The Global Basecamps Blog

We are excited to have guest blog post from one of our travelers, Steve Wilson. Steve is taking an amazing trip and is chronicling his adventures on his blog, A Hungry Man Travels. Follow his travels by reading his blog and checking out his photos. Thanks, Steve, for sharing your walking tour of Reykjavik with us...

I was very lucky to go on a private cultural walk of Reykjavik today with the lovely and talented tour guide Birna Poroardottir (that is one hell of a last name eh? You can just feel the Norwegian influence here sometimes lol). Honestly, it was an incredible tour simply because it was so nice not only to see the important landmarks and icons of the city, but to also go off the beaten path and explore alleyways and old houses. To walk into the oldest house in the city (which currently houses a clothing store) or visit a seafood restaurant by the waterfront to talk with the fisherman, who in turn surprise you by offering a non-seafood Icelandic treat known as slátur (the innards of sheep, yum) blódmör (blood), which is basically an Icelandic version of blood pudding and tastes amazing (and according to Birna, very healthy and good for you – I had to smile at that). To visit Lydveldisgardur (Republic) Park and see the four stones dedicated to the 4 regions of Iceland or get the chance to meet the hot Chef of Einar Ben, one of the oldest fine dining restaurants in the city (and where I’m having dinner tonight!). Not to mention visiting the biggest and most visible phallic symbol you’ve ever seen after the CN Tower in Toronto; the tower of Hallgrimur’s (Hallgrimskirkja) Lutheran Church. Amazing.

Our "Eat, Pray, Love" journey has led us to an organic farm in Italy and a wellness retreat in India. For our last entry, we'll focus on the universal importance of sustainable tourism, using Bali as a prime example of eco-conscious travel done right.

“The key point is to have genuine sense of universal responsibility, based on love and compassion, and clear awareness.” - The Dalai Lama

Liz Gilbert (and her on-screen counterpart, Julia Roberts) went to Bali in search of an equilibrium between worldly pleasure and spiritual devotion. Sustainability itself is the equilibrium between community, conservation, and commerce. Having a sense of universal responsibility is key in managing the balance of these interrelated components.

Finding Balance in Bali

Bali is world re-known for it’s incredible lush tropical surroundings, beaches, and unique culture. Unfortunately, commercialism and environmental destruction are putting these incredible Balinese qualities at risk. Thankfully, with the help of sustainable tourism, measures are being taken to preserve this nation’s treasures for generations to come.

To eat the balut or to not eat the balut? That, is truly the question. And that is a question a friend of mine had to ask himself when traveling through Vietnam a few months back.

He and his mate had stopped in at a busy café to relax following an afternoon of roaming endless streets and dodging homicidal moto taxis. A few beers later, they struck up a conversation with a local man sitting next to them, and as the discussion meandered toward the finer points of Vietnamese street food, the young man turned to a waiter and ordered something in Vietnamese. The waiter soon returned, bearing three ominous-looking eggs.

The eggs were in fact baluts (or Hột vịt lộn in Vietnamese). For those not familiar with this South East Asian snack, a balut is a fertilized duck egg containing an embryo in various stages of development. And while Western palates may all but collapse at the thought of eating one, the balut is highly prized abroad, both for its delicate balance of flavors and the alleged fire blast of love-juice to the loins.

It all started with one couple and a trip to Africa . While traveling through Botswana, Rebecca and Scott Rothney found the children at Mbele School playing with a soccer ball fashioned out of bits of rag and plastic bags taped together. It was then that the couple realized that by packing less personal affects and taking advantage of the airline’s baggage weight allowance standards, they could transport sorely-needed items to the local people they encountered during their travels abroad.

Since that life-changing experience, Rebecca, Scott, and a handful of socially-aware adventurers have delivered an estimated 1,000 pounds in donations of soccer balls, school supplies, clothes and medical equipment to the various African communities they have visited. However, the Rotheneys knew that to successfully spread this idea of responsible travel, they would have to create a program that was manageable and rewarding for the average explorer.

Last week, we satisfied your appetite with home made pasta and farm fresh veggies with Eat, Pray, Love for the Sustainable Traveler: Italy. This week, we'll be cooking up a different kind of recipe, revealing a menu that will feed your soul and nourish your spirit.

Holistic Bill of Health

Long before the time of modernized health care and the convenience of local pharmacies, the people of India relied on the ancient medical science of Ayurveda. Ayurveda has been practiced for over 5000 years, defining health as a dynamic balance of mind, body, and soul.