On my travels in South America, the local communities introduced me to the concept of Pachamama, a Quechua word for Mother Earth. Principally it means that we are all connected to the broader ecosystem. We need to pay our respects to Mother Earth and treat it with a lot of love and care. It is a simple fact of life that we, in the modern world, have forgotten. Today there is much concern about climate change. It is indeed an existential crisis, and we may not have much time to sort out the coming struggles. It is quite clear from … Continue reading Lesson 19: Pachamam – We are one ecosystem

There are a few positives about the COVID 19 experience. One positive, which most cannot deny, is we let the earth heal again. We saw animals out of the depths of jungles, where we had pushed them to, into the streets of cities. We heard more birds and saw more wildlife in lakes and rivers. The air smelled fresher. In Nepal, where I was when countries across the globe started to close their borders, there were stories of the locals in Kathmandu waking up to the sight of Everest. In Pokhara, the sky was clear, the air crisp and the … Continue reading Lesson 18: Nature thrives.We heal

On multiple safaris in Africa, we had some of the most breathtaking sights. We got to experience many animals, including the Big Five (The Lion, The African Buffalo, The Elephant, The Leopard and The Rhino), Hippos, Monkeys, Baboons, Cheetahs, Warthogs, Hyenas and many others. The experiences in Namibia, Botswana and Zambia were breathtaking. We couldn’t expect anything better until we reached Tanzania. In Tanzania, the safari experiences at the Serengeti plains and the Ngorongoro Crater were ridiculously mind-blowing. Hundreds of Wildebeests and Zebras roamed the Serengeti Plains. We got to experience a black rhino in the distance. Due to the … Continue reading Lesson 17: Greed is nothing but a path to misery

In Vietnam, the Ha Giang Loop is one of the most breathtaking motorbike journeys, done on a four-day tour. You ride through winding roads, climbing higher through the mountains, experiencing stunning landscapes along the way. I joined a motorbike group tour comprising six riders and six tourists to complete the Ha Giang Loop I sat on the back on a motorbike, as the pillion rider, while an experienced Vietnamese took charge of the bike. On the last evening of the tour, the Vietnamese riders organized karaoke for the group. I was the only one who joined in but did not … Continue reading Lesson 16: Sing when everyone is watching

I saw the posters in Colombia, and then I saw the signs again in Madagascar. Posters explaining child sexual exploitation is illegal and punishable by law. It was one of the most challenging aspects to deal with when you explore: Knowing that many people in the world travel to exploit children. It is indicative of the darkness of human nature. However, exploitation is across the age spectrum. When I was in Phnom Penh, I saw older gentlemen with very young girls. The girls looked like they were in their late teens. They were probably young adults in, possibly, their 20s. … Continue reading Lesson 15: Life can be ugly: Stand up against Injustice

After almost two months in South America, in early 2017, I made my way to Mendoza. I was very excited to be in wine country. At the hostel, I met five other travellers, and we decided to join a wine tour. The tour had a simple structure: Visit five to six wineries, taste about four to six wines per winery and enjoy the experience of wine tasting. We had also signed up for a sumptuous lunch: Argentinean Asado. Asado is the barbecue equivalent in Argentina and is a rite to passage to be called a true Argentinean, or at least … Continue reading Lesson 14: Life can be good: Be open