After the fires
Background This year, Portugal has as usual suffered from innumerable fires. Some had natural causes, linked to how dry the year has been, and others were initiated by human intervention – whether unintentional (such as a government worker cleaning the side of the road, his blade hitting a rock and creating a spark, and voila) or criminal (yes, apparently that’s a thing). This happens every year. What is different this year is that two particularly nasty fires, one mid-June and another just a few weeks ago on October 15, have ravaged
Costa Rica: More Bark than Bite
The last official stop on our around-the-world honeymoon was Costa Rica, the country so renowned for its breathtaking nature and a government that manages to stay at peace with its neighbors in spite of not having an army. Having been there however, Costa Rica to me is a bit like prom – or a high school dance for those who did not grow up in the US. It’s something you hear so many stories about, see in movies, and have such high expectations for that when the day comes
Building muscles in Uruguay, one smile at a time
Up in the hills outside of Rocha, a small town North East of Uruguay’s capital Montevideo, sits what looks like a hobbit house. Three geodesic domes built of wood, mud, and thatch sit overlooking a gently sloping piece of land called “Tierra Alegre” or “Happy Earth”. This is Juli and Libre’s little piece of paradise. They moved here a few years ago when Juli was pregnant with their son Indi – who has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen and is now two years old. Also a part
Planting Seeds in Prison: Rehabilitation by Gardening
A few weeks ago we had the chance to spend the day with Paul Bruns, founder of Hlumelelisa, a non-profit that works with prison inmates to train them in horticulture and gardening as a way to contribute to their rehabilitation and reintegration into society. The need to heal and renew the spirit underpins the principles of Hlumelelisa, and is reflected in its name which is the Nguni word for "a new spirit". The initiative, a 10-month program, embraces permaculture principles, focusing on water management and seed conservation for a
Gorillas in Rwanda
Our last stop in East Africa, after Kenya and Uganda was Rwanda. We flew in to Kigali early on Friday morning and hung out at the “Ikirezi Bookshop” – a fantastic spot full of great books (note: just as some people have a soft spot for handbags or shoes, my Achilles heel is books) and with a café serving delicious smoothies with a metallic reusable straw no less! After enjoying this book lovers’ paradise, we feasted at the Italian restaurant Brachetto before finally hitting the road and heading
Weekend escapade aux US : Detroit
Avant notre grand départ, nous désirions faire une dernière escapade dans un coin des US qu’on ne connaissait pas. Shahnaz connaissait déjà Chicago où elle va régulièrement pour le boulot mais pas moi. C’est apparemment une très belle ville mais bon, à part quelques particularités, certainement une autre métropole nord-américaine. Nous avons finalement opté pour Detroit. Detroit ? Mais pourquoi s’exclamèrent la majorité des gens à qui nous en parlions. Oui, pourquoi ? Detroit, c’est le symbole de la ville américaine en déclin, avec son taux de chômage qui crève le