I always remember reading one of fellow traveller Matt’s (from Where The Hell is Matt) Less FAQ’s:

? Why is the world so screwed up?

Men.

? How do we fix it?

Women.

Here is a simple picture of a mother and child to celebrate the 2011 Nobel Peace prize, which was just awarded to three women: Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian activist Leymah Gbowee, and Yemeni rights campaigner Tawakkul Karman. They’re being recognized “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”

Congratulations to them and hopefully they will be an inspiration to other countries and cultures where women are not treated as equals; and to men in power everywhere that value the power they have more than the good it can bring to society when used right.

The image was shot at aptly named Isla Mujeres, ‘the Island of Women’ off the coast of Cancun, Mexico, a wonderful and relaxed place, just short boat ride away from the miles and miles of all-inclusive hotels…

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After the long list of past and present in the previous post, here is a view ahead for all of us, illustrated by these small guys.

I loved my visit to the Galapagos, it was truly an old dream come true. We managed to visit the main islands ‘budget style’, so without a cruise, but by island hopping instead, sleeping in $10 hotels, so the flight over was the expensive part.
The great thing about staying on shore is that you are not tied to a program and have all the time in the world to just wander the beaches. That is where I saw these 2 guys.

Actually, I only noticed the marine iguana and as mentioned they are some of the coolest creatures around, see also the previous Iguana shot from 2 posts ago. But just when I was ready to take a photo, I noticed that one of the millions of small crabs was approaching. This was unexpected as most Sally Lightfot crabs are fast as lightning and react to fast to movements that they seem to have a sixth sense for danger.
Not this guy. He came slowly up the rock and then went in a straight to a wet patch. The iguana was directly in his path, but the crab just slowly walked up the side of his head, over the top of it, nearly missing the iguana’s eyes and then down over the side on the other way.

With exemplary, textbook cool behaviour, the Iguana did not move a single millimeter and just posed like nothing happened.

So if these 2 creatures who are so different can share their ecosystem and even their space and food, maybe we can do so as well?
I am sure that there is a lot more genetic difference between them than say between a Christian, Muslem or a Jew, to name the followers of the monotheisms that cause a large part of grief in the world. And these fanatics are from the same species and even share the same beliefs. (Well, ok, maybe only 98% of them, but somehow the idiocy is always about the 2% difference…)

So all you Hutus, Tutsis, Democrats, Republicans, Catholics, Protestants, Sunni, Shia and others with a favourite enemy out there: please think about the above picture for a few moments and accept the differences and the fact that there is only one planet and only one life to enjoy it. Stop the hate and polarisation, that energy is much better used for the good of your fellow creatures right now.

I hope that in 2011 everybody gets to travel or at least be outside and and see and respect nature and that you will enjoy the differences and celebrate the similarities with your fellow beings.

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First of all, I hope everybody had a great X-mas!

Now that X-mas is over, Santas reindeer (or caribou) can return to the Northern slope, Alaska, to graze amidst the cottonflowers at 70 degres latitude. That is, only close to the Arctic ocean, as the final stretch is completely owned by the Oil companies. But even that is not enough, as political (financial) pressure is put on lawmakers to lift the ban on drilling in the last remaining untouched wildlife refuge, the ANWR (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge).

Before you agree with this as you are tired of paying ‘high’ (about a quarter of European!) prices for your SUV, please realize 2 things:
- Even Bush’s own staff has admitted that the drop in price will be about 1ct per gallon, which might happen after a decade.
- Oil companies are (at least in the Western world) commercial companies. Demand creates supply and all big conpanies (misspelling intentional) are so globally spread, they do not care where they drill the oil, whether it is Russia, Alaska or Iraq. Besides, the OPEC will price the oil. (see also this link

Drilling in Alaska won’t help any US citizen, unless they have a job at the companies, are a bribed (they prefer the term ‘lobbied’) politician, or a shareholder…

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For the First Peoples, the land is the source of Life- a Gift from the Creator. “Mother Earth” is the center of their universe, the core of their culture , the origin of their identity as a people, the provider of their material needs.

“The land cannot be given or taken away, we belong to the Land; our birth does not sever the cord of life which comes from the Land, our spirituality, our culture, and our social life depend on it”.

Respect for all life – animals, insects, plans, mountains, rivers, skies & seas are inseparably interconnected. First peoples do not consider the land merely an economic resource. Their land depends on lives, and in relationship to the environment around them. They know that the land is to be shared. If you misuse the land, you are killing yourself. Remember the earth will survive long after you’re gone.

Traditional people think the land is there for everyone to use, the way our hand is there, the grass, the trees and animals are our flesh. nature is our religion, thank the Creator for what he has given us all.”

Roger A. Johnson, 30 august 1991.

‘Nii t’am lax ooks by’, is Roger’s original Gitxsan name, meaning ‘care for the people’ as well as describing ‘a frog on a lily pad’. His generation was influenced by residential schools, church and government, making them lose their mother tongue and culture. Roger still speaks the old language and works as a interpreter in discussions and court cases between government, mining companies and the First Nation elders.

Nowadays the Gitxsan youth is depressed and suicide rate is very high.

“We can’t cry over spilt milk! We must maintain our culture and our language. We need a huge cultural center to teach our culture and language to young and old.”

While we were talking with Roger, a car drove up. A very conservatively woman stepped out and gave Roger a booklet and drove off again. The others in her car did not come out. The cover of the booklet depicted a nice drawing of a traditional Indian sky burial. But the rest of it basically said that that was nice in the old days, but against the bible and all First Nations should switch to ‘modern’ Christian values and culture…

“I remember my Grandparents often saying to me, ‘You are my cane, You are my sunshine, You are my flower”.

Roger gave me a Gitxsan First nation flag, which has been on my bike since. Then he waved us goodbye from the stairs leading up to his frontdoor. ‘Do not forget to wake up every morning, and shout to the world: Good Morning Canada!’.

(Sources: our meeting with Roger; Partly quoted from the local article ‘Wisdom of the Elders’ by Zanna Ove; Speech of Roger A Johnson transcribed by Julian Burge)

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“So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?”

Watching the finale of this global game on TV from a cold room in Seattle was special. Though I am not a citizen of the USA, the outcome of the much-debated elections will influence my life and seeing Mr Obama speak eloquently as ever made me feel good.

Congratulations for President Barack Obama, for defeating the odds, for appealing to the youth, for already making us forget ‘Dubya’ even though he is still in office. Let’s hope that this administration will make the world a safer place, instead of endangering it for everybody. Yes, we can. Let’s hope focus will switch to opening minds, to love instead of hate, curiosity instead of fear. Yes, we can…
The moment depicted above, where Barack kissed his beautiful wife Michelle (credits CNN tv) gave me hope; even when the world changed and the eyes of billions were upon him, Mr Obama did not forget what it all comes down to…

And by the way, hats off for Senator John McCain, who gave one of the best speeches I have heard.

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Hong Kong is a strange place, a mix of cultures, nature and ideaologies. I spent only a few hours there on a stopover but noticed the coexistence of old buildings and traditional cooking vs the skyscrapers and the fake Louis Vuitton bags..

From www.wikipedia.com:
Hong Kong was a crown colony of the United Kingdom from 1842 until the transfer of its sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China in 1997. The Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Hong Kong stipulate that Hong Kong operate with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2047, fifty years after the transfer. Under the policy of “one country, two systems”, the Central People’s Government is responsible for the territory’s defence and foreign affairs, while Hong Kong maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events.

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A babushka is selling Russian flags next to Red Square, and others are selling balloons and other plastic crap, while behind her a huge banner is trying to convince the Moscovites and more wealthy tourists that they should wear $10,000 watches.

The gap between rich and poor is increasing and as long as people are just aiming for more materialism, that gap will not decrease any time soon.

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I already mentioned the subway before, imagine if it was not here. Moscow and its 10 million inhabitants would come to a complete stop, something that already happens quite a lot as you can see here on a random day in the week. In the middle of the city is this 12 lane circle road (on of 3 main circle roads!), completely filled and slowly moving. No bicycle lanes by the way..

The decades of western pressure to make Russia accept western values has worked: also here everybody now wants a big SUV when there is absolutely no need for it. Capitalism has won: now everybody wants to consume.

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Kislovodsk used to be quite a popular and busy town due to all the springwater spa’s. But due to the proximity of the war in Chechnya, most tourists have stayed away. In the city you do not notice anything from the war, but sometimes you see quiet evidence like these blue UNHCR sheets, usually used for refugee camps..

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Well maybe not Avon exactly, but a wide range of chemicals, both Russian-made as well as international brands in a 1 square meter booth.
Where the older generation was selling mostly goods from the land and hand-made stuff, the younger generation is marketing more plastic trash as well as all kinds of chemicals like these here, that we are supposed to need, even though our forefathers could do fine without them..

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