Volunteering again and adeus Brasil, until next time!

I write these lines from Italy and I can still hardly believe I am back home after 3 wonderful months spent in Brazil. Time went by so fast and I would like to share my volunteering experience at the eco-project "Aldeia". Here is the text written for the November Newsletter of Sustainable couch, which you can find here)

“I admit it. I never thought I would build a wall in my life. Being rather manually inept, I always tended to avoid work I considered destined to fail or engender embarrassment, especially with people who seem to be born to plant, build, repair, sew, etc, but during my trips in the last years I tried to overcome my insecurity and worked in different eco-projects, finding places to go through websites like Woofing, Workaway or VolunteersBase (which we presented in a previous newsletter). This way I had the chance to perform different activities, such as planting trees and vegetables, digging an irrigation system, composting organic waste, etc. Inspiring lessons which taught me a lot: manual work is indeed tiring and difficult, but also very rewarding and fun, especially if done together with other people.
 
When I arrived at the "Aldeia", a small community in the south of Bahia, Brazil, I had no idea what job I would be assigned. It was a surprise, and a very pleasant one, to find out I would belong to the bio-constructions' team :-) Since the beginning, I was aware it would be an interesting challenge. Right on the first day the other volunteers (a Dutch couple and two Brazilian girls) and I were shown the ingredients for the wall: clay, straw, sand, cow dung. What were we supposed to do with them? Put them all on a big plastic sheet, pour on water little by little and mix them energetically with our feet, jumping and pressing, pressing and jumping. To get the party feeling we sometimes listened to Brazilian music while dancing on the clay ;-)
Once the material was ready - it took hours of bouncing and sweat to prepare a sufficient quantity, we started the construction of the outer wall of the house's future kitchen. Once the clay base was set, we inserted several logs/trunks. Then we covered them with another layer of clay. And so on, and so on. What seemed an easy job turned into a one-week challenge which occupied all our energy and thought during the 4-hour workdays. Once we reached the top (we celebrated this moment with the picture used as cover of this newsletter) we thought our work was done, but there was still a long way to go: fixing the cracks, polishing the logs, cleaning the wall etc. After a few days of drying, we admired our masterpiece and enjoyed the satisfying feeling of "mission accomplished".
In our free time we had delicious vegetarians meals, swam in the nearby Rio de Contas river and had fun and endless table-tennis games. All in all, another wonderful volunteering experience for me, crowned by the happiness of leaving behind not only nice moments spent with nice people, but also a solid and beautiful bio-wall.

In the last travel weeks I enjoyed the beach at Morro de Sao Paulo and Boipeba
and spent a lot of time with friends in Salvado.

Images speak clearer than words, so here are some of my favourite Brazil pics.
I wish you all a great Christmas time
Massi on the road (at home again)

Wonderful rainbow at Morro de Sao Paulo

Pelourinho, the old city of Salvador

Last swim in Salvador, a few hours before flying home

September in Brasil: Life in the Ecovillage Piracanga

September went by very quickly. I spent most of it in the Ecovillage of Piracanga in Bahia. I wrote a text  about my experience there for the last newsletter of Sustainable Couch and I would like to share it here.
To read the full newsletter: http://www.sustainablecouch.org/newsletter/290
Enjoy!
Massi on the road

___________

“A dear friend of mine from Brasil attended a permaculture course Piracanga earlier this year and she said it is a place I should absolutely get to know. Since my first two trips in 2011 and 2012 I desperately missed Brazil, so I decided to come back to this wonderful country to try out the “ecovillage experience”. I would like to begin by shortly presenting the place where I spent the month of September.
  

A quick look at Piracanga's story
Piracanga was born around 10 years ago starting from the private initiative of a European couple. In the last decade, an abandoned coconut farm turned into a tropical paradise where around 35 people live in an intentional community. Around 50 more people belong to the area of the ecovillage and respect its rules and values, even if they have private houses and jobs outside. A holistic centre was set up 5 years ago, offering a wide variety of courses such as meditation, reiki, aura reading, fasting, etc. More recently, a “university” and a “school of service” were created, offering young people the opportunity to spend a few months in the ecovillage, working, learning and sharing community life. More information can be found here.

My arrival in Pircanga
I arrived by bus from Salvador at the beginning of September. I was immediately fascinated by the beauty of Piracanga, set in a wonderful spot on the coast: a small river flowing into the Atlantic Ocean; a long beach covered in soft sand; coconut trees and plants everywhere; small houses and constructions hidden in the flourishing vegetation. Nice people from many countries (but with a big majority of Brazilian, Argentinians and Uruguayans) who escaped the “system”, for a few months or years, to live and practice an “alternative” lifestyle based on sustainability and spirituality, two of the pillars of Piracanga. On the first day I was introduced, together with the rest of the group, to the school of service; in total we were 15 people. This school is a 2-month programme for guided self-discovery and personal development. The first week helps people to “land” in this new world, the seven following weeks are dedicated each on the seven chakras. There is also work available in different projects (permaculture, kitchen, school of arts and handicrafts) and lessons on different subjects (chakras, meditation, relationships etc.)

  

My work in the permaculture project
From the beginning it was clear to me: I want to work in the permaculture project to know more about the practical aspects of it and to “get my hands dirty”. I was immediately able to fulfil my wish, as I started to work on one of the main ecological sectors of Piracanga: the compost system. All the organic “trash” from the kitchen and from the “dry toilets” is the starting and at the same time final point of an important process. The organic material is stored, mixed with straw and different types of microorganisms to accelerate the decomposition process, which lasts on average 5 weeks for the food and a few months for the toilet materials.

Every day I shovelled different piles of food compost from one “garage” to the other, in order to oxygenate it and avoid it rotting. Week after week I was able to observe the decomposition process. At the end, the compost is used to fertilise the gardens of Piracanga, completing this wonderful “zero-waste” cycle.

Apart from this, I had the chance to participate to different “mutiroes”, a Portuguese word which roughly means “community work actions”: a group of people get together to work for a few hours with a common aim, i.e. planting a vegetable garden, cleaning an area, etc. The physical work was hard and tiring, and very interesting. The chakra-related learning process was instead far more difficult for me, as the spiritual part of the process was similar to my own in both content and form.

Still, I really enjoyed my time in Piracanga, as I was able to learn many new things about myself and being committed to a better, more sustainable world."

Highlights Massi in Europe February-August 2014 and new trip: Brasil!

Hello from Salvador da Bahia, Brasil!

It's been a very long time since I updated my travel blog, but here I am finally, in the road again.

I spent the period between mid February and August 2014 at home. This was a wonderful, very exciting period which and I would like to describe some highlights here:

•  “Massi on the road presents”-  tour 2014: inspired by the positive experiences of 2013, this year I held a new series of presentations, both in public and in schools. In total, I organised 20 events in Italy and in Austria to present my travel and life experiences. Over 800 people of all ages participated. During the presentations I sold my book (see below) and collected a total of 5.500 Euro with I donated to support educational and development projects in Sri Lanka.
  
• “Massi on the road in South America” - the book: in summer 2013 and during the India trip I wrote my first book, a travel diary in form of short stories of my 15-month trip in South America. In April I got 500 self-printed copied which I sold during my presentations, collecting donations (see above). After 4 months the 500 copies are all sold and next year the book will be republished by a publishing house from Rome. In the meantime I also started writing my second book, about my India trip, but I still have to do a lot of work on that so more news in the next months ;-)
  
• Massi on the road also in Europe: even if I spent most of the last months in my home town, Gavi, I had the chance to make a few short trips in Italy (Turin, Bologna, Faenza and Valle d'Aosta) and a longer Austria trip in June (in Klagenfurt, Fulpmes, Satteins and of course back to my beloved Vienna!).
  Thanks to all the wonderful friends and couchsurfers who hosted me during this trips!!

And now? As said, I am back in Brasil. I plan to stay here a few months. After spending a few days in Salvador and in the Chapada Diamantina, I am heading to Piracanga, an eco-village in the south of Bahia. I am very happy and open for new experiences :-)

Well, that's all for now, until next time!

Massi on the road

The proud author with his "baby"

Amazing view in Tirol, Austria

Cachoeira da Fumaca, Chapada Diamantina, Brasil

Back in Italy and India's dark and bright sides: a reflection

Extract from the February Newsletter of Sustainable Couch: 

"I am writing this text from Italy. I am back home after spending nearly 6 months in “incredible India”, as the country is officially defined by its tourism department. Many thoughts cross my mind but, first and foremost, is the gratitude I feel towards such a wonderful country who welcomed me for the last half a year. India is so complex, unlike any other country (at least from the ones I have visited) that it will take me a long time to “digest” and understand what I have seen. On the bright side: the natural beauty, the generosity of the people I have met, the great spiritual tradition. On the dark side: the extreme poverty of a huge part of the population, the ecological devastation, the deep-rooted problems connected to gender and casts. It would take a lot of space to describe them all.
For this reason, I would like to just present a few topics related to sustainability that could be of interest to Sustainable Couch members. This is a purely subjective point of view as I don't claim to be an expert after only a few months in India!

 

 
Tourism: boon and bane
During my trip I had the chance to visit some of the most beautiful places in the south of India: the beaches of Kerala and Goa, the ancient ruins of Hampi and the temples of Tamil Nadu, among others. I noticed both good and bad aspects associated with tourism throughout. The positive news: more and more travel agencies offer tours which aim at limiting the ecological impact of the visit, whilst improving the economic situation of local people. But I often had the impression that “eco” and “green” were just empty words added to “tours” to make them more appealing, even if they were not sustainable at all. For example, in the “backwaters” region of Kerala, hundreds of houseboats offering this very cruise ended up causing traffic jams in the rivers, considerably polluting the area. Most of the population here still work in the fields and see no profit whatsoever from the area’s tourism. What’s worse, they will be the ones suffering the most if the fragile ecosystems are abused and damaged further.
 
A wonderful encounter in decadent Goa
Goa is famous for its wonderful beaches and its wild electronic music parties. During the 10 days I spent in the smallest Indian state, the word that kept on coming to mind was: decadent. This is because Goa has become the main destination for mass tourism, both Indian and foreign. The beaches are packed with ugly hotels and resorts which ruin the landscape. The tourists only move around by taxi or motorbike and the beautiful coastal paths have been turned into waste dumps. Most come to Goa to party and don't take the environment into consideration during their stay. In this frustrating situation, it was a pleasant relief to meet my old friend François, who travelled by bicycle from Holland to India (his incredible story was presented in the past two newsletters: January 2013 and July 2011) and is now teaching yoga in Anjuna. I hope that he will be able to inspire people in the area about ecological and social topics, in order to improve the situation. Every little step in the right direction counts!
 
 
Back to Mumbai: end of the road
After 4 months of travelling around, I went back to the place where my stay in India began: Mumbai. As in September 2013, I worked as a volunteer in the Don Bosco Shelter, an institution which looks after ex-street children. Spending time with the boys was the best way to complete my Indian experience; I will never forget their smiling faces. My trip is now over but I hope to be back one day!"

Back in Mumbai and highlights December

11.2.2014
After travelling in South India for the last 4 months I am back in Mumbai, where the trip started. As in September 2013, I am volunteering at the Shelter Don Bosco. It's so great spending time with the shelter boys again and share with them the experiences of the last months.
I have only 4 more days to go in India, then I am flying back to Italy!
___________

Even if quite a lot of time has passed, I would like to finally describe some of the highlights from last December:

- The beaches and backwaters of Kerala: I spent the first 10 days of December in Kerala. I enjoyed the wonderful beaches of Kovalam and Varkala. Here I also met again Todd and Marie, a couple I had met at the ashram in November. We went to practise yoga every morning in the beach and it was really great. After Varkala, I spent a few days at Aleppey, taking a local ferry boat to discover the famous “backwaters”

- Ayurvedic treatment near Coimbatore: as a pre-present for my 33th birthday, which I celebrated on Janury 2nd, I attended a 3-week treament called “Panchakarma” in an ayurvedic clinic. For 21 days I had daily massage, delicious sattvic food, natural medicines and a lot of time to rest, regenerate and reflect. The calmest Christmas of my life. I missed my family a lot but I enjoyed a deep peace I want to bring with me also while travelling

- New Year's Eve in Ooty: after the Panchakarma I moved to Ooty. Situated at 2200 meters a.s.l., it got really cold in the night. But during day I enjoyed the wonderful mountains and landscapes and thus concluded in the best way a fantastic year 2013

December was a wonderful month and below you can find some pictures.
Enjoy and all the best
Massi on the road

PS: Every month I send out some articles to my friends in Italy, Austria, Germany and around the world. If you are interested in directly receiving them once a month (in Italian or German), please send me an email: massimiliano_schiliro@hotmail.com

The beach of Varkala

Ayurveda treatment near Coimbatore

The mountains around Ooty

Merry Christmas and Highlights of November

24.12
Hello again from the ayurvedic center in Coimbatore. The treatment is going on very well and I am really happy to be here. I used part of the free time to update a bit by travel diary and my blog, so here I am with some highlights and pictures from last month.

I also take the chance to wish Merry Christmas to all of you!
_____________

I spent all of november in the State of Tamil Nadu and here are some of the highlights:

- Volunteering in Chennai: I volunteered for one week in Chennai in the Don Bosco Institute of Communication and Arts. I held a presentation of my South America trip, gave a speech in front of 1000 (!) children during an short-film festival and I even took part in a short film shot with the aim of presenting the project and asking for donations.
- beach & temples: I spent 5 days chilling in Mamallapuram and Kanchipuram, bathing for the first time in the Bay of Bengala and visiting a lot of wonderful temples
- “yoga vacation” at Sivananda Ashram: 2 weeks of yoga in all its forms (asanas, satsang, prayers, chanting, lessons), along with proper diet (sattwik vegetarion food) and a great group of around 20 participants. Result: wonderful experience and inner peace as my new travel companion
- Kanyakumari, the “end of India”: I spent the last 2 days of November in Kanyakumari, the southern part of all the Indian subcontinent. I enjoyed wonderful sunrise in the spot where 3 seas meet, celebrating the beginning of a new day together with hundreds of pilgrims visiting a famous temple.

It was a very spectacular month I really enjoyed and below you can find some pictures.

Enjoy and all the best
Massi on the road

PS: Every month I send out some articles to my friends in Italy, Austria, Germany and around the world. If you are interested in directly receiving them once a month (in Italian or German), please send me an email: massimiliano_schiliro@hotmail.com

Children Film Festival in Chennai

Sea Shore Temple in Mamallapuram

I and Swami-Ji at Sivananda Ashram

Massi on the road in India, Highlights October 2013

13.12.2013

Hello from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. I have been in India for more than 3 months now and I only wrote one time in my blog...well, I guess it is good so, as the best way to explore and discover this crazy, wonderful country is by getting full-immerged in its vital and various cultural and spiritual life.
I am in an Ayurvedic Hospital at the moment and I started a 3-week treatment last Monday. As the word “hospital” immediately scares many people: I am fine, thank you! I am actually feeling extremely good, both physically and mentally. Yet, I decided to attend this treatment to cure some small disturbs derived from the many years where I was not leading a particularly healthy lifestyle. I will tell you more about this experience in the next weeks. 

Now, I would like to take the chance to write a few updates about what happened in the last months. September, as you can read in my last blog post, was mainly dedicated to volunteering in Mumbai.

In October I started my actual India trip, visiting different cities in Maharajastra state and then heading to Andra Pradesh. Here are some of the highlights:

- Vipassana meditation course: from 2nd to 13th of October I attended a 10-day Vipassana meditation course. Complete silence and 10 hours of meditation per day. It was very difficult and hard, yet one of the best experiences of my life. You can find more information about Vipassana here: . If you are interested in knowning how my personal experience was, just send me a message :-)

- Temples and more temples in Nasik and Aurangabad: after 10 days of meditation I really needed some movement and a few days of travelling. I visited the cities of Nasik and Aurangabad, famous for their hindu temples and palaces. I must admit I was very impressed by the archtectonic and artistical wonders I discovered. One of the highlight was the i”Bibi-qa-Maqbara” in Aurangabad, the “Taj Mahal of the poor” ;-)

- Visiting Don Bosco projects in Hyderabad and volunteering in Vijayawada: I spent the last 2 weeks of November in the state of Andra Pradesh. First, in its capital, Hyderabad, visiting Don BoSCO Projects for the Austrian NGO I used to work with in Vienna. Then, volunteering in different street children projects in Vijayawada. In both places I had wonderful, touching experiences, with the kids, with other volunteers (a fanstastic group from Germany and Austria!) and with the blocal partners.

October was indeed a wonderful month on the road, and below you can find some pictures.
Enjoy and all the best
Massi on the road

PS: Every month I send out some articles to my friends in Italy, Austria, Germany and around the world. Here you can find the October articles in Italian and German (I had no time to translate them into English). If you are interested in directly receiving them once a month, please send me an email: massimiliano_schiliro@hotmail.com

Vipassana Meditation

Aurangabad

Don Bosco Shelter in Andra Pradesh