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Seeking in Barcelona

We sat down for a vegan paella at a restaurant in Barcelona we like specifically for this dish. Plant based dishes are still hard to come by on restaurant menus (more about this in another post). The restaurant is in one of Barcelona’s most beautiful squares – Plaza Real – the Royal Square.

The square is a popular tourist stop, just off ‘La Rambla’. Because of its popularity, entertainers, buskers and artists flaunt their stuff in front of those sitting at tables. The word busker probably originates from the Spanish buscar – meaning ‘to seek’, hence: ‘Seeking in Barcelona’.

Let them entertain you?

While you enjoy your order, a colourful array of ‘seekers’ is busy performing. They belt out opera, play instruments, break dance and juggle. All this creative generosity in the hope of generating a bit of cash.

One such hopeful told us not to leave our phone lying on the table and asked money for his ‘helpful’ advice. We gave him a few coins, for which he displayed a moderate degree of gratitude.

Passing the hat

A caricaturist got seemingly ‘angry’ when he couldn’t sell his work to a family he’d been drawing. He had more luck later with a couple who did like his drawing and his attitude changed for the better.

Certain acts are appreciated more than others and few ‘hats’ get filled more generously. More often, however, acts are ignored and when they ‘pass the hat’ it’s sometimes experienced as a nuisance. It also seems to me that people do not to know how to react when they are asked for money and, like in the case of the caricaturist, feel hustled.

I don’t know what the law is regarding ‘seeking in Barcelona’ (street entertainment) but most don’t hang around for long and move on.

Time to reflect

I was sitting with my back to a man who was juggling. When he came round, I told him that I hadn’t seen his performance. He somewhat aggressively exclaimed that he was 67 and had been in the army as a sniper – he held up a picture as proof. It left me feeling uneasy and made me decide to write this post.

It strikes me that while some entertain with professional passion and dedication some do so out of sheer desperation. For those it’s a way of life maybe not out of choice and we will most likely never know their story. We are the fortunate ones sitting at tables being waited on and entertained (whether we appreciate it or not). I don’t tend to give money for ‘free’ entertainment, unless I feel it’s worthy. But on reflection, what makes it worthy, surely anything we give has value?

Next time you find yourself in a similar situation maybe give a little?

The beach is not an ashtray

We’ve been in Spain for a good few months and are temporarily residing in a seaside town called Sitges, roughly 30 km south of Barcelona. It’s a pretty little town with a quaint historic centre, beautiful churches and magnificent beaches. As the gay capital of Spain it’s a feelgood town.

Sitges is a popular resort with a relaxed atmosphere and many festivals, including the well attended Carnival in February, Corpus de Sitges and Pride in June, Big Bear Week in September and the Film Festival in October. Roughly 35 percent of its population is foreign and in general people are accepting and open to anything that goes.

Because of its popularity it’s not cheap. House prices, rental prices and cost of living are high. It’s one of the most expensive places in Spain. As it’s nearly summer season it’s getting busy and the beaches are build up with beach bars, parasols and beach beds. The cost for a night’s accommodation is a minimum of about €100 and a copa de sangria will easily set you back €8.

Visitors who flock to Sitges in the summer, and its residents, are not short of a buck or two.

Life’s a beach

It’s great being here but a couple of things have been bothering me immensely. Not so long ago we were sitting on the beach close to a group of Dutch students. They all had a good time playing ball, sunbathing, swimming and generally doing what teenagers do.

When they packed up to go they left the beach littered with empty crisp packets and drinks bottles. We were watching this unfold in somewhat disbelief. Surely kids from the Netherlands know better? We approached them and pointed out the rubbish they had left behind. Grumpily one of them took the initiative to go back and pick it up.

And it’s not just teenager who leave rubbish on the beach, many people do. Spain under a European Union Directive introduced new measures in January this year to curb the use of single use plastics.

The beach is NOT an ashtray

This brings me to discuss smokers. It’s surprising, knowing the risks associated with smoking, how many people still smoke. Of course it’s entirely up to the individual but please don’t throw your filter ends on the sand. The beach is not an ashtray but the amount of cigarette butts left behind is astonishing.

When I’m on the beach or in the water, I pick them up and dispose in the general rubbish but it’s an endless task.

Discarded Cigarette butts on the beaches in Sitges create a problem for the environment — The beach is not an ashtray

It’s well documented that cigarette ends essentially are made of plastic and can take up to 14 years to break apart. They leach toxic materials including arsenic and lead.

According to the Ocean Conservancy NGO, cigarette butts are the most common form of marine pollution, more even than plastic bags and bottles, with an estimated 5bn discarded in the ocean*.

Not only do cigarette ends pollute and pose a threat to marine life. How would you feel if you saw a dolphin with a cigarette butt stuck in its blow hole?

Residents of and visitor to Sitges are very likely aware of the issues surrounding plastic pollution. It’s unbelievable therefore that some are so irresponsibly careless.

Think before you smoke

The same directive mentioned in the link above has seen Barcelona outlaw smoking from its beaches. In total 500 Spanish beaches are now supposedly smoke free, including a couple of beaches in Sitges. Ashtrays have been installed at the accesses and signs stipulate it’s forbidden to smoke on the beach. However from first hand experience in Sitges it’s not working. I urge the town council to consider a different approach and explore how best to enforce this rule. The directive also stipulates that tobacco firms should pay the bill to clean up cigarette litter and educate its users to responsibly discard their butts but it’s unclear how this will take shape.

We can all do our thing, please think before you do yours.

* Quote from the Guardian article hyperlinked in this article

Travel during Covid-19

The freedom to travel ended with Covid-19 being declared a pandemic. Lockdown is a word we are all familiar with and social distancing is the new norm. Around the globe restrictions are in place without a clear end date. Most agree that our lives will not go back to how they were.

*Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam temporarily closed*

If, like me, you love travel and value the sense of freedom travel brings, this current situation can be disturbing. How can the nomads and travelers among us find a sense of tranquility and ease with where we are and where we’re going – can we still journey?

You don’t need to travel to journey

For me the answer is simple and somehow the ‘crisis’ is making it more transparent. I embarked on a very special journey years ago. I am still on it and it’s perhaps my greatest adventure of all. It’s the journey within – the ability to travel, explore and be in awe by looking inside.

By venturing into your essence, your heart, your soul (call it what you like) you may find the answer to the questions of: ‘who am I’ and ‘why am I’. You may see the inextricable connection you have with mother earth and how she is the giver of all live on earth. You may feel unconditional love for yourself and everything that exists. The universe may reveal its secrets. As a result you may discover that change is needed.

And … I sense that some of you are making this inner journey without realising it. Responses to the corona crisis for many are innate. People are less selfish, we help our neighbours, we share our food. We check in on relatives and friends whom we’ve not spoken to for years. More time is spent with our children. Retired care workers, nurses and doctors are returning to work to help overstretched services. We even risk our lives.

Questioning the world

The crisis has prompted us to start asking some pertinent questions like: How do we produce food and distribute it? Are our leaders really leading in everyone’s best interest? What is the purpose of this system we are living in and who benefits most? Why is there inequality in wealth? Is wealth our health? Should we be afraid of dying? Can I live with less? Can we trust everything the media reports and can we trust our politicians? Why don’t we more often work from home? What do I value most? What is reality?

As smog is lifting from cities, flora & fauna is slowly returning and waters are clearing up – we wonder: “maybe it should always be like this?”

If you are ready to embark on your own inner journey I wish you much strength, love and light and to lift your spirit have a look at this little clip of a serenade of hope on Amsterdam’s canals.

Ahoy and Aho

All I want for Christmas

Street art reflecting love and pollution - do we need more Christmas gifts? — *Street art Buenos Aires* *reflecting love and pollution*

After 25 years Mariah Carey finally got to no 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 with her song “All I want for Christmas is you”.

It’s great that Mariah wants love for Christmas and does not seek more possessions. Like so many of us she’s probably received a multitude of Christmas presents in her lifetime.

Much has changed since the track was released 25 years ago. At the time I thought the future looked bright. Yet here we are not having managed to eradicate poverty. On top of that the planet is suffering from catastrophic human accelerated climate change. We live in polluted cities. Species are going extinct and plastic pollution means we now breathe and eat the stuff.

I recently wrote an opinion piece where I make the case that the Black Friday phenomena is a bad thing. This because unnecessary pathological consumption the world over is killing us and destroying the planet as we know it.

Many of us don’t associate ourselves with mother earth. We have lost touch with her and have forgotten that it is the planet that provides us with what we need to live.

If you were to ask me what I want for Christmas (and I hasten to say that I don’t affiliate myself with any religion) then the answer is simple – I wish for people to:

appreciate and enjoy their gift of life on earth and treat her with respect
treat those around them with respect and dignity
stop believing they need more
start to query the system we live in
make change happen – we have the power

Simple!

Happy Christmas everyone

Northern lights – Norway – Hurtigruten

We like ships, we like water and we like to explore new regions. We took a journey on a ship that combines the joy of traveling with locals with the luxury of cruise facilities. The Hurtigruten ferries that go up and down the coast of Norway offer just that. Many locals use this service as a fast and comfortable way to travel quickly from northern Norway to the south and vice versa and anywhere in between. Having said that the majority of those on board were tourists.

We sailed with the MS Finnmarken and journeyed from Bergen to Kirkenes and back, stopping at about 34 ports in just under 2 weeks.

We traveled in December and once you cross the Arctic Circle it’s dark for most of the day. You catch a glimmer of daylight around midday but you never see the sun. This is where the northern lights can be seen.

One of our main aims for this trip was to see the northern lights and we did so clearly on 3 occasions. It’s spectacular to see this curtain of light shifting and changing above you in the winter sky. Hurtigruten guarantee a sighting of the northern lights and if there are none to be seen they offer you another cruise but it’s unlikely that they don’t appear. At times you see a faint green shimmer and at times a jaw dropping spectacle.

You have to be outside on deck for this and it is cold so dress warm. After a while my neck started to hurt from staring up but I was too excited and didn’t want to miss seeing any of the sightings. At times the lights revealed themselves for the briefest moment and a times it went on for half an hour or so covering huge swathes of the sky.

Hurtigruten operate cruises in the northern and southern hemispheres and are increasing their routes. They brand themselves as a sustainable cruise liner. I don’t know what it is that sets them apart in this respect other than they use local produce in their kitchen. The ships run on diesel fuel.

Operators that offer tours to the masses to historically difficult to get to areas are in my mind not a good thing. Parts of this planet should stay unspoiled and remain protected by their remoteness.

But back to the journey – it was cold – at times it was stormy – it was dark – but it was beautiful. The many small communities en route, the history of these communities like Hammerfest with its arctic hunting roots and Kirkenes on the border of Russia all provided stunning scenery and interesting stories.

Hurtigruten offer a number of excursions – at an additional cost – and we opted for dog sledging near Tromso, took a trip to North Cape, a trip to the Russian border and a tour of the area around Harstad. We ventured to the ice hotel in Kirkenes under our own steam – avoiding the rather expensive excursion fee.

Life on board is relaxed and the cabin was comfortable – the buffet food is good and there are sufficient dishes for vegetarians (not too many vegan options). Now and again there is a sit down meal when you are waited on.

The quality of the vegetarian food served wasn’t to write home about. I once asked what we had just been served and the waiter replied: “it’s vegetarian”. And there you have it when you are vegetarian you are given vegetarian. If you like fish you will be in heaven but remember that Norway is king of fish farming which is a threat to native species and farmed salmon contains a lot of pesticides.

We hit force 10 just outside Hammerfest and it was a blast – we enjoyed the movement of the ship and the wind but sadly a lot of passenger suffered with sea sickness so keep this in mind if you are thinking of going on this cruise.

Below is a film of our journey – enjoy and as always let me have your thoughts.

From Istiklal street to Kalverstraat: why Black Friday is so wrong

Walking through the Kalverstraat in Amsterdam during the Black Friday period it reminded me of Istiklal street in Istanbul. Rows of shops and restaurants, crowded, slow pace, bumping into pedestrians – for me an unpleasant experience and the prompt to write this article.

Black Friday has roots in the United States dating back to the 1960s to describe the day after Thanksgiving. On this Friday huge crowds of people would go out shopping, leading to chaos and traffic accidents. We now have a Black Friday phenomena that has taken the world by storm.

Retailers across the globe are cashing in on Black Friday. Stores reduce prices, or make you believe they do. Often on luxury items and gadgets, to lure shoppers and see their profits grow.

Consumers are gripped by these so called bargains and go on a shopping frenzy because it’s ‘cheap’. Many never stop to think if they really need the goods they buy; how and where they were manufactured, and what the impact is on the environment. There have been accounts of shoppers literally fighting over products. For some it may be the only time they can purchase high value goods for many it’s more of a habit.

Cyber Monday follows Black Friday when consumers from the comfort of their home purchase online. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are multiple multi-billion events.

Do we really need all this stuff?

People love a bargain – but we rarely ask if we really need all this stuff and what it means for our planet. We know that a large proportion of Christmas gifts end up in cupboards, land fill or charity shops. George Monbiot’s article The Gift of Death is an inspiring read and should feature in the school curriculum as should The Story of Stuff. The Story started as a short film looking at the lifecycle of stuff and has become a global movement.

Pointless pathological consumption in our society is rampant and unsustainable. Wealth is measured by the car we drive and the latest gadget we possess. Somewhere along the line of becoming prosperous economies we have sacrificed our precious planet and in doing so our own well being and community spirit.

We breathe toxic air, swim in seas of plastic, eat contaminated food and battle freak weather as a result of human accelerated climate change. The climate emergency is gaining widespread attention but as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg remarked at the COP 25: “not enough is being done and a year of school strikes has achieved nothing”.

Sustainable solutions and initiatives

Thankfully there is a growing movement of conscious individuals, collectives and organisations who are starting to realise that current levels of over consumption and unsustainable polluting production is disastrous. Consumption at current levels cannot continue if we and future generations want to live healthy, safe and full lives.

The Circular Economy is a systemic approach to economic development which promotes manufacture by eliminating waste and using the same resources over and over again. This school of thought is making great strides and there are now university degrees in the subject.

We need to rethink ownership of goods and sharing of goods. Why do I and all my neighbours own a lawnmower each, a washing machine each, a power drill each and so on. Why not share in joint ownership of sustainably manufactured products and so eliminate waste and precious resources – and save money. The Sharing Economy promotes this type of thinking. Sharing platforms like Airbnb and car sharing schemes are booming.

Instead of buying new consider Second Hand – there are plenty of second hand (online) stores and Freecycle networks out there.

Minimalism is a movement that’s on the rise. It’s not for everyone but it’s food for thought. The idea is that you live with fewer possessions – only those you really need and that serve your purpose. For many it has been life changing and fulfilling.

Be the change you want to see in the world

(quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi)

Next Black Friday – and as a matter of course – try not to get lured into the spending spree – sit back and think what you really need and why. You may find you don’t really need any more stuff. Martin Lewis has a great mantra: If you are skint ask yourself do I need it, can I afford it? If you aren’t skint ask yourself will I use it, is it worth it?

We can make a difference but we need to wholeheartedly support the notion that over consumption of unsustainable manufactured goods cannot go on this way. As well as a danger to our planet there are also multiple issues around appalling labour conditions in some countries that produce these goods – more about this in a future post.

Let’s not buy (more) – let’s not destroy (more) but let’s make this planet pure again. (Now here’s a slogan a political party in the UK might win an election with).

Amsterdam Light Festival 2019

Each year hundreds of designers, architects and artist from around the world submit a design to be featured in the famous Amsterdam Light Festival. This year’s theme – the 8th edition – is ‘Disrupt‘. The lucky chosen few go on to build their installation in and around the canals of Amsterdam. There are about 25 light exhibits. The best place to views these is from the water.

The disruptive installations are designed to shake up Amsterdam and its visitors. Some address the effect humans are having on the climate and nature others display paparazzi, the second world war and how all light we see is already in the past.

It was great viewing them by boat.

I particularly liked “All the light you see is from the Past”

Here is a little film featuring some of the installations.

You can find more information at the official website and #amsterdamlightfestival

Salinas de Maras, Peru

After visiting Machu Picchu we continued our journey in the sacred valley to Urubamba because we were keen to visit the Salt Pans of Maras which are nearby. In Urubamba we hired a private taxi (taxis are stationed on the corner of Padre Barre and Av Mariscal Castilla) to take us to the Salinas de Maras and our final destination Cusco.

We had read that the Salt pans are a spectacular site not overrun by tourists. We were not disappointed. This working salt mine dating back to Inca times is an amazing place. Although there were a couple of tour buses in the car park we only encountered a handful of tourists.

Workers were harvesting salt and building new pools, they were also carrying big bags of salt onto their backs. The working conditions are harsh.

The Salinas were created in the 1400s, although no written records exist. One small spring feeds an iron rich stream that cascades down into the ponds. Ponds are dammed and opened as needed. Once a pool is filled the evaporation process starts and the evaporated salt crystals are harvested by scraping them off the ground – this process hasn’t changed since their creation. There are thousands of salt pools which cascade into the valley creating a colourful patchwork. The salt mine is owned and operated by a cooperative of local families.

The worrying bit and the good news

Although not a major attraction at the moment – I did wonder how the salt pans can be protected from too many tourists clambering around the pans leaving rubbish and causing damage?

It seems that the owners have found a solution. First of all there is a small entrance fee (at the time of our visit it was 10 soles). There was a brand new observation deck, facilities and stalls where you can buy the famous salt and souvenirs.

Whereas we had been allowed to walk down into the valley and walk along the salt pools thankfully this practice has now been stopped. Some bloggers call this bad news, I think it is good news. You still have a pretty good view of the salt pans from the observation platform and the site is now much better protected. It’s definitely still worth a visit.

Have a look at this little film and let me have your thoughts.

The real cost of visiting Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu is probably one of those places many of us have on our bucket list. It certainly was for me and it was an absolutely magical experience to see the famous Inca ruins.

It’s expensive to visit Machu Picchu. There are costs for: site entrance; train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu Pueblo (Aguas Calientes); bus transfer from Machu Picchu Pueblo to Machu Picchu (you can walk), and costs to climb Huayna (Wayna) Picchu or the Mountain (if you choose to do so). Walking the Machu Picchu trail also comes at a cost and needs to be booked well in advance.

I recommend you visit early in the morning – from 6am. Arrive at the bus stop in Machu Picchu Pueblo early to avoid lengthy queues (or walk to the site but it’s at least an hour from the Pueblo). Visits are limited to 3 time slots per day. We booked in advance through the official booking site – Ticket Machu Picchu and purchased the combi ticket of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. Trekking Wayna Picchu was incredible but you do need to be steady on your feet and take your time, the steps are steep.

Nowadays the number of visitors is curbed to 2500 per day to protect this UNESCO World Heritage Site but is this enough? Plastic rubbish, food waste, pollution, trampling of paths and structural damage to the site are but a few of the problems the area has to deal with.

Check out this video and let me have your thoughts.

Lake Titicaca and the floating islands of Urus under threat?

Having seen many documentaries of Lake Titicaca, the highest navigable lake in the world at nearly 4000 metres above sea level, I was looking forward to visiting Puno and the floating islands of Urus in Peru. After a long bus journey from Arequipa to Puno we were keen to explore the area and visit the islands.

What we encountered was not as I had pictured it. Although a spectacular place to visit with an incredible history I felt that the commercialisation of Puno and the islands, through tourism, is destroying its character. There were umpteen tourist boats visiting the islands all day long. Tours normally include a visit to one of the islands where you learn a little bit about the history and are encouraged to buy souvenirs at inflated prices, a boat ride (at an extra cost) on one of the fancy reed boats built for tourists and a visit to the self proclaimed capital of Uros with tourist shops and a restaurant.

Locals told us that the lake’s water level had fallen dramatically – they blamed climate change – and over fishing, raw sewage and chemical pollution is posing a threat to the lake’s wildlife and the beautiful Uru people who live on the islands. Plastic pollution is also beginning to show.

We were told ambitious plans by islanders to create more floating hotels and islands – this is a bad news – tourism should be curbed to stop further damage but how can this be promoted and sustained if increased wealth and for example an opportunity to send your children to university is at stake?

This leads me to believe that a call for action is needed by the council of the islands of Uros, Puno’s council and national governments, to promote conscious and sustainable tourism and tackle pollution and polluters. Some plans are in progress but we know that it takes time, money and political power.

Travelers as well have their part to play by choosing wisely when it comes to modes of transport and if you are using a tour organiser check their sustainability credentials. Try and avoid plastic and recycle where possible. Engaging in discussion with locals is a good way to understand and debate the issues. We pointed out for example the plastic floating on the lake, which the locals are well aware off and are trying to clean up but with an increase in tourism this may prove an endless task.

The Uru people have historically traded goods to sustain themselves and survive but now that tourism dollars are flowing freely into the community the bar has been raised.

Ironically the floating islands are of course made popular by the many documentaries and travelers who have been before. It’s a dilemma for travelers, locals and governments the world over. Isla de Taquile, one of the islands in the lake, promotes sustainable tourism and does it well but when you visit with one of the organised tours you don’t really get a chance to experience the island and its people fully. You are escorted from one end of the island to the other and there isn’t much time to spend. But this may well be the future of tourism.

Machu Piccchu (more about this in a future post) has supposedly capped the number of people visiting – but is this enough to safeguard this amazing place?

Have a look at this video and tell me what you think.

Further articles you might like to read on the topic:

CGTN
Global Nature Fund
Reuters
Independent
New York Post