Back in Italy and best-of Colombia

Here I am, back in Italy. Today I celebrate one month back home with my family
My Latin-America trip is over, after 15 months on the road.
I have started a reflexion phase about my trip, because I really need to think about all the things I have lived and learnt.

But before writing the "results" in the next post, I would like to dedicate this one to complete the series of "best-of". This one with Colombia and San Blas (Panama), the last places I have visited before flying home.

Also the last 40 days of my trip were simply fantastic, here a few highlights:

• I spent more than 2 weeks in Bogotá, meeting again an old friend and making a lot of new ones. I also discovered many sustainable initiatives and had the opportunity to present Sustainable Couch. More about this in the November Newsletter: Sustainable Couch in Colombia
• I enjoyed the wonderful Caribbean beached around Cartagena and Santa Marta. I will never forget a midnight swim with full moon in Playa Blanca. I spent 3 days in that wonderful beach, sleeping on a hammock a few meters from the sea
• I discovered the beauty of La Tajira region, together with a great travel companion
• I had the most amazing sailing experience during a 4-day cruise from Cartagena to San Blas. The commander was a Wiener so we enjoyed Austrain food on board (for me, of course, vegetarian)
• ...and many more memories I will always keep in my heart.

But back to the present now, in my home town, Gavi. It has snowed for the last 24 hours and there are more than 30 centimeters snow in the streets. Only a few cars are disturbing the white peace which covered the landscape.

I have been here for a month, the longest period I have spent in Italy since 2004. My home is warm and comfortable, I like staying with my parents. I have a few plans for 2013, but first I want to conclude my reflexion regarding the trip.

Even more important, I want to be "present" in the present.
This is what I really want to do.
I am happy.

Massi on the road (no more on the road, at least for a while)


Best-of Colombia & San Blas

Presentation of Sustainable Couch in Bogotá

Playa Blanca, near Cartagena

Parque Tayrona, Santa Marta

Best of Venezuela and...one more month to go!

More than 2 months have passed since my last post, but what should I do? Life is sometimes faster than my capacity to communicate about it. Anyway, here I am now, trying to summarise in a few lines the many events from the last weeks.

I had an amazing time in Venezuela! Here some of the highlights:

• a 6-day walk to the oldest mountain of the world, the Tepui Roraima. I will never forget the breath-taking views from the top, especially the 800-meter deep abismo!
• swimming in the warm water of the Caribbean sea! A dream coming true!
• walking in the Andes again. 5 months after saying goodbye to the Andes in Bolivia, it was such a pleasure to meet the Cordillera again :-)
• Venezuelan people! They are fantastic: friendly, open-minded, really interested in politics. Hospitality is so important for them, I was treated like a king AND a friend from the first moment! For this my eternal "gratitud, de corazon!"

I am in Medellin, Colombia, right now, Heading to Cartagena tomorrow. I have exactly 4 more weeks on the road and I want to dedicate them to explore the northern coast, with its wonderful beaches!

At the same time, I am really happy to be back in Italy soon and I can already picture the moment where the arrival door at the Milan airport will open: my parents will be there to receive with a smile and thousands hugs...and I will be the happiest person in the world!!

Best-of-Venezuela: 50 pics

Spectacular view from the Tepui-Roroaima

the Caribbean sea, blue and warm!!

Venezuelan Andes

Adeus Brazil!

On September 12th I left Brazil after spending there 3 months. It was difficult to cross the border and leave this wonderful country.
I have so many memories from these epic times I really would not know where to start from. So I choose not to say anything, and to let the pictures talk for themselves.
Still, I want to say a few things:
- THANK YOU to all my hosts and friends in Brazil for their hospitality and friendship
- THANK YOU to my mum for visiting me
- THANK YOU Brazil, I am coming back as soon as possible!

Even if I am still a bit sad for leaving Brazil, I am really happy to be in Venezuela now. The first 10 days here were simply fantastic and I celebrated one year on the road with a 6-day hike to the oldest mountain of the world - the Tepui Roraima. Today it is time to pack my stuff again and to go on. Next destination: Caracas!

Best-Of Brazil 2012

Sand dunes along the Parnaiba delta

Water paradise in Raposa

 

 

 

 

With machete in the Amazon forest

A special visit from Italy: my mum!!!

From 3^rd to 22^th July I received a very special and most welcomed visit from Italy: my mum!! After being apart for more than 9 months, I was so looking forward to seeing her again and to spend time together. So, when she arrived at 5 am at the airport in Rio de Janeiro, I could not hold my tears and I cried like a little baby while hugging her :-)

It was the first time in our lives that we travelled „alone“ together (meaning without my father, who did not want to travel so far and stayed at home) and we had an amazing experience. We stayed in Rio during the first week, discovering the „Cidade Maravilhosa“ and having a lot of fun. Even if my mum was very sceptical at the beginning, I made it: I convinced her to try out CouchSurfing! And it was GREAT, thanks to the exquisite hospitality of our host Paulo (eternal thanks to him for hosting me during the Rio + 20, with my mum and after she left, for a total of 20 nights!).

After Rio we went (by bus, it took us 24 hours) to Iguacu to see the waterfalls, both the Brazilian and Argentinian side. There was much more water than during my first visit in February and the views were simply spectacular. After a short break in Sao Paulo just to show my mum how a huge metropoly (unfortunately) looks like, we went to the quieter old colonial town of Paraty, with a wonderful historical center. The following highlight of the trip was the 3-day stay at Ilha Grande, a real tropical paradise with breathtaking beaches and cool walks in the forest.
Sad but true, the departure day arrived very quickly, and it was time to say goodbye again. I did not cry this time, because the prevalent feeling was happiness for the unforgettable time we shared. I deeply thank my mum for her love and patience and for supporting such a crazy son like me. In around 4 months I will be back to Italy, and I can't wait to see her and my dad again!

Pao de Açucar in Rio

Iguaçu Falls

Jeep excursion in Paraty

Sustainable Couch at Rio + 20

15th Sustainable Wave-Letter: Sustainable Couch in Rio

1. Rio + 20

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, "Rio + 20", was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20-22, 2012. With the slogan "The future we want", around 100 presidents, prime ministers and delegations from 193 nations gathered in the city to discuss topics such as "green economy", global governance and sustainable development. Even if a final document was approved by the assembly, the results are unfortunately very poor and lack of concrete commitment. The civil society, reunited in the "Cúpula dos Povos" (People's Summit), clearly said it does not feel represented by the final document and called the conference a big failure, giving it the name of "Rio -20".

                       

2. Massi's experience at the Cúpula dos Povos

Massi was in Rio during the Rio + 20. Even though he could not participate to the official conference (where accreditation was needed) he took part to the Cúpula dos Povos and here he shares his memory of this event.

"On 14th June I came back to Rio, my favourite city so far in my South America trip. Being part of the People's Summit was an amazing experience and here are some of my personal highlights:

• participating to two huge street demonstrations with ten thousands of people, peacefully fighiting for a better world
• presenting Sustainable Couch and the eco-project "Eco-Sistemas" together with Albert at a workshop during the People's Summit
• meeting cool sustainable couchsurfers like Dave and Annabelle,
  "(the "Permacyclists")
• listening to inspiring speeches from Marina Silva (former Minister of Environment in Brasil), Vandana Shiva (world famous activist from India) and Yann Arthus-Bertrand (photographer and director of the wonderful documentary film "Home") and from other outstanding personalities

                     

The list could be much longer, but I will stop here. The memory of these incredible days will always stay in my mind, and in my heart. The results of the official conference are very disappointing. But I personally feel more optimistic than before, because I felt the energy of the civil society and of the people. WE believe more than ever that a better world is not only possible. But it is already existing, or it is arising right now. The will and the energies are available. The time is ripe. TOGETHER we can do it. "El pueblo unido jámas será vencido" is not an empty phrase, this is our guideline!"

My hightlights in Bolivia

The month I spent in Bolivia was simply fantastic!
Here are my personal highlights:

• "Recovery time" in Copacabana. I felt really sick during my last days in Perú, so I arrived to Bolivia with the need of resting and revovering from stomach ache. Copacabana was the perfect place for that. I spent two days in this wonderful city, enjoying the warm sun - even at 4000 meters a.s.l! - and two unforgettable sunsets on the beact of the Titicaca Lake
• Salar de Uyuni and Lagunas: one the most spectacular places of the world, no doubt about it! An infinite salar with an island full of cactuses in the middle and the wonderful lagoons with different colors, populated by hundreds of flamengos. The nights were freezing cold but it was definitely worth it!
• Being hosted by great people: be it in La Paz, in Oruro or in Sucre, I had three amazing cs-hosts in Bolivia and I am really grateful I had the chance to get to know them and to spend time with them!

Now I am back to Brasil, it is already three weeks. I participated to Rio + 20 and I will post about it soon.

My mum is coming to visit me in a few hours, I am so excited!
Ciao from Rio!


Pics Best-of Bolivia

Copacabana, not in Rio, but in Bolivia!

Salar de Uyuni

The wonderful Laguna Colorada

One month in Perú: the highlights

Time flies...oh yes!! The 4 weeks I spent in Perú went by so quickly! At the same time, I had so intense, spectacular days in this wonderful country that it is difficult to describe them with words.
Once again, I will just list a few of the most memorable moments I spent there, then I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
I spent the first days in the wonderful Parracas, a desert coastal area with amazing views and the astonishing Islas Ballestras, called "the Galapagos of the poor", where I could see thousands of birds and many Humboldt penguins and sea lions :-)
I then enjoyed a beautiful week in the capital, Lima. Hosted by two amazing couchsurfers, I got very active in the local CS group and together with other people I created a Free Box. We presented that during the weekly meeting and it was a great success.
From Lima, which is on the coast, I moved to Cusco, 3500 meters a.s.l. I spent q0 unforgettable days there and in the Valle Sacrado, crowning this experience with the visit to the magnificent Machu Picchu!
The last days were at 4000 meters on the Peruvian side of the lake Titicaca and I will never forget the beauty of the Amantaní Island.

Altogether, a spectacular month which I really enjoyed. Thanks to all the people who hosted me and I hope to be able to visit also the north of Perú one day!

Here you can the: Best-Of Perú: 50 pics

The wonderful coast of Paracas

Free Box in Lima

Machu Picchu