Category: South America

Las Tierras de Avalon: Where you can practise what you preach and reap what you sow

It is one of my last days at Las Tierras de Avalon, and it is raining outside. A tropical downpour. The sound of water thumping on the roof enters the room through its many cracks and nooks; thunder breaks outside. But inside, where I am meditating, it is peaceful. I am at peace.

Such peace has been rare during my first few weeks in South America. Backpacking is a logistical exercise in balancing your interests, your time and your budget. So trust yo girl when I say traveling can be ex-haus-ting.

Luckily, travel is also a testimony to “seek and you shall find”.

My search for a little exercise and some tranquility brought me to Las Tierras de Avalon, an oasis of peace hidden in plain sight. (more…)

Carnival in the Americas: Forging Community in Curaçao and Uruguay

This year, I celebrated Carnival again after four years abroad. And what better place to start than my native Curaçao? I arrived just in time to walk in the Gran Marcha (Grand Parade) and Marcha di Despedida (Farewell Parade), both for the first time. Then, three weeks later, I got to sneak a peek of Montevideo’s Carnaval.

The festivities were vastly different in both countries, not surprising considering their different geographies and histories. Yet, what I (re-)discovered in both places was a decades-old tradition, the type that forges community between people irrespective of their race, ancestry or belief. (more…)