Headline sound familiar? If your answer is yes then you have indeed been following the news recently. If not then you either live on a remote island in the South Pacific or you simply can't read.
Yes, Mexico has had a tough year in 2010. Ever since incumbent president Felipe Calderon launched his war against the hugely powerful drug cartels the country that is home to tacos and sombreros has featured rather negatively in the press. Although this blog entry is not about the political situation there it cannot be ignored that it might have a serious effect on people's determination to visit Mexico.
However, despite the ongoing violence (which is concentrated largely in the Northern states bordering the USA) Mexico continues to be a destination that can offer true bliss to anyone who can see past the discouraging headlines and decides to go.
Mexico is a thrilling nation that is as diverse as it is huge. With a total area that is 5.5 times as big as Germany and 15 times as big as England Mexico can satisfy almost any burning desire. Be it tropical rain-forests, desert plains, pumping holiday resorts, colonial city centres, pre-hispanic temples or sleepy coastal villages.
For someone like me who is half Mexican it is easy to find praise for my beloved country of birth yet with all that is on offer it is often hard to pick out what is just right.
This particular entry will therefore focus on only one town, which I have been regularly going to during the past 10 years and which I have come to love with all my heart and for all the right reasons.
Puerto Escondido (meaning Hidden Port) still has a slightly mysterious ring to it and is often associated with a slightly alternative and hippy approach to the "Mexican side of life". Luckily, despite evident developments over the past years Puerto has managed to retain its friendly and cosy style.
What follows next is a series of pictures that should give you an idea of why I consider this place one of the best kept secrets in Mexico and why anyone who passes through finds it hard to leave.
Endless beaches all to yourself
A rugged wilderness with a stunning beach backdrop
Befriend a local
Watch local boys catching fish and then enjoy a delicious order of "pescado a la plancha"
Grab fresh local produce at the market
Chicken liver and feet anyone?
Fall in love with the tropical wilderness
Join locals and tourists alike for a game of Jenga and a Mojito at "Casa Babylon"
After having written plenty of blog entries in the form or stories and short articles I will adapt my publishing style to a more reader friendly manner.
For now I will only post short entries about things I see, hear, taste, do and feel. This will make it easier for me to write while on the road and for you to digest while on the road.
When there's something worth writing about at length then it will be so. Happy holidays!
Long distance flights are not the most pleasant way to pass your time. Think about it: * Tiny confined spaces * Miniature pre-packaged meals * Night time when you're body clock's on day time * Snoring neighbours or screeming babies * Turbulences * etc.
But then there are moments when you pull up the blind of your tiny window and you are presented with the most breathtaking views that one could only possibly see from 10.000m above sealevel. Pastel coloured Arctic skies glowing calmly in the early morning sun. Then suddenly all the above seem totally worth it. Even for 11 and 1/2 hours AMS -> MEX.
Berlin is not just a capital city. It is a myth, a fable, a fantastic story. If the founding fathers of 1244 had fathomed what would eventually become of their quiet settlement they might have reconsidered. Berlin is not just a capital city. It is a living history book. Former home to two German Empires, The Weimar Republic, The Nazis, The Communists, The Revolutionaries and finally home to the re-united Federal Republic of Germany. Today Berlin goes by many pseudonyms. The New York of the 80's, The birthplace of Techno, The heart of Europe's most powerful country, The place where inconception seems possible.
The bottom line is: Lady Berlin has seen everything and no-one can tell her what to do.
No wonder Berliners often turn a blind eye to what happens in their city. And why shouldn't they? After all the horrors of the 20th century, it's time Berlin cements its spot as the most happening metropolis on the planet.
Everyone seems to have something to say about her these days. I'll be straight with you, if you are planning to pay her a visit you might as well take a 2 week holiday there because a weekend away will never be enough time to pay her the respect she deserves. But if your time is indeed limited, then you could consider the following options to give you a true experience that you won't forget so quickly.
Begin your exploration of the city with a unique tour of its infamous underground life. Like many other cities, Berlin is teeming with secret cellars and half finished metro tunnels but add former bomb shelters, spying stations and other remnants of a decade long affront between the West and the East and you end up with enough material to inspire plenty of conspiracy theories.
Berliner Unterwelten run a series of über-interesting underground tours that take you to some of Berlin's most iconic underworld locations. Most tours start at U-Bahn Gesundbrunnen (where the ticket counter is located) where they also maintain a museum. To get a glimpse of the former "ghost line" D (today's U8) join tour D at Moritzplatz. There you'll be lead into an adjacent station that was started in the 1920's but never finished. Later, the Nazis used it as a bomb-shelter yet due to serious building mistakes it was more of a death chamber than a safe place. The tour then continues to Sebastianstrasse, where during the times of the GDR the wall divided the street into 2 enemy nations. This street played host to many serious attempts to flee the iron curtain of the GDR, some successful, others less so. The tour also includes another half-finished metro station called "Oranienplatz" that was abandoned after the city ran out of money and left the street with a gaping hole for many years. Finally, one is invited to climb through a tiny hole on the street that reminded me a lot of the Viet Cong tunnels in Vietnam. Accessorised with borrowed rubber boots the tour group is lead into an old mother and child bunker that is constantly flooded to just below knee height and bears serious memories of times long passed. At the end of the long corridor a wall was erected that divided the West from the East, even underground. The former communist side is no longer accessible today after people stormed the forgotten bunker to throw illegal parties and destroying a historic place.
If this tour has left you hungry your best bet is to head into Berlin's throbbing Mitte distric and seeking out a cosy cafe such as Das Blaue Band where you can enjoy a hearty breakfast/brunch for less than €10. This will give you enough energy to venture round the various shopping street with all its crazy fashion boutiques and art galleries. Check out stores such as Jacuzzi, Eastberlin, 14oz or Mykita for some seriously bold party attire.
If you fancy a priceless birds-eye view of Berlin then pop over to the Alex for a ride up to one of Berlin's most famous landmarks. Berlin is a city of endless energy that can effortlessly wear you out because you will want to try and cram in as much as possible but beware: taking your time will pay off if you want to have a taste of Berlin's infamous night life.
Of course everyone wants to have a go at Berghain but you'd be well advised to have a back up plan since Berghain's door is one of the most random in the world. "Sorry not tonight" is something you are very likely to hear a bouncer say either to you or someone in your immediate vicinity. You're best off trying outside the busiest times and having a go at the door around 4/5am or on Sunday during the day when the club is still going strong until the early hours of Monday. If you're turned away consider paying either Watergate or Maria am Ostbahnhof a visit. If none of the above tickles your fancy and you're more keen on something even more extreme then make your way to the infamous Kit Kat Club - certainly nothing for people with a weak heart.
Sundays are fantastic days to soak up some serious culture (once you have rejoined the living that is). A good place to start is the beautiful Reichstag, seat of the German government and home to Sir Norman Foster's glass dome. If the queues are too much to bear head towards the Jewish Memorial and the Brandenburger Tor for some iconic Berlin monuments. From there one can go for a relaxed stroll down Unter den Linden, one of Berlin's most prestigious streets.
Another must do activity is visiting the Jewish Museum. This impressive museum that is partly housed in a strange wave shaped construct by Daniel Liebeskind details 1000 years of German/Jewish history in a very interactive and unique way. Visitors are asked to use their own curiosity to find out more about topics such as "The Sukka" or "The German Socrates".
When your day comes to a close and all you want to do is do something that's easy on the senses (depending on how receptive your eyes are to bright colours) you should head to Kreuzberg and have a go at Glow in the dark minigolf. Housed in an old barn on the edge of Görlitzer Park this awesome 18 hole mini golf course has different themed rooms and feels slightly out of this world, not unlike the rest of Berlin.
Of course you could pepper a weekend to Berlin with many other activities (also depending on the season in which you visit - In December visiting the famous Gendarmen Markt Christmas Market is a must do) but you'll never have enough time to do everything so I hope this might work as a little inspiration.
P.S. A single day-ticket for the Metro is valid the whole day on weekends. Just so you know ;-)
Yes. This entry is indeed about the wonderful world of volunteering. Don't we all go through this period in our lives when we have an unquenchable thirst for helping people, animals and/or trees in need? I believe we do. Sooner or later we realize that there must be more to life than working your arse off to climb the career ladder or going clubbing on the weekend and snorting your way through mountains of cocaine or sliding from one disastrous relationship into the next. And what could be better than jetting off to some remote country to help preserve an ancient culture or to save an endangered tree species or to teach a tiny monkey how to survive in the jungle? Probably nothing other than volunteering.
However, we must ask ourselves: "What are the real reasons for choosing to sacrifice our everyday lives and sleeping on a straw mat for 4 weeks? Aren't we just trying to run away from something? Is it that society expects us to give something back? And what do we really expect to change if and when we get back?"
Look at the facts:
* Volunteering programmes can be really expensive (usually starting at $1.000 for 10 days) * We rarely have the transparency of where the money actually goes to * You are asked to live in very primitive conditions with often only very basic supplies and amenities * You are told that the experience will be "life changing" but by the time you have adjusted you're already going home again * Deep down most of us are incredibly selfish and rarely stick to the promises and commitments we made to change our lives after we get back home
So what is the point in volunteering and what can we really get out of it?
I want use my own experience for illustration purposes. In 2009 I was offered a place in an exclusive bio-diversity project on the island of Borneo that concerned itself with "climate change in tropical rainforests". The volunteering programme was managed by UK charity Earthwatch in cooperation with my current employer. Every year 30 or so employees from around the world could win a place in one of many bio-diversity projects and the lucky winners were subsequently sent off to a remote location to support a local research team with its project(s).
Before I left Amsterdam for this 9 day expedition I had agreed on a vague "development plan" with my manager that would see me work on certain areas of my professional and personal skills. Considering I hardly knew what to expect it seemed pretty pointless to make rational commitments towards "enhancing my leadership skills" or "developing my team-working skills" through this or that.
After getting our security briefing in Kota Kinabalu (Sabah, Malaysia) we embarked on a short flight to the other side of Borneo (Lahad Datu) to meet the research team and to head off into the jungle. Our team was a wild mix of nationalities and backgrounds with the only immideate common denominator: We had all won a place on this project through our respective employers.
We spent the first night at the Danum Valley Research Center and made great efforts to adjust to a very basic living. The next morning we were blessed with spotting an Orang Utan picking fruit off a tree right next to our breakfast table, which lead to wild chattering and exaggerated camera clicking. I wouldn't be surprised if the Orang Utan had wondered: "Who the hell are those monkeys there?"
After a short introduction by Senior Scientist and Program Manager Dr. Glenn Reynolds into the actual role of the research center and the projects that are being run from here we continued our journey deeper into the rainforest to our temporary base at the Malua research center. For the next 8 days our lives would be reduced to a bare minimum. No internet, no mobile phone, limited electricity and no hot water.
At first sight, I had to ask myself: "Am I really ready for this kind of basic life?"
Looking back it's funny to note how simple it is to go from a high-tech, high-speed lifestyle to a slow moving, bling bling free life. Not being able to check your Facebook updates was actually a very welcome relief and significantly boosted inter-human relationship building in our team. We even started telling each other stories and had plenty of time to think about our lives back at home.
Our work was tough and I can safely say that I have never in my life perspired as much as I did during those 8 days in the jungle.
Despite having read the project briefing prior to my departure and having researched the Bornean rainforest and its main issues I cannot say that I was prepared for the intensity of the labour that we had agreed to execute. Especially planting delicate dipterocarp tree seedlings along an uneven forest path caused me to loose my breath. Other tasks included the measurement of leaf litter, the placement and measurement of erosion bridges and digging holes for more dipterocarp seedlings. Coming from a standard desk job where most of my tasks can be executed by punching words into my keyboard I realised how spoiled we all are in our office job environments and how we often forget that one cannot actually make things without using one's own hands. In this part of the forest the humidity levels were ridiculously high and not a single breeze touched my soaked skin. It ocured to me that in this part of the world one cannot rely on technology or expensive equipment to help one out because you simply wouldn't get very far off the beaten track. Instead it was a matter of going back to roaming the jungle the way our ancestors did.
I believe the biggest take out (note: I have left out any mention of my creepy encounters with numerous leeches. Maybe another time.) for me was the sheer overflow of first hand information and the unique opportunity to live a basic life surrounded by the some of lushest flora and fauna in the world. Being humbled by a group of pygmy elephants crossing the river that we were swimming in or spotting a stunning ladybird butterfly sailing past our small huts contributed towards feeling more in touch with nature than ever before.
On the 5th day a massive thunderstorm appeared like a black curtain between the trees and blew away anything that wasn't bolted down. Here we were at nature's mercy and it felt refreshing to be so powerless.
Furthermore, after witnessing logging operations near our camp I understood that our world is still largely ignorant to the severe crimes against the environment that are being committed in large parts of the world. Our awareness is often only temporary and we usually cry out: "Someone should stop those irresponsible loggers!" after seeing a poor monkey in a cage who was driven away from its habitat. But 5 minutes later we forget because in reality the monkey is too far away to concern us and someone's status update on Facebook is more interesting.
Logging operations are not just a huge threat to the lungs of our planet but also most of these companies have atrocious safety standards resulting in frequent deaths of their employees who often remain unaccounted for because they were illegal immigrants with no rights or papers. Glenn told me that it was no rarity to see a logger swinging a huge chainsaw without any protective gear what so ever.
In hindsight, my 8 day jungle experience was not just a deep plunge into the simple life but also a unique opportunity to see all the things that are conveniently filtered out by our mass media. We have become so used to chasing the main headline of the day through various media that we have lost interest in looking up the right information that we should really be reading. Julian Assange's arrest? The Euro crisis? The drug wars in Mexico? All topics we know enough about to hold a conversation with a peer but know too little about to really care.
Of course I promised myself that I would start recycling actively, avoid purchasing any products that had been made with endangered species or start educating my colleagues and peers about ways in which one can help save the environment.
And I kept going for quite some time. I recycled bottles and paper and even adopted a butterfly at the Royal Artis Zoo in Amsterdam using a grant and launched an internal awareness campaign at work as part of my follow-up project but all good intentions eventually fade away.
Recommendation
Volunteering can really be an exhilarating experience. No matter if you go to teach English in a remote Chinese village or you help a research team with collecting important data on X, Y or Z it is up to you to make this unique opportunity worth your while. Reading up on all matters important is only of limited help because nothing can really prepare you for what might await you when you actually get there. Generally speaking it is only sensible to make promises to yourself once you have completed your activity as you cannot foresee how it will impact you. But you should try and make a couple of commitments as a promise to yourself! Especially if it involves raising awareness about a real issue such as the logging of one of the oldest rainforests in the world, or the lack of human rights in Uzbekistan.
However, don't expect to come back a completely different person because the comforts of our old lives will never be erased. We're just too used to them.
This song by M83 is as pure as the landscapes of Borneo. Enjoy!
