Change yourself first…

I have returned from my travels with a determination to attempt to save the planet from our own stupidity.  The task is huge; Realistically, I believe that when we finally get serious, and really decide to dramatically change our unsustainable habits it will be too late for our eco-system.  But we must try, hoping to triumph in the face of adversity is a better path than defeatism.  Where better to start than with oneself.  I have always liked the quote below, it is just a shame I have not followed the advice more in my own life!

When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country. But it too seemed immovable. As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas they would have none of it. And now as I lay on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I might have changed my family. From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country and who knows, I may have even changed the world.      (Written on the tomb of a bishop in the crypts of Westminster Abbey)

So I have decided to gradually change my life to reduce my own impact on the planet.  I am not attempting to immediately reduce my carbon footprint to zero.  My lifestyle does not easily fit with my environmental ideals, so I am gradually easing into a new way of living. I certainly have a long way to go…

Here are my three goals that I will find hardest to live with:

1. Initially, to not take more than one long haul flight a year-since I have visited most of the planet, I have no real excuse for taking any flights.
2. Become a vegetarian- Reduces the impact on the planet.
3. Not to have children- Not sure if giving out thousands of free condoms allows me to bend this rule!! (If you don’t believe that our current global population is the issue, click on this link Population clocks , watch the world population grow and think about it…)

A wake up call.

Over the last five months I have been very privileged to have experienced some amazing adventures. Here are some of my highlights; kayaking with seals and humpback whales in Antarctica, sailing past the majestic retreating glaciers of the Beagle channel, swimming up close with sharks and sea lions in the Galapagos, partying in Argentina with the most beautiful girls in the world, cycling down the death road in Bolivia…

But there have been some sobering sights and realisations along the way. From an environmental point of view this trip has been a wake up call for me personally, we are running out out time and the evidence is ominous. The Antarctic peninsular is continuing to warm, the Adelie penguin that prefers warmer weather is encroaching further south as the cold weather penguins move closer to the pole. The dramatic retreat of almost all the South American glaciers mirrors the global trend. The wildlife of the Galapagos have dramatically changed their seasonal behaviour over the last few years. We need to act now.

“human releases of carbon dioxide are possibly happening faster than any natural carbon releases since the beginning of life on Earth.” (Mark Lynas- Six Degrees)

Huayna Potosi

Sitting calmly on a glacier near the top of a 6000m mountain, my heart was racing crazily and I wisely decided to head to a lower altitude.  Climbing high mountains is a test of endurance and will-power, but it is also strangely peaceful, spiritual, calming and uplifting.  As you look up at the multitude of stars that are vividly clear at this altitude  it makes you feel very small and unimportant.  Humans are not designed to live this close to the sky, but we can briefly sneak into this crisp oxygen deprived world to glimpse moments of intense beauty. 

I have left the high Altiplano of Bolivia and I am going to spend my last few weeks relaxing in Argentina.  Going directly from a third world country like Bolivia to Europe can be a traumatic shock.  So I am slowly acclimatising here by eating massive steaks, drinking cheap beer and admiring the stunning beauty of the Argentinian women.

“Too bad that all the people who really know how to run the country are busy driving taxi cabs and cutting hair.”    (George Burns)

The Death Road.

As I climbed onto my mountain bike in a snow blizzard at 4700m I began to think that this 3500m descent was going to be more challenging than I had initially thought. The mist was a mixed blessing, it gave you little warning to avoid the trucks approaching uphill, however it also hid the thousand foot drops at the side of the road. Descending quickly we found ourselves in sunshine and we slowed as the potential fatal consequences of any mistake became clear.

Following behind four Japanese tourists, I was amazed at the speed and skill that they descended these perilous bends that are carved out of the cliff faces. But as we left the asphalt and hit the gravel path their apparent skill soon revealed itself to be beginners luck at not flying off the edge of the mountainside.  People do lose their lives by leaving the mountain at high speeds.  Not surprisingly, a high proportion of the deaths on the road are Israelis.

It is good to test your limits now and again, I came close a few times.  But not as close to the English guy in front of me who hit a large rock and somersaulted into the cliff.  He was lucky to escape with bruises and cuts.  If he had fallen in the other direction a fatal drop awaited him.  The only low point of the day was arriving at the hotel at the end of the road to find the swimming pool full of muddy water.

“You won’t skid if you stay in a rut.”   (Kin Hubbard)

Fight for the right to party!

I am relaxing on the immense lake Tikicaca in Bolivia.  It is the highest navigable lake in the world at 3856 m above sea level, though I am not sure how you define “navigable”.  While deciding where to visit next I came across this very interesting fighting tradition in my Footprint guidebook.

“A tradition peculiar to the Potosi Department is the tinku ritual fight. Basically, what happens is that two neighbouring communities meet up and beat the living daylights out of one another-literally.  For death, though much less common these days, is always a possibility.

The tinku may look like a drunken Saturday night pub brawl, but it is loaded with symbolism and carries a deep spiritual significance. It is a meeting of equals and is not about winning, but of recognizing your rivals, respecting them and defining your territory. It symbolizes the need to co-exist with other people. It is also a celebration of forgiveness of family or personal enemies. In the tinku any problem is solved and all debts are paid.

Before the fight, combatants meet and drink chicha and stronger alcohol.  The alcohol is to give them courage for the impending battle.  The fight begins with fists;  each fighter wears rings of bronze adorned with claws to ensure the opponents guts are ripped out.  For protection, the pugilists wear a leather helmet, treated so that it is as hard as steel, and a leather groin protector.  Fighting is hand-to-hand and reaches a fever pitch of noisy violence.  The losers begin to retreat and then stones rain down on both groups.

The winner of each fight then enjoys one year dominance over his defeated opponent. The injured are respected for standing their ground and fighting bravely. The corpses,  meanwhile, are buried as an offering to Pachamama, to ensure a good harvest.

There is no sexual discrimination here. Women also fight in the tinku and it is said that they fight more cruelly and with more honour.  During the tinku, bands play continuously and those who are too scared, ill, old, or sensible to fight dance around in a circle.

Tourists are a relatively new phenomenon, so be discreet. Things can get ugly after a few days´ hard drinking and fighting,  so it’s wise to get out before the end.”

More little things that I love about South America.

I love the way when you take an electric shower in the morning you never know whether it is going to be an electrifying experience.  I was quite enjoying the tingle of live water cascading down my back, when I decided to stick my head under the shower.  The pleasant tingle became jolts of pain that shot through my head, my hangover was gone in seconds.  I was advised to wear rubber sandals in the shower by the unsympathetic hotel owner.

Crossing the length of  the arid Peruvian coastline has been a relatively easy experience since I have started to upgrade myself to luxury class on the buses.  For a few extra dollars I get served food and drinks by beautiful stewardess´ while I watch the latest Kong Fu film or gaze at the striking dessert landscape.  At bedtime my chair is reclined and becomes a bed,  I even get tucked in. 

When you get lost here it is never a good idea to ask a local anything. If you ask a closed question they will always try and please you and answer “yes”, even if it is untrue.  Open questions do not help much either.  For instance, if you ask how far the bus station is they will tell you it is only one block away so you don´t get disheartened.  After walking for three kilometers and finding no bus station, you realise that most people here don´t understand anything quantitative and you are lost.

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices”.           (William James)

Border crossings

Crossing an international border brings out the sense of adventure in people.  Travellers often band together as if they were going to war to assault the border, and when crossing is easy there is almost a disappointment that the challenge was not greater.  The power of tourist dollar has finally squashed the petty bureaucracy of many South American border police, making country hopping here  so much easier. 

I remember crossing Africa as a teenager and having to grease the palms of numerous border guards.  My most memorable entry was Afghanistan, where getting in was easy but the following five hours sheltering in a bunker from a mortar attack was not so fun.  The artificial line of an international boundary can be very striking.  For instance, as you cross from Cambodia that in some ways is still in the middle ages, the contrast with the bustle of the fast track change of Vietnam is dramatic.  When I first left the frantic India for the calmer Nepal the change in me was instantaneously.  The hectic energy fell away from me and I was immediately left with a sense of calm that reflects the people and life of the Buddhist country.

This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.    (The Dalai Lama)

Travelling or on holiday?

There is a fine line between ‘travelling’ and just being on holiday.  When I was last in South America the journey was certainly not a holiday.  There was hardship, adventure and real danger.  Now I am not sure what to call this twenty first century wandering; sitting by a pool with a cold beer in the sunshine, surrounded by bikini clad women is not so arduous.

One of the biggest changes for those on the road has been the internet.  I used to have to plan months ahead where I was going to be so family could write ‘Poste restante’  letters for me to hopefully pick up from random post offices.  Now I have constant virtual access to friends and family, Facebook gives me live updates on the intimate details of their lives.

Mass tourism has sanitised many places to the point of being rather ridiculous.  For instance, when I first rode the Devils Nose train around the vertiginous ridges of the Ecuadorian Andes, we climbed dangerously on top of the roof of the train to  hang on and enjoy the thrilling spectacle.  Now there is a tourist train with seats bolted to the roof with seat belts and hand rails.  Good for health and safety, but somehow the spirit of adventure is being squashed.

Throughout the world there is always a search to find the next trendy, hippie chill out village in the mountains or an ‘undiscovered’ island.  Twenty years ago Banos was that idyllic retreat away from the bustle of the road.  ‘Progress’ brings agencies touting anything from buggy rides to Canyoning.  Once a place is overrun and ruined, the process begins again , and another place will be discovered and exploited.

I have found my perfect retreat here in the mountains of southern Ecuador. It has everything a man could need;  A swimming pool, cold beer on tap, an endless supply of nubile young women, a well stocked English book exchange, fantastic mountain walks and challenging biking, 24 hr internet, a tropical climate, good international food, satellite TV, a sauna, jacuzzi, free massages…  But something tells me there is more to life than this.  It would be easy to stay here indefinitely and end up like the senile German guy who sits in the square talking to himself.  He was probably once a cool traveller who decided to stay in paradise, but time has now reduced him to accept handouts from those of us passing through who can see parts of themselves in him.

“Technological change is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.”   (Albert Einstein)

Hot springs

After the chilling cold of the plunge pool, the soothing warmth of the hot spring makes your skin tingle.  As I relax and look up at the stars in the night sky, I think of my friends back in England;  Have they been trudging to work through the deep snow?  Travelling does have its low points but climbing active volcanoes in the sunshine and evenings soaking away your aches in natural hot baths is not so bad. 

They sell evening tours here that take you to a viewing point to watch the volcano violently erupt into the night sky.  Except the volcano is not erupting at the moment, so all you see is a dark smudge which is the mountain.  I have been eating very healthily here as the set meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner is the same:  Rice, soup, beans, a potato and chicken. The only choice is how you would like your eggs cooked in the morning and you get juice for breakfast and coke for lunch.

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.   ( Albert Schweitzer)

Galapagos

I slid out of the Zodiac into the water with full snorkel gear and instantly found myself swimming with reef sharks.  Having no time to prepare myself and to be scared I was strangely calm.  However, later when a playful sea lion grabbed my fin  I was not so calm.  The wildlife here has not learned to fear man so every encounter is very close and personal.  Sea lions will mimic your twists and spins underwater, often they will pretend to bite you and then swim away.  A group of turtles will swim past on one side of you as sting rays cruise past on the other. It makes you wonder if the whole world would have been like this if we had not killed and persecuted almost every living thing on this planet.

The male Boobies do mating dances on top of their mates in between multiple matings, while marine iguanas will try and bite a female into submission if they are not initially successful.  There are eradication programmes here to kill the non native invasive species like goats, rats and cats.  “Judas goats” are sterilised, radio tagged and then released back onto the islands. When they have joined a group of goats the helicopter flies low and shoots all the other goats.  The Judas will go off to find another group and the process continues until the island is goat free.  I think getting rid of rats may be a little harder…

Only within the moment of time represented by the present century has one species — man — acquired significant power to alter the nature of his world. (Rachel Carson)