Oslo conference as it was covered by the travelmole.tv. Click on the image for the above video. The Blue Yonder is featured towards the end of the video.
Bangalore © GP 2007
Bangalore © GP 2007
Saturday 26 May 2007
Friday 25 May 2007
Rob's exhibition in London
Rob is exhibiting his paintings and drawings at the Art Academy Gallery in London from 22nd May till 06th of June 2007. Shame I missed it this time. Congratulations Rob
Bangalore © GP 2007
Tuesday 22 May 2007
Photo updates from Oslo
From Helsinki to Delhi it took around 6 hours by flight and from the international airport in New Delhi to the domestic airport it took almost half of that time in a crappy bus! After travelling around, promoting a destination, talking about how wonderful it is, the infrastructure reality hits you on the face once you land back in your country.!
Unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, buses that need a ladder to climb on, those with no baggage racks or spaces and long interviews on where you are coming from and what you going to do here..It never ends.
Now, here are some of the pictures from Oslo. Some other pictures have been uploaded into the previous blogs as well.
Graduates celebrating the National day in Oslo on the 17th May
A Norwegian artists' interpretation of Monalisa in a Tapa's bar in Oslo
Linda, Simon, Christy, Holly and Chris
As tall as the traffic lights!
Unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles, buses that need a ladder to climb on, those with no baggage racks or spaces and long interviews on where you are coming from and what you going to do here..It never ends.
Now, here are some of the pictures from Oslo. Some other pictures have been uploaded into the previous blogs as well.
Graduates celebrating the National day in Oslo on the 17th May
A Norwegian artists' interpretation of Monalisa in a Tapa's bar in Oslo
Linda, Simon, Christy, Holly and Chris
As tall as the traffic lights!
Bangalore © GP 2007
Monday 21 May 2007
Adieu Oslo
Until the Oslo conference, "Saami's" for me was all about reindeers and the legends of Santa Claus. In the conference schedule there was rather a surprise. In the opening plenary session, one of the key note speaker mentioned was "Aili Keskitalo, President, Sámediggi (The Sámi Parliament) ". On the last day, there was also a presentation by Mr. Lennart Pittja, who is the founder and owner of Pathfinder Lapland on "Saami eco tourism in Lapland".
Legends and mysteries were always part of the Saami culture. One of the oldest ethnic groups in Europe, the Saami's are spread across the four countries before the modern boundaries were drawn. They live in Finland, Norway, Sweden and Kolan peninsula of present Russia. Highly tuned to the natural environment, Saami's are known to have led a nomadic life based on fishing, hunting and seasonal migrations of reindeers.
Similar to how the natives were were pushed off their land in the Americas during colonisation, the Saami's have gone through aggressive assimilation of the modern world. According to the speakers, the last forty years have seen kind of renewal of their culture , where they have managed to maintain their language, practices and shamanistic traditions. While Mr Pittja was presenting about how he is running his business as eco friendly as it is possible and how culturally sensitive he is (He is from the Saami community) towards the heritage, there were questions raised from the audiences about the threat such tourism initiatives could be creating to a life style. Some of the questions went unanswered.
Now after reading a bit about exploitation of the Saami Culture, it makes sense on some of the arguments that came up while preparing the draft announcement.
Even though the draft says that "Eco tourism needs to focus on sustainable tourism that entails responsible travel to natural areas and which conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.”, wonder when will the local people have a right to say "No" to an initiative in tourism that they are not interested in and might not benefit anything out of it.
Out of the many old threats like mining, logging, dam building and military threats ( bombing bases in the Scandinavian and Russian regions) now tourism seems to be the new entrant!
Similar to how the natives were were pushed off their land in the Americas during colonisation, the Saami's have gone through aggressive assimilation of the modern world. According to the speakers, the last forty years have seen kind of renewal of their culture , where they have managed to maintain their language, practices and shamanistic traditions. While Mr Pittja was presenting about how he is running his business as eco friendly as it is possible and how culturally sensitive he is (He is from the Saami community) towards the heritage, there were questions raised from the audiences about the threat such tourism initiatives could be creating to a life style. Some of the questions went unanswered.
Now after reading a bit about exploitation of the Saami Culture, it makes sense on some of the arguments that came up while preparing the draft announcement.
Even though the draft says that "Eco tourism needs to focus on sustainable tourism that entails responsible travel to natural areas and which conserves the environment and sustains the well-being of local people.”, wonder when will the local people have a right to say "No" to an initiative in tourism that they are not interested in and might not benefit anything out of it.
Out of the many old threats like mining, logging, dam building and military threats ( bombing bases in the Scandinavian and Russian regions) now tourism seems to be the new entrant!
Oslo © GP 2007
Saturday 19 May 2007
September Conference postponed
We just received an email from Kerala tourism department telling that we should postpone the Second International Conference on Responsible Tourism in Destinations from Sep to a future date. It seems India Toursim department is planning a massive marketing initiative in New York in the background of UN General Assembly during the same period and wants most of the Kerala Tourism leaders to be there at that time.
It's been now agreed between Kerala Tourism, ICRT India and ICRT in the Leeds Met, UK to postpone the event to March 2008. Hope this is not going to create a lot of trouble for those who have already registered.
Oslo © GP 2007
It's been now agreed between Kerala Tourism, ICRT India and ICRT in the Leeds Met, UK to postpone the event to March 2008. Hope this is not going to create a lot of trouble for those who have already registered.
Oslo © GP 2007
Thursday 17 May 2007
Foot prints
I was kind of nervous to go on to the stage after the amazing presentation by Christy. She was so clear, composed, and had the audience spell bound. She was presenting her case on the functions of Foot Prints program, an initiative from the travel insurance company World nomads.
Christy started with a personal story of how her company initiated the program. Having bumped into a disfigured landmine victim in Cambodia kick started a process that is taking the online donations to new level! Seeing the disfigured victim in front of her, she felt so much of helplessness and didn't know what to do. Back in Australia in her office, she heard similar stories from her colleagues Chris and Simon and they decided to kick start the project donation program Foot Prints.
The beauty of the project is the outreach of the program and the amount that is involved in the donation. Whenever their clients purchase a travel insurance, they prompt their clients asking if they want to make a small donations to a needy project in various parts of the world ranging from Nairobi to Nepal.
"Small is big" seems to be attraction. A donation of one dollar or two doesn't look big on its own, but it definitely makes a difference when many of their clients do the same. Smaller donations online also ensures that Foot Prints nor their clients have to spend any extra amount for the donation transfer to project destinations as the clients have already spent their money in insurance purchase.
Within a span of year and a half, Foot print has successfully raised funds for about 12 projects and seen through completion. See here for more details of these projects. Interestingly World Nomads have also sponsored many interesting travels through Australia including the now famous journey of The three lost girls.
Oslo © GP 2007
Christy started with a personal story of how her company initiated the program. Having bumped into a disfigured landmine victim in Cambodia kick started a process that is taking the online donations to new level! Seeing the disfigured victim in front of her, she felt so much of helplessness and didn't know what to do. Back in Australia in her office, she heard similar stories from her colleagues Chris and Simon and they decided to kick start the project donation program Foot Prints.
The beauty of the project is the outreach of the program and the amount that is involved in the donation. Whenever their clients purchase a travel insurance, they prompt their clients asking if they want to make a small donations to a needy project in various parts of the world ranging from Nairobi to Nepal.
"Small is big" seems to be attraction. A donation of one dollar or two doesn't look big on its own, but it definitely makes a difference when many of their clients do the same. Smaller donations online also ensures that Foot Prints nor their clients have to spend any extra amount for the donation transfer to project destinations as the clients have already spent their money in insurance purchase.
Within a span of year and a half, Foot print has successfully raised funds for about 12 projects and seen through completion. See here for more details of these projects. Interestingly World Nomads have also sponsored many interesting travels through Australia including the now famous journey of The three lost girls.
Oslo © GP 2007
Tuesday 15 May 2007
Update from Oslo
Typical GP act! and misplaced the camera at the conference dinner! Hmm..Hope I will get it back. Had all the photographs from Sunderbans as well as whatever I took since arriving in Oslo three days before in it!.
The conference went well yesterday. Inaugural session in the presence of the Queen of Norway was well attended by almost 400 delegates from 76 countries. Was looking forward to upload some pictures from the workshops and exhibitions for regular readers. But until the hunt for the camera is over, I guess we have to wait :)
One of the striking images at the workshop on Local partnerships for Community-Based Eco Tourism was Amos, who came dressed in his traditional attire and captivated the crowd about how they run their base camp in Masai Mara based on local-global partnerships. Svein Whilhemsen, a venture capitalist is now promoting similar business in Svalbard, Rajasthan, Dharamsala, Lamu and Solovki.
In his presentation Svein was upfront when he said, those who are looking for investments in similar projects should have immense patience and passion to sustain the slow-low returns as the trend in the industry right now is about 80% failure on community based projects! They took more than five years to break-even.
Quite an inspiring model to look at.
Oslo © GP 2007
The conference went well yesterday. Inaugural session in the presence of the Queen of Norway was well attended by almost 400 delegates from 76 countries. Was looking forward to upload some pictures from the workshops and exhibitions for regular readers. But until the hunt for the camera is over, I guess we have to wait :)
One of the striking images at the workshop on Local partnerships for Community-Based Eco Tourism was Amos, who came dressed in his traditional attire and captivated the crowd about how they run their base camp in Masai Mara based on local-global partnerships. Svein Whilhemsen, a venture capitalist is now promoting similar business in Svalbard, Rajasthan, Dharamsala, Lamu and Solovki.
In his presentation Svein was upfront when he said, those who are looking for investments in similar projects should have immense patience and passion to sustain the slow-low returns as the trend in the industry right now is about 80% failure on community based projects! They took more than five years to break-even.
Quite an inspiring model to look at.
Oslo © GP 2007
Monday 14 May 2007
The Holmenkollen
The Global Eco Tourism Conference starts today here until the 16th. We have been invited for a session on "Corporate Social and Environment Responsibility". The Blue Yonder will also be doing a poster presentation on our activities in Kerala. An excellent opportunity to network with like-minded people from around the world.
There are six representatives from India varying from the industry, NGO's and academics.
The Blue Yonder
There are six representatives from India varying from the industry, NGO's and academics.
The Blue Yonder
Ibex Expeditions
ECOSS
Indigenous Women's Resource Centre
ECOSS
Indigenous Women's Resource Centre
MDS Univesity
Tour India Holidays
Tour India Holidays
A hotel that was originally built as a sanatorium for TB patients in 19th century is now one of the best known hotels in Norway. The Holmenkollen has plenty of fresh air, large windows, an stunning views of the Norwegian capital. The hotel stands aloof from the hustle and bustle of the city, towering majestically as the natural gateway to the numerous skiing and cycling trails and to attractions such as Holmenkkollen Ski Jump and the Skiing museum.
Oslo © GP 2007
Friday 11 May 2007
Delhi Metro
New Delhi without a traffic bottle neck in a forty-minute long drive was only a dream even couple of years before. My drive from the Chanakyapuri to East Patel Nagar and then back to the airport didn't see a single signal where we had to stop for more than few seconds. Flyovers and wider roads have done the magic. What is more effective though is the fabulous metro network.
Launched five years before, this new mode of transportation is a blessing for the citizens who were used to travelling in dilapidated buses and three wheelers that charge cut-throat prices! Initially launched to carry around 2 million passengers a day, the metro once completes all the four phases will be carrying close to 4 million passengers a day by 2012!
It seems by the launch of Delhi Metro, the savings is to the tune of Rs 40 lacs per day in terms of road maintenance and wear and tear! That's a hell lot of money for a poor country.(or even for the trillon dollar economy that we had just become last month!).
Consider the amount of pollution that comes out from badly maintained transport system otherwise?! Definitely an environment friendly option that makes economic sense as well to all the stake holders. It is also heralded as one of the few Metros in the world, that is making excellent profit as well.
For any one who had travelled across the cities of India, this well maintained metro, its cleanliness, efficiency and the entire smooth functioning will be a culture shock. This is something that Indians can be really proud of! Even after the 5th year of launch, the system only seems to be getting better.
Now, Bangalore is going through a similiar process and I really wonder how efficient that would be. Considering the terrible infrastructure developments so far in Bangalore, the efficiency that is promised by "Namma Metro" is to be taken with a pinch of salt.
There was a time, whenever I get a chance that I used to move out of Delhi to places like Bangalore because of polution and congestion on the streets. After few days in Delhi in this trip (especially on the metro!), there were moments when I really thought of moving back to New Delhi from Bangalore.
Why not? May be work from Delhi considering the expansion plans The Blue Yonder has in Rajasthan and Eastern Himalayas?
New Delhi © GP 2007
Now, Bangalore is going through a similiar process and I really wonder how efficient that would be. Considering the terrible infrastructure developments so far in Bangalore, the efficiency that is promised by "Namma Metro" is to be taken with a pinch of salt.
There was a time, whenever I get a chance that I used to move out of Delhi to places like Bangalore because of polution and congestion on the streets. After few days in Delhi in this trip (especially on the metro!), there were moments when I really thought of moving back to New Delhi from Bangalore.
Why not? May be work from Delhi considering the expansion plans The Blue Yonder has in Rajasthan and Eastern Himalayas?
New Delhi © GP 2007
Thursday 10 May 2007
Tigers of Sunderbans
What fascinated me the most was the "presence" of the tiger in its "absence". In the two days I spend exploring the Sunderbans, I wasn't lucky enough to see a Tiger. But the omnipotent presence of the tiger was written all over the Sunderbans.
Legends, folklore, images, memories and experiences of the poor people of Sunderbans had "tiger" written all over the place. Even though you know that it is not that common to spot the Royal Bengal Tiger in the Mangrove habitat, some where in the corner of your mind, you are tempted to turn your head to the corner of the narrow creek looking for the big cat!
Anil came across to me as the most unassuming person, interested only in running the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Sunderbans. Asit had mentioned in the morning that it was probably Anil who might be able to tell me stories that I was looking for. Stories of the struggle of local people to sustain their life in the most compelling terrain one can imagine of. A poacher turned conservationist, Anil's experiences in the jungles of Sunderban is an example of how one soul searching incident can trigger a social movement.
During one of his regular hunting expeditions three years before, Anil saw fear and tears in the eyes of a baby deer whose mother was shot dead few minutes before by his team. Feeling bad about what he was doing, he gradually transformed into a conservationist, which led to the setting up the Wildlife Conservation Society with support from some of the other poachers in his village.
A movement hence kick started now is transforming the lives of poorest of poor people of the villages like Bali in the Sunderbans. Facilitated by agencies like WWF - India and local forest department, this is now helping to maintain a healthy number of tigers in the reserve. Through the engagement of ex- poachers into community based tourism initiatives led by social entrepreneurs of Help Tourism; the movement is gaining financial support as well.
It seems, earlier every time a tiger enters from the mangroves, hundreds of villagers used to gather together and lynch it to death. It is interesting to observe how a community that worships the "Bano bibi" (Goddess of the forest) asking for protection from the Tigers and even worship tigers as Gods, all of a sudden transforms into a lynching mob. Memories of a previous attack or the vulnerability under which they live their day-to- day life, is probably all that is needed to change the god fearing communities into killers.
Since Anil's movement kick started, they have saved more than 25 tigers from being lynched by the mob. With an excellent network of supporters that they have developed all over the villages, the volunteers of the conservation society is now in a position to reach the spot of confrontation between the tiger and the men at the earliest. They tranquilise the tiger and take it back to it natural inhabitant, leaving the villagers with one more opportunity to build up stories on the legendary tigers of the Sunderbans!
Living with danger of being mauled by the cat in their attempt to tranquilize in front of the mob hasn't deterred Anil of his determination. The calm, ever smiling face of Anil is certainly an inspiration as well as the highlight of my stay in the Sunderbans!
Kolkatta © GP 2007
PS: My laptop is on strike and hence can't figure out a way to download the pics from the trip! Hold on for couple of days more and I will share those with you.
Legends, folklore, images, memories and experiences of the poor people of Sunderbans had "tiger" written all over the place. Even though you know that it is not that common to spot the Royal Bengal Tiger in the Mangrove habitat, some where in the corner of your mind, you are tempted to turn your head to the corner of the narrow creek looking for the big cat!
Anil came across to me as the most unassuming person, interested only in running the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Sunderbans. Asit had mentioned in the morning that it was probably Anil who might be able to tell me stories that I was looking for. Stories of the struggle of local people to sustain their life in the most compelling terrain one can imagine of. A poacher turned conservationist, Anil's experiences in the jungles of Sunderban is an example of how one soul searching incident can trigger a social movement.
During one of his regular hunting expeditions three years before, Anil saw fear and tears in the eyes of a baby deer whose mother was shot dead few minutes before by his team. Feeling bad about what he was doing, he gradually transformed into a conservationist, which led to the setting up the Wildlife Conservation Society with support from some of the other poachers in his village.
A movement hence kick started now is transforming the lives of poorest of poor people of the villages like Bali in the Sunderbans. Facilitated by agencies like WWF - India and local forest department, this is now helping to maintain a healthy number of tigers in the reserve. Through the engagement of ex- poachers into community based tourism initiatives led by social entrepreneurs of Help Tourism; the movement is gaining financial support as well.
It seems, earlier every time a tiger enters from the mangroves, hundreds of villagers used to gather together and lynch it to death. It is interesting to observe how a community that worships the "Bano bibi" (Goddess of the forest) asking for protection from the Tigers and even worship tigers as Gods, all of a sudden transforms into a lynching mob. Memories of a previous attack or the vulnerability under which they live their day-to- day life, is probably all that is needed to change the god fearing communities into killers.
Since Anil's movement kick started, they have saved more than 25 tigers from being lynched by the mob. With an excellent network of supporters that they have developed all over the villages, the volunteers of the conservation society is now in a position to reach the spot of confrontation between the tiger and the men at the earliest. They tranquilise the tiger and take it back to it natural inhabitant, leaving the villagers with one more opportunity to build up stories on the legendary tigers of the Sunderbans!
Living with danger of being mauled by the cat in their attempt to tranquilize in front of the mob hasn't deterred Anil of his determination. The calm, ever smiling face of Anil is certainly an inspiration as well as the highlight of my stay in the Sunderbans!
Kolkatta © GP 2007
PS: My laptop is on strike and hence can't figure out a way to download the pics from the trip! Hold on for couple of days more and I will share those with you.
Sunday 6 May 2007
Flying monks and Orchids
Was supposed to be in Wayanad today for the Responsible Tourism workshop on destinations. Unfortunately fell ill and considering the phone calls, some people are wondering about the absence, considering that fact that we were so much part of the process initiation in Kerala!
Well, it is becoming more and more difficult to even post a short message on the blog considering the working hours I am keeping again. One good thing that happened was that we managed to upload the site for Sikkim with a lot of support from Asha. Still awaiting comments from our regulars.
"For any destination that we operate, The Blue Yonder has its focus on our people, culture and wilderness. In a land that is so tiny but rich in its biodiversity and cultural heritage, Sikkim is blessed with people who are known for their hospitality and warmth. Like the fresh mountain air that you soak in on arrival, the evocative and sometimes mysterious ambiance of the surrounding would hook you on to the place in a way that you might never have experienced in a life time!
This is Sikkim. The land of mystic mountains! A mountain region that has touched the nerves of spirituality in its deep rooted Buddhist traditions; this is also where you meet graceful people with the penchant for legends and folklore. From "flying monks" to "wishing lakes", Sikkim is so inviting that you feel that you wouldn't want to go back. As if you are being invited into The Blue Yonder!"
Bangalore © GP 2007
Well, it is becoming more and more difficult to even post a short message on the blog considering the working hours I am keeping again. One good thing that happened was that we managed to upload the site for Sikkim with a lot of support from Asha. Still awaiting comments from our regulars.
"For any destination that we operate, The Blue Yonder has its focus on our people, culture and wilderness. In a land that is so tiny but rich in its biodiversity and cultural heritage, Sikkim is blessed with people who are known for their hospitality and warmth. Like the fresh mountain air that you soak in on arrival, the evocative and sometimes mysterious ambiance of the surrounding would hook you on to the place in a way that you might never have experienced in a life time!
This is Sikkim. The land of mystic mountains! A mountain region that has touched the nerves of spirituality in its deep rooted Buddhist traditions; this is also where you meet graceful people with the penchant for legends and folklore. From "flying monks" to "wishing lakes", Sikkim is so inviting that you feel that you wouldn't want to go back. As if you are being invited into The Blue Yonder!"
Bangalore © GP 2007
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