Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Part 2 - VOLUNTEERING IN UGANDA

(March 17th, 2009)
Greeting from Uganda,

Just want to let you all know I arrived last night (March 16th) safe and sound!

I will keep it short because I just have few minutes left to use the Internet in Kampala before I go back to the village I'm staying. I believe I will have access to the interned only once every 7-10 days.

Katebo Village is far from the capital (about 1hour and half) and there are around 300 people leaving there. Everything in there is soooooo simple that I cannot even start describing it now.

I'm overwhelmed with everything I've been seeing/listening/doing, but extremely happy to be here. Rev. Jim Nadiope and his wife Sarah are so incredible and all they are doing for the people in this village is just mind blowing...

Next Saturday I will try come back to the city and post some pictures, films, and a detailed update on everything that is happening here.

Hope all is well with all of you.

Beijos,
http://www.acf.org.ug/ / http://www.acfuganda.org/

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Part 1 - MIDDLE EAST / IRAQ

(March 1st-7th, 2009)

So I guess I should start this part of my blog telling you how and why I ended up going to Iraq since you all might be wondering about that. On my last month with the Jordan Tourism Board I was finalizing all the activities I was handling for them. The main project I was working on was the Jordan Travel Mart that happened in Feb. 22nd to 25th, 2009. This year we decided to have the Adventure Travel as our theme for this conference and we were very excited to get great organizations, such as ATTA (Adventure Travel and Trade Association) and National Geographic, partnering with us in this event.

While organizing Shannon’s (President of ATTA) trip to Jordan, I ended up knowing he was planning to extend his staying in the Middle East and go to Iraq/Kurdistan to meet with their Minister of Tourism and figure out ways to help them with assessing their tourism industry potential. As simple as it may sound, the only thing I had to do was invite myself to join him. I knew I was leaving Jordan and had time to explore a little more of the Middle East before starting my Africa journey.

I have met him few times before during tourism events in USA but have not had a chance to really get to know him well. So, here I was, going to IRAQ with someone I did not really know. But as some of my dearest friends say, I live in Gisele’s world and I had no doubt that everything would be perfect! And of course I was right; Shannon is indeed an incredible person to travel with. A very curious and enthusiastic guy, extremely adventurous (as a president of ATTA can/should be), full of energy and definitely very open minded to explore different cultures and places being more respectful than anyone I have ever met.

IRAQ/Kurdistan - Well, well, well… I just must tell you all I do not think I will ever be able to describe how incredible this trip was. The country is beautiful - full of archeological treasures and outstanding landscaping, the people are super friendly and genuine, and the amazing feeling you have inside you by just knowing you are in IRAQ is priceless.

After only ten minutes in Iraq, I knew I was going to have a great time over there, and more than that, I knew I was going to be safe. My first experience with the Iraq/Kurdistan people was at the customs and I must say I have never been that welcomed in my life… and please keep in mind I have been to more than 30 countries and dealt with a great amount of customs officials.

First morning there, we met with the Minister of Tourism and his team. It was extremely interesting to witness their desire to do a lot for their country and its tourism industry and how overwhelmed they were with everything related to why, when, and how to start working on that. After learning more about what we were going to experience in Kurdistan and exchanging some ideas and contacts that could be of some help for them, we left the ministry and venture off to explore Erbil.

The Citadel – The oldest inhabited city in the World! Built around 6000bc, which makes it an 8000+ year old city!!! Wooowww! The most incredible thing is that until 8 months ago, when they started with the renovation projects, they still have many families living there. After visiting the Citadel and the Textile Museum, we went to the old bazaar and mingled a little with the locals, who were extremely hospitable.

On that same day, we visited an 800 year old minaret and some parks around the city. Our guides dropped us back at the hotel late afternoon and suggested we should have dinner at one of the restaurants over there. Since we are “real” travelers, we decided to skip dinner at the hotel, got a street cab, found a local pizza place to have dinner and meet some locals, and after all of that we hitched our way back to the Hotel. Actually, the truth is that we did not intend to “hitch”, but this Arab guy, in his very old car, stopped in the middle of the street, asked where we were heading to, and offered us a ride. The only thing we did was to accept his offer, about 10 o’clock at night, in the middle of a street in Erbil, on our first day in Iraq.

The main point I want to share here is that I would never do it in USA or in Brazil, but I DID in Iraq, and we did because we felt 100% safe and comfortable with the situation.

During the next couple of days we travelled around the region (Erbil and Dohuk Provinces), got amused by its natural beauty (REALLY), and got together with the locals everywhere we went, for as much time we could. Some of the highlights of this trip includes a visit to a nomadic family settlement, on our way to the mountains northeast of Erbil, where I was able spend some time and have a lot of fun with the very interesting women over there. In Dohuk, we met with several very welcoming Kurdish teachers during our lunch, Shannon went for a Kurdish haircut in a street barber, I played domino and snooker with the locals, we fully explored the city's old bazaar, and ended our day having dinner with our guides over very interesting personal conversations.

On our last day, back in Erbil, Shannon and I decided to go back to the old bazaar and spend our last few hours in Iraq enjoying our time doing some shopping and mingling with the local people. The experience was really fascinating and realizing that everyone out there was doing their utmost to make sure we felt safe and welcomed all the time was just mind-blowing. I cannot finish this story without mentioning my moment of glory, when I was literally treated as a “star” at the Erbil Shopping Mall. No kidding, more than 15 guys wanted to have their picture taken with me. That was very cute and special! Ahhh… and of course we did crash a wedding while we were there :)!

Everything went well and everyday was very enjoyable. I only wish I had more time to also explore all the archeological treasures that are “hidden” all over that region.

Anyway, this is a not very short video I put together with some pictures I took while I was there. Enjoy it!





Ah… Shannon's Kurdish Haircut film will be posted soon…

Just one more thing: Shannon, thank you so much for letting me to be part of this adventure and experience of a life time.

Zor Supass, Shukran Iktir, Thanks a million!

For more detailed information on Kurdistan, please go to http://www.theotheriraq.com/

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Part 1 - MIDDLE EAST / EGYPT

(Feb. 26th to March 1st, 2009)

Ok, who has never wanted to see the pyramids of Giza? I sure did and I’m very glad I was able to make one more dream a reality. I really enjoyed my time in Cairo. It is indeed fascinating and definitely showcases the good and bad things of a big city. It has its unique colors; it is amazingly crowded, absolutely beautiful in its own way, and it certainly has a very real soundtrack attached to it.

I was there with key players and great friends from the tourism industry and we did have a blast. We visited the pyramids, sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, the Khan El-Khalili Bazar in old Cairo, the Coptic (Egyptian Christians) district, the Citadel and the Islamic area. In addition, we went for a Nile dinner (which was very cheesy btw), experienced several local restaurants in the city, and enjoyed a Dervish Dance Show (a dance that has been performed for over 700 years by the Sufi, a rather mystic order of the Islamic faith) on our last night over there.

Now, I did really enjoyed my time there and I definitely want to go back to see other parts of Egypt. I do understand I just got a taste of it and they have much more to offer. Egypt is Egypt and worth visiting, but I really felt the government is taking it for granted and missing many opportunities to make the locals aware of their tourism industry and its value and more active in the process of making sure their visitors have the most outstanding travel experience while there. The places are dirty and the people are not that hospitable… and I do believe it can be fixed (little by little) by educating the local community and getting them involved with sustainable projects. I’m sure I will be going back and hopefully I will also be able to work on projects to help them out with this matter.

Anyway, this is a short video I put together with some pictures I took while there. Enjoy it!


Part 1 - MIDDLE EAST / JORDAN

(Feb. 14th to 25th, 2009)

After almost a month in the road I can honestly say that my brain is already overloaded with information; my mind cannot stop thinking about the great opportunities available to get involved with the local communities everywhere, and my heart is overwhelmed with joy from the incredible new feelings and exceptional moments I was lucky enough to experience.

In summary, YES! I have no doubt I made the best decision to take a career break for six months and explore in depth myself and many places of this very special world of ours.

Going around the Middle East: Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.

Jordan: Before sharing with you all some of the great things that happened during my last, and by far the BEST, trip to Jordan on behalf of the Jordan Tourism Board I just want to say that I have always thought that Jordanians would never really understand how much I love, care, and fully respect their country and its people, but today, I realize that they actually do. Literally, everyone I came across during my last 10 days over there expressed their sincere gratitude for my work and devotion to their country and its tourism industry. I was honored with a gift of appreciation from His Majesty and thrilled with all the praises and admiration expressed by everyone I met throughout the past 7 years, including local friends, colleagues and partners from the industry, and at last but not least the Bedouins. That really meant a lot to me!

I believe what made this trip the best one I took to Jordan in the past 7 years is a group of reasons including the fact that the biggest project we, from the Jordan Tourism Board North America, have ever worked on, the Jordan Travel Mart, was once again, on its second year, extremely successful. It is definitely important to mention that the increase in participation from the South Americans trade and media professionals from last year’s was outstanding, and because this market has been my baby for the past 2 year, I could definitely not hide my joy and satisfaction.

In addition, the fact that I knew that this trip was the last one, at least for a little while since we never know what the future will bring us, forced me truly and fully experience every site and every moment. I had the most incredible group of people joining my “South American” group and that for sure made a huge difference in my final journey.

Some highlights from this trip include some of us venturing off in Amman looking for bars at 4am and finding interesting ones, doing an incredible off beaten trek in Petra and finishing the day partying like crazy at our hotel, going on an amazing 4X4 ride in Wadi Rum and witnessing the genuine Bedouin hospitality specially when one person from our group lost 2000 EUROS in the desert and got it back (the Bedouins literally went after us to find the owner of that money), exploring Aqaba’s interesting night spots, enjoying the Dead Sea and its natural incredible beauty, networking with top professionals from the tourism industry, having my “exit” interview with the Minister and Directors of JTB, which gave me the opportunity to do more good for the country while leaving my position (I know only few of you will understand this one J), getting my i-phone back after leaving it in a cab on my way to the airport to go to Iraq – the driver literally found me after contacting some friends listed in my phone book and kept it safe until I got back to Jordan… Jordanians are just unbelievable!

I had a blast, I loved everything about it, and I will definitely have all the great memories from it with me forever. I guess I did close this door using a golden key… as we say in Brazil :)!

This is one of the articles that came out from one of the journalists from Brazil - Dayse Ferreira, a sweetheart. Obrigada Dayse.




Last presentation I put together on Jordan... A very nice one!!



Getting Started

(February 12th, 2009)

So, after 3 weeks of complete craziness, dealing with returning my apartment, getting rid of furniture, selling my car, paying bills, closing accounts, deciding on my Middle East and Africa itinerary, working full time at JTBNA, getting shoots/vaccines (9 of them), applying for visas (12 of them), seeing incredible friends, and painfully saying good bye to my amazing sister, I'm now ready to let you know what I will be getting into during the next "few" months. Enjoy the itinerary… I cannot wait…

Feb 14-25 -> Jordan - I'm leaving to Jordan on Saturday, Feb. 14th for my last trip on behalf of the Jordan Tourism Board North America. It will definitely be a very tough trip for me to take. I'm sure you all know how much I love Jordan and enjoyed working for them for the past 7 years. But well, in a way I'm also very glad I will have this last opportunity to say thank you and good bye to all the incredible people I had the pleasure to meet and work with in Jordan.

Feb 26-Mar 1 -> Egypt - After Jordan I will be going to Egypt to explore Cairo with good friends from the tourism industry as well. I'm sure I will have a blast there. Pyramids… here I come….

Mar 2-8-> Iraq (Kurdistan) - Please do not freak out as my mom, dad, and sisters are doing that on behalf of everyone. Seriously!! I Anyway, this is really a once in a lifetime experience and I could not say NO. The bottom line is that I'm going with the head of Adventure Travel and Trade Association (a colleague from the industry) and he will be hosted by the Minister of Tourism over there. YES… I also questioned why they have a Minister of Tourism but I guess I'm taking advantage of it now. Instead of me trying to explain what I will be doing there, since I'm not really sure, below you will find the email Shannon received from the tour operator in Iraq regarding our itinerary:"Dear Sir, I hope that you are doing well. Don't worry as everything is going well. Our proposed program is to cover the mountains of Kurdistan as you are so interested in adventures and we will try our best to see the summer resorts in the three provinces in Erbil, Sulaimania and Dohuk. We will try to see Dokan dam and the lake of Dokan, Shaqlawa, Bikhal, Jondian and the tourist summer resort of Pank in Rawandouze. I am sure that you are going to love it as Spring is knocking the door and the weather will be so nice. Dohuk province is well known of it's summer resorts like Sarsing, Solaf, Anishki and Amedi. Any how we can change some items of the program in case of necessity. Please don't hesitate to ask for more information related to your trip. As for your Colleague, don't worry as we will try our best to make her enjoy it. I think we are going to have 4-5 days and we will try to show a good face. I wish you a lovely day."Doesn't it sound amazing??

Mar 9-13 -> Wash DC/North Carolina. I will just come back to check on Cris in North Caroline and then stop in DC for 2 days to change backpacks… and take more malaria pills…

Mar 14-April 14 -> UgandaAfter so much research I was able to find a NGO that really "spoke" to me. The African Child Foundation - ACF is African effort created to address the enormous challenges faced by millions of African children who have either been orphaned by AIDS or live with parents who are sick or dying from AIDS-related illnesses. Please check their website if you want to learn more about them: http://www.acf.org.ug/I will be volunteering there for a month, working in projects with kids and women. I already have great ideas for new projects we could be implementing there and I really cannot wait to get started! It may sound cheesy, but I truly believe I will be able to make a difference there.

April 15-Jun 13 -> Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa. I guess I could spend days writing about this specific trip, but instead, I will attach the detailed itinerary I received from the tour's organizers. To facilitate my mom's life, I also put together a jpg file with my itinerary/map, and as you can see, I'm more than happy to share this one with you as well.

June 14-30 -> MozambiqueThe trip is confirmed but I'm still deciding on what I will be doing there. I most probably will find a way to do some volunteer work there as well… Practice my Portuguese a little bit

July 1-12 -> Back to Tanzania – Climbing KilimanjaroBelow you will find few links to this website that will give you more information about this climb. I must confess I'm avoiding reading too much about it since I do not want to really know what I will be facing. I just want to do it and hopefully I will be able to get to handle all the tough times and get to the Summit. The only thing I read all the way was this blog, http://www.mtkilimanjarologue.com/planning/random/bootsnall-20089-new-year-summit.html, and if you read it, you will understand why I will not read anything else… Ahhhh, and YES, I'm doing the hardest and longest trail. The reason for that is not because it is more expensive and I want to prove to myself that even unemployed I can do it, but because it seems to be the safest one, since it works in a way that the climbers will be better able to handle the difference in altitude during the climb.(http://www.mtkilimanjarologue.com/)(http://www.mtkilimanjarologue.com/lemosho-route/). Yes, yes, yes… let's not talk about the fact I'm VERY prepared for this climb and travel environment since I've been training to endure this type of experience for the last past 7 years while enjoying all the five stars hotels and spas around the world…

July 13-17-> Back to South Africa – Kruger's ParkAfter my climb I will go back to South Africa and meet with my great friend Justin. We will be exploring Kruger's Park for few days before he has to go to London and I have to decide on my next step… Ahhhh, will I be ready for that???

July 17th -> I will most probably extend my stay in South Africa till end of August and do some volunteer work for Grootbos's Social Projects. There is also a slight chance of me coming back to DC to get my things and start thinking about what I will be doing next…

SO, I GUESS THAT IS IT!!! I will definitely try to send some news updates and few pictures whenever possible.

I will certainly miss you all.

Beijos, Gi