My 14 yr-old son turned me onto “Yes Theory” some years ago. There motto is “Seek Discomfort”. If you’ve not heard of them or seen any of their vids, I highly suggest heading to their YouTube channel. Here’s their latest installment which is a stark reminder of how the world is one way, and the media tries to tell you it’s another.
Exploring World’s Strangest Border: A Country Inside a Country Inside a Country? Why? “When searching the globe for interesting places we always get drawn to these lines on the map that seem out of place little anomalies that tell us that something interesting must have happened there in the past we’ve flown around the world to investigate some of these anomalies before but in all of our travels we’ve never heard of one as unusual as this this unconventional spot on the map is an enclave inside an enclave the UAE inside of Oman which is inside of the UAE again like some sort of geographic Russian doll when we first heard about this we were obviously confused unusual borders like this are usually very tense but searching the internet for information didn’t yield many answers and seeing as we were already going to be in Oman for another.. :
“We [are] reminded so often of all of the bad there is so much so that we forget that this is our natural state to be generous to be kind and to be open, and I have to say that few places are as hospitable as the Middle East. And no place contrasts more in the reality on the ground versus what you’ll see in the news [than here]. Let’s continue breaking down these perceptions of each other, [and] refuse the divisive narrative that we’re fed, and always remain skeptical of someone trying to convince you otherwise.
The enemy isn’t across the border as these lovely people here have taught [us]. It it’s the ones are desperately trying to convince you that they are [the enemy when they’re are friends you just haven’t met yet].
By Randall Richards Performing Music to Protest & Educate: Past, Present, & Where to From Here?
When I started a couple of volunteer music venues as listening rooms which I named “Coffeehouses”, one in Leavenworth, Washington and a second, in Sunapee New Hampshire (which is still going strong), Little did I know the history of the term CoffeeHouse.
I recently happened to stumble upon this interesting definition of the term, but never realized its origin when I had created those coffeehouses in the states. Interesting how things turn out: “GI Coffeehouses” were a consequential part of the anti-war movement during the Vietnam War era, particularly the resistance to the war within the U.S. military. They were mainly organized by civilian anti-war activists as a method of supporting anti-war and anti-military sentiment
. The FTA Roadshow was explicitly created in the ’70’s as a counter to Bob Hope’s pro-war USO tour. Original cast, from left: Gary Goodrow, Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Peter Boyle, Dick Gregory, and Barbara Dane at the Haymarket GI Coffeehouse near Fort Bragg.
We started the first venue in Washington State because I had been a professional pianoplayer for years, and budding singer/songwriter on the guitar. I wanted to perform in a supportive listening room environment.
I had taken note of one such venue in a Sedona, AZ bookstore. Since I could only find bars and pubs, where venues treated the artists as background musicians, I wanted no part of that.So I decided to give it a shot by approaching a local hotel owner who was willing to let me set up on Friday nights in his unused conference space and stage in Leavenworth, WA. More on that winning formula in another piece.
New Zealand: Fast forward to New Zealand, 2021 in the thick of mandates, and other general draconian measures pushed upon the population, based on a injection that was neither safe nor effective. We started having occasional bonfire music jams, and a like-minded Saturday Market, primarily for our freedom loving community (but all were welcome) in the Upper Clutha region of the South Island.
About six months ago I decided to apply to be one of the 16 international chapters of Jam For Freedom, backed by Eric Clapton. We were welcomed with open arms.
We have yet to hold our inaugural event. I’m still in the process of reaching out to additional musicians in the country who have been part of either the Wellington Protests, were featured in The River of Freedom and We Came Here for Freedom documentaries. Once we have a critical mass of freedom loving musicians, we’ll create an event,
We’ll also create traveling Jam For Freedom (Coffeehouse type roadshow), starting with the South Island based on the Coffeehouse formula I had started in the U.S., but simply a mobile version. That means a featured performer, followed by an open mic, a “trained” listening room audience, and passing the hat for the musicians, venue hire, and roadshow expenses,). I have a van, a waterproof trailer for the music gear, and just need some JFF branding for the vehicle and a stage backdrop.
Vietnam: My family and I just toured of Vietnam, and I’m now writing a few pieces, not about the tourist side, but the impact of the war museums, the wonderful people we met, the stories I was told, and most recently, a book I’m reading called Understanding Vietnam explaining not only the war, but the deep seated psyche of the Vietnamese. During a visit to the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Min City, I found these images on display:
Yo koi Kumiko sings to solders in the artillery battleground in Quang Binh Provence, 10 December, 1973“A rally against US aggression in Vietnam from Japan’s Beheiren, Tokyo, 1972
This might be the time to premise some the articles I’m working on about Vietnam’s view of the US Occupation of Vietnam. They call it the “American War”, by the way. I went to Vietnam with some ingrained knee-jerk conditioning, courtesy of our government’s controlled media in the states. That paradigm quickly dissolved. Of course I could see Vietnam’s plugging their side of the story as well. But I do have discernment, and will talk about that in later posts.
Although there is a history of protest music from the US side I assume there’s more about Vietnam’s side, protesting war. However, this was the first time I it was on my radar. The historians will write about such protest songs being written now, not only about anti-war, but about various nefarious agendas that aim to curb our freedoms, hurt our children and enslave the world’s population. Music is one of the best ways to call out the troublesome behaviors of those powerful people in charge who obviously don’t have our best interests in mind.
Comedy is a another avenue to opening the dialogue where direct debate and conversation often fail to bridge the gap between different paradigms. Jim Breuer’s Somebody Had to Say It, is a case in point.
So wish us luck with our Jam For Freedom adventure here in New Zealand! If you’re a musician get in touch! If you’re a friend of mine, who happens to be living stateside, or elsewhere, I also invite you to join in the conversation on our Jam For Freedom Telegram chat or the International Telegram group. Even though the NZ chat is focused for us here in New Zealand, I feel, the more the merrier. We could use the moral support! Did you guys hear that… Kirtana, Neal Fox, Scot Bergeron, Conspiracy Music Guru?
THANKS TO: A special thanks goes to those New Zealand musicians who performed at our protest on Parliament grounds and were featured in those documentaries mentioned above, and to those who have joined our Jam For Freedom NZ Telegram Group. Also thanks to all the steering committee and volunteer members of the West and East Coffeehouses who have worked hard to deliver live music in a listening room for so many years.
A special acknowledgement again to Neal Fox for being ahead of the curve, and for his unflinching creative stance in music compositions and film-making productions, and sticking it to the “all powerful”. You can see his work here.
Learn more about the Coffeehouse concept here. Start one in your community! You learn more about Randall’s music here. Our music studio is open for musicians-in-residence who would like to be pampered and be free to write and record in our small studio set in the mountains of the Southern Alps of NZ.
I started this blog some 18 years ago with the broad stroke of travel advice, mountain guiding and expedition experiences and learnings from other cultures. Now, as I travel in Vietnam, I’m more interested in the people, plus the interesting discussions or tidbits I’m learning in light of the current state of global affairs. What seemed normal is no longer. What was once 2+2=4 is now an upside-down world in our national and local governments, schools and communities. I heard a saying the other day, “The difference between a conspiracy theory and the truth is six months”, except the time has shortened to 6 days”. that person further explained that those in power no longer need to stand behind their lies for very long. They get what they want out of the situation, then fess up and tell the truth later, (buried on page 12) then move on to the next deception, leaving the public bewildered.
My family and I happened to go to a well-known “Bun Cha” street food restaurant in Hanoi recently, and found a poster of Obama and Anthony Bourdain sitting at one of the tables.
My guess is Bourdain was showing Obama around some of the sweetspots in Vietnam’s capital.
“Don’t step ouf of line, mate”,The caption, “Suat an Obama” reads, “Obama dines”
But allow me some conjecture: I remember hearing rumours that Bourdain was “suicided” and had told close friends he wasn’t suicidal, and that “if anything happens to me, I didn’t take my own life”. I’d have to do some digging to dredge up what I had seen. Of course a quick look on search engines only** brought up “OFM” (Old Fashioned Media) headlines the likes of “The Dark Final Texts”, and “Tragic Final Moments”, by the likes of the Huff Post and NYT. Do I trust those sources? Not anymore. In fact, I’ve got my BS meter tuned to “high” lately.
While eating at the restaurant, and contemplating the large poster of the the two sitting facing each other, I couldn’t help but wonder if Obama was telling Bourdain to “Stay in line, or else”. I had read that Bourdain was questioning “the official narrative” of the globalist agenda and was planning on going public with his opinion.
But then again, maybe it was just a quiet dinner in Vietnam’s capital.
Bun Cha Huong Liên, Hanoi
** I did happen to see this post on Rumble though, with the headline:
I love it when spirit nudges us. Our family does an evening reading at our dinner table every night before eating. Without looking at the bookshelf behind me last night, I pulled a random book off the shelf. Then I opened to a random page, then I looked at a random quote.
It’s one of my favorite quotes: “Believe me my young friend, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that is half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” Kenneth Grahame.
This quote arrives just when we’ve put our Lake Wanaka Yacht Charters business “on pause” due to New Zealand border closures. The lack of tourists is “forcing us to live our dreams” and as we consider and possibly prepare to use the yachts in more of an educational role, for experiential adventures on Lake Wanaka. This is my first love anyway. As every passenger that’s gone out on the lake with me attests, they got more than they bargained for, regarding an experiential sailing experience. Once they get out there, my job, and mission, is to light up their eyes and soul by helping them connect to the wind, the water, the place and themselves, and of course have fun.
Here at Mountain Spirit NZ, we’ve been hooked on the “AirBnB drug” prior to our Covid lockdown, and now we’re advertising for domestic visitors to stay with us with a purpose in mind, whether to just have a digital detox, record some music in our piano studio, or take some yin yoga classes with Amanda in the yurt. We’re stepping out into our own possibilities.
The trick to being fulfilled and successful, (however you personally define success), is stepping out of the way, allowing the Universe/Spirit/God to help out, and importantly, look for those reminder signs when they pop up and recognise them as such, then of course, take action.
I just attended a powerful presentation yesterday here in Wanaka, New Zealand, by Lake Wanaka Tourism They’re our local tourism association. As you can imagine, like many of us in tourism here in New Zealand, they’ve been in on a path or re-inventing themselves. They’ve been working on a new branding program. I’ll write more on that in later in a separate post, as it deserves more time. But I have to mention here, about the power of timing, being at the right place at the right time, taking action when a crisis/opportunity presents itself and listening to spirit. Lake Wanaka Tourism is taking the bold steps to create a wonderful vision of post-covid “tourism” for operators, the land, community and visitors alike.
Here’s just a snapshot of some of the Lake Wanaka tenets going forward: The Vision: “Our aspiration is for the visitor industry to enrich this place, as well as the lives of the local community both now and into the future. To create mutual value for Whanau/whanui (which includes our families , our community, our visitors), and our whenua (our place and natural resources) and our economy.
“Values: Guardianship for our people, our place and our plant; Inclusive and respectful; Living with a sense of balance; bold and free thinking.”
There are plans being put into place with a whole re-adjustment of what it means to be in tourism here in Wanaka, and fortunately, the leadership and staff at Lake Wanaka Tourism are taking on the challenge with heart and purpose. The future looks bright because there’s a proactive approach. I look forward to sharing more about LWT’s and the community’s plans going forward in future posts. I would say LWT is following their spirit course.
Back to the reading about messing about on boats. I can’t wait for the next sign to come down the road, and hit me with a spiritual 2×4. But for now, I thought I’d share this little nudge from Spirit.
Before lock-down, here on the South Island of New Zealand, we were quite busy renting out our accommodation to AirBnB guests from all over the world. We enjoyed meeting people from Italy to the US, from China to India. Since lock-down, we’ve been getting bookings from individuals and families here in New Zealand, who want a “digital detox”, or to reset their perspective on life. There’s a huge demand for going within, and reconnecting with one’s self, with others and with nature. Humbly, I think we do that well here at Mountain Spirit. We’ve been at it for a while and are excited to share our space and experience. Amanda offers wonderful and centering YinYoga classes. Randall offers re-connection through “solo’s”, sailing and other experiential activities. Randall worked with Outward Bound for many years, then a mountain guide in South America for Alpine Ascents International, leading climbers up peaks in Peru, Argentina and Ecuador and has landed in New Zealand. Amanda has studied yoga most of her life, and spent some months in India practicing and learning. She most recently has been training under Sarah Powers. Come join us if you’re so inclined to dive into your inner world. We’re at mtnspirit.nz
This post is dedicated to the late Maria Figueroa Norabuena, who I consider the heart of my Peruvian Family. The matriarch, she died recently of complications while in Lima getting medical treatment, and is survived by her husband Daniel, (pictured), a large family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren mostly in Huaraz, and the surrounding villages, in Peru. She lived in a small hamlet outside of Huaraz where she and her husband baked bread for many of the townspeople and restaurants in Huaraz. They also grew crops and had farm animals. My condolences go out to Daniel and his family.
Daniel, and his late wife Maria of Huaraz, Peru
I met Maria through my friend David Sanchez Figueroa, co-owner of the vegetarian Restaurant Salud y Vida, (Health and Life) when I was mountain guiding in Huaraz some years ago. I became godfather to her grandchild Joseph, and have always felt part of the family. It must be a past-life thing but we’ve all been very close over the years of visits.
With the coming of video calling, I was able to keep in close contact with the whole family, and especially with Maria while she was with her daughter in Lima undergoing treatment. I had the opportunity to spend some screen-time with her before she died and am so grateful for that time. It reminds me, again that life is short.
I have a vivid image, (and a video), in my mind of my wife Amanda, and Maria, playing “Laugh Dancing” in the restaurant’s kitchen. Someone starts a sound track, and the object of the game is partner up with someone, and dance with a straight face. The first one to crack a smile, usually caused by the opponent’s antics, loses. Maria won, hands down. I don’t remember the exact maneuver she pulled, but it had us (all generations of the family) laughing hysterically.
When I first came to Peru as a mountain guide, Maria used to pinch my cheek with her fingers, saying “Que Pena” (“What a pity”) when she learned at my age of 40+, I still had no wife or child. (Since then I’ve been married since 2009 with an eight-year-old son, which made Maria much more happy with me) Every climbing season, when I’d come back into town, she’d give me the pinching, “Que Pena” again, when I was still in the same sorry state.
Becoming a Godfather to her grandchild, Joseph, and seeing what family can really be in Peru, changed me. I grew up as a bit of a narcissist, mountain guiding, single, and although an outdoor educator, still caught up in my seeking the perfect high. A light bulb when off in my heart when I observed what family really means in the indigenous an Latino sense. We had Peru on our short list of destinations of where we were considering having a family, precisely because of that observation.
Maria was a strong woman with a keen sense of self, sense of humour, a huge heart, and a fantastic matriarch who will be missed by her large family, and even… a gringo here in New Zealand.
Since this post, I’ve received this comment from Maria’s grandaughter, Jina (translated from Spanish):
Thank you very much Randall for this publication in tribute to my beloved Grandmother, she was just as you describe her, she left such an imprint on every corner she traveled, she was a woman very loved by all of us who now mourn her sudden departure. You are right, she was in a very delicate treatment that began in January, but on 15.05.2020 her body did not resist. I still remember every joke she made to me, even one day before her death we joked, and she laughed out loud. Always her take on life was all joy. Perhaps you were motivated by her to form your own home, with her phrase, “what a shame”, because she wanted to see everyone with family, family as she had it with my grandfather, who showed that true love exists.
Their advice is recorded in my heart. I’ll never forget my grandmother. She will always be in my memory and heart.
Near the hamlet in which Maria lived, with the Cordillera Blanca, Peru’s highest mountain range, in the near distance (copyright 2020 Dexter R Richards)
I grew up in tourism. My parents started a ski lodge, Dexter’s Inn, in the 1940’s in Sunapee, New Hampshire. I’ve been in and out of tourism over the years, and in different shades of it, from ski instruction, to experiential education, high-altitude mountain guiding, a guide on the Inka Trail to Machu Pichu, back in the days when you didn’t see a lot of people, and no permits required (referring to the Inka Trail only).
We now own Lake Wanaka Yacht Charters and Mountain Spirit NZ in the Southern Lakes District of New Zealand. So we’re officially back in the industry. However the industry seems uber-industrial.
Einstein said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” So when is enough, enough? And what do we do now?
Here are some rumblings about our, small, but very fast-growing communities, Wanaka and Queenstown, New Zealand.
First an article from CNN: in which Queenstown is listed, among other areas in the world, as a trouble spot, with over 3 million visitors per year…
Destination trouble: Can overtourism be stopped in its tracks? (CNN) — We first hear about these places when we’re kids. Famous destinations full of wondrous architecture, spectacular scenery or ancient mysteries that fire our imaginations and fill us with yearning.
We dream, we grow, we save up all our money and one day we finally get to visit — only to discover, read more…
Next, our local Wanaka Stakeholder Group’s Protect Wanaka Facebook page, a firebrand in its own right (and I mean that as a compliment), weighs in: “Queenstown has been named in CNN Travel’s global list of locations that are currently plagued by ‘Overtourism’, read more…
The Wanaka Sun The Disadvantages of Tourism By Allison McLean (journalist@thewanakasun.co.nz)
“Tourism is noted as New Zealand’s top export earner and the cornerstone of its economy. It sustains and grows local communities and reportedly employs one in seven New Zealanders, according to Tourism New Zealand. Many locals consider this sword to be double edged, noting the accumulated waste, erosion of land and consumption of fossil fuels from tourism that put the country’s land and greatest asset at risk. read more…
– – – –
Just as shifting our paradigm on how our family uses plastics during Plastic Free July, we’re in the process of shifting how we think of tourism, and how we contribute to the problem or clean up the mess. Whether as suppliers or tourists, we all need a re-think. A saying I heard the other day made me chuckle, and again was a paradigm shifter:
“I’m not stuck in traffic, I am traffic”
Responsible tourism is the future, not simply the bottom line. Here’s New Zealand’s webpage on the subject, as well as another great page on NZ Sustainable Tourism Tourism Industry Aotearoa, TIA’s page. And acompany, Responsible Travel has had some new global initiatives. Lake Wanaka Tourism has published a sustainable tourism page.
Unfortunately I see Wanaka and Queenstown going the way of Park City, Vail, or other towns in the Alps, that just got too big, and now deal with smog, traffic and overgrowth, but that’s another subject, I suppose. Although we, too, are new here, one redeeming attribute is we’ve always tried to live a small footprint, including buying existing houses rather than building anew, living off the grid when possible etc. .
Tell me what you think. Respectful comments welcome.
Decisions on the Life Path
Felix is from Bavaria. He had a choice to make – Follow in his father’s footsteps, or follow his heart. Learn what he and his fiance decided to do!
Lake Hawea, New Zealand singer-songwriter Anna van Riel, between gigs on her sustainable house concert tour across North America, plays with daughter Matilda (2) in Bodie, a ghost town in California.
Two-thirds of the way through her sustainable musical road-trip across Canada and the United States, Lake Hawea, NZ singer-songwriter Anna van Riel says the 15 months spent planning and fundraising for the experience has all been worth it.
”I’m still pinching myself,” Ms van Riel told the Otago Daily Times in an email from Colorado.
”I can’t believe we did it. That we’re here. It’s been so much cooler than I anticipated.”
Accompanied by husband Locky Urquhart and their daughter Matilda (2), Ms van Riel has spent the past two months travelling from British Columbia, through Washington State, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah and Colorado, performing quirky concerts in private homes, farmers markets, trailer parks and other venues.
bookings from individuals and families here in New Zealand, who want a “digital detox”, or to reset their perspective on life. There’s a huge demand for going within, and reconnecting with one’s self, with others and with nature. Humbly, I think we do that well here at Mountain Spirit. We’ve been at it for a while and are excited to share our space and experience. Amanda offers wonderful and centering 
us if you’re so inclined to dive into your inner world. We’re at 
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