Uncle Sam Boat Tours, 1000 Islands. Playing the tourist, I oohd and aahd about the cuteness of the islands and the general magnificence of the area, shot pictures obsessively, visited the must-see Boldt’s love castle, but also a memorial for “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and learned about bootlegging.
Crossing borders I instantaneously found myself in a different human milieu. Quebec at that particular border was not especially welcoming, but I quickly made the mental adjustments. Staying a desolate night in an off-season campground in Nicolet was a surreal experience, as I was making efforts to follow the second presidential debate on my electronic devices in pouring rain.
Parc National du Bic, Quebec. Having a utopia in a Huttopia, a specially-designed tent, meeting animals, enjoying the beauty of Chemin du Norde, seeing the archeological site and walking the Chemin Le Contrabandier, but also, when moving back to my own tent – living through the coldest night of my life…
Forillon National Park, QC, is well worth it, Carriage roads and desolate forest paths lead from the “Bay of Seals” to “Land’s End”, with whales watching and gannets diving. Also rich wild life, and historical fishing sites. Forillon’s Auberge (hostel) offers socializing oppportunities and excellent services.
Seasonal beauty on Road 132 from Perce, QC to the NB border. New Brunswick to Maine: In Campbelton, quaint bilingual border town, I heard local stories at the cozy Super 8 spa. Crossing the border at Van Buren was a bit challenging. I rounded up the day with a seafood meal in Machias, ME, and the Bluebird Motel.
Environmentally sustainable diets are not taking over yet. Powerful lobbies and cultural habits are in the way. Concepts of gender, class & diet vary culturally. I describe different attitudes towards meat eating in different societies, showing that a heavy-duty meat diet it is not an inevitablity. We can, and must, change!
Irreversisble ecological damage in the northern isles? How do the British and Scottish islands, Iceland and Ireland stand? Defining reversible. Sheep obsession, “sheepwrecked” treeless landscapes, green wastelands, soil degradation. Findhorn eco-agriculture as a possible model for redemption?
Is Australia sustainable? 250 years of bad agricultural practices informed by colonial thinking brought country to the verge of collapse. Land degradation, species extinctions, salinization. Aboriginal influence and genocide is discussed, as well as new schools of thought and action striving to correct and heal.
Cows are holy, but are women collecting cow dung doing sacred work, or dirtwork? First post on topic gives background on cows, “cow products” and recommends opening the mind. In Appendix you can witness a funny encounter regarding holy cows at the Israeli-Indian interphase.
Neot Kedumim is a reconstructed educational Biblical park in Central Israel. Photos were taken on a nice early spring day, with rich anemone blooms. Park features ancient agricultural devices and practices, ponds, waterwheel.
Amritsar Golden Temple, at the center of a bustling Indian city, is a structure of incredible beauty, and serves as the heart of the Sikh religion & people. Eating free on the floor at the langar, waiting in line to see the holy guru book, watching the sacred pool, visiting the gory historical museum, feeling the splendor.
Ben Gurion’s political genius enabled him to dismantle the pre-state militias on both sides of the political spectrum, and merge them into the emerging IDF. It hasn’t been easy, but the state would not have survived otherwise. I elaborate about the healthy foundations of Israel. Make comparisons to the American situation.
A 15-km Israel Trail group hike at the heart of the Sharon demonstrates country’s variety: Poleg’s riparian nature reserve, kibbutz plantations, and then the splendid renovated Netanya Peromenade complete with views, art, monuments, history, sports.
The Good Samaritan Museum in the Judean Desert provides a platform for interreligious reconciliation between Christians, Jews and Samaritans. The place served as an inn and way station for travelers, pilgrims and armies since ancient times. The museum features precious Byzantian mosaics from the three religions.
Mamshit National Park and World Heritage Site is an extraordinary testimony to the ancient Nabatean life, their extraordinary water technologies and the esthetics they brought to the sheer Negev desert. No other people has ever mastered the desert better.
Uncle Sam Boat Tours, 1000 Islands. Playing the tourist, I oohd and aahd about the cuteness of the islands and the general magnificence of the area, shot pictures obsessively, visited the must-see Boldt’s love castle, but also a memorial for “Operation Iraqi Freedom” and learned about bootlegging.
Crossing borders I instantaneously found myself in a different human milieu. Quebec at that particular border was not especially welcoming, but I quickly made the mental adjustments. Staying a desolate night in an off-season campground in Nicolet was a surreal experience, as I was making efforts to follow the second presidential debate on my electronic devices in pouring rain.
Parc National du Bic, Quebec. Having a utopia in a Huttopia, a specially-designed tent, meeting animals, enjoying the beauty of Chemin du Norde, seeing the archeological site and walking the Chemin Le Contrabandier, but also, when moving back to my own tent – living through the coldest night of my life…
Forillon National Park, QC, is well worth it, Carriage roads and desolate forest paths lead from the “Bay of Seals” to “Land’s End”, with whales watching and gannets diving. Also rich wild life, and historical fishing sites. Forillon’s Auberge (hostel) offers socializing oppportunities and excellent services.
Seasonal beauty on Road 132 from Perce, QC to the NB border. New Brunswick to Maine: In Campbelton, quaint bilingual border town, I heard local stories at the cozy Super 8 spa. Crossing the border at Van Buren was a bit challenging. I rounded up the day with a seafood meal in Machias, ME, and the Bluebird Motel.
Environmentally sustainable diets are not taking over yet. Powerful lobbies and cultural habits are in the way. Concepts of gender, class & diet vary culturally. I describe different attitudes towards meat eating in different societies, showing that a heavy-duty meat diet it is not an inevitablity. We can, and must, change!
Irreversisble ecological damage in the northern isles? How do the British and Scottish islands, Iceland and Ireland stand? Defining reversible. Sheep obsession, “sheepwrecked” treeless landscapes, green wastelands, soil degradation. Findhorn eco-agriculture as a possible model for redemption?
Is Australia sustainable? 250 years of bad agricultural practices informed by colonial thinking brought country to the verge of collapse. Land degradation, species extinctions, salinization. Aboriginal influence and genocide is discussed, as well as new schools of thought and action striving to correct and heal.
Cows are holy, but are women collecting cow dung doing sacred work, or dirtwork? First post on topic gives background on cows, “cow products” and recommends opening the mind. In Appendix you can witness a funny encounter regarding holy cows at the Israeli-Indian interphase.
Neot Kedumim is a reconstructed educational Biblical park in Central Israel. Photos were taken on a nice early spring day, with rich anemone blooms. Park features ancient agricultural devices and practices, ponds, waterwheel.
Amritsar Golden Temple, at the center of a bustling Indian city, is a structure of incredible beauty, and serves as the heart of the Sikh religion & people. Eating free on the floor at the langar, waiting in line to see the holy guru book, watching the sacred pool, visiting the gory historical museum, feeling the splendor.
Ben Gurion’s political genius enabled him to dismantle the pre-state militias on both sides of the political spectrum, and merge them into the emerging IDF. It hasn’t been easy, but the state would not have survived otherwise. I elaborate about the healthy foundations of Israel. Make comparisons to the American situation.
A 15-km Israel Trail group hike at the heart of the Sharon demonstrates country’s variety: Poleg’s riparian nature reserve, kibbutz plantations, and then the splendid renovated Netanya Peromenade complete with views, art, monuments, history, sports.
The Good Samaritan Museum in the Judean Desert provides a platform for interreligious reconciliation between Christians, Jews and Samaritans. The place served as an inn and way station for travelers, pilgrims and armies since ancient times. The museum features precious Byzantian mosaics from the three religions.
Mamshit National Park and World Heritage Site is an extraordinary testimony to the ancient Nabatean life, their extraordinary water technologies and the esthetics they brought to the sheer Negev desert. No other people has ever mastered the desert better.