Archive for May, 2009
25/05/2009
Fair Trade – Buying Instruments in Peru
Chromatic, Curved Zampona
I’m in cusco, and I found your website while searching for how to shop ethically while in Peru. I am particularly interested in musical instruments. Do you have any reccomendations or contacts you could share with me?
Thanks,
Ben E.
Dear Ben,
I will put you in touch with Guillermo Seminario, the musical director of Chimu Inka in Cusco.
There are a two things to consider when purchasing instruments in Peru, 1. Buying locally, and 2. quality:
First, regarding Fair Trade, the only thing to watch out for are guitars that may be manufactured in China, otherwise all other guitars, and all zampoñas and flutes will be either be made locally in the town or village, or on the coast such as Lima or Trujillo and shipped up to the mountain Gringo Trail towns in Peru.
Quena by Guillermo Seminario
Regarding quality, there are tourist grade instruments and professional grade which are calibrated at 440 hz (concert pitch) by the maker. And even with pro grade, it can be difficult to know you’re really getting concert pitch instruments unless you happen to carry an electronic tuner with you.
Guillermo Seminario, USA/Peru Music Exchange and Cusco Music Exchange Program Director for Mountain Spirit Institute, makes all his own flutes and zampoñas, and a cousin of his is in the charango manufacturing business on the coast.
I showed him a cheap version of a chromatic double row zampoña which I purchased in Bolivia, and he made a professional grade one, improving on the one I showed him. It’s top-notch and a real work horse, sound great, has a good tone and is made with spirit. It’s featured on our website’s fair trade page. (more…)
Posted in Fair Trade, Inbox, Music, Peru | 2 Comments »
23/05/2009
Christophe Pelet, Blogger extrodinaire in NZ's S.Alps
Christophe Pelet from France, shares images and word of New Zealand with heart.
A fellow traveler and volunteer hut warden at *French Ridge, *Frenchman (*coincidence? Maybe not) Christophe Pelet has become a good friend of ours. In fact he’s been hanging here in Auckland before he heads back to France. He’s been traveling New Zealand since late 2008 and been writing a great blog. But it’s in French so you’ll have to sharpen your French reading skills. He’s one of the best photographers I’ve seen, the images he creates through the lens of his camera are stunning and moving.
Author's niece and nephew with Christophe Pelet
So it’s worth a visit just for the photos. There’s tons of history and background on all sorts of New Zealand aspects, as well as good commentary on his *”Wwoof“ing experiences. *(World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms)
See Christophe’s Blog where his most recent entry is called “The Top of New Zealand.
Tags:adventure travel, Blogs in French, Christophe Pelet, Dexter R. Richards, ecospiritual psychology, Experiential Education, France, Holistic Living, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, New Zealand, Organic Farms, Peru, Randy Richards, Spiritual, Sunapee, Sustainability, travel photography, wwoof
Posted in New Zealand, Sustainable Living/Communities, Traveling | Leave a Comment »
23/05/2009
Suitcase or Backpack? How about both – A hybrid
Heading to High Camp, Huascaran, Peru
What you decide to take as your main travel luggage will depend mostly on what you’ll be doing. If you’re climbing Mt. Aconcogua or Mt. Huascaran Sur, you’ll be needing a “mule bag” full of climbing gear plus an expedition pack, which I usually carry on my back and wheel the mule bag around. If you’re vagabonding, with overnights in hostels or camping, a backpack is the way to go. If you’re doing a tour where you’ll mostly be in hotels, a hybrid bag is great.
Travel as lightly as you feel you can, My rule of thumb is lay out everything you think you want to bring and cut it by at least a third.
But you’ll need some trusty long underwear and possibly a down sweater or something like that if you’re headed to Lake Titicaca in July or August. The reason I mention this, before I answer the size of the luggage and type, is… The bulk of what you may take could be the insulation for the chilly nights in Cusco and Lake Titicaca.
Luggage is a personal preference. I prefer a backpack just because I like the freedom of it, and I have traveled that way for years. (more…)
Tags:Aconcogua, adventure travel, Dexter R. Richards, Huascaran, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, Peru, Randy Richards, Sunapee, The North Face, Travel Luggage, What's best travel bag
Posted in Peru, Traveling | Leave a Comment »
21/05/2009
Ida, The Missing Link
May 19, 2009—Meet “Ida,” the small “missing link” found in Germany that’s created a big media splash and will likely continue to make waves among those who study human origins.
In a new book, documentary, and promotional Web site, paleontologist Jorn Hurum, who led the team that analyzed the 47-million-year-old fossil seen above, suggests Ida is a critical missing-link species in primate evolution.
Read the rest of this story at National Geographic’s website.
Tags:Ida, John Hurum, National Geographic
Posted in Archeology | Leave a Comment »
16/05/2009
From New Zealand to Utah, From Alaska to New Hampshire – Ice bergs to Honeycombs
It’s called calving, when a glacier’s edge dramatically breaks off. Many cruise ships take the tour along Alaska’s shores. From Seward and other harbors along the coast, one can sign on for a daily round-trip to get up close views.
Perito Mereno Glacier, Argentina
The dramatic Perito Mereno Glacier in Argentina’s Southern windswept Los Glaciares National Park has many visitors.and is possibly the most famous rivers of ice in the world because. It was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1981. Amanda and I stopped at Tasman Lake in New Zealand’s Mt. Cook National Park to see the floating ice bergs in the grey-green water thick with rock flower. We hiked up to the top of an old terminal moraine and saw the bergs as the sun was setting.
White Pine Lake, Utah
More than a few times, I’ve jumped into such frigid waters, after a run or back country mountain sleep, just to wake me up. While at University of Utah, when I was still learning about the mountains, I did an overnight up White Pine Canyon in the late fall and jumped into White Pine Lake near Snowbird. A few minutes later, it had a skim of ice on it. That’s chilly, but there were no icebergs or calving going on, just shivering.
Lake Tasman, Mt. Cook
The Tasman Glacier regularly claves ice bergs but the evening we were there it was calm and each iceberg gave us a show of *“petreflections” of various sizes and patterns.
When the ice goes out in Lake Sunapee, NH, the reader may be curious to know that there usually aren’t big ice bergs. Then again, I didn’t grow up on the west side of the lake, where the whole lot piles up on a windy afternoon leaving dramatic piles of ice, as if the town dump truck and just deposited its backlog for the winter. On the east side of the lake, we observe the ice gradually thinning from the spring melt, and as it thins, darkens to almost a black. It turn into “honeycomb ice” we call it, where its transformed from the meter-thick solid sheet that runs the whole lake, to fragile, loosely held together elongated splinters that fall apart when scooped up in your hand. Those of us that grew us as kids along the shore of a lake will know what I mean. Daily we watch the progression.
*Petreflections Galore
Official Ice Out day is declared when Artie Osborne can take his boat from the north tip at George’s Mills to Newbury, some 10-13 miles distant without obstruction. To my knowledge, he still makes the trip, and in the process, closes the informal town bets for the season. Go swim in an ice-berg filled lake sometime. It’s the right thing to do.
Author’s Note: Also see my earlier entry on largest iceberg breaks off of Tasman Glacier in 100 years.
*Petreflections: A term coined by Kathy Lowe. See her link above.
Tags:adventure travel, Alaska, Argentina, Arthur Osborne, Dexter R. Richards, ecospiritual psychology, Experiential Education, Georges Mills, Holistic Living, Ice Bergs, Kathy Lowe Bloch, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Los Glaciares National Park, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, Mt. Cook National Park, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, New Zealand, Newbury NH, Petroflections, Randy Richards, Sunapee NH, Sustainability, UNESCO, Utah, White Pine Canyon
Posted in Environment, Glaciology, New Zealand, Power of Place, South America, Traveling | Leave a Comment »
16/05/2009
Mountain Spirit expresses its condolences to the family, friends, and fellow staff at North Carolina Outward Bound, of Matthew Lizotte of Aspen, Colorado, 25, who died Sunday while leading a group up 11,411-foot Mount Tronador in Argentina’s Nahuel Huapi National Park. Lizotte was a senior instructor for NCOBS and was one of three experienced instructors leading a semester course in Patagonia. To know more about the circumstances, Read the AP Article.
Tags:Aspen Colorado, Huapi National Park, Matthew Lizotte, Mt. Tronador, North Carolina Outward Bound School
Posted in Milestones | Leave a Comment »
15/05/2009
R. Richards and A. Hamilton at Mt. Cook, NZ Ceremony set for 30th May near Auckland
Executive Director Randall Richards is getting married to Amanda Hamilton. Randy 51, is a native of Sunapee New Hampshire, USA, and Amanda, 40, born in South Africa, who has been living in New Zealand for a number of years, are planning a simple ceremony at the end of the month. Neither have been married before, nor have any children.
It took their mutual friend Lizbeth Asserhoj from Denmark, living in Copenhagen, to put them together. Richards knew Asserhoj from travels in Peru, and Hamilton first met her in Australia, and later traveled with her in India. Lizbeth thought the two would get along, and went so far as to invite Richards on the India trip in hopes the two would cross paths and hit it off.
What started with some emails and Skype video calls, soon developed into a trip to New Hampshire, USA for Amanda, and month later, a trip for Randy to NZ. The two will be having the ceremony on the 3oth of May at Piha Beach near Auckland, New Zealand, Amanda’s twin sister, mother and friends will be present. The two will also plan celebratory gatherings in the U.S. when they eventually return.
Ceremony on N. end of Piha Beach, NZ
Both are lovers of the mountains. Hamilton has been a ranger for the Aspiring National Park for the last few seasons on New Zealand’s South Island, and has enjoyed trekking in Nepal, the Alps and other areas. Richards has been climbing, skiing and mountain guiding most of his life.
Tags:adventure travel, Amanda Hamilton, Dexter R. Richards, ecospiritual psychology, Experiential Education, Holistic Living, Hut Ranger, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, Mt. Aspiring National Park, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, New Zealand, Peru, Piha Beach, Randy Richards, Spiritual, Sunapee, Sustainability
Posted in Holistic Living, Mountain People, New Zealand, Spiritual | 1 Comment »
15/05/2009
Traveling in Lima and other Peruvian Cities
Friendly Lima, Peru
The below commentaries come from entries on virtualtourist.com, which I thought was useful information that mirrors my own perspective of traveling in Lima. I remember my boss, Willie Prittie of Alpine Ascents International cursing Lima for the time he lost a bags of climbing gear at the Airport, when it was stolen from him. From his horror story, I came to Peru armed to the hilt with mace, chicken wire around my backpack and yes, even a machete. I was traveling south on the Pan American Highway and was still a little uneducated about travel in South America. Within minutes of entering Peru, and catching a ride I realized I could throw away all the armaments. I’ve been in love with Peru ever since.
Hints on Traveling in Lima
Of course, no crime is petty when it happens to you, so take precautions against (more…)
Tags:adventure travel, Alpine Ascents International, Dexter R. Richards, ecospiritual psychology, Experiential Education, Holistic Living, Lima, Lima Airport, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, Peru, Randy Richards, Spiritual, Sunapee, Sustainability, travel safety, traveling safely, Willie Prittie
Posted in Peru, South America, Traveling | Leave a Comment »
15/05/2009
MSI and Family Cari
A Son Helps Build a Family Lodge on a Remote Island
There are times in my life when I’ve returned to a wonderful place in the world that I’m still getting to know, and by chance, I’ve end up camping in the same field or returning to the same hostel. Only when I walked into the place, do I remember having stayed there before.
Richard Cari with a Kantuta, National Flower of Peru
Richard Cari’s home and the Kantuta Lodge is one of those places. Since I’m on the subject of “chance travel”, the reader might be interested my entry on a similar instance where I was hitch hiking across France and ended up sleeping in the same field I had slept in 15 years prior. But for now, more on Amantani Island on Lake Titicaca.
I’d come to Amantani Island a few times during my travels in Peru. The place and people drew me in. No cars, electricity only a few hours a day, not even cats or dogs, which made the place seem peaceful. There is hardship on Amantani. The small population living on the 3 mile by 1.5 mile island on Lake Titicaca live at 13000 feet in stunning but somewhat harsh environment. There sustainable crops of Quinoa, potatoes and herbs are rain dependent. There is no irrigation of the crops. People do go hungry, despite the tourism dollars that trickle in from visitors taking boats from the nearby (4 hours!) harbor or Puno, Peru. Most visitors stay at family homes on the island’s west side, who have formed a cooperative rotating schedule that spreads the wealth and visitor’s dollars so no one family is reaping the homestays.
At Outward Bound we learned as instructors the metaphors of community, and here on Amantani, the population, because of its environment is a clear example of community. The island people work together with the resources they have to create the best possible outcome for all.
Segundino & Marcelina Cari of Amantani Island
Segundino, the island’s vice-Shaman, if you will, and his wife Marcelina have what was once a small home like the other villagers near the boat docks. But their son Richard went to University in Puno and majored in Tourism. He has come back with a plethora of “tools” and ideas he learned at school, that have transformed their home into the Kantuta Lodge, complete a separate building dining room, with longer beds for Gringos and Gringas and the only hot shower on the island.
Amantani Island, Lake Titicaca
Richard has done a spectacular job with his new skills making a better life for his family. He is creating a market. I told him I would submit the family lodge Lonely Planet, and even though I’ve not followed through I suspect the word has already gotten out about his good work.
The last time I visited Family Cari, I enjoyed the stay thoroughly. I got to help Richard’s sister Wilma do some cooking and plant potatoes by digging trenches in the garden below the house. I didn’t do very well by the way. Wilma, showing me the digging technique with a short handled hoe, giggled as I’d dig for a few feet before feeling breathless from the altitude. Her mother and father looked on from the house with a wry smile. (more…)
Tags:adventure travel, Amantani Island, David Mamani, Dexter R. Richards, ecospiritual psychology, Experiential Education, Holistic Living, Kantuta Lodge, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, Peru, Randy Richards, Richard Cari, Segundino Cari, Service, Spiritual, Sunapee, Sustainability, Tourism, weaving, Wilma Cari
Posted in Environment, Experiential Education, Focus on MSI People, Holistic Living, Leadership, Mountain People, MSI News, Peru, South America, Sustainable Living/Communities, Traveling | 4 Comments »
14/05/2009
Chance Encounters with Campsites
The most likely scene of the tresspass
I was hitching through France on my way to Brittany from Chamonix. I vaguely remembered being in a similar situation before as the day progressed. My ride was approaching the southern outskirts of Paris, and I had to make a decision on where to get dropped off. It was getting late in the afternoon, I had a sleeping bag and a bivy sack, and decided to get out at the next major motorway intersection near Paris. Maybe I’d find a youth hostel, or even a field to throw my sleeping bag on. When we arrived at the interchange, it was a busy place, but it looked a good spot from which to start hitching in the morning for Western France. After hopping the guardrail, I found a an unused grassy path that took off from the motorway, that led to a small field. (more…)
Tags:adventure travel, Brittany, Camping, Dexter R. Richards, ecospiritual psychology, Experiential Education, Hitch Hiking in France, Holistic Living, Mountain Spirit, Mountaineering, mtnspirit.org, New Hampshire, Paris, Paris autoroute, Peru, Randy Richards, Safety, Spiritual, Sunapee, Sustainability
Posted in Alps, Traveling | Leave a Comment »
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