Yes we should have ?

Greenpeace ad campaigns are always provocative. This one is no different.

If the current health care reform legislation is any indication, climate change legislation and ratification of any international treaty looks even more difficult to pass in the US.

Watching the health care debate and politics made me look back at the Bush years. The Bush white house got whatever it wanted. They had absolute power. Anyone opposing their agenda was quickly branded Un-American.

With the Obama white house, the power appears to have shifted all the way to the Senate. A handful of so called conservative Democrats now control the agenda. It is now very American to oppose what the large majority want!

Hope is the only thing that keeps the treehugger in me alive. So here is to hoping Copenhagen brings about an ambitious legally binding deal to save the climate. And Obama playing a key part in making it happen. Sign the petition if you can.

PS: If the news media has you convinced that the recent email hack uncovered a big scientific cover up, please head over to Real Climate for a sane rebuttal.


Photo:Greenpeace/Åslund

Egypt

After Mayan pyramids, it was only logical to head over to the place where it all began. I jumped at the first chance to visit Egypt. Egypt it turned out was nothing like Mexico!(stating the obvious)

What I mean to say is that Egypt never felt like vacation. It was hard work. Tourism is a big industry here and touts of every form are everywhere wanting to make a quick buck out of you. So it becomes hard to let your guard down and go with the flow. Baksheesh is the very fabric of daily life. Baksheesh was never an alien concept to me, but the intensity and pervasiveness of it surprised me. Baksheesh Stress Syndrome is a real health hazard for tourists! I will qualify that by saying that it is not as bad as the Restless Leg Syndrome ads on TV. The only cure...wads of small change.

In retrospect, the things I did wrong was to go with a sub par tour operator and a punishing schedule. From Alexandria in the north, to Abu Simbel in south, Mt Sinai in the east to Bahariya in the west, I covered almost the length and breadth of the country in just two weeks.

Cairo was the base camp for all ventures around the country. Cairo is a lot like Mumbai. Very bad first impression. Noisy, crowded and choking with pollution. Treehuggers are sure to get a severe heartburn seeing the amount of plastic bottles that float around. But after a while, people say Cairo is a city to like. Two weeks is definitely not enough time for that. Although the last day in Cairo was a memorable one. I was at Abu Tarek restaurant gulping down the popular Egyptian dish Koshari. Made with lentils,rice, chickpeas, noodles, tomato sauce, and caramalized onions it is a delight to eat or in my case gulp. I was in a great mood that day. Maybe it was the Koshari, maybe it was because I knew I was going back to the comforts of my home or maybe it was the fact that I experienced Egypt and survived it.

All said and done, I don't mean to be a scrooge about my trip. I did meet a lot of nice and kind people. I remember being lost one day. When I finally decided to ask for directions, a young married couple tried to explain it the best they could. Then they walked with me it till I got there. That is how kind some people are here. The common man here is like anywhere else, hard working and decent.



Any post about Egypt cannot be complete without crooning about its history. There is so much of it that I was trying hard to learn it all. Carefully listening to all that the guide would say. Hoping to remember everything! Now thinking about it....How foolish of me! There is a reason why an entire field of study called Egyptology exist.



Egyptian history continues to unfold with new excavations and findings every other day. But an ever increasing population is putting a lot of pressure on land and resources. I sincerely hope Egypt is able to build its future while not destroying its fascinating past.

The rest of the pictures are here

PS: Sustainable travel options are few in Egypt. I am guessing the environmental movement is in its very infant stages. Here are a few recommendations.

1) The western part of the country is largely a desert. Here, close to the Libyan border, is the pristine Siwa oasis. Here you will find the highly recommended(Lonely Planet) ecolodge Adrere Amellal. This is a public private partnership aimed at preserving the oasis, its ecosystem and culture. I couldn't make it there but all the reviews I have read about it are great!

2) Bahariya oasis is much more accessible when compared to Siwa. I did go there and I would highly recommend camping in the White desert national park for a night. Ashraf was the tour guide and he was simply the best. Although his tour company planofsafari is owned by his brother-in-law Hany, Ashraf is in fact the heart and soul of the operation. He drives, he is the guide, he cooks, he puts up the camp, he sings and finally when you are tired and ready to sleep he will tuck you in. He is very conscious about cleaning up the camp site. Since this is a family run business, all profits directly benefit their family and the local economy.

Mexico

Soon after Costa Rica, I headed to Mexico. Contrary to what you see and hear about Mexico from Lou Dobbs, there are places in Mexico which are just an absolute delight to explore. The Yucatan peninsula in particular is one such place. The secret to a great authentic Yucatan travel experience is to stay away from the "All Inclusive Package" crowds headed to Cancun. Once you manage to do that, you are guaranteed a rewarding experience.



Yucatan peninsula has miles and miles of beautiful white sandy shoreline. About 2 hours south of Cancun is the small town of Tulum. Here you will find several hotels and cabanas all claiming to be eco hippy. Most of the them off grid running solar panels and wind turbines. While every one claims to be eco, not every one is. Zahra, the place I stayed at was not particularly eco. Make sure you have a copy of Lonely Planet. They have great recommendations if you are looking for eco travel options.

What makes Yucatan special is the Mayan culture and their history. If you fancy archeology, history, meeting people, trying out different food, Yucatan is the place to visit.



Chichen Itza is the most famous Mayan site here and rightfully so. It is a fascinating place and you can't help wonder about the people who lived there, their ceremonies and belief systems and their day to day lives.

If you have seen Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, your view of the Mayans would be one of extreme violence. I was curious what the locals thought about the movie. Many thought it was realistic. Our guide at Chichen Itza Philipe had an interesting perspective though. The ruling elite he said had to control the population. They had to make sure people obeyed them and worked for them. The key to that was selective information. Rituals and sacrifices were designed to coincide with celestial events. The ordinary man, not aware of such things remained gullible. Citizens were expected to sacrifice and kill in the name of religion, beliefs and tribe. Philipe then asked me, "How is that different from today? Aren't politicians doing the very same thing to us? Aren't we killing in the name of religion and country?"

Overshadowed by Chichen Itza is the ruins of Ek Balam. Most tourists skip it. Ek Balam was the best part of my trip.



Since it was not very crowded, I could spend some quality time here, walking around and soaking it all in. The village of Ek Balam is situated a mile or two from the ruins. Here you will find every tree hugger's dream come true eco resort.....The Genesis Eco Retreat.



The structures here are made from recycled materials. The rooms are naturally cooled. An entire ecosystem of frogs, geckos and others keep mosquito levels down. The entire property is watered using rain water harvesting. The pool here is bio filtered, no chemicals used. The toilets all use a wet composting system.

The owner of the resort, Lee, works hard to ensure the local village benefits from the operation. She organizes an artisan tour through the village where you get to visit houses, meet people, make tortillas.

Now that is what I call eco paradise!!!

The rest of the pictures are here

Costa Rica

I had the opportunity of traveling to Costa Rica a couple of months ago. I will have to blame blogger's block for taking this long to post any thing about it.

Costa Rica first interested me when during a class discussion about tourism and sustainability, it was mentioned as a country which has had success with sustainable tourism. I was curious to see it was really true or if it was all hype.

Having gone there, I will have to say it is a mixed bag. In some areas the country is doing really good. It has been able to keep aside large areas of pristine forests by creating a national park system similar to the US. Around the parks, the government has initiated a private public partnership to create a buffer zone. People living in the buffer zone are given incentives to protect the land. The government is promoting the concept of sustainability and has a rating system in place. Hotels and tour operators are actively encouraged to join in.

On the other hand, tourism is a major revenue stream and with that comes some familiar problems. Resorts, hotels and condos are being built feverishly along many of the beautiful coastlines. In some places the never ending caravan of dump trucks and construction makes you wonder if the country is on a death march to resemble South Florida. Tourists are also actively investing in real estate which has obvious implications. Agriculture and cattle farming has an ever increasing footprint. And several locals and park rangers kept mentioning the changes in rainfall patterns and concerns about climate change. And then there is the ever present problem of illegal logging!

Having said all that, there are times when the beauty of the Costa Rican country side will lift you up and float you away. The cloud forests of Monteverde, the pristine beaches of Manuel Antonio national park, the wildlife, the biodiversity and the chance of seeing turtle nesting at Tortuguero are experiences I will never be able to forget. The people of Costa Rica are such a delight to talk to and befriend. It is a country not to miss.



The picture above was taken at the beautiful Rancho Makena. A family run ranch, this place is all about sustainability. From organic farming, to closed loop zero waste operation, this is the place to stay if you are near Monteverde. If you happen to be near Manuel Antonio National Park in Quepos, I would highly recommend the truly eco inn Mono Azul. One thing I regret not doing is traveling to the southern tip of the country. Here the tourists are fewer and the wildlife many. The truly eco lodge Lapa Rios is a place I would love to stay. I met a family who had stayed there and had all kinds of great things to say about the place. Lapa Rios has some of the highest sustainability ratings you can get.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I will say it again, Costa Rica is a country not to miss. Let me end this post by saying what the locals always say, "Pura Vida". It roughly translates to Pure Life. I am sure this chilled out Iguana knows what it means.



The rest of the photographs are here