travelling around this part of Africa.

We arrive at Bwindi, and within minutes of being inside this Tarzan mountain wilderness I see monkeys! Monkeys everywhere; more and more were appearing!

Further on we bounced and skidded along the mountain tracks, inches away from vertical drops of hundreds of feet which stretched down to the valley below. Still we continued, rocketing around this corner, and then the next and then, around the next corner – a truck; we slam on the brakes and skiddddd to a halt…without screams or rude exclamations or noise; we are all transfixed as this beaten-up old wagon, overloaded with people and crates of G-d knows what comes flying towards us…and still nothing was said; we were awestruck into silence! We stopped in time, and all everyone could do was laugh, and one of the boys on the roof of the overloaded truck shouted, ‘Take it easy man!’
Then off we went as before, rocketing off round these mountain passes as if we didn’t just nearly have a head-on collision on the edge of a cliff. At this point I choose to close my eyes and sleep as I’m exhausted at the prospect of watching anymore.

We arrive in the evening darkness; real mountain-jungle, wet, musky-smelling darkness. I cannot wait to awake and see the views I can only imagine are unfolding just in front of me in the dark abyss!

Laura continues her Southeastern Asian adventure... in Laos!

2009-09-25T02:13:00.001-07:00

Luang Prabang, Laos

After a gruelling 24-hour bus ride from Hanoi, packed into the back of the coach along with other travellers and so much luggage and rice that it filled the aisle and every possible floor space, I finally arrived at destination number 5: Laos!

I headed straight to the Rivertime Ecolodge 30km out of Vientiane (as in Clean Breaks), where I was shown to my own lodge right on river (the name doesn't disappoint!). I arrived after dark so the next day I got up early to explore the place in daylight; amazing setting and full of 'colourful' wildlife that the manager of the resort kindly showed me how to photograph properly with macro settings (therapy for my arachnophobia?!), after reassuring me that this was definitely the wrong time of year on the river for crocodiles. Accompanied by Juicy, the resort’s gorgeous dog, I was given a picnic lunch and taken down the river by ‘Kim’ to explore the surrounding area, before unfortunately heading back to the bus station.

I woke up on the bus to a breathtaking sunrise over the mountains surrounding the beautiful UNESCO World Heritage town of Luang Prabang, and to the crowing of a cockerel somewhere stowed in the back of the bus which made me smile. Pulling into a new place at dawn has to be one of my favourite things about travelling: it's cool, quiet and you have the whole day ahead of you to explore a new part of the world.

I dumped my bags in a tiny family-run guesthouse on the main drag and set out wandering the streets. I think I say this about every place I go, but Luang Prabang has really been a highlight of my trip so far and I completely fell in love with this sleepy Buddhist river town. Laos is surprisingly French still; along with all the French translated signs, the elderly guesthouse owner prefers to chat to me en Français, there are baguettes galore, and I keep catching locals playing petanque!

Luang Prabang itself is also really geared towards sustainable tourism and community development. Together with the 'Green Luang Prabang' pages from Clean Breaks, I also stumbled upon the 'Stay Another Day: Laos' booklets dotted around the town, so decided to make the most of my time there and headed straight for a massage at the local Red Cross centre to realign my back after all the long bus rides!

After, I got chatting to Isabel, the owner of Kopnoi - a sustainable local clothing and accessories shop, which also houses the permanent 'Stay Another Day' exhibition upstairs, and along with her family, run the town's best cafe and club across the road.

She explained that she was also currently organising a permanent fashion show to exhibit the rare ethnic minority traditional dresses, so I got to watch one of the rehearsals from the L'Etranger Cafe which the colourfully-attired girls loved! The little cafe became my base for the week - a haven of books to loan, amazing coffee and walls lined with old copies of National Geographic.

Just went I thought I was one of the only travellers in the town (low season), the slow boat from Chang Mai arrived and the place was flooded with backpackers! Luang Prabang is still very much on the SE Asia circuit so I wasn't surprised to bump into other travellers I had met in Hanoi and Ha Long Bay. That evening we sampled some of the bars and, of course, ended up in the town's infamous bowling alley (the only place that stays open past 11pm)! Good fun but managed to loose my flipflops - I guess a sign of a good night! Unfortunately, I had booked myself on the Tamarind cooking course the day before, so we wearily took the 30min xe om ride to the cooking location. The stunning little paradise we arrived at certainly eased my headache! Bamboo huts set over a fish-filled pond, next to a babbling brook, surrounded by vegetable patches. The speciality Laos food was amazing (lots of lemongrass) and I was tempted to sign up to do it all again the next day!

The next morning, a few of us woke up at 5am for the traditional Tat Bak, when hundreds of the town's bright orange-robed monks line the entire length of the main street to receive food offerings from the locals. The spectacle seems so incomparable to anything at home and it was a refreshing display of faith. Afterwards, we spent the morning teaching English at Big Brother Mouse - an informal school / publishing house for Laos/English books. We had great fun chatting to the local teenage boys and learning about life in the town!

In the afternoon, about a dozen of us descended on the Kouang Si waterfalls, a series of beautiful turquoise pools of icy water, and also visited the adjacent Moon Bears Sanctuary. It was great to be in a place where there is so much to do that’s worthwhile and beneficial to the local community – all the travellers I met were just as eager to get involved in everything featured in the Stay Another Day booklet and Clean Breaks, so I really hope the fantastic work people like Isabel are doing in Luang Prabang continues.

I ended my stay in sleepy Luang Prabang with a trip to the top of Phousi Hill to watch an amazing red sunset, before catching the night bus to Vang Vieng.

This week's interview... Totty from Argentina! By Alfonso Lara Montero

2009-09-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

Totty is English but she arrived in Argentina a couple of years ago to write her dissertation and she decided to stay! I became amazed by reading her profile and I thought I had to interview her. She kindly accepted my call and… this is the result! Writing a dissertation in Argentina, amazing stories in a shanty town, socially and ecologically responsible tourism, wonderful countryside…

Do you want to know more? Scroll below. You will not be disappointed!

Alfonso: How are you?

Totty: I am very well, thank you, in Buenos Aires, and the weather is horrible…

Alfonso: Is it?

Totty: It has been raining for 3 days, but it is good because it hasn’t been raining the rest of the year. It has been very dry, so it is good…

Alfonso: It is always good to have some rain, too…
Are you based in Buenos Aires?
Totty: I live between the countryside and Buenos Aires, and I spend around 3 days in the city and 4 days in the countryside. It also depends on the people who come to stay, so if I have guests I have to stay in the countryside. I also have a kitchen garden in the countryside and a cow that I milk, so I have to take care of all these things.

Alfonso: It is very nice talking to you because I am very interested in responsible and sustainable tourism. Not long ago, I interviewed Alan from Mexico and now in the same connection I am interviewing you with the aim of giving our readers a sense of what in responsible tourism is being done across the ocean.
I read your profile and it is amazing the fact that you went to Buenos Aires to write your dissertation and then you decided to stay, to set up your own business and to make it socially and environmentally responsible.
Why did you decide to go to Buenos Aires to write your dissertation?
Totty: Because I did Spanish in my undergraduate degree, then I was doing a Masters in which I could go anywhere in the world to write my dissertation. It had to be on a political topic and since Argentina is a Spanish speaking country and there are certain political things going on, I organized to come here.

Alfonso: You worked in a shanty town… How was that experience?

Totty: I worked at the edge of a shanty town for 3 months, and it was amazing. I was teaching English but it was hard to get children to come there because the shanty town was so big that they had to walk a long way to go to the school and mothers were really frightened to leave their children alone and pick them up. However, the children who came really benefited from it.
On the other hand, the children who came to class had many problems and you suddenly may have found out, for example, that your mobile phone was stolen. Then, in the middle of the class you may hear the mobile phone ringing and you realize it is your mobile phone!

Alfonso: Hahahaha…
Totty: I really enjoyed the experience, but unfortunately, it is so dangerous that after a while I decided to leave it. I was told by people who lived in the centre of Buenos Aires “You are mad, what are you doing? That is so dangerous…” For example, if you forgot to get off the bus, you ended up in the middle of the shanty town. It happened to me once when I was with a friend, and we ended up running for our lives to get back to the school, which was just at the edge. The political situation in Argentina got worse, there was more crime and it was more dangerous, so I decided it was not safe. However, I have friends, who are still doing it and they have been fine; they did not have any problems.

Alfonso: Did you feel that your life was at risk sometimes?
Totty: Not when I was in the school. If you got off the bus, someone came to pick you up and take you there, things were ok, but the situation was dangerous and I felt it was too risk to keep on doing that.

Alfonso: Afterwards, you set up your own tourism business… Why did you take such decision?
Totty: I run a gallery for the whole year, I worked for Argentines and I loved it. Then, I decided it was time to have my own business and work with foreigners. I love having contact with people from outside and the gallery was mainly focused on people from Argentina. The other reason was because my partner and I decided to run a business in the countryside, and now there is a total number of 3 farms. Since I love the countryside, I thought it was a good way to combine being in the countryside, being in a relationship and being able to have my own business.

Alfonso: Do you consider your project to be sustainable (ecologically and socially)? If yes, how do you manage to do so?
Totty: I produce lots of the food for the people who stay. I grow my own vegetables, I produce my own milk. We have our own animals; we do not use any non-organic fertilizers.
It is socially responsible as well because those who stay are in constant contact with nature and we help local communities, since we employ locals as well. We also teach them to grow their own vegetables. We also help to sustain the local economy; for instance, we nearly have 2000 cows in the three different farms.

Alfonso: You have referred to the interaction with locals… My next question is twofold:

1. How do you interact with locals?
2. How do you make travellers experience local culture?
Totty: One of our big focuses is to show people the real Argentina and have an authentic experience. We take people to amazing places that we have found in the surrounding areas, such as a bar where all the “gauchos” come and play their guitar, and they are so happy to talk with travellers… We take them to a big gauchos festival where you see the gauchos doing rodeos and there are lots of stands where they sell all kinds of locally made products. The people working with us are always happy to share information about the countryside and The Pampa.

Alfonso: You seem to be fascinated by Argentina… Taking into account that if you wanted to practice Spanish you could have settle in a different Latin American country, why did you decide to settle in Argentina?
Totty: For Europeans, there is something about Argentina… You almost feel like if you were in Paris or somewhere close home. You have good restaurants… They have everything here. They are very civilised in the city, but when you go out there is an incredible countryside, a huge amount of space… I fell in love with the countryside and the city fits really well since I have a flat here, a lot of English friends, I made Argentinean friends… I may have chosen another country but Argentina just happened to be in the right place and in the right moment.
There are also negative things, such as the queues as regards administrative issues “trámites” (pay the bills!), but I also feel there are less rules, which may not be good, but I love the fact that there is less regulation and I feel more free. There is so much to see here that you could never be bored: the mountains, the icebergs, the sea, the lakes…the possibilities are endless!

Alfonso: It was lovely talking to you. I do appreciate that you attended my call. Thank you so much!

Totty: All right, thank you, bye.

New Tripbod Charlie on a cleaner, friendlier London

2009-09-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

London has for many years been a great destination for tourists and equally a great place to live. Like any big city it’s not without its problems but there are many changes taking place within the local communities and city-wide to create a cleaner and friendlier environment for all. Recently there has been a big drive to get more people cycling around London and I now cycle everywhere; its so easy and often quicker than the underground! The forthcoming 2012 Olympics and Paralympics are already helping to raise environmental and heath issues within the public domain and it’s a very exciting time to be here and see the stadia being constructed!

Delhi by Metro: Interview with Deepa, Tripbod in Mumbai

2009-09-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Alfonso: You define your project as “green and socially responsible”, could you please explain to our readers why the project you are developing in Delhi is both “green and socially responsible”?

Deepa: Delhi by Metro is an off-beat tour of Delhi by students from Manzil, an NGO that works in youth empowerment and learning.

The tour uses the Delhi Metro, as well as two additional forms of 'green' transport that are popular with the common man in Delhi - the compressed natural gas (CNG) powered green auto-rickshaw, and the cycle-rickshaw. The tour provides income for the student-guides, and also helps to finance some programmes at Manzil.

The tour covers both New Delhi and Old Delhi. It starts at Connaught Place, with an introduction to the history of Delhi, and a geographical orientation of the city. From Connaught Place, we take people by autorickshaw on an exploration of 'Lutyens Delhi' - the city of grand public spaces designed by the British, which is now called New Delhi. We drive through the Central Business District, seeing the markets and businesses there. We go to the Lutyens Bungalow Zone, Janpath, Rajpath, and visit the President's House, Parliament House, Secretariat and India Gate.

After this, we board the Metro to go to Old Delhi, where we experience the bustle of the bazaars both on foot, and using cycle-rickshaws. People really enjoy this part of the tour! We visit Dariba Kalan (the silver market), Kinari Bazaar (wedding market) and Paranthewali Galli (Lane of Parathas). This tour is also a cultural exploration of India’s multiple faiths – during the tour, you can see the Jama Masjid, a Hindu temple, a Jain derasars, a Sikh Gurudwara, all standing cheek-by-jowl, a testament to our diversity.

The final stop is at the legendary Haldiram's for snacks (try Delhi’s popular chaats!) and a cold drink. After that, we clamber onto the Delhi Metro again, to end the tour at Connaught Place.

Alfonso: How does this tour contribute to the local community?

The young people who work in this project do not come from affluent homes. So for them, this a great supplement to their family income. It is not intended to be a substitute for a job, but it does help them become valuable contributors to their families.

The price that tourists pay for the trip is 2000 rupees, out of which 750 go to the guide, 250 are for the NGO Manzil and 500 cover expenses such as local transport and the possibility to enjoy real Delhi food in a restaurant. Thus, tourists are getting an authentic experience of Delhi. They are actually experiencing the city on the streets like a local person. Therefore, for the tourists it is a very authentic experience, and for the guide and for the NGO this represents a source of income. Finally, the other 500 rupees is the profit of the trip, and they are for me. I am not doing any charity, this is the profit that I make myself.

Alfonso: In any case, I see that the accountability of the project is quite clear…

Deepa: The price and profitability structure is very clear. Initially, I invest some money, for example, for training sessions that I hope to recover afterwards so long as the project develops.

When we started this project, the guides were not familiar with the history, architecture, etc of the places we visited, so we wrote a tour script and did a three-month training program.

The training sessions were fun!

You can see photos here, and there are more photos on the Delhi Magic Blog:

http://delhimagic.blogspot.com/2008/09/delhi-by-metro-very-different-kind-of.html

We first launched this tour in 2008, and it did well, so I am hoping that by next year, I will break even on this project as well.

I did a similar project in Bombay (called Mumbai Local) and that’s doing very well. I have recovered all my initial costs and it is profitable. It helps that I have very good Google rankings for my websites, so we get a lot of enquiries.

Alfonso: It seems that we have pretty much covered the part on social responsibility, but now I would like to ask you about the fact that this project is environmentally responsible, could you please develop a bit on this aspect?

Is it really a tour by metro? Does the metro cover all areas that you visit in the tour?

Deepa: The metro doesn’t yet go to every part of the city that we visit. Therefore, there are also parts of the tour that are covered by cycle rickshaw and autorickshaw, and others that are covered by walking, such as the different city markets that we visit.

Alfonso: May I ask you how have you defined the tour?

Deepa: Typically when you look at Delhi tours that are covered by most travel agencies, these tours cover 2 parts: Old and New Delhi. In our case, we do cover both, but we do it in a smarter way because we use public transport, not a private car. We do get a lot of queries of interest by non governmental organizations or foundations who would like to do this kind of tour in India. People seem to be ready for such innovative ideas, and that is why it is functioning so well. Hopefully, it will be even better in a couple of years.

Alfonso: Are there similar projects in India that are already being developed? Will there be in the future?

Deepa: In Jaipur, I support an NGO in the area of water management and local self government in rural villages. These villages do not have external funding from international organizations such as the World Bank, the UN, but they have improved their water situation going back to traditional water management systems, and we want to show that to tourists. Again, the model is the same, I take a certain amount of money, a part goes to the guide, part to the NGO. In Udaipur I support a women’s organisation called Sadhna which basically provides livelihoods for women… so people can buy products directly from the cooperative and the cooperative also gets publicity – more people come to hear about them and they make more contacts.

Alfonso: Are these projects running in parallel?

Deepa: Yes, all these projects are running in parallel, so next time we can talk about another of these projects because it is difficult to fit all of them in one interview.

Alfonso: Definitely, one of these or one of your future projects could be the theme for another interview. In order to finish our interview, could you please tell our travellers why they should come to Delhi and participate in your tour?

Deepa: Delhi is a very old city with a very rich history. It is also like a microcosm of cultures and religions, because all peoples from all communities and religions live in Delhi and in our tour we cover all of them – in one road, one after the other you may see all types of temples, a mosque, a church, etc., and we also talk about the way India lives in diversity. Therefore, it is an introduction to India’s history and culture, and most people who have taken the tour say very nice things about it. After this tour people have a better understanding of Delhi because they have experienced Delhi not as a tourist but as a local person, since the guides are not professionals but local students and volunteers.

Alfonso: Well, actually this is the motto of Tripbod!

Deepa: Yes, the tourists can ask the guides directly what their life is like, and they hopefully understand the country from a different perspective.

Alfonso: Deepa, thanks a lot for such an interesting chat. I hope to talk with you about one of your projects, maybe next month? Meanwhile, I wish you success in your professional adventures!

Deepa: Thanks a lot!

Oklahoma makes a great tourist destination (from our new Tripbod Hugh)

2009-09-16T06:46:00.001-07:00

One thing I like to impress on people about Oklahoma City is that it is not strictly Cowboys and Indians. We do not ride horses, unless it’s for pleasure. While our western and Native American heritage is definitely visible, the state, and Oklahoma City in particular, has a rich history.

The city’s “Deep Deuce” area produced some of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20s. Following the Vietnam War, we were a major destination for Vietnamese immigrants, and today the city has one of the highest per capita Vietnamese populations in the country. These and many others parts of our history still thrive, and make the area incredibly diverse.

In the past fifteen years, Oklahoma City has undergone a vibrant revitalization. The newly renovated Bricktown area, previously old warehouses, is now the home to a popular entertainment district. New additions in this area, such as a professional basketball team, quality conference facilities, and new hotels have brought in previously lacking tourists. Beneath these highly visible improvements, local artists and musicians are finding new support for their work, with many small venues and galleries opening or improving. This has allowed for a vibrant emerging nightlife with entertainment of all kinds every day of the week. Even with these developments, Oklahoma City still remains one of the most affordable cities in the country.

The more I’ve left Oklahoma, the more I realize how welcoming and helpful the people are, and I know visitors find the same. Situated next to Norman, home of the University of Oklahoma and 30,000 students, more excitement is just a short drive away.

Oklahoma City does lack a public transport system of any note, and is limited to buses. Despite a metropolitan area population of nearly 1.2 million, the city never seems too crowded. This is because it also has an area of 622 square miles: more than Houston or New York. While I and many others find this one of the most refreshing aspects of Oklahoma City, it also means we are tied to the car. Unless someone is ready to spend a fair amount of money on taxis, a rental is absolutely necessary. Fortunately, traffic is very rarely a problem.

For more information about Hugh and to book his Trip Planning service for Oklahoma, visit: http://www.tripbod.com/expert-184.aspx

Tourism in South Africa (from New Tripbod Jonah)

2009-09-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

Tourism in South and Southern Africa is an incredibly important sector of the local economies here. The U.N. Millennium Development Goals identified and marketed the idea in South Africa that eight tourists equaled one job. With an unemployment rate around 40% (and the majority of those with jobs are informally employed), jobs are scarce and in demand. This problem was compounded by poor governmental planning and the massive influx of unskilled persons from sub-Saharan Africa who complete with the poorest South Africans for the most difficult and least paid positions. The government’s inability to deliver on wide ranging promises has forced it to find a scapegoat for its failure, the issues of race and immigration. Still South Africa has loads of potential and has the best infrastructure in Africa by far.

Note that in Southern Africa, patience is a virtue often lost on Westerners. If you turn sour, instead of being helped faster, you will be ignored. As for sustainable tourism, there are a number of options.

Outdoors adventure activities are plentiful and township tours should not be missed (there are many companies, it is important to choose a good one). There are many family run bed and breakfasts throughout the country, and now there are even some in the townships themselves.

Luxury items like petrol are not necessarily less expensive in South Africa, but necessities like food are discounted significantly. A few luxuries are cheaper however, such as gold, diamonds, and platinum; and best of all, none of them are covered in blood.

For more information about Jonah and to contact him for Trip Planning advice, visit: http://www.tripbod.com/expert-187.aspx

Tea; the basis of Chinese culture

2009-09-08T06:58:00.000-07:00

Tea growing was perfected in China as early as 1,100 years ago during the Tang Dynasty. The Ancient Chinese quickly discovered that the tea trees only grow well in warm, slightly damp climates, with indirect sunlight, and they also knew that planting tea trees along hillsides with loose, acidic soil produces the best quality tea leaves.

The Ancients believed that the processes of picking tea leaves, preparing teas, drinking tea, and writing poems and songs about tea, formed the basis of Chinese culture. Today, many Chinese families still customarily use tea to greet guests.

Chinese teas fall into four categories: green, black, Oolong, and scented teas. These four types are distinguishable by their place of origin and their genus, but more importantly, by their methods of baking. Green tea retains its green color after baking, and the tea made from it is of a fresh green shade, making it a suitably refreshing drink for the summer. Black tea is baked until it is dark all over, and its flavor is more distinct; it is a winter beverage, preferred by older people. Oolong tea leaves are dark brown at the edges, and the tea has a more pronounced flavor. Fujian province is a major producer of this tea, so the local people are very biased in its favour! Scented tea is baked together with various aromatic flowers. The people in northern China, where tea is not produced, have a special liking for this type of tea.

Laura continues her Southeast Asia adventure in... Hanoi

2009-09-03T04:09:00.000-07:00

Destination number 4: Hanoi and the wonderful homestay with Lily's family and visit to her community development organisation!
I spent just over a week with Lily from GEF e.v., a German / Vietnamese NGO which works with orphaned children throughout Vietnam, and was given an amazing introduction to this great country.

After my long journey from China, Lily picked me up from the hostel and took me to the GEF office where I was introduced to the whole team and made to feel really welcomed! GEF have a large base of volunteers from the local universities and many of them came down to meet me and eagerly practice their English!

Next I was shown GEF's main project, the 'Second Home' where around 10 orphans from various provinces are housed, schooled and cared for by the GEF team in Hanoi. I was given the opportunity to teach a couple of short English lessons to help with their pronunciation, and was totally shown up by their beautiful handwriting when I began to scrawl the alphabet for them! Really great bunch of kids and there is a strong family-feel and community framework for them there.

Inspired by stuffyourrucksack.com, I brought with me a bunch of pens and colouring pencils and donated them to the Second Home as I could see they would be clearly appreciated. The organisation has plans to build 2 more 'Second Homes' next year: one more in Hanoi and another out by Ha Long Bay, so I'm sure they will require as many volunteers as possible to help build them!

That morning, Lily and Chau treated me to the Vietnamese staple, pho, (a light beef noodle broth) for breakfast and now I am hooked! For lunch, the whole office eat together around the meeting room table, with mixed meals that get delivered each day - couldn't have been more different to my jacket-potato-at-my-desk lunches back in London! Everyone was very impressed with my now-honed chopstick skills, and after lunch, when I thought things couldn't get further from my daily office routine, Lily rolled out a couple of wicker mats and we had an hour's nap - a kind of SE Asian siesta! This is definitely something I will suggest at home!

To get to Lily's house after work, we jumped on the back of a couple of motorbikes and entered the noisy sea of Hanoi's rush hour traffic. This was my first experience of the city's roads and I spent most of it white-knuckled, eyes closed, simultaneously laughing and swearing, truly believing these would be my last moments on earth; my driver weaved through the dense tide of beeping motorbikes and crossed main highways with nothing but the 'just go' attitude! After a couple more rides I was somehow used to it and by the end I looked forward to the 30min suicide-ride each morning!

Back at Lily's house, I was introduced to her family, and again, was made to feel so welcome in their home. They are expecting another addition to the family in December with recently-married Lily 5 months pregnant! I had such a great week here, really enjoying being part of their daily life, and her mother's fantastic home-cooked dinners which we all ate together each evening. Although Lily and the volunteers tried their hardest to teach me as many Vietnamese words a possible, I think the most valuable one was 'nhar' (I have no idea how this is spelt!), meaning 'full' - crucial when fed by such a generous family! One night, we all went for karaoke and hotpot - neither of which I had experienced in Vietnam before so had no idea what to expect but had an amazing night out with everyone! Karaoke is an institution there and everyone is well practised - after a few beers, I was singing some MJ classics with Lily, and by the end, nominated to duet with any song with English subtitles, regardless of whether or not I had heard it before! Lots of fun, finished up with a 'lau' (hotpot) supper; about a dozen of us sitting around a couple of burners on little plastic tables and chairs on the street corner, while a huge plate of meat (at least 15 different kinds of red, white meat, fish, offal, shell-fish, and things I couldn't even hope to identify) was served up for us to cook in the wide-rimmed bubbling broth on the table, along with noodles and greens. Definitely the most fun meal I've had yet!

Feeling slightly ropey the next morning, I accompanied Lily to an annual national symposium on Alternative Care for Vietnam's Orphaned and Vulnerable Children. I was so grateful I had the opportunity to attend this as I learnt so much here about the current situation of foster care in the country. The next day Chau and Bao from GEF and some of the volunteers took me to visit Bat Trang village, famous for it's ancient ceramics heritage. We all made little clay pots and painted them, which everyone had a great time failing at! I have optimistically sent mine home so fingers crossed, it will be there when I get back! Being with the volunteers was like having my own exclusive tour guides, telling me about the history and culture of the place, plus I got to hear about what the kids here get up to and what they all do. I was even given a personal tour of the city, combining all the big tourist attractions with the best ice-cream parlours, street snacks, and local hangouts where they like to drink cool pure sugar cane juice (way too sweet for me!). They wanted to hear all about London, what and where I studied, what I ate, etc, and I received peels of giggling when I pulled out a couple of passport photos of my stubbly boyfriend! For my last meal with the family, I shared a beer and dried squid (traditional accompaniment I'm told) with Lily's father and husband, and thanked them profusely with 'cam ong's (thank you) for their hospitality. I previously asked one of the volunteers to translate a small thank you message which I wrote out and gave to Lily's family with some small gifts from Bat Trang so despite the language barrier, I hope they knew how thankful I was!

This was such a fantastic introduction and insight into Vietnamese culture, family life, history, food and day-to-day living, plus all the great things GEF are doing to help orphaned Vietnamese children. GEF's future projects sound like they will continue to find homes for these children in small, family and community orientated 'second homes' and will definitely require lots of extra hands to help with building them in the coming months! I greatly appreciate everything Lily and GEF did to welcome me into their fantastic country; I thoroughly enjoyed myself and I'm sure this will be the most memorable part of my trip. I wish them all the best of luck with their future development.

2009-08-25T06:26:00.001-07:00

Yangshuo

Destination number 3: the beautiful Yangshuo in southeast China. Bus dropped me off at silly-o'clock in the morning, so I jumped on the back of a scooter, precariously balancing my huge rucksack on the back, and headed out to the Giggling Tree Hostel as so many people had recommended it to me.

Was weaving through the stunning karst peaks for sunrise, listening to the first morning cockerels and the odd frog croaking in the surrounding paddy fields as the first farmers began to emerge. Couldn't have been further from the beeping horns and madness of Shanghai and HK!

I had a wander around the fields to the river close by waiting for the hostel to wake up, and everyone I passed gave me a cheery 'ni hao' (hello) and a smile. I passed a leathery old lady carrying twice her body weight in some sort of crop, which I realised when I was closer were raw monkey nuts - I had no idea how these grew and so took a couple of photos; she thought this was hilarious so pulled out a handful of roots with the nuts and handed them to me to munch on. However, the perfect idyll was not to last as 3 massive coaches laden full with Chinese tourists pulled up seemingly from nowhere.

The colourful troop made a beeline for the river where hundreds of bamboo-rafts were waiting to take them on a leisurely river cruise. Although I enjoyed a great breakfast at the hostel, it was fully booked so I headed back into town and checked into the renowned Monkey Jane's hostel, a great place to meet lots of other travellers, take in the scenery from the rooftop bar, and enjoy one of Jane's 'family dinners' cooked with fresh food she buys from the market.

Met some really interesting people here and got the impression that this is a town travellers definitely get stuck in: many of them had been there for weeks! After a couple of days of lazing around, playing beer pong and recovering from hangovers, I decided to head back out the the countryside to explore it properly by bicycle.

With a couple I met from the hostel (Kim and Nathaniel, a pair of veteran Couch Surfers and Burning Man Festival-goers!), we climbed to the top of Moon Hill through humidity you could practically see, but well worth it for breathtaking panoramic views of the limestone mountains as far as you could see. Thoroughly enjoyed getting lost on the way back as we cycled through the rice fields and tiny villages, past water buffalo and the odd equally lost camera-wielding tourist.

The best way to appreciate the landscape is undoubtedly with a hot air balloon ride so we booked one for the next morning but I had the worst night's sleep worrying that I would sleep straight through my alarm that, of course, I did and almost missed it! The dutch hostel owner had to come and wake me up as the guys in the minibus were waiting outside! So glad that he did though as this was the highlight of my trip so far. We were 800ft up as the sun peaked out from behind the mountains, and it was so quiet we could hear the cockerels on the ground below. Really hard to describe without sounding so cliche but it really was incredible and the views of the endless karst landscape were just magical, especially at 5.30am (photos just can't capture it!)! Our skilled 'balloon driver' (?!) took us so low we skimmed along the river and then got near enough to the peaks we could grab a tree branch! His piece de resistance was landing the balloon: with less than 2ft either side of the basket, he set us down on a narrow track with paddy fields and a shed either side, in between 4 crossing overhead wires.

I'm glad I didn't realise this until we got out and stood back!! I finished my time in the beautiful Yangshuo by cycling down to the river with a couple of friends for sunset and some cool beers - pure bliss!

Ecotourism in Mexico

2009-08-25T05:06:00.000-07:00

This week I am delighted to introduce you to Allan Rhodes, an English-Mexican friendly Tripbod who kindly agreed to be interviewed to be interviewed for our weekly blog interview.

Allan, with a University degree in Business Management and a Master in Tourism, Recreation and Parks Management, has worked for the National Commission in Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) for Mexico as a national advisor in tourism in protected areas. In the year 2001, he founded a website promoting ecotourism in protected areas called ecoturismo.latino.com and now he works as an independent consultant for ecotourism and community tourism in Chiapas (where he lives), Veracruz and Oaxaca.

In my interview, I asked him about his current exciting project, since I am especially interested in the awareness and promotion of responsible tourism in these times of mass tourism.

Alfonso Lara Montero (ALM): In 2001 you founded your website promoting ecotourism in protected areas. Where did the idea come from?

Allan Rhodes (AR): The idea came from after travelling through Europe in the years 1999 and 2000. Since I am half English half Mexican, I was working in a hotel near Plymouth in England, and the idea was to develop a website of Latin American destinations related to ecotourism. The idea was that I would travel through Latin America and write about the destinations I visited, the communities and protected areas. When I came back to Mexico, I set up the website, I worked in several projects. I have not been able to do that trip but I have been in contact and created the web called Ecoturismo Latino (www.ecoturismolatino.com), thanks to contacts made on line and it was interesting because it was a way to get involved in consultancy projects here in Mexico and, for example, I have developed the national strategy on tourism for protected areas at the national level with the National Commission in Protected Natural Areas in Mexico. After that, I worked within the Agency, and I have not really touched Ecoturismo Latino at lot because it was not proper to work in government and promote a private enterprise at the same time. The idea thus came from travelling that I love, and the idea was to create a space for travellers, and where ecotourism entrepreneurs could get in touch. That was the main idea.

ALM: What is concretely your aim with such a website? How do you implement that aim?

AR: The concrete aim was to create an information website. Created in the year 2000, then we did not have the tools we have now, Facebook, twitter, etc. The business model was about having online free information and a bit of advertisements that could sustain economically the website. That never happened and I made my living through more consultancy work. The aim of having information on line was achieved, but I had to concentrate on other projects that were giving me money. So, Ecoturismo Latino sustained itself thanks to other projects. Now the idea is to create a platform integrated with Facebook where travellers can share information. Also, we got in touch with Tripbod because we wanted to become advisers for travellers coming to Mexico or Latin America.

ALM: What you have just said is actually linked to my next question. What are the services offered by Ecoturismo Genuino? And Whom are these services addressed at? One of these services I guess is advising…

AR: That’s the new business model we are looking at. One of our main objectives is to be translated into English and Spanish. We have a combination of Mexican nationals going to protected areas but also international visitors. In the case of Mexico, most come from the USA, so that is why we wanted to have our website in English. It was quite of a challenge because I was the webmaster, translator and everything, so it got a bit difficult. That is why for the moment it is just in Spanish, because it was easier to have it in one language, as a first step.

It is mainly addressed at people speaking Spanish within Latin American countries and Spain. We have found out as well that many Europeans have started to speak Spanish as a second or third language, and it is becoming very popular amongst Germans, French, even English, Italians and they want to practice. That’s actually the way we can get in contact with other countries.

ALM: In your web page you speak of “Reuniones Verdes” or Green Meetings in English? What does this concept mean?

AR: Here you are referring to a different website: Ecoturismo Genuino (www.ecoturismogenuino.com), this is my consultancy website. The one I referred to previously is Ecoturismo Latino. In Ecoturismo Genuino we work with government agencies to help local communities develop eco and community tourism. The other area we work on is Reuniones Verdes or Green Meetings. This idea came out from an article talking about the States in which business where fostering corporate meetings in natural areas, so we thought it would be a good idea to develop the same thing in Mexico. Here tour operators are turning their operations to offer services to the big transnational corporations so that they can have team building meetings in natural areas, but we didn’t want to go into the team building business. The idea is that companies not have their meetings in a hired hotel but go out from the city and contribute to the local economy and ecotourism projects, and the company can have the strategic planning or evaluation meeting in a protected area. It was a different experience from having the meeting in the city and go into the country, enjoy the surroundings, but at the same time receive the services of facilitation provided by Ecoturismo Genuino.

ALM: It seems that you promote tourism at a sustainable pace and try to help local communities. How do local communities respond to such initiative? Do you cooperate with them? How is that cooperation implemented?

AR: They are responding positively because they have the infrastructure, since they have been helped either by the government or by NGOs, but the main problem in Mexico is marketing. They got everything but they can’t because they do not have connections. Tourism is becoming the economic alternative in rural areas, but most people there are farmers so they do not know anything about tourism, and therefore, they have lots of trouble in selling their services. We offer them this alternative, and they welcome the idea. We are developing contracts with several of the community based enterprises near to the cities or near airports.

ALM: Do you have any partner in this adventure? Are there similar consultancies in Chiapas or other Mexican states with whom you work?

AR: In the consultancy part we do have lots of partners for advising or helping communities developing. In the case of Green Meetings, we have made an alliance with IIFAC (International Institute for Facilitation and Conflict Solving) that works in Latin America and other countries. They are the facilitators and we provide the logistics. Please see this link to see how we are working with them: http://www.iifac.org/index.php?m=46&s=1&l=sp.

ALM: From 2001 to 2009, it seems that the project has been successful. How would you assess these years?

AR: I could evaluate it in 2 ways. One of the successes is that through the Internet, and working in consultancy and with the government, I have positioned myself as an export in ecotourism in Mexico. The Internet has been a tool to position myself and my websites as a good reference on responsible and ecotourism practices in Mexico at the level at which I do not even have to market my services, but my clients come directly to me. Economically speaking, Ecoturismo Latino has not been a business, more a non profit enterprise, but Ecoturismo Genuino has been very successful, we started this year our consultancy services and they have been very successful. As regards Green Meetings, this year has been the year of developing the idea, making contacts with the community based enterprises and we look forward to launching more formally and promote it more within national and transnational companies in the year 2010. I think that we need to work a bit more in Ecoturismo Latino to relaunch it and recover some of our clients. Now, we have to do that.

ALM: Therefore, it is going to be a hard year of work…

AR: Yes..

ALM: Thanks a lot for your time, I wish you all the best and all success in your professional adventure.

AR: Thank you very much and thanks for this little chat.

Laura's South East Asia Trip - Hong Kong

2009-08-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

Destination number two - Hong Kong! Another crazy busy city but definitely one that that grew on me. Took me a while to make up my mind about HK as it's own identity seems a bit confused - still very western (from the fact that everybody speaks fluent English to all the orderly queues and many British-style pubs!), but at the same time an increasingly Chinese identity is creeping in. This is best demonstrated by the language as Catherine, a Hongkongese ballet teacher, explained to me, is an odd mix of Cantonese, Mandarin and English. She often combined all three in a sentence.

Crossing the border between China and HK, the landscape changes rapidly into an alternating series of lush green mountains, peppered with a few water buffalo, and clusters of impossibly high apartment blocks. A couple I met on the train from Shanghai were kind enough to give me a culinary tour of their country and invited me for a fantastic dim sum lunch, followed by a traditional street stall sweet, roughly translated as 'little egg balls', which were delicious. We also tried some of the medicinal teas sold on nearly every street - they were revolting and tasted more like a bitter, treacly, swampy liquid! They also took me to a great Japanese restaurant in Sheung Shui where trying the octopus sushi was mandatory...

I am still thoroughly enjoying travelling alone - I definitely see a lot more in a day and really absorb what I am seeing. Plus I get to meet lots of locals who are all keen to practice their English and help me out when I look lost!

Riding buses all around HK is a great way to see a lot as the scenery is spectacular, especially on the islands. It must be said that wandering around the denser areas of the city can be tricky as most of the walkways are raised above the roads and connect one mall to the next, so it is possible to cover great distances without ever touching the ground!

The hostels are generally terrible, and after changing a few times and realising they are all bad I settled on the cheapest in the notorious Chungking Mansions. There are lots of great bars in the city though, and I spent a night in a back street Egyptian bar for some guy's birthday smoking shishas and drinking mojitos; we ended the night with a lock-in playing poker and eating a baklava birthday cake the managers surprised us with!

HONG KONG HIGHLIGHTS
- Catching the legendary Star Ferry from Tsim Sha Tsui across to Central on a clear evening - without a doubt the best way to appreciate the incredible Hong Kong cityscape
- Riding the 1900s-style tram at a 45 degree angle to The Peak, again, best on a sunny day for stunning views of the whole island
- Relaxing in the tai chi garden of the surreal HK Park, tucked away in between the skyscrapers (don't miss the Jurassic Park style aviary)
- Visiting the many tranquil Tin Hau temples in HK: havens amongst the endless malls and offices. My favourite was one out near Jordan, with hundreds of spiral incense burners hanging above your head
- Spend at least a day wandering around the city's many markets. From the fairground-like fish market, flower, jade, bird and junk markets (where there were stalls dedicated to anything from bells to buttons), to the colourful food markets where fresh fish takes on a whole new meaning; they are typically kept alive in water until you pay, and in Sai Kung the fishermen don't even get out their boats - hungry punters simple point from the pier and the fish are handed straight to the restaurateurs for cooking
- Trying to catch a good photo of Hong Kong's legendary but endangered pink dolphins on one of the official HK Dolphin Watch boat trips, as featured in Rough Guides' Clean Breaks, as the fee goes straight to their conservation projects
- Kadoorie Farm in the middle of the New Territories is a must. I stumbled upon this place and was so glad I did! Nestled on the side of a steep mountain, there are terraces of organic crops, a collection of rare animals and plants, ideas for sustainable living and agriculture, with a real community feel to the place. The mere 85p for entry also included a fantastic 2 hour bus tour of the farm (although the guide only spoke Cantonese, I got the gist of it!). We were taken to the highest point on the whole island, where tucked away were beautiful shrines, an orchid house and an open-air butterfly garden
- Finally, the highlight of HK for me was Lantau island. The views from from the cable-car through the mountains and over the water up to the gigantic bronze Buddha were stunning. On the other side of the island is Tai O, a tiny fishing village raised above the mudflats on wooden stilts - a world away from the neon lights and skyscrapers of Central!

News from Tina, Tripbod in Guangzou

2009-08-13T01:22:00.001-07:00

"I came to the house of friends last weekend, her family live in the countryside of Guangzhou nearby. named Conghua (one of the distrct of Guangzhou ) which product fruits and the hotspring. the yard of her plant many fruits , we came to pick some to eat . the third photo is the scene of Zhu River.
Best Wishes
tina"

To Ireland by sail and rail

2009-08-13T00:24:00.000-07:00

Ireland is my new favourite escape.

This is not just because of the Guinness, the food, or even the beautiful countryside for that matter, but the fact that it's so easy to get to but still feels like another world.

Given that we try to avoid flying where possible, we booked our Sail Rail tickets, amazed they cost only £50 return from London

We jumped on a train at 0930 direct to Holyhead, which is one of the most beautiful train journeys sweeping the Welsh coast and passing small fishing villages along the way.

A quick change at Holyhead and you're on an Irish Ferry, which was surprisingly plush. You can choose to stand out on deck and watch Wales disappearing behind you or snuggle up in the comfy chairs and watch a movie.

We were in Dublin by 1730 feeling rested from a relaxing journey, then headed straight to Wicklow.

County Wicklow is a wonderful area, just 35 minutes south of Dublin yet boasting some of the most remote rural areas you could hope to find.

We stayed in a traditional hostel called Glenmalure Mountain Lodge. It was paradise, situated at the foot of the mountains along a 6km track from the nearest small road. It was about 15km from the nearest village shop.

In the hostel there is no electricity or running water, so if you like your creature comforts you may be better off staying in the cosy pub down the road. But for 15 Euro a night you can't really complain.

Burbling through the lodge's garden is a mountain river which has ideal bathing pools for washing and splashing around. There is also a natural spring delivering the crispest mountain water you'll ever taste.

I should mention that we were the only people staying here apart from the warden so we really had the whole place to ourselves.

By the time we had to say goodbye and return to the bright lights of Dublin we felt we could have done with another two weeks there. Still, we'll be back. And for just £50 return by Sail Rail, we might be back sooner than we thought.

Friday's Interview: Baira in Moscow

2009-08-12T02:36:00.000-07:00

I chat to our Tripbod in Moscow, Baira, regularly on Skype. This time I decided to ask her a few questions about visiting Moscow in the summer. Such great images of walking around Moscow, day trips to see the Russian countryside and exploring the real Russia. She also gave me a great insight in to the religious and cultural mix that makes Moscow such a special place to visit. She has the typical voice of a Tripbod - so passionate about the genuine, authentic side of life in Moscow.

Dot Pinkney: ok, so 1st question, would you recommend Moscow to independent travellers?

Baira: Sure, Moscow is a very unique city with amazing and complex history and a bustling mix of diverse cultures. This is truly the city where east meets west both in geographical, cultural, and religious respects

Dot Pinkney: what are the main cultures that come together in Moscow?

Baira: I also think that it's very important to travel in Moscow independently from touristic guidelines which cover mainstream attractions only

Dot Pinkney: what kind of mainstream attractions would you recommend to stay away from?

Baira: so sorry, my computer got a virus i guess

Baira: it switches off every 20 min

Dot Pinkney: oh no :(

Baira: so i need to be quick :)

Dot Pinkney: cool cool, so last question was 'what mainstream attractions would you recommend to stay away from?'

Baira: I guess Russian mixture of cultures can be described as a layer cake where the layers interconnect on mix with each other. The lowest level (the basis) is Slavic Russian culture. The main characteristics of which are orthodox religion, mentality of being the linking unit between west and east and at the same time the mixture of both east and west.

Baira: Plus due to the long historical relations with central Asian (Mongolian) and tartar Muslim cultures a number of Russian republics which comprise Russian federation are Muslim and Buddhist.

Baira: Besides, there are some autonomous regions which are populated by Greeks, Jews, Turkish and Finn nationalities.

Dot Pinkney: is orthodox religion still strong in Russia, or Moscow?

Baira: Yes, Orthodox religion is still quite strong in Russia. Despite recent communist atheist past Russians managed to revive their religiosity which was rooted about 13 centuries ago

Baira: So most of the older population are quite religious as well as many of those who are 40-50

Baira: Younger generation brought up with pop culture, freedom, and indifference caused by chaotic 90s is non-religious

Dot Pinkney: Is Moscow very different from the rest of Russia would you say?

Baira: Many Russians say that Moscow and rest of the Russia are different cultures.

Baira: = are different countries

Baira: Moscow is way more expensive and way more independent politically, economically, and informationally than the rest of the country

Dot Pinkney: Ok, so tell me what Russian people like to do at the weekends at this time of year...

Baira: well quite many people prefer going to the parks and residents like Tsaritsyno or Kolomenskoe with their families and friends to have a rest from hustle and noisy traffic.

Baira: the others go swimming/hiking/cycling..etc

Baira: some like to spend their weekends at night clubs mostly or numerous bars

Dot Pinkney: where can you go swimming near Moscow?

Baira: There are some small lakes and forests near the city like Serebryanyj Bor where people make barbeques and can swim

Baira: but they all have sth in common - Russians try to get the full advantage of summer and enjoy the sun and warm weather

Dot Pinkney: Can you experience true Russian countryside in a day trip from Moscow?

Baira: Sure, just take a short train (called elektrichka) to one of the ancient cities of Golden Ring like Vladimir or Yaroslavl which are incredibly beautiful and at the same time or have all the features of being really Russian: small wooden houses, slow pace, tiny orthodox temples

Baira: and very little traffic :)

Dot Pinkney: Is it dangerous for foreigners travelling outside of Moscow?

Baira: well if you take a short train to one of the cities of Golden Ring or St Petersburgh or other cities of up to 6 hours of travel it's quite safe I think

Baira: It can be risky to travel alone by TransSiberian train in the communal wagons where all people are located without doors and section divisions

Dot Pinkney: well I could go on asking you questions but it’s late in Moscow so I should let you sleep! I hope we can talk more and more about travelling in Moscow at our online seminar, which will be hopefully next week

Baira: superb :)

Our Tripbod Deepa has been setting up new tours in India

2009-08-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

I have two tours coming this season - one in Delhi called "DELHI BY METRO" - this is a green tour and a socially responsible tour - and it's just gone on my website: http://www.delhimagic.com/metro.html

We started this tour last year on a trial basis and it has gone very well indeed, so this year its on the site.

The second tour that's coming up is in Jaipur, and it's in partnership with a local NGO as well, in the area of water management and local self government. Here is the story of how it all began....

CLICK HERE TO READ HOW IT ALL BEGAN

Twenty-four hours in New York

2009-08-07T09:30:00.000-07:00

My last travel adventure was a good month ago now. I felt it was time to relive it by retelling it. I find recounting travel stories more than a little self-indulgent but its a Friday so I'll allow it.

I was staying in Boston so decided to go to New York for 24 hours and visit our Tripbod person there, Scott. The Peter Pan bus was great apart from the 8am stop to get something to eat when all there was was burger or pizza. To my suprise the other passengers all returned with greasy parcels in their hands. 8am.

I arrived in NY and met Scott. We walked around the city centre down to Madison Square where we saw around 50 people waiting outside a kiosk. Apparently its the best place to get burger in NY; the proof is in the queue. I think New York has a particularly faddy culture, but that may just be from watching too much Ugly Betty. We passed the New York library - the famous location of Ghostbusters.

We walked through the farmers' market in Union Square. Apparently NY state is so much bigger than people realise and they have a lot of their own produce, including wine. I didn't realise how small Manhatten was until my sister showed me the map. I said, 'that can't seriously be a real map'. It was just a massive grid.

We passed a closed-up building where Scott (a political student) had recently held an occupation against its closure and the policies of his University President. Some people got arrested and now face hefty legal fees. So friends throw warehouse parties to raise the fees. The parties get shut down by the police, which brings more legal fees, which leads to more parties. That's the life of anarchist for you.

We took the Statten Island ferry because its free. I felt a sense of the people who first arrived here once upon a time. Anyone with a name that couldn't be pronounced got americanized (recently referenced on the Simpsons who got changed to... The Simpsons). How times have changed. New York does feel like a tour of a movie set sometimes and I think the Statue of Liberty is better seen from the perspective of Superman as he whizzes by with Lois in arm rather than from the deck of a very heavy and slow boat.

They have just built their first Ikea in NY and there is a special ferry that runs from the store to a wealthy NY district. For reasons unknown, the opening of an Ikea store always needs a mention.

There were some interesting characters on the boat. A couple of guys were wearing peruvian style wooly hats in 28 degrees centigrade. Fashion these days... Another guy was sporting NY fashion of several years back. He was wearing a full multicoroured shell suit, had a Fresh Prince of Bel Air hair cut and was carrying an actual boom box.

As we headed through Wall Street I saw my perfect stereotypical NY woman (that is, Sex and the City) looking pristine in her well-cut suit, cashmere sweater, heels and pearls looking impatient with one arm full of large box shopping bags and one arm flagging down a taxi. She could have been made from wax from where I were standing, something about the melting makeup in NY summer heat.

We took the subway towards Brooklyn as it was time for a pint of water and a pint of beer. There was a great bar serving local beers such as Blue Top and with 3pm-8pm happy hour so we sweated the early evening away in the concrete beer garden out back.

View Larger Map

In the evening we walked in to Williamsburg. Down Bedford Ave there are loads of great places to eat, drink and hang out. Its full of young lively people sitting outside shops, on benches eating icecream, talking loudly and playing guitars. I saw something I liked to call a 'Highcyle' - a bicycle made of 2 frames stacked on top of one another so it looked double decker. We stopped at Dumont Burger for something to eat which was pretty good. I would recommend.

The next day it was raining so much that we decided to give Central Park a miss and have brunch in a place Scott's girlfriend used to work at called Noho Star. The owner is almost a celebrity. Once a well respected doctor, he opened this place 20-25 years ago. Now he has many different restaurants all over the place. He famously once offered $5,000 if someone could find out the recipe for a tuna sandwich from another restaurant. This place has a lot of charismatic regulars. One guy always has to have a full glass of ice next to him or else he starts banging his glass on the table. He orders ice cream after every meal and if you put the spoon down before the ice cream, he throws the spoon at the waitress. Bright red lipstick is part of the uniform here. They get paid only $2/hr which means they even have to pay tax out of their tips. Many of the NY hostesses are models and a headshot is always required.

The NY subway is in a bad condition. It is infrequent and regularly delayed. It wasn't as scary as my images of it from the movie Ghost but convenient it was not. The transport department are expanding the service to the wealthier areas and even re-painting stations instead of improving services down town. They are also increasing fares to support the lick of paint. Scott and his girlfriend are not happy about this at all.

So my time was up and I ran to the bus station as I found out I'd booked my ticket for the wrong day and had to buy a whole new ticket. I hate it when budget travel ends up costing you a fortune. My trip to NY was great but too short. My biggest regret - not trying a slice of NY pizza. I'll have to go back with more time and a bigger appetite next time.

Shanghai

2009-08-04T00:28:00.000-07:00

THIS IS THE FIRST OF LAURA VIPOND'S BLOG ABOUT HER INCREDIBLE TRIP ACROSS SOUTH EAST ASIA... READ IT AS ITS HAPPENING AND IF YOU'RE PLANNING A TRIP TO SHANGHAI, POST YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS SECTION....

Destination number one! Shanghai is a mental city - neon lights, bicycles, umbrellas and people everywhere! The very old and very new, plus the very poor and very rich makes the city feel very Blade Runner. It is divided into various districts from the sci-fi architectural playground of the Pudong (Canary Wharf x100) and the Bund's famous British imperial buildings, to the tree-lined avenues and stately homes of the French Concession and the two 'old cities' - one a replica which feels more like a Disneyland China Town, to the fast-disappearing ancient backstreets where I never seen so many different kinds of meat and fish (most of it still alive!).

The highlight for me has been Shanghai's amazing art scene. I stumbled upon a warren of tiny contemporary art galleries and boutique fashion shops and cafes in the south (Taikang Lu); a network of secret alleyways only accessible from a hidden entrance at the back of a car park. It was a world away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy Nanjing Lu in the city centre which is packed full of endless malls and shops (recession, what recession?!). To find the heart of the art scene, I headed out to the north of the city and into an industrial area, where tucked away was a complex of converted warehouses transformed into contemporary art galleries and studios, complete with the young artists on hand to explain their work. I loved this place and returned to it a few times. Between the baffled locals, rich dealers and paint-splattered artists, I sipped my espressos and absorbed the art and the atmosphere. If I had a bit more money to my name I would have certainly been taking home a few canvasses!

Things I have noticed about the Shanghainese (not sure if this is exactly the correct terminology, or whether these things are unique to Shanghai or are ubiquitous to China yet!)
- The women love to wear high-heels, everywhere. The girl in the bunk-bed above me wears hers to and from the bathroom
- The Shanghainese all have tupawear bottles of tea on hand - from green tea, to dry rose buds, unidentifiable leaves, to 'lotus hearts' as a friend explained (good for the organs, apparently. Tastes bitter as hell)
- On the whole, the difference between pavements and roads is ignored, as are traffics lights
- Recession, what recession?! It's all spend, spend, spend in this consumer-driven city
- Coffee is extortionate; often twice the price of food
- There is a deep respect for education and study. The first thing I was asked was whether I was a student, then where and what I studied. The many bookshops and libraries are always packed
- I have seen many couples hand-in-hand wearing matching t-shirts!

MONSOON RAINS IN SHANGHAI

The rain here is incredible. Through the thick heat, there are the odd days of constant rain. Sometimes it storms and when this happens the streets literally fill up with the immense volume of water that falls.
The first time this happened I was on Nanijing Lu in the city centre and within minutes everyone was ankle deep in rain water and endless umbrella-selling street vendors popped up from nowhere! The instant sea of multicoloured umbrellas was a sight to behold. With the crazy architecture and neon lights, the city already looks like a theme park, so as the rain continued it filled up until water was gushing down into the subways and metro stations - I felt like I was standing in water-park attraction! As the main streets are so clean, everyone either waded through the water barefoot, laughing, or headed straight for cover into the many malls and shops lining the street. However, it was not only the people that flooded into the shops, but the rising tide of rainwater too, so shop assistants quickly got to work assembling water barriers on the shop thresholds, then sealed this with clay which was on-hand, ready for such occasions!

Friday's Interview: Weng in the Philippines

2009-07-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

I caught Weng yesterday in a period of bright sunshine between downpours of rain (in a literal and metaphorical sense). We had some time to catch up on Skype, alternating between voice call and chat, finally resorting to email. Nothing to do with the connection in Manila, it was the Chiswick end that failed.

When asked what Weng has been doing she replied 'work work work'. What on? The Civil Society Organization Working Group on Climate Change and Development (CSO WG on CC and DEVT for short). Its all about 'engaging government climate negotiators in adopting cso positions such as deeper cuts and committments of A1 countries' at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in December of this year.

We chatted a bit about the state of ecotourism in the Philippines. Weng said that whereas before, heritage was the focus of tourism campaigns, now it is ecotourism. Althouth there is widespread recognition of the value of developing ecotourism, some regions grasp the ethics and philosophy behind it better than others. Palawan for example has a very strict protection policy as they have one of the few primary forests left. Thier Mayor is a very active conservationist. The Philippines remains a centre for offshore biodiversity , diving, nature and adventure.

The conversation broke up so we moved to chat. I asked Weng what everyone is talking about at the moment in the Newspapers. It's "the President's recent State of the Nation Address (SONA) and her visit to the US. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has very low rating and credibility because of rampant corruption and human rights abuses by her administration". Weng says that people call her the longest "burning" president. Politics in the Philippines is a hot topic. Filipinos complain regularly but they are tired of unrest and would like a permanent leader. They just feel like there isn't a better option at the moment.

Weng spoke earlier about the Spanish churches so I asked her to explain more about this heritage. She said, "they've been here for 350 years (16th to 20th century). Their legacies are 1) catholic religion 2) catholic churches 3) catholic schools 4) catholic politicians. The Filipinos have deeply imbeded colonial mentality specially for things american now. They loooove american, well except for the leftists", says Weng.

Weng told me about the third largest mall in asia and Jollibee, their own homegrown fastfood chain which is more popular than Macdonalds. They claim their food is more suited to filipino taste but Weng can't tell the difference. Fastfood still dominates in the Philippines as number one food type amongst locals.

Weng's last holiday was to the beach for her son's birthday. Where does a local go on holiday in the Philippines? www.laluzresort.com, south of Manila.

Some tips from Weng for travellers to the Philippines:

What is the next big event – festival, party, national holiday?
"Not till Christmas time. This summer (April-May) was the primary "fiesta" season wherein towns and villages celebrate their patron saint's anniversary or something. People would have different versions of cultural festivities. Example is St. John the Baptist feast day- towns who celebrate this would have its residents pouring water on the people in the streets. Sometimes, angry motorists get into fights with them".

If you took a holiday in the Philippines next month, where would you go and what would you do?
"I would like to visit Baguio, 5 hours north of Manila, our summer capital. It's a mountain city formerly the American's R&R place. There's lots of cafes, art galleries, the botanical garden, and the weather is cooler than Manila's".

Unfortunately we couldn't chat on Skype all day, as much fun as I was having. So it was time to wrap up.

Dot Pinkney: Ok Weng, well I better let you enjoy your evening in peace. It was great to speak to you and hopefully we can do this again soon!
Weng: ok dot, nice hearing from you and sally
Weng: thanks!

Next week I will be speaking to Silvia in Colombia. If you have any questions you would like me to ask, email me at dot@tripbod.com

New Tripbods

2009-07-24T06:59:00.001-07:00

This week we are delighted to have 2 new contacts officially on board. Welcome to Allan Rhodes in Mexico and Totty Pease in Argentina....

"I am an English – Mexican (English father, Mexican mother) born in Mexico City and raised mainly in Huitzilac and Cuernavaca, in the state of Morelos (south of Mexico City). I have had the opportunity to travel in 25 states of the 31 states in Mexico, mainly visiting national parks and other protected areas. Internationally, I have visited more than 25 countries in the 5 five continents of the World.
My university degree is in Business Management and I did a Masters in Tourism, Recreation and Parks Management in Christchurch, New Zealand. In the year 2001 I founded a website promoting ecotourism in protected areas called www.ecoturismolatino.com. I have worked for the National Commission in Protected Natural Areas (CONANP) for Mexico as national advisor in tourism in protected areas. Nowadays, I work as an independent consultant for ecotourism, community tourism and nature tourism enterprises in Chiapas, Veracruz and Oaxaca.
Presently, I live in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas with my family where I enjoy taking walks around the historical center, hiking in nearby natural reserves and working in my vegetable garden".

"I arrived in Buenos Aires over two and a half years ago to write a dissertation for my Masters, which I was doing in Contemporary Art at the Courtauld Institute in London. Just before going back to England, I was offered a job setting up and running an art gallery and an opportunity which was too good to turn down. After this, I spent three months working as a volunteer to children living in a shanty town before setting up my own business with a delightful Argentine. We take people to stay at his estancia just outside Buenos Aires in the Pampas to ride, experience local culture and eat delicious and organic food. I have always loved to travel but I find Latin American history, politics and culture particularly fascinating. I have decided to settle in Argentina because the country is absolutely spectacular and incredibly diverse, the steak is amazing and the people are very warm, kind and welcoming".

Ireland by rail and by sail

2009-07-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

A Saigon Kiss

2009-07-22T07:01:00.000-07:00

During a recent visit to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it is otherwise known, I was intrigued by a reference to a Saigon Kiss. Then I found out...

One afternoon I decided to go for a swim and asked a taxi driver to take me to the local pool. I was pleasantly surprised by the facilities and even managed to do some lengths in between children hurtling themselves into the water from various precipices around the pool and among the swimming lessons taking place.

But I noticed the time and was late for dinner, so jumped out, put my clothes on straight over my bikini and rushed out to find a taxi. I stood and hailed cabs but with no joy. Rush hour was still in play and the streets were grid locked traffic chaos. It was then I was approached by a kind girl who asked if I needed help. On explaining my predicament she giggled and suggested that the wet patches were doing me no favours getting a cab. I laughed, forgetting about my wet bikini. (Note to self, dry off next time.)

The girl suggested I get a lift by motorbike instead. As a safety-conscious traveller I would normally take time to consider my options, but with little choice I quickly agreed. The girl hailed a motorcyclist and told him where I needed to go, then negotiated the price. I was eternally grateful to my new found local expert who'd just saved my skin. I thanked her gratefully and then hopped on the back of the moto.

It is said that if Beijing is the city of bicycles then Saigon is the city of motorbikes. Everywhere you look there are snake-like streams of buzzing bikes, millimetres apart, crossing oncoming lines of traffic in continuous lines. There is no right of way or stopping, everyone maneuvers around each other with amazing skill and success.

The ride back to the hotel was a scream, in every sense of the word. We sped around the city and I felt liberated by the experience, but was regularly gritting my teeth at the proximity of other vehicles. I then received my first (and hopefully last) Saigon kiss, from another motorcycle's engine as we hustled to squeeze through the same narrow gap. I still have the mark to prove the hair-raising experience.

All's well that ends well and I arrived back at the hotel in one piece. After paying a generous tip in thanks I turned towards the hotel door and saw the clock. The journey to the pool via taxi had taken 25 minutes. But the return journey, perhaps not surprisingly, had taken just 6 minutes. I was not only in time for dinner, but thankfully had time to change.

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The act of kindness bestowed on me by the Vietnamese girl outside the pool reminded me of the Global Giving programme of the same name. If you have experienced a random act of kindness while travelling, why not share it? Visit http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/kindness/ (and let us know if you do, we'll publish it here too!)

Laura's South East Asia Trip

2009-07-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

Sally and I met with Laura Vipond today who has just left Rough Guides to follow her dream and do a 3 month trip around South East Asia.

We are putting her in touch with our local Tripbods along the way - Virginia in Hong Kong, Janet in Cambodia, Lee in Laos and Weng in the Phillipines. She will also be meeting other potential Tripbods along the way to meet them and find out more about what they are up to.

Sal's top tip for Laura? Go to the local butchers and ask them to vacuum pack a set of dry clothes, photocopied documents and cash to slip in to your backpack lining for emergencies and in case you get swamped in the heavy rain in Vietnam.

We are looking forward to seeing her pics, reading her blog and watching her video postcards.

Most of all we are wishing Laura a fantastic trip!

Video Postcard

2009-07-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Flickr

2009-07-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

I've been adding new photos to our Flickr account of some of our Tripbods.

Have a look here: Tripbod on Flickr

Welcome to the Tripbod blog

2009-07-14T02:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Tripbod!

Soon to come...

Interviews with our local experts on the ground in far flung fascinating corners of the world.

Trend watching in the world of responsible travel.

The usual musings and banter from Tripbod HQ.

Launch of our new fabulous interim site.

Launch of our new fabulous REAL shebang site.

Watch this space.....