Wednesday, October 19, 2016

KAZAKHSTAN - WORLDS APART

No doubt we would all like to experience the thrills of Eagle Hunting as only the Kazakhstan people know how. The art is now reserved for the very few who still practice using Eagles as their weapon on a hunt. A noble art indeed. There is hope the tradition will continue as there are fewer such bonds between man and independent free flyers like these beautiful Eagles.




Saturday, October 15, 2016

CARTAGENA COLOMBIA

Cartagena Colombia, humid, hot, historic, and worth a visit. Cartagena has a colorful past both exciting and sometimes dark. Here are the gates slaves brought from Africa past through before being sold and dispersed throughout the country. A sad moment in history indeed. On the other hand Cartagena has a rich history inclusive of the later freed slaves, with cultural drama, music, food, and a continued strong link to Africa by many of the decendants. Meanwhile Cartagena has become the flower of the coast for Colombians whom are frequent visitors. Cruiseships also stop.


Saturday, July 23, 2016

INDOOR FARMING IN JAPAN

Amazing. Totally outside the box. Urban workspace shared with farming. The future speaks.

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Caniaviri (Stone Church) Zongo La Paz Bolivia

Fantastic find in Zongo an outer part of La Paz Territory. Spanish and Indigenous built this little stone church is still used today. It sits on a flat are of Inca stonework. Prior to the church, built in around the 1500 era there was Inca temples and playgrounds located here. It is an experience to stand on this stie and think of the civilizations past. The Church ICONS are all original from the 1500 date. In the stone bell tower there is indeed a bell still rung on special days. A must see in La Paz.



Sunday, July 10, 2016

Sunday, June 05, 2016

WOW Beautiful New Aerial Tram La Paz

The new state of the art Tram criss crosses La Paz and there is more still being constructed. Beauty. Truly changes the pedestrian movement as this is not just a functional tourist attraction it is indeed an amazing addition to the transportation system. Well done La Paz Bolivia!


Monday, March 07, 2016

Roasting Coffee Beans PIJAO Colombia


SLOW CITIES GAIN TRACTION

Philosophy

Good living means having the opportunity of enjoying solutions and services that allow citizens to live their town in an easy and pleasant way.


Living slow means being slowly hasty ; “festina lente” latins used to say, seeking everyday the “modern times counterpart” in other words looking for the best of the knowledge of the past and enjoying it thanks to the best possibilities of the present and of the future.

All of this will result in technological opportunities, modern solutions in communication, transportation, incoming, production and selling.

At present living and managing a Slowcity is just a particular way of carrying on an ordinary life-style rather than today’s trends.

Of course this way is meant to be, less frantic, yelding and fast; but there is no doubt that it will be more human, environmentally correct and sensible for the present and future generations; the project will respect small realities in a more and more global connected world.


Slow for a better life

We are looking for “towns where men are still curious of the old times, towns rich of theatres, squares, cafes, workshops, restaurants and spiritual places, towns with untouched landscapes and charming craftsman where people are still able to recognize the slow course of the Seasons and their genuine products respecting tastes, health and spontaneous customs...." (from Cittaslow Manifesto).


For this reason Slow Food has always sought the quality of life and made those things the main source of its success and of its worldwide expansion; Slow Food, together with those cities which mirror themselves in its ideals, have built the Cittaslow international network.

In times of “fast”, of production and of pressing velocity, carrying on such a goal seems to be an utopia; many majors coming from different towns have joined together and as well as with Slow Food in order to create the Cittaslow’s huge common project.

The movement has expanded to 100 towns and 10 countries all over the world since 1999, connecting administrators, citizens and Slow Food partners. He common goal is to have mutual experiences focusing on gourmet food, incoming, services qualities and on the environment.


Excellences

The Slow Cities movement promotes the use of technology oriented to improving the quality of the environment and of the urban fabric, and in addition the safe-guarding of the production of unique foods and wine the contribute to the character of the region.


In addition, Slow Cities seek to promote dialog and communication between local producers and consumers. With the overarching ideas of environmental conservation, the promotion of sustainable development, and the improvement of the urban life, Slow Cities provide incentives to food production using natural and environmentally-friendly techniques (one method for this promotion is through the Presidia).

The designation “Slow City” will become the mark of quality for smaller communities (only those with less than 50,000 residents may apply). Slow Cities are not state capitals or the seat of regional governments, but are strong communities that have made the choice to improve the quality of life for their inhabitants.

CITTASLOW PIJAO COLOMBIA

The only town in all of Latin America or South America designated a CITTASLOW town. Pijao is a Coffee Town that services the hundreds of Coffee Farmers in their area. A beautiful town with a pace of it's own. People are friendly, helpful and care about their town. You can see the pride in their streets everyday.