Posts Tagged ‘Mountain Spirit’

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MSI at International Festival

26/03/2010

MSI at Colby Sawyer College International Festival
New London, NH, USA

R. Richards tells about MSI's programs, B. Dowst in background

Mountain Spirit Institute had a booth  at Colby Sawyer College’s International Festival in New London NH, USA yesterday on Thursday March 25th. Foreign students and college staff were dressed in their traditional national clothing and served food from their country.  The Peruvian band Inka Wasi, from Boston, taught audience members how to play the zampoña, then percussion instruments. Later, the trio later played traditional folklore songs from the Andes countries of Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Argentina.  Mountain Spirit Institute’s director R. Richards, spoke with one of the band members about the band Chimu Inka from Cusco. MSI sponsored Chimu Inka in the fall of 2008. The two discussed about some possible collaboration with the two bands in the future, when Chimu Inka returns to the U.S.

Inka Wasi director teaching Zampoña

Many local residents came out see this popular event which has been running a number of years here in this New England college town.  MSI board members Brenda Dowst and Amanda Richards, and Randy Richards manned the booth.

The Carrolls visit at MSI's booth

Local author Dave Carroll and his wife Laurett stopped by the booth to say hi as did other Sunapee and New London residents.  Both the Carrolls were not only fans but supporters of the Chimu Inka 2008 Peruvian/USA Music Exchange tour.

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Posted in Fair Trade, MSI News, Music, Supporting MSI | Leave a Comment »

New Book on Amantani Island, Peru

25/03/2010

Book on Amantani, Peru

Amantani en el Titikaka by native Amantani islander Marcelino Yucra Pacompia is available in local bookstores in Puno, Peru, and on the island of Amantani, Lake Titicaca, and possibly via the publisher’s website.

This first book available to the public on Amantani Island, is published in Spanish. It covers the geography, attractions, history, culture and customs, natural history plus social and political aspects of the island. Is also includes an important piece on the concept of Ayni or reciprocity, key the sense of community on the island.

Mountain Spirit Institute recommends this book as a good primer before visiting the island. We will see what we can do to have the book available on our website’s Fair Trade webpage.

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Posted in Books, Peru | Leave a Comment »

The InBox: Amantani Island, Peru

23/03/2010

Sustainable Travel, Off the Beaten Track, Lake Titicaca, Peru
Dear Randall,
I hope you don’t mind my contacting you. I saw your blog post about staying on Amantani Island and I wanted to ask your advice. I had been planning to go to the island and stay with Richard Cari at Kantuta Lodge. However, having read your post I am wondering if I should be staying elsewhere in order to be a bit fairer and in the interest of sustainable tourism – such as going to stay with the islanders who don’t usually see a lot of tourists.

I felt a bit nervous not booking something in advance and am also not sure how easy it would be to organise something like this (I will only have one night and we arrive in Puno the evening before we hope to go to the island). Do you know any responsible tour agencies who give back to the islanders and could help me find somewhere to stay? Or would you recommend just turning up and hoping to find a boat / somewhere to stay on the island?

Many thanks for any help you can give.
Kind regards,
Lucy H.

Hi Lucy,

Family Mamani, Occopampa, Amantani

Thanks for your email, and for your concern about sustainable tourism on Amantani on Lake Titicaca. Here are a few suggestions.
Richard Cari and family are good friends of mine, and we do hire his launch/boat to get our clients to the island, and although we might stay one night at his lodge, the lodge has evolved into something bigger than I want my participants to experience, (semester students excluded, plus Richard will help facilitate these longer programs). So we may bypass the lodge in favor of the other families who are wanting to have guests visit them. However, depending upon your comfort zone, and interest, you would enjoy Richard’s family and small lodge in any event. But more about staying with other families:

There’s no real problem with taking one of the boats run by the community of Amantani which you can pick up (more…)

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Posted in Archeology, Experiential Education, Inbox, Peru, Service, South America, Sustainable Travel, Traveling | Leave a Comment »

MSI’s Web/Online Changes

05/03/2010

By D.R. Richards

FaceBook Twitter

It’s a beautiful day. I should be spring skiing at Mt. Sunapee, but we’ve been making some new additions to the website, and this blog. We’ve added Facebook and Twitter icons on various pages, and reintroduced online forms on our Contact and Fair Trade and Donation pages. We’ve also made it easier to find the Fair Trade Page by adding a link to the main pages. We’ve migrated this blog to www.mtnspirit.org as of today, so our address is slightly different but you can still reach us at the old address.

Our Booth, I'l Festival, VT Getting the word out.

Getting our name out there is almost as important as fundraising and continuing to offer safe, meaningful programs. While our heart is in the mountains, we’ve stayed indoors to get these important features added to our site.  Keep track of our Facebook page, we’ll be using that as our online photo album for various programs, past and present.  Now to go hear Greg Mortenson tonight…

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Posted in Fair Trade, MSI News | Leave a Comment »

Google Translator

02/03/2010

By D.R. Richards

Easy to use Translator

I use Google Translator quite often for composing emails that I send to businesses in Peru. I admit it,  I’m cheating, but when dealing with businesses, it’s often a more reliable way to get my point across, and not cost mistakes, and money. If you’ve not needed Google Translator, you might find it fun to type a few words in English and see what it spits out at the other end, in Chinese or Russian.
We’ve had some Russian interest in one of our posts by Amanda Richards,  “Rebuilding the Machu Picchu Ruins” .  A Russian website has a link, and one of our photos on their site, so I decided to post a reply in Russian. I wonder if they’ll read it!
Signed,
Рэнди Ричардс
Горный институт Дух

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Posted in Experiential Education | 1 Comment »

MSI Sponsors Fulbright Applicant

27/02/2010

Duke Student Plans for Film Making Project in Peru on Traditional Folklore Music
By D.R. Richards

Berkowitz applies for Fulbright

Avery Berkowitz will be sponsored by Mountain Spirit Institute should his application for a Fulbright Scholarship be accepted this spring. Berkowitz approached MSI in February to see if we were interested in providing contacts, support, and in-country affiliation for his film project, a documentary on traditional folklore music in Peru. The film will cover, not only the music, but the lives of the performers, as well as the impact the music has on audiences and the culture.

Guillermo Seminario, the muscial director of Chimu Inka, co-facilitator on MSI programs in the Cusco region, and key member on the Peru/USA Music Exchange in the U.S. will also provide support on the ground in Cusco.  The exposure could also be good for Chimu Inka, who, although are superb musicians, deserve to have their music and story told more than is presently happening for them. Any film coverage of their story would be beneficial.

Berkowitz is a student at Duke, and if accepted for the Fulbright, plans to head to Peru either in the summer of 2010 or 2011. We look forward to doing what we can to support Avery and wish him the best with his application.

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Posted in Film/DVD, Music, Peru, South America | Leave a Comment »

Peru’10 Cultural Immersion Program

16/02/2010

Specialists in Peru & Holistic Education Since 1998

Mountain Spirit Institute announces June 18th Holistic Learning Program in Peru
By R. Richards
Mountain Spirit first started leading programs to Peru in 1998. I guided high altitude mountains for Alpine Ascents International, such as Mt. Huascaran in Peru, Aconcagua in Argentina and other volcanoes in Ecuador prior to that for a number of years , but then decided holistic experiential education was more for me.

Hiking on Amantani Island, Lake Titicaca

Readers may have heard of  the term “nature deficit disorder”, coined by Richard Louv in his book, Last Child in the Woods. MSI also addresses “cultural deficit disorder” by taking people to Peru.  We were doing Peru before it was fashionable, and know the country well. We focus on education, service, hiking, music and mountains. We’ll be headed to the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Lake Titicaca.

Our program is limited to 8 participants and will start on June 18th and last for 14 days. We will be staying with long time friends and educational partners. Our  logistics is well organized after leading many trips to Peru.

MSI Peru'09 with Cari Family, Amantani

Description of Curriculum:

MSI’s Cultural immersion focuses on learning rather than touristing, giving back through service, hiking in the Andes, weaving, agriculture, community building, learning music, language and indigenous shamanism and socioeconomic issues. Some hotels and lodges, but also family stays and off-the-beaten track. Machu Picchu, Lake Titicaca, Cusco.  Oh, and  great time too.

Testimonials from two Peru’09 particpants:

Machu Picchu

Thank you for a wonderful time in Peru!! You offered us such a diverse opportunity to really connect with the people, customs and languages. Your continued kindness, constant patience and
positive attitude really helped. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for a job well done, an unforgettable time..
G. B.
Peru 2009 Cultural Immersion

I liked meeting the real people of Peru. Randy’s example of energetic interaction with the people worked well and set a good tone for the program.
T. Y.
Peru 2009 Cultural Immersion
More Tesimonials

Stay tuned for more posts about more details, and what we’ll be doing on this year’s 2010 Cultural Immersion Program in Peru.  We hope you’ll consider joining us for a learning of a lifetime. See our detailed itinerary. Learn more about who’s leading the program. Also see posts on Peru to the right.

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Posted in Inner Work, MSI News, Peru, Power of Place, Service, South America, Sustainable Travel, Traveling | 1 Comment »

New Fundraiser for MSI

12/02/2010

Mountain Spirit is always looking for good ways to work with our friends in Peru, to give back,   also to help raise funds for our programs. Boot program fits the bill.

Handmade Fundraiser

By R. Richards
When we walked into Mariano’s boot shop in Cusco last summer we knew we were looking at high quality products. I trained as an apprentice boot maker in Austria, so I recognized the traditional European boot making techniques  when I saw them. And here they were in Cusco, Peru, in the form of high quality suede boots, custom made right in the shop. Mariano takes an outline of one’s foot, then gets to work. While we lived in Cusco we talked with him to see if we could order from the states. At an international fair we had put the boots out and they proved so popular, we decided to put them on our website. All proceeds go to the bootmaker, and to Mountain Spirit Institute to further our non-profit educational mission and programs. If you, or someone you know, would like a pair, read on and contact us.

MSI Handmade Peruvian Boots

Boots from Peru

–  Hand made from Cusco Peru
–  Unique, not mass marketed
–  Popular with the people who have ordered them so far.
–  Custom to your foot: We (or you can) outline your foot, and we send it via DHL courier   directly to Cusco where Mariano completes the order in three days and sends the boots back by DHL
– Suede leather
– Insulated
– Inlaid with traditional local handmade weavings, made on backstrap looms
– Lug Sole made by “Cat” (similar to Vibram)

Uggs Alternative

– Very comfortable
– Made to order.
– We place orders when we have nine or ten orders together.
– GENERIC SIZES OPTION: Some generic sizes are in stock and ship in 24hrs. Call for details.
-PRICES: Custom made $180.00 plus ground shipping in U.S. Price includes custom ordering and shipment from Peru by DHL. Generic sizes $140.00 plus shipping in U.S. from NH, USA
– Turn around time: 8-10 days from when order is sent from USA
-Available in New Zealand starting 8/2010

For further details or to place an order, please call 603-763-2668 or email us at info@mtnspirit.org

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Posted in Fair Trade, MSI News, Peru, Supporting MSI, Sustainable Travel | 2 Comments »

Why We Need Live Music #4

21/01/2010

Another Study Proves It – Live Music: Definitely good for the soul.
By Randall Richards
Images: Mike Heffernan

Fat Hands, creating good vibes, L to R: Walt Kutylowski, Gerry Putnam, Dana Flewelling, and Nic Kutylowski

OK .  It wasn’t an official *scientific study, but ask anyone who was there, at Gerry Putnam’s CedarHouse Sound & Mastering recording studio when he hosted his annual music get-together, and they’ll tell you – Their souls felt better after having been there – both musicians and listeners alike.  This year, I had the good fortune of being a listener. We had missed most of the day’s party which had started mid-morning, but we certainly weren’t short-changed for music.
The party has been the brainchild of Gerry and recording artist Kathy Lowe as a vehicle to showcase Gerry’s studio for potential recording artists, and to thank past artists who had already done an album (or two, or three) at this heavenly studio, complete with a concert grand Steinway piano, and Gerry’s masterful abilities to engineer top quality albums.
As the night wore on, and most of the day’s musicians had headed home, brothers Walt and Nick Kutylowski, also known as “Fat Hands” sat down and started to do a few numbers unplugged. (The day is usually fully “plugged in”). Then, Putnam pulled up a chair and started picking his classical guitar. Gerry not only recorded and mastered Fat Hands’  two albums at Cedarhouse, but ended up playing lead guitar on them as well. Enter drummer extraordinaire Dana Flewelling, (from Night Kitchen) who usually has a whole “trap set”  in front of him.  He  sat down with a djembe and a set of brushes.

Small but appreciative audience

My wife Amanda and I, Walt Kutylowski’s partner Christy, Mike Heffernan and Kathy Lowe were all that remained of the audience. The rest of  the party-goers had all headed home in the cold night air.

The music and energy that happened was nothing short of way cool.  They must have played for an hour or more, and we, the privileged few,  just sat there taking it in.

Fathands has a few upcoming **gigs but  we’re threatening to kidnap them and take them to New Zealand the next time we head down under, and from the sound of it, they might be willing go.  Meanwhile, we (at Mountain Spirit Institute) will most likely be offering to put on  a house concert or local venue concert for these guys if they’re up for it. They deserve to be heard. Check out Fathands, and Gerry Putnam’s Cedarhouse Sound and Mastering through the links above.
* This is a scientific study about the healing power or music, by the BBC.
** Deerfield CoffeeHouse, NH,  April 10 2010, with Gerry Putnam & Kent Allyn
Musterfield Farm, New London, NH USA June 19th, 2010
Thanks to Mike Heffernan for getting his camera out to capture the moment.

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Posted in Health, Holistic Living, Inner Work, MSI News, Music | 2 Comments »

Three Cups of Tea in Action

20/01/2010

Three Cups of Tea

Learn what one retired high school teacher is doing to spread the word about international understanding in local New England schools.

By Randall Richards
When Frank Hammond, of New London New Hampshire, USA,  becomes passionate about something, he gets involved with no reservations.  A long-time contributor to various community projects, a popular and effective high school teacher, and former Executive Director of the  Lake Sunapee Protective Association, Hammond recently read the New York Times Bestseller  Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, and was motivated to get the book in front school children in the region. One of the strategies, he mentions  “is to teach kids empathy skills, i.e., listening to others and building healthy relationships both at home and abroad with foreign cultures.”  Learn more by watching the interview below…


Editor’s Note: Frank Hammond was my 8th grade home-schoolroom teacher in Sunapee, NH.  He was a great teacher, and left a big impression on my me, and I’m sure on my fellow classmates as well. If his  Facebook “friends count” is any gauge, he’s still just as popular as ever with alumni. Thanks for the interview Frank!
R. Richards

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Posted in 1- Video Posts, Experiential Education, Inspirational People, Leadership, Service | 3 Comments »

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