Meet Tshering Denkar, an intreprid solo female traveller and Bhutanese blogger, documenting her Bhutan solo travel adventures. I was in awe of Tshering Denkar even before I met her. I first read her travel blog â Denkarâs Getaway â after receiving an invitation to share the stage with her at the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival in Bhutan. She had spent the past couple of years travelling solo across the length and breath of her own country. Hiking, hitch-hiking and living with indigenous communities in remote mountain hamlets! Travelling is never about the labels. But being Bhutanâs first solo female traveller and the first Bhutanese blogger in the travel space is a pretty big deal. I mean, scan through global travel writing archives â or even articles about travelling in Bhutan â and tell me how many voices of intrepid female South Asian travellers can you find? In Thimphu, I finally met Denkar â full of energy, excitement and humor â and despite being an introvert myself, we immediately connected through our mutual love for the road. Her travel stories eventually led us to Haa Valley and plans to explore the remote eastern provinces someday. While hiking with Denkar in the mountains of Thimphu, I learnt how the King of Bhutan reads her travel blog and even invited her to meet him! He encouraged her to keep exploring the wonders of Bhutan, and inspire more Bhutanese people to explore their own country. Also read: Inspiring Women I Met in Bhutan and What Happiness Means to Them
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An unexpected journeyPrior to becoming a full time traveller, I was teaching in a prison in Thailand. One day, an inmate asked me, âTeacher, how is the world outside?â ~ Denkar Denkarâs journey towards becoming a travel blogger and vlogger started in the most unlikely of places â a prison. She travelled to Thailand to volunteer as an English teacher, and ended up staying longer to pursue further studies. While volunteering, she got the opportunity to teach at a prison in the Phitsanulok province in northern Thailand. One day, an inmate asked her a question that would compel her to re-evaluate her life choices. How is the world outside? she wanted to know. Denkar says she was haunted by that question, and slowly began to cherish the things she had always taken for granted. The freedom to be outdoors, explore, travel, meet new people and have interesting experiences. She ended up backpacking across Southeast Asia, then decided to explore her own home country, Bhutan! For the past two years, sheâs been travelling solo, living with locals across the many dzongkhags (districts) of Bhutan. Check out Denkarâs adventures on her blog, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube channel. Also read: From panic to positive living: The pandemic in Bhutan by Denkar Bhutan solo travelDance to your own music and let the world blend into your tune. ~ Denkar Denkar vividly recalls her first solo trip in 2018. She bade goodbye to apprehensive friends as she boarded a local bus to Phobjika valley â alone, with a one way ticket! She was on a tight budget, and had made up her mind to hitchhike and couch surf if she needed to. As the bus winded along the gorgeous green mountains, she felt herself connecting with the wanderer within. She quickly made new friends, felt determined to chart her own path and ended up staying longer than planned. And she hasnât looked back since. Phobjika became the first of many, many solo travel adventures across Bhutan. Seeking refuge wherever she found it, connecting with locals and going deeper wherever she went. Also read: How I Conquer My Solo Travel Fears Funding her adventures and becoming the first Bhutanese blogger in the travel industryMy greatest achievement is that people understand what I do now! ~ Denkar Like most South Asian parents, Denkarâs were worried about her financial well-being. The idea of spending hours behind a laptop at home or being paid to travel is still pretty alien in this part of the world. Denkarâs father wanted her to work as a civil servant after she returned to Bhutan with a masters degree from Thailand. But she knew she wanted to do something different. She never saw herself fitting into a traditional work environment. So she set out to prove that she could make a living from travel blogging / vlogging. Sheâd be the first of her kind in Bhutan! And she did it. Her primary source of income is content writing. She also partners with like-minded brands on her travels. She says her parents are now obsessed with her travel stories and offbeat adventures across the country! Also read: How Iâm Financially Sustaining my Digital Nomad Lifestyle Social stereotypes and hitchhiking in BhutanDenkar has hitchhiked to the remotest of villages in Bhutan on trucks and boleros! As in the rest of the world, hitch-hiking is considered a big NO for Bhutanese woman. But when Denkar began fighting the social stereotype and putting her faith in strangers, she learnt that hitchhiking in Bhutan is safe as long as you keep your wits about you. She has hitched rides with mountain porters, truck drivers and students. Some bought her lunch. Some shared their deepest secrets with her. Many probably drew inspiration from her fearless ways. Also read: An Open Letter to Parents: Let Your âKidsâ Travel Offbeat Bhutan solo travel recommendationsExplore Panbang in one of Bhutanâs most remote districtsâUntil a couple of decades ago, little was known about Panbang in Bhutanâs Zhemgang Dzongkhag, close to Manas National Park in India. Despite some recent development, the locals still live in thatched bamboo and grass roof houses, believe in shamans and drink tongba (fermented millet brew)! Trek to Nuptsonapata in Haa ValleyDenkar says one of her all-time favorite treks in Bhutan was to Nuptsonapata in Haa Valley. Arduous though it was, it was filled with lush mountains, wildflowers, rare white poppies, an encounter with nomadic shepherds and an emerald lake! Also read: 15 Responsible Travel Tips to Change the Way You Experience the World Meeting the King of Bhutan as the first Bhutanese blogger / vlogger!Besides being recognized as Bhutanâs first travel blogger, Denkar says being invited to meet the King of Bhutan in 2019 was her lifeâs greatest honor. âWe need to breathe Bhutan,â he told her. He spoke about the beauty of Bhutan and the need for Bhutanese people to explore more of their own country. Denkar says it was then that it really struck her. Her journey as a blogger could make a difference in the way her own people (along with those outside) saw Bhutan. She pledged to the King that she would travel far and beyond to bring fascinating stories about Bhutan to the world. Also read: âI Love Spitiâ: A Campaign to Save Spiti Valley from Single-Use Plastic Advice for women who want to follow their solo travel dreamsDenkar: âI believe if you travel solo far and long enough, you will meet your true self. My only advice is stop being a couch potato, wishing âif onlyâ your life was like that of someone you follow online. If you feel you want to go out there and experience the world, do what it takes. Make the emotional commitment, carve your own path, get ready for some sacrifices and prove to yourself and those around you that you can do it. Go be the author of your own story.â Also read: Unusual Solo Travel Destinations to Feed Your Adventurous Spirit How did you find the courage to take your first solo trip? Or whatâs stopping you? Do you follow any Bhutanese blogger?This post is part of my Solo Travellers Series â which aims to shed the spotlight on solo travellers from across Asia. Courageous souls who are challenging conventions in their own fierce ways yet typically underrepresented in the travel space. If youâve met inspiring solo travellers from Asia who I could consider featuring in this series, please connect us! Other posts from the solo travel seriesMeet the Courageous Indian Woman Travelling the World Solo â On a Wheelchair. Meet the First Solo Female Traveller from the Maldives Thanks to Tshering Denkar and Remya Padmadas for their inputs. The post Meet the Bhutanese Blogger and Solo Traveller Unearthing Bhutanâs Best Kept Secrets. appeared first on The Shooting Star. Meet the Bhutanese Blogger and Solo Traveller Unearthing Bhutanâs Best Kept Secrets. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr Meet the Bhutanese Blogger and Solo Traveller Unearthing Bhutanâs Best Kept Secrets.
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Travelling to Lesotho from South Africa? We nearly got stranded while crossing the South Africa Lesotho border at Maseruâs Pioneer gate! We rang in 2020 in a remote village in Lesotho, hanging out with its Basotho people and trying to pick up a few words in their Sesotho language! So we applied for a single-entry e-visa for Lesotho and got an approval within 2 days. Arranged a Lesotho driving permit, booked an overnight bus from Cape Town to Bloemfontein (the closest South African city to Lesotho), picked up a rental car from Bloemfontein and drove into Lesotho. An insanely beautiful country, nicknamed the âKingdom in the Skyâ because it has the highest lowest point in the world! ⣠The plan was to spend the holiday season in Lesotho. Then use our multiple-entry visa to return to South Africa. Weâd drive all the way to Kruger National Park and spend a week there. And just before our South Africa visa expired, return our rental car in Johannesburg and board a flight to India. We had our documents and visas in order. The plan was foolproof. Or so we thought. Also read: How I Manage Visas on my Indian Passport as I Travel the World Entering Lesotho: The South Africa Lesotho borderAfter a 1.5 hour drive from Bloemfontein, we arrived at the Van Rooyen bridge â one of the border checkposts to enter Lesotho. Crossing was a cake-walk: Park the car on the South African side, get an exit stamp and drive across. Then park the car on the Lesotho side, get an entry stamp, pay 40 Rand for the car and drive through. No questions asked, no documents (other than the Lesotho e-visa) checked. Also read: How Iâm Financially Sustaining my Digital Nomad Lifestyle Exiting Lesotho: The Lesotho South Africa borderâ£After nearly 10 days of living in traditional rondavels (round houses), hiking with a local female guide, spotting rainbows, gazing at starry night skies and trying the local sorghum beer, we bade goodbye to Lesotho. This time, we drove via Maseru (the capital of Lesotho) to the Pioneer gate to re-enter South Africa. Followed the cars at the border to a drive-through exit immigration, where we got stamped out of Lesotho. Handed over the exit vehicle stamp and got onto Maseru Bridge leading to South Africa. Our car crawled along Maseru Bridge in a massive traffic jam. Alongside, droves of people walked across the border. It felt like a mass exodus from Lesotho to South Africa just like Iâd imagine happens at the Mexico-US border. We finally hit the South African immigration, and things started going downhill⦠Also read: Solo Travel Moments That Left Me Scared Shitless Asked to go back to Lesotho despite a multiple-entry visa for South AfricaWe joined the long immigration queue to re-enter South Africa. Sweating in the heat, crawling forward bit by bit, we had no idea what awaited us at the counter. My partner and I submitted our passports together to the South African immigration officer. He quickly scanned and stamped mine. But when it came to my partnerâs passport, he started going over each page. Finally, slowly, he looked up and asked, where is your South Africa visa? Of course it was right there, covering an entire page in the passport. Exactly the same as mine. A multiple entry visa that granted us multiple entries into South Africa. Valid for 3 months. Valid for entry before a date in October. Thatâs the date he pointed to, saying the visa had already expired! But you see, we had already entered South Africa (the first time) before the said date. Having done that, the visa allowed us multiple entries over 3 months. We showed him our original entry stamp and tried to explain the situation. But he told us, quite condescendingly, that we must go back to Lesotho and apply for a new South Africa visa. Also read: Why Long Term Travel is More Like Real Life and Less Like Instagram Our optionsTo be honest, we didnât have many options:
Our only option was to beg this unreasonable man to stamp us in, or remain in no manâs land! Acknowledging our lack of options, we asked the visa officer if we could speak to his supervisor. That enraged him, but he left his cubicle with our passports as we followed him. But instead of going into the adjacent immigration building, he stopped to show our passports to a man who seemed to us like a security guard! His uniform was different, and he was carrying takeaway food. Still we tried to plead our case with him, but the two men rudely told us to shut up. Then with an air of finality, they firmly told us that our visas had indeed expired. Also read: Four Years of Travelling Without a Home Finally, a helpful officerBy now, we were seething with anger. We stood outside in the hot sun, discussing, debating what to do. The weird thing was the officer had already stamped my passport but refused to return it to me. One option wouldâve been for me to enter South Africa alone and plead our case at the nearest Indian embassy. Atleast there were some cans of emergency vegan food lying around in the car â incase one or both of us had to spend the night in this godforsaken no manâs land without our passports! Seeing us standing around for the next hour, a female officer stepped out of the immigration building to ask if we had been helped. It seemed like she already knew why we were waiting. Finally she led us to a senior immigration officer, this time a real one, with a formal uniform and name tag. He patiently heard us out, walked us to our original visa officerâs counter, went over our passports, determined that our multiple entry visa holds and stamped my partnerâs passport. As he returned our beloved passports â stamped and ready to go â he laughed and said, âWhere are the rupees?â Also read: Bittersweet Feelings in South Africaâs Mamelodi Township On hindsight, what really happenedCrossing the border back into South Africa was such a relief! We cursed and laughed and thanked our stars. But as we pieced together the previous few hours, some things stood out:
That was, no doubt, one crazy border crossing experience. But to be honest, after spending 70+ days in lockdown, I would go back in a jiffy even to that crazy day at the South Africa Lesotho border Have you had any unexpected visa encounters on your travels?The post How We *Almost* Got Stranded in No Manâs Land at the South Africa â Lesotho Border. appeared first on The Shooting Star. How We *Almost* Got Stranded in No Manâs Land at the South Africa â Lesotho Border. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr How We *Almost* Got Stranded in No Manâs Land at the South Africa â Lesotho Border. In the midst of a pandemic, all roads seem to point towards a more sustainable lifestyle. My tips to embrace easy sustainable living ideas. The past 50+ days of lockdown living have been an emotional roller coaster. Iâve felt a deep longing to be in the midst of nature. The forests, the mountains, the sea, Iâve craved them all. This longing made me realize that I never fully appreciated the freedom (and privilege) to experience the incredible beauty of our world. It equally made me dwell on my environmental footprint as an inhabitant of a shared planet. In the midst of a pandemic linked to deforestation, biodiversity loss and intensive animal farming, the future seems to point towards a life that is more sustainable, compassionate and mindful. But will decreasing our individual footprint make any difference in the big picture? We only need to look at the past for inspiration. Many social and political transformations came about as a result of mass movements that began with individual awareness and personal choices. The more invested we become in sustainable living as individuals, the more likely we are to drive change as a society. For those of us not directly affected by the on-going crisis, this slowdown can be a chance to make small but lasting changes towards a sustainable way of life. So behold, some sustainable living ideas to experiment with, at home and on the road:
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BEGIN YOUR JOURNEY TOWARDS MINIMALISMI know Marie Kondo is all the rage these days, but minimalism isnât a new trend. Itâs simply the idea of consuming mindfully. Owning less, buying less, having fewer material attachments. In fact, most people in India and elsewhere lived minimalist lives before the days of television and social media. Before marketing, ads and influencers started telling us that we want more than we need. How I ended up living out of 2 bagsBack in 2013, when I was contemplating a life of long term travel, I had cupboards, drawers and bags full of things I didnât really need. So I spent a few days taking stock of everything I owned. I gave away most of my clothes, shoes, books, appliances and assorted possessions to anyone who could use them. Gradually I gave up the apartment itself, and have been living out of two bags since. Why minimalismOver the years, itâs felt mentally liberating to shed the weight of my material attachments. I know now, that my contentment has nothing to do with trips to a shopping mall or the latest fashion trend. Harmless though it seems, fast fashion is one of the most polluting industries on the planet. So Iâve pledged that whenever I acquire something new, it will be recycled or upcycled, support a local cause and/or be environmentally sustainable. Tips for minimalist sustainable living
Books / documentaries about minimalism
Also read: How I Fit All My Life Possessions in Two Bags as I Travel the World. SEGREGATE, COMPOST, REDUCE AND RECYCLE YOUR WASTEA few years ago, I visited a state-of-the-art waste management plant in Goa. At the conveyor belt, I saw workers sorting out recyclables from all kinds of waste. Curry covered boxes, plastic in all forms, rotting vegetables, tattered clothes, umbrellas, muck covered toys, even rotting carcasses! It is sickening that a fellow human should have to dig through all our waste just because we refuse to segregate it. Since this is a semi-private waste plant, workers are given protective coats, gloves, a face mask and health insurance. But most ragpickers and informal waste workers (in India and other developing countries) have access to none of this. Visiting that plant and meeting workers who once lived off the public dumping ground made me realize that the least we can do to adopt a sustainable lifestyle is to deal with our waste more mindfully. I now consciously look for Airbnbs / homestays that segregate and compost their waste. As far as possible, I try to reduce my waste by avoiding things that come in single-use plastic, thereby reducing my junk food intake. And no matter where in the world I am, I keep my eyes and ears peeled for recycling spots to give my recyclable waste. While in Cape Town, I decided to experiment with a month of being zero waste on the road â not easy but not impossible. Iâll be writing about that zero waste sustainable living challenge soon. How to segregate and compost wasteThe conversation about waste seldom makes it to our living rooms. No wonder, my folks put up so much resistance against the simple act of segregating waste. But now that Iâm locked down with them, theyâve finally relented! The process is really simple. All you need to do is use two bins instead of one. All wet waste (food waste, soiled plain paper and anything biodegradable) goes into one. All dry waste into another. For the wet waste, dig a pit in your backyard if you have one. Discard the wet waste in it once or twice a day, and cover with an equal amount of dry leaves. If you live in an apartment, get yourself an Eco Bin, which allows easy and hygienic disposal of wet waste. In a few weeks, youâll have compost to grow your own vegetables! See this comprehensive pit composting guide if you have a backyard or these indoor composting options. The dry waste should ideally be sent to a recycling facility. Figure out if thereâs a collection service or center in your vicinity. If not, perhaps you could arrange for community collection, to be sent to the nearest facility every week or month. Alternatively, discuss with your local ragpickers what they are able to salvage and try to find solutions to the remaining waste. Tips for low waste sustainable living
Ideas for plastic free sustainable living
Also read: Plastic Free Living: 5 Steps to Embrace Single-Use Plastic Alternatives SWITCH TO A MENSTRUAL CUPI have to confess that the idea of inserting a menstrual cup in my vagina felt so scary that even after I bought one, I shied away from trying it for three whole months! For the uninitiated, a menstrual cup is an eco friendly alternative to pads and tampons. The cups is made of health grade silicon, and inserted into the vagina to collect menstrual blood. Now that Iâve been using one for over a year, I can tell you itâs hygienic, safe and super comfortable! The best time to experiment with a menstrual cup is when youâre staying home and have easy access to a comfortable bathroom â i.e. this lockdown! Why a menstrual cup enables sustainable livingMy conviction to switch to a menstrual cup came while volunteering on a remote island in Cuba. I was surprised to spot single-use plastic on the seabed that wasnât even available on the island! Those stunning corals and marine life were co-existing with plastic bags, shampoo bottles, straws and what not. I had switched to âbiodegradable padsâ by that time, but further research revealed that they degrade only when discarded and composted separately. I couldnât do that on the road, nor could I live with myself for sending 10-15 plastic pads to the landfill or ocean every month. Tips to use a menstrual cup
Advantages of a menstrual cup in pursuit of an enviromentally friendly lifestyle
Recommended brands of menstrual cupsI love my Lena Cup (bought on Amazon US while travelling in that part of the world) and absolutely recommend it. My cup-verted friends recommend the SheCup, Cupvert Cup, Boondh Cup and Rustic Art Cup in India. I highly recommend buying cloth pads as a backup for low flow days. There are several options on Amazon India and Amazon US. A set of 4 suffices for me. Also read: My Detailed Guide on How to Use a Menstrual Cup, With All Your Questions Answered CREATIVELY REUSE AND UPCYCLE WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVEIâve often found it hard to focus during this lockdown, with all the negativity and indefiniteness playing on my mind. But perhaps itâs the perfect time to unleash our creative spirit to do things itâs otherwise hard to find time for. In February this year, I met small-scale entrepreneurs across Kerala who benefit indirectly from tourism through vocational jobs. I learnt how to upcycle old newspapers into artisan handmade paper. A sweet couple demonstrated how they recycle used candle wax to make creative candle designs. A tea planter turned tailor has been making cloth bags from old clothes so people can stop using single-use plastic bags. In South Africa, I learnt how to make trendy wallets from used tetra boxes! In Myanmar, I met a womenâs collective who upcycle used coffee and other plastic packets into cool bookmarks and lamp shades. On my closed women-only Facebook group, one creative soul bought discarded wood from a ragpicker to make a sofa. Another made a hip bookshelf with old drawers! Why make reusing and recycling part of your sustainable living planI sometimes read about people making a move towards slow fashion and a plastic-free sustainable lifestyle by buying new âminimalism-friendlyâ things as they discard everything else. And I get it, itâs tempting to buy that multi-purpose scarf thing on Instagram that can be worn 10 different ways. Or to throw out all plastic jars and buy a new set of glass jars to feel good about ourselves. But hereâs the thing. Sustainability and minimalism are pointless pursuits if weâre creating all this trash, or craving the next trendy minimal wear. We need to use what weâve already got â for the maximum amount of time we can. How to reuse and recycle during the lockdownLimited access to non-essentials during the lockdown is the perfect opportunity to get creative. Google has tons of DIY ideas for whatever you need and how to make it based on what you already have at home. After a long hiatus, I feel ready to acquire a new dress. So Iâm trying to remodel my current one into a skirt, and upcycle one of my momâs old sarees into a dress. Weâll see how the experiment goes In the next few weeks, my notebook will run out of pages, so Iâm going to try making handmade paper. Itâll be hard to replenish my shampoo and conditioner bars, so Iâll try to make a version at home. Many of my friends are making their own cloth masks and sanitizers. The sustainable living possibilities are endless! Also read: 15 Responsible Travel Tips for Authentic, Meaningful Experiences on the Road EMBRACE A COMPASSION-DRIVEN VEGAN LIFESTYLEHave you been wondering how the hell life went from being business as usual to this scary, bizarre lockdown situation? Scientists pretty much agree that the source of the COVID-19 outbreak was a wet market in Wuhan, China. Hens, fish, snakes, birds, porcupines, pangolin, even wolf pups are sold there â to be cooked and eaten. The virus likely came from bats, and was possibly transmitted by a snake, pangolin or chicken, into humans (pangolin is the prime suspect). That makes it a zoonotic disease, one that spread from animals to humans. Thereâs been a rise in the spread of infectious diseases in the last 50 years. Our population has grown. But also we have more livestock since 1960 than the last 10,000 years of domestication combined! As we use more animals â for trade, farming, food etc â we increase the probability of cross-species transmission of infectious diseases. Dr Gauden Galea, WHO Representative, China, said in an interview with CNN: âAs long as people eat meat, there is going to be some risk of infection.â Why go vegan (or consume less animal products for sustainable living)
How to turn vegan at your own pace
Books / documentaries to inspire a vegan sustainable lifestyle
Also read: 11 Tips to Ease Your Transition Into a Vegan Lifestyle How to Travel as a Vegan and Find Delicious Food Anywhere in the World GROW YOUR OWN MICROGREENS AND OTHER FOODNothingâs given me as much joy in this lockdown as growing my own microgreens! Weâve all likely sampled microgreens â those little plants with a couple of leaves that often appear with a starter or dish at a cafe or restaurant. But I was first introduced to their amazing nutritional content at The Sunshine Food Co in Cape Town. The owner Elisha fell in love with farming microgreens, and now offers the most badass vegan activated charcoal burgers Iâve ever had. So I read up, watched a couple of videos and drew inspiration from Instagram to experiment with growing my own. In reused takeaway containers filled with soil, I sowed mustard, urad dal and basil seeds. And was amazed that with little effort, they grew beautifully in a couple of weeks! I added them to my smoothies and sandwiches. I then managed to get okra, bitter gourd and black eyed pea (lobia) seeds from an organic farmer, though those will take a while to grow. The joy of growing your own foodThis lockdown has left many of us craving to reconnect with earth, and growing our own food is a therapeutic way of doing that. It also allows us to be more self-sustainable in an uncertain future. Besides, itâs rather reassuring to consume something home-grown, that you know hasnât been infiltrated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides. And I can swear it teaches us to value the hardwork of our farmers enough to never negotiate for their produce again! Practical tips to grow produce at home
Also read: How to Indulge Your Wanderlust at Home CATCH UP ON THE HEALTH OF THE PLANETI know these are overwhelming, unprecedented times. I have good days and bad each week. I feel angry, helpless, sad, guilty and a whole other gamut of emotions. But this is also a time of introspection. A chance to learn more about this genius planet of ours without stepping out. An opportunity to chase a deeper understanding of the relationship of our species with nature, man-animal conflict, climate change, social justice, animal rights and impactful ways to pursue a sustainable lifestyle. Unlike pandemics of the past, weâre lucky to have virtual access to the world through Netflix, zoom, webinars, lives, kindle and other technology. Perhaps the greatest favor we can do ourselves is to treat this âgreat pauseâ as a chance to unlearn, rethink and realign our lives. In a way that is personally gratifying but also reduces our impact on the natural world around us. Also read: Inspiring Women I Met in Bhutan â and What Happiness Means to Them Have you committed to any sustainable living ideas during the lockdown? What do you plan to try?Iâm now accepting guest posts on my blog on responsible travel and sustainable living. If youâd like to contribute a story, please see my guidelines here. If youâre a sustainability-minded rebel struggling with your life choices, join my closed women-only Facebook group. The post Sustainable Living Ideas to Embrace as we Emerge Into a New âNormalâ. appeared first on The Shooting Star. Sustainable Living Ideas to Embrace as we Emerge Into a New âNormalâ. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr Sustainable Living Ideas to Embrace as we Emerge Into a New âNormalâ. Although archery is a relatively safe sport, if done improperly it can be dangerous and result in serious injury. The most common archery injuries tend to be in the arm or shoulder, but they can usually be prevented by using the correct technique and ensuring adequate recovery. Let’s look at the 7 most common archery injuries and how you can prevent them. 1. Rotator cuff injuriesThe rotator cuff is a group of four muscles and their tendons around the shoulder joint. As such, it’s no surprise this area is prone to injury when practising archery. When you draw your bow consistently, you put pressure on the muscles and strain them. Over time, you might experience a dull aching pain in the shoulder and your range of motion may be restricted. Prevention tip: If you experience pain when drawing back your bow, take a break and let the muscles relax to prevent injury. Some archery stances lend themselves more to rotator cuff injuries, so choose a comfortable stance using the proper bow-drawing technique. Make sure you also use your back muscles to pull your arm back, to lessen the pressure on your shoulder. You can regularly exercise your rotator cuffs to make the muscles stronger and prevent injury. This YouTube video demonstrates a workout to exercise these muscles using just a stretch-band that you might already have at home. 2. TendonitisAs an archer, you’ve likely experienced “archer’s elbow”. If not, you’ll definitely want to keep it that way. It refers to tendonitis in the elbow, which is when your tendon (the connective tissue which attaches muscle to bone) becomes inflamed. For archers, tendonitis is most common in the elbows, but also occurs in the shoulders and wrists. When you bring your bow to a full draw, for example, it puts repetitive or excessive strain on the tendon and can be extremely painful. Prevention tip: If you can’t maintain correct form when drawing your bow, you might need to drop the draw weight as it’s likely too heavy. It’s also important to strengthen the muscles you’re using, such as the shoulder and scapular muscles, so your tendon isn’t compensating for them. Of course, it’s important to practise your archery skills, but you shouldn’t neglect the all-important gym exercises that prevent these archery injuries. 3. String slapString slap happens when you release the bow string and it slaps your lower arm. It can be surprisingly painful, and you’ll probably experience bruising or tenderness in this area if it happens to you. Prevention tip: The easiest and best way to prevent string slap injuries is to wear an armguard to protect your lower arm. They’re cheap to buy and handy if you’re just starting out. To avoid the string slapping your arm, ensure you have the correct posture and form, as well as the appropriate draw weight. 4. Chest bruisingAnother string slap injury occurs when the bowstring slaps against the chest during shooting. It’s nothing to worry about, but it could cause significant pain and bruising, which you want to avoid where possible. Prevention tip: The quickest way to prevent chest bruising is to invest in a chest guard to stop the string hitting your chest and prevent your clothes from getting in the way. If you don’t want to buy a chest guard, you should wear tight-fitting clothing that won’t catch on the string. If you have a large chest, you may want to wear a supportive bra. Correct stance and technique are also, once again, very important. 5. Muscle strain injuriesThere is such a thing as overtraining, especially in a sport that involves so many repetitive movements. When you’re working certain muscles too hard, it’s only a matter of time before you experience a muscle strain injury. In archery, these repetitive muscle strains normally occur in the arms, wrists, hands, shoulders and neck. They’ll feel achy and stiff and you may experience cramping in those areas. Prevention tip: If you’re a keen archer, you might not want to hear that rest is the best way to prevent muscle strain injuries – but it is. You should take regularly breaks to give your muscles the chance to relax. Luckily, there are ways to improve your archery technique without physical practice. In fact, several of the best archers in the world highlight the importance of mental training. Why not try these ideas to exercise your brain and improve your archery whilst you’re away from the range? 6. BruisingIf your fingers are on the bowstring for too long when it’s released, it can rub them, and this can cause blisters to form. This usually happens when you hook the bowstring too much or your fingers are in the wrong position. Prevention tip: To avoid friction and painful finger blisters, put your fingers on the string correctly and make sure you maintain the correct hand position. If your fingers are still blistered and painful, you might want to consider wearing archery gloves when you practise. 7. Hand cuts or puncturesUnlike the above injuries, this isn’t caused by the movements involved in archery. Instead, it’s caused by negligence when handling archery equipment. Archery arrows are extremely sharp, so it’s essential to handle them with care. If not, you risk cutting yourself or sustaining a puncture wound. Prevention tip: First, establish how best to handle your arrows safely to avoid injury. You can also buy an arrow quiver to cover your arrow points and prevent injury. Alternatively, when using broadhead arrows, make sure to invest in a broadhead wench to ensure the sharp blades are covered. Unfortunately, even by taking these precautions, accidents can and do happen. That’s why you need specialist archery insurance. At Gunplan, we provide up to £50,000 of Personal Accident cover for archers, to protect you if you suffer an injury while practising. Find out more about our cover by clicking the link above, or get a quote in minutes today. The post The 7 Most Common Archery Injuries And How To Prevent Them appeared first on Gunplan Blog. The 7 Most Common Archery Injuries And How To Prevent Them published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr The 7 Most Common Archery Injuries And How To Prevent Them Dreaming of Chhattisgarh travel in the distant, post-lockdown future? In my first Chhattisgarh travel blog post, a glimpse of my solo adventures and why I *almost* fell in love. I bade goodbye to Chhattisgarh with bittersweet feelings. Over nearly two weeks in the state (well before the lockdown), I rode pillion through eerily quiet sal forests late at night, with barren white ghost trees shimmering under the moonlit sky. Took a poop under a jackfruit tree with a cobra in the vicinity! And crossed flowing rivers to reach remote tribal settlements, as both my adrenaline and curiosity surged. While travelling through Bastar and Kawardha, I lived in an off-grid village of the Gond tribe deep in the forest. In this demarcated Naxal territory, I joined my host family around a fire, trying to decipher the complexities and misconceptions of tribal life. With hastily shut eyes and an aching heart, I witnessed a goat sacrifice in the traditional festival of the Dhurwa tribe. Rumor has it that back in the day, humans were sacrificed at their forest altars. Apparently clueless outsiders who overstayed their welcome! Also read: The Mystical Ways of Arunachal Pradesh’s Galo Tribe In a traditional healer’s hut, alongside medicinal herbs, I was shocked to discover worn-out bird feet and pangolin shells (gathered years ago), still used to heal people. In obscure villages, I met artists and craftsmen, working with bell metal and bamboo crafts – their extraordinary lives and rare skills mocked by the tag of “other backward classes”. With no toilets in remote tribal villages, I relieved myself under a jackfruit tree. On the short walk back to my host family’s house, I was shocked to spot an Indian cobra, lying lifeless on the path. Possibly the fallen prey of an eagle. Also read: Solo Travel Moments That Left Me Scared Shitless In a local haat (tribal market), I drank landa – homemade fermented rice brew with a nutty texture – in a tendu leaf cup. Under a grand old mahua tree, I met a sweet Baiga family fermenting mahua liquor in a boiling pot. They wouldn’t let me leave without tasting some delicious hot potent brew in a leaf cup, even though it was just after breakfast. I met women of the Baiga tribe who still tattoo their foreheads, arms and legs. In semi-permanent mud houses they live, sharing the land with bears, leopards, tigers and other creatures of the forest. And perhaps I’ll never forget that evening, when in the twilight hours, the sudden rush of freedom gripped me as I stood under the torrential spray of the gushing Teerathgarh waterfall! If someone had told me that I’d be 50+ days into an indefinite lockdown as I type this, I would’ve savored that rush just a little longer. And yet, I felt a deep sadness as I spent time with the tribes of Chhattisgarh. The old rituals, the traditional way of wearing clothes and hair, social interactions in the forest and the tribal haats have fallen prey to the influences of “modernity” and religion. The once nutritional diet of millets and superfoods – like kodo, moringa and mahua – has been replaced by rice and daal, leading to malnutrition. An abundance of indigenous knowledge about the forest and the sustainable, zero-waste use of its resources is on the brink of extinction. The shift towards ‘modern’ habitat conservation techniques has alienated the very communities that have protected this land for centuries. Many tribal communities have had their connection with the forest severed. Also read: Inspiring Women I Met in Bhutan – and What Happiness Means to Them As I lived with tribal families, broke bread with a shaman under the stars and heard stories of socially progressive customs, I had one lingering thought. That the current generation of tribal elders is our last chance to retain India’s ancient indigenous knowledge to live sustainably with nature. Their children, who still have the forest in their blood, could easily be trained as naturalists, guides and conservationists, instead of just being a source of menial labor. Instead of labeling them as ‘backward’ people, we need to acknowledge the centuries of wisdom they’ve gathered from living in harmony with the land. As we move “forward” in a world wrought with materialistic greed and environmental degradation – especially in the midst of a pandemic linked to biodiversity loss – travelling in Chhattisgarh was a reminder of what we stand to lose along the way. Also read: How to Indulge Your Wanderlust at Home During the Coronavirus Pandemic Chhattisgarh travel infoI explored Bastar with Bastar Tribal Homestay and Unexplored Bastar, and Kawardha with Bhoramdeo Jungle Retreat. They’re all committed to responsible travel in Chhattisgarh. I’ll be sharing more about them in other Chhattisgarh travel blog posts, coming soon. Have you travelled to Chhattisgarh or is it on your wishlist for the distant future? What would you like to read in my next Chhattisgarh travel blog?ALSO READ: 15 Responsible Travel Tips for Authentic, Meaningful Experiences on the Road What the Village Folk of Kumaon Taught Me About Life My Alternative Travel Guide to Goa The post Chhattisgarh: Tribal Life, Motorcycle Adventures and a Lingering Sadness. appeared first on The Shooting Star. Chhattisgarh: Tribal Life, Motorcycle Adventures and a Lingering Sadness. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr Chhattisgarh: Tribal Life, Motorcycle Adventures and a Lingering Sadness. Away from the crowds of South Kerala, pristine moments and things to do in Kasaragod in North Kerala. Featured image: Marieke Weller (Unsplash). I landed up in Kasaragod on my quest to discover Kerala beyond the beaten path. As I swam in the Kasaragod backwaters (they are that clean!), kayaked amid pristine mangroves and learnt how terribly skilled I am at rowing a round coracle boat, I quickly fell in love. If you make your way to North Kerala – and you absolutely SHOULD – set aside a few days for some unique things to do in Kasaragod to re-establish your connection with nature: Watch the sunset over a unique estuary made by the Arabian SeaEven though it was some eight years ago, on my first solo trip to Kerala, I still vividly remember that magical sunset. A boat maneuvered the pristine Kasaragod backwaters and deposited us on a sandy strip of land. On one side, the waves of the Arabian Sea roared. On the other, the backwaters gently flowed. We walked along, splashing in the waves, dipping our feet in the warm water. And just as a the sun was about to sink below the horizon, we stood at what felt like the edge of the world. The Arabian Sea hugged the backwaters. Turns out, the estuary on the Kasaragod backwaters is actually man-made. It was created by rice farmers who hoped to channel out the excess monsoon water from their fields into the Arabian Sea. But as nature would have it, the water level rose several times more during high tide, claiming the entirety of their paddies. Also read: What India (and the World) Can Learn from Sustainable Tourism in Kerala Kayak among mangroves and appreciate their role in the natural ecosystem (one of the most unique things to do in Kasaragod)Mangroves are nature’s bridge between land forests and aquatic ecosystems. These trees and shrubs grow in salty terrain. They serve as breeding and feeding grounds for marine life, recycle nutrients and help prevent soil erosion. They tend to provide protection to coastal communities against cyclones and tsunamis. And are estimated to absorb more CO2 than most forests! But most of all, they are some of earth’s most unique creations. With their roots above water, they’re a sight to behold and a paradise for birdwatching. As you kayak among the mangroves of Kasaragod, notice the beautifully meditative feeling of silently drifting along. Unfortunately, 40% of mangrove forests on India’s west coast have fallen prey to urbanisation and shrimp farming. Something to dwell upon as you row. Also read: My Alternative Travel Guide to Goa Row a coracle boat under the moonlit skyI’ll never get over my fascination with those round coracle boats. Traditionally made of interwoven bamboo, used by fishermen in southern India. They look easy enough to row, but each time I try my hand at one, I go round and round in circles! And so it was on the Padanna backwaters of Kasaragod. Under a half moon and a fairly dark sky shimmering with stars, I rowed a coracle boat as little fish jumped around me, shining in the moonlight. What a feeling! Also read: Offbeat Kerala: 11 Travel Experiences to Inspire the Artist in You Catch a Theyyam performance in the land where it was bornAlthough the ancient storytelling artform of Theyyam can be witnessed across Kerala now, it was here that it began some 1000+ years ago (some say in the neolithic times!). Through extravagant face art, costumes and headgear coupled with awe-inspiring ritual dance, theyyam evokes the tribal spirits of the ancestors that once called this land home. Every winter, the temples and some homes of Kasaragod come alive with the awe-inspiring Theyyam ritual. The practice is passed down from elders in each family – and many artists begin learning in their pre-teen days to perfect the act. Also read: 15 Responsible Travel Tips for Authentic, Meaningful Experiences on the Road Swim in the Kasaragod backwatersSounds like no big deal. But the Kasaragod backwaters are perhaps the only ones in Kerala clean enough (and devoid of houseboats) for a refreshing dip. The sand below is soft and solitude is a given. Look up to see soaring eagles or keen kingfishers eyeing their prey. Hear the rustling of the palms. After all, it’s these little joys that live in on our travel memories. Also read: What the Kumaoni Folk of Uttarakhand Taught Me About Life Rejuvenate at an eco-friendly retreat on perhaps Kerala’s most spectacular island (one of my fav things to do in Kasaragod)Until I arrived at Oyster Opera, I only saw houseboats when I imagined Kerala’s backwaters. But this eco-friendly retreat, set up by the visionary Gul Mohamed, added a new dimension to the backwaters for me. On this stunning island, surrounded by the breezy waters and swaying palms, local materials have been used to recreate traditional architecture with creature comforts. Think laterite stone huts, red tiled roofs, even a floating thatched hut. Feast your eyes and tastebuds on incredible local food – easily catered for vegan travellers. Then get ready for some hammock, swimming or beach bumming time! Also read: Awe-Inspiring Uttarakhand Homestays to Tune Out of Life and Tune Into the Mountains Feel like a cast-away at a beach between the backwaters and the Arabian SeaPeople often claim that North Kerala has some of the best beaches. Though the beaches in Kasaragod might not make my favorites, I wouldn’t pass up the chance to have high tea surrounded by palm trees. As the Arabian Sea gushes nearby and the backwaters serenade me. Luckily, many of Kasaragod’s beaches are still deserted. Unknown to the beer-drinking, loud music-playing herds of tourists. Which is why I’ll refrain from naming them here. So when you land up on one, you can feel like a cast-away too! Also read: A Traveller’s Guide to Gujarat’s Best Kept Secrets Have you discovered any unique things to do in Kasaragod?The post Things To Do in Kasaragod to Refresh Your Connection With Nature. appeared first on The Shooting Star. Things To Do in Kasaragod to Refresh Your Connection With Nature. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr Things To Do in Kasaragod to Refresh Your Connection With Nature. The Bhutan happiness index has intrigued me for a long time. So I tried to figure out what happiness means to its people. Is this indescribable feeling happiness? I wondered as my partner and I hiked through the blue pine forests of Bhutanâs Haa Valley. Up gentle hills we walked, alive with the scent of rain from the night before. Prayer flags fluttered in the wind. White and pink wildflowers dotted the landscape. I had landed up in Bhutan last autumn to speak about my book at the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival. And found myself immediately drawn to the old world charm, neighbourhood forests, mountains, traditional architecture, people, food and slow life of the capital city Thimphu. Perhaps like everyone else, Iâve been intrigued and fascinated by the idea of Bhutanâs Gross National Happiness. Is Bhutan really the happiest country in the world, I found myself wondering. Will I be able to glean the secret to happiness while Iâm there? Over nearly a month of traversing the magical beauty of Bhutan, I ended up meeting local writers, entrepreneurs, travellers, farmers, thinkers and dreamers. Some were fleeting encounters, some easy friendships. To some, I couldnât help but pose the question, what is happiness anyway? As we stay home and introspect about life during this global lockdown, Iâm finding solace in their answers: Happiness is having a purpose in life (and the Bhutan happiness index is not a literal measure)I was in complete awe of Sonam Pelden â a Forbes 30 under 30 tech entrepreneur â as she spoke about Bhutanâs evolving digital landscape at Mountain Echoes. I felt her enthusiasm for the digital world back when I worked in Singapore, but perhaps Iâve lost some of it to cynicism along the way. Chatting with her though, I first learnt how Bhutan actually calculates its Gross National Happiness Index (GNH). Unlike popular perception, the GNH is not a literal measure of happiness or even emotional contentment. It assesses changes in 33 indicators through surveys with randomly selected households. Parameters include psychological well-being, education, health, governance, ecological resilience and standard of living. This ultimately gives a glimpse of whether people are moving from the âunhappyâ end of the spectrum towards the âdeeply happyâ end. But more than that, it helps create a development road-map targeting low-performing parameters. Sonam says candidly, âThe narrative put forth by popular media propagates the notion of a naïve blissful nation â albeit enticing â where tribes of smiling people are constantly gripped in song and dance. This is a dangerous half-fiction which needs to be fought on all fronts. It incubates anti-intellectualism and a sense of entitlement, and perhaps even more troublesomely, manages to distort how Bhutanese people perceive themselves. There is so much more than smiling and dancing to Gross National Happiness â and we need to push that forward!â Personally for her, âthe pursuit of happiness means the pursuit of usefulness. Ultimately being useful and having a purpose in life â i.e adding value to my community and to myself makes me feel more fulfilled, more alive â all the things we associate happiness with.â On the other hand, âbeing happy implies permanence â it implies you have completed all your prerequisites and now you get to sit atop your giant pile of happy forever. You have retired from the everyday roller coaster of emotions to simply revel in your happiness. And this is why I have a problem with Bhutan being dubbed as the happiest place on earth.â Also read: Unexpected Friendships in the Dominican Republic Happiness is a mindsetâIâm too smart to be sitting at home,â Tashi said, only half joking. She aced her studies, but life had different plans for her. Back in the early 90s, much like in India, women in Bhutan were expected to marry early, as per the wishes of their parents. But that didnât stop her from becoming an entrepreneur. She refurbished her 80-year-old house in the remote Ura village of Bumthang Valley and opened it up to travellers seeking a taste of rural life. Thatâs how we met. As a passionate and forward-thinking farmer, she was chosen among a handful to travel to Austria and learn from organic farmers across the country! When she returned, they even helped her build a stone oven to practice bread making â the only one of its kind in all of Bhutan. âTo me, happiness is something we set our minds to. No matter how hard life gets, it is about being able to take it easy, think in positive ways, and just feel satisfied with what we have,â she explained. Indeed, itâs easy to complain about the cards weâve been dealt by life. But perhaps the only way to pursue happiness is to choose how we play the hand. Also read: What the Village Folk of Kumaon Taught Me About Life Happiness is seeking inspiration on the roadAt the Mountain Echoes festival, I was delighted to share the stage with Tshering Denkar â Bhutanâs first solo female traveller and travel blogger. Her passion to get off the beaten track in Bhutan, hitchhike to remote parts of the country, connect with indigenous communities and bring their stories to the world is infectious. We ended up hiking in the forests of Thimphu together. And thatâs when I learnt that she was invited to meet His Majesty The Fifth King of Bhutan after he read her blog! He commended her for her fearless travels and curiosity about her own land. Indeed, her blog inspired us to travel all the way to Haa Valley. And her stories of the remote eastern corners of Bhutan make me long to return to the country. âHappiness to me is Bhutanâs offbeat trails and unexplored places. It is seeing how people in far-flung regions, even without basic necessities, seem content with their lives. It is about becoming a part of other cultures and traditions on my sojourns. Happiness to me is Bhutan itself,â says Denkar. As a fellow traveller, I think I get it. Being on the road often makes me feel close to the illusive, inexplicable feeling of happiness. Also read: Meet the Courageous Indian Woman Who Travels the World Solo â On a Wheelchair! Happiness is an inside jobAs a vegan traveller, I was amazed to learn that Bhutan has no slaughterhouses! Consciously harming sentient beings is considered out of line with the Buddhist principle of compassion. Ironically though, Bhutan imports meat from India⦠The quest to understand Bhutanâs complex relationship with animals led me to Yangso. The pioneer of Bhutanâs small but passionate vegan movement and founder of the countryâs first vegan club. Through her, I discovered vegan-friendly local brands and connected with other Bhutanese vegans. We ended up hosting a meetup in Thimphu and swapped stories of vegan, eco-friendly and minimalist living. Her passionate advocacy for animal rights in a country whose national dish is ema datshi (cheese and chillies), left me inspired. So I had to ask Yangso what happiness meant to her. âHappiness to me is an inside job. I maybe in the most peaceful and happiest country in the world, but to me happiness is a state of mind. It is embracing the present moment. It is acceptance. It is patience. It is knowing that my existence matters,â she said. That inside job is not always easy. But I know for a fact that to the billions of animals suffering out there, her existence matters. And hopefully, her patience will pay off. Also read: On Life and Contentment: A Conversation With Buddhist Monks in Thailand Happiness is giving backAt the end of our panel, Denkar, Pem C (the founder of Bhutanâs first lifestyle magazine) and I had the great honour of being invited to chat with Her Majesty the Royal Queen Mother Ashi Dorji Wangmo Wangchuck. I would only later learn how rare that honour was! For someone who inspires so much awe and respect among the Bhutanese, I was surprised to hear her open up about her youthful adventures before she embarked on a different journey as one of the Queens to the visionary Fourth King of Bhutan. I didnât get the opportunity to ask her about happiness, but her eyes lit up as she spoke about her foundation, Tarayana. She travelled across Bhutan, to far-flung villages, trying to grasp the challenges of rural living. And set up the Tarayana Foundation to support sustainable development and vocational livelihoods on the remote countryside. Green technologies are at the core of these projects â including micro hydro power projects in off-grid villages, bio sand water filtration, dry composting toilets and solar dryers for food preservation. It sounds to me like happiness might just be about making a difference in the lives of those less privileged than us, in whatever way we can. What do you think of the Bhutan happiness index? What does happiness mean to you?The post Inspiring Women I Met in Bhutan â and What Happiness Means to Them. appeared first on The Shooting Star. Inspiring Women I Met in Bhutan â and What Happiness Means to Them. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr Inspiring Women I Met in Bhutan â and What Happiness Means to Them. With every passing day of this global lockdown, I can’t help but think about the future of travel blogging. I mean, if there’s no travel, there’s no travel blogging, right? I’ve dedicated almost a decade of my life to this travel blog. It’s my primary source of living, yes. But it’s also my passion, my bridge to the world and one of the few constants in my nomadic life. Yet somehow, I’m not worried, nervous or depressed. On the one hand, I know that the travel industry (including travel blogging) is going to take a big hit during this crisis. Personally, my blog traffic has been dwindling, on-going projects have been put on hold and potential assignments postponed indefinitely. But on the other hand, I believe that sometime in the distant future, we will travel again. Borders will re-open, businesses that survive will emerge stronger and we’ll get our passports stamped. And when that happens, travel blogging – especially the kind that’s rooted in sustainability – will become more important than ever. Instead of dwelling on the future of travel / travel blogging on my own though, I reached out to friends and fellow bloggers for their insights. Adventurous souls who focus on a mix of solo, sustainable, budget, luxury and regional travel.
In this post:
Behold, perspectives from around the world on what travel might look like in the future – and how we can prepare ourselves as storytellers in this space: Domestic and regional tourism will bounce back firstJust like travellers, travel bloggers need to look closer home for new adventures and collaborations I was dreaming of going back to Iran this spring, and possibly onto Azerbaijan before we found ourselves in a global lockdown. As much as I miss being on the road, I’m trying not to dream of it. But I’ve been receiving constant updates from friends in the responsible tourism space in India, on the devastating economic impact of India’s lockdown on local communities. Even as nature seems to be healing without human activity, tourism jobs and wildlife conservation efforts are at stake. That makes me long to not just explore the incredible beauty of India’s countryside, but also to support and promote responsible tourism in the region. Infact, the idea of boarding a long distance flight and getting stuck in a far off part of the world is a scary one. Besides, speaking of the future of travel, some think that when international borders open, there might be a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travellers until a vaccine comes along. Audrey and Dan of the responsible travel blog Uncornered Market believe the days of ubiquitous dirt-cheap travel are likely over for a while. “Closer to home aligns with a desire for the familiar (a typical response following a crisis) and reduces the risk of a cancelled flight or a closed border. It also supports local, regional and national economies. Long-haul travel will take more time to resume as it will have to adapt to visitor, immigration and border policies,” they say. Adeline Gressin of the French travel blog Voyages etc concurs: “France will be the first destination I will travel in when everything will reopen. I can’t wait to hit the road to visit my family and friends around the country and do some local tourism at the same time. And then? Who knows.” The era of slow travel is finally hereTravel bloggers who fly long distance for short travel campaigns will need to realign to this new reality Until a few years ago, the prospect of waking up in a new country or continent every week or two – flown around by tourism boards – was extremely thrilling. But as I became aware of my personal carbon footprint and a desire to linger longer in every place I visited, that changed. In the past couple of years, I’ve found myself drawn to slow overland journeys and long stints in (the seriously few) countries that allow Indian passport holders to remain within their borders for 3 months. It’s likely that post Covid-19, that’s what the future of travel will look like anyway. We’ll stop impulsively jet-setting around the world and opt for more meaningful travel. Keith Jenkins, founder of iAmbassador and the luxury travel blog Velvet Escape, thinks “there’s hope that the global economy will bounce back once this is over but the current signs for a swift recovery aren’t very encouraging. It will take much longer for international travel to recover as people remain cautious. They will conduct more research about the destination and about local healthcare systems before travelling.” Creative new revenue streams can help bloggers tide through the crisisNow might be the time to go back to the drawing board to rethink income sources in the short and long term Although I’ve focused on sustainable travel for a long time, I’ve also slowly been inching towards writing stories on sustainable living. That goes hand-in-hand with my personal transition to veganism, cutting out single-use plastic, using a menstrual cup, opting for sustainable clothing and an inclination towards minimalism. I haven’t thought about monetizing this part of my work yet, but keeping the future of travel in mind, perhaps now is the time. I’ve certainly drawn inspiration from fellow bloggers: Kate McCulley of the popular solo travel blog Adventurous Kate is “taking this [lockdown] as an opportunity to create new revenue streams by working directly with my readers. It almost feels like a creative reawakening for me. So far I’ve launched One-on-Ones with Adventurous Kate, where my readers can have a 45-minute private video call with me. I’ve also launched private blog consulting, a mentorship program, and my Patreon will be launched next week,” she says. And Mariellen Ward, who runs the India-focused travel blog Breathedreamgo, has decided to continue building her new travel site, India for Beginners, saying, “I did not cancel the agreements I have with a couple of writers who are working on content for the site. Things may never be exactly the same again — but we will not be in this crisis phase forever.” Meaningful, low impact, sustainable travel must replace overtourismTravel bloggers and influencers need to rethink their values or risk becoming obsolete Kashyap Bhattacharya, who redefined hostel living on his blog Budget Traveller, thinks “in the post Covid-19 reality, it will be more important than ever to travel with companies that really give a damn about the world and us, humans. I think a new world of more conscious travellers will emerge and we’ll be much more grateful for the ability to travel. So, in a perverse way, we’ll hopefully emerge from this more humble, more sane and grounded – that’s my hope.” Popular tourist cities like Venice and Amsterdam have been grappling with overtourism for the past few years. But it took nature just a few days to bring all human activity to a grinding halt and start rebounding in these places. When we emerge from this crisis, we need to ensure we don’t walk into another one. That means the future of travel is all about becoming more conscious of how we promote destinations, reduce our individual carbon footprint and use our tourism money to meaningfully support local communities and businesses. Adeline Gressin believes that “sustainability in the travel industry will not be a choice. It will be a duty, and we, travel bloggers and influencers will have to be there to deliver this important message for our businesses to survive.” Innovative ‘pay now, travel later’ campaigns can help small businesses surviveBloggers must help small businesses in these times of crisis; we can’t exist without each other The responsible travel groups I’m part of – from India to South Africa – are full of heartfelt pleas. Small businesses that focused both their resources and revenues on supporting local communities, environment conservation and heritage preservation, are slowly sinking. With no revenue in the foreseeable future of travel, laying off staff and halting sustainable development might soon become inevitable. Kashyap Bhattacharya thinks “it’s important to pay it forward in times like this. I have a few friends in the hostel industry struggling at the moment, so with the help of two companies, Stay the Night and hostel.consulting, we’re launching a campaign to encourage travellers to Adopt a Hostel by buying a voucher to ensure their survival. Unless we help each other, we won’t survive this crisis.” Travellers need to reconsider animal activities on the roadTravel bloggers and influencers need to stop promoting tourism activities that abuse or enslave animals Living in our little cages in this unprecedented lockdown has, hopefully, made all of us think about animals in zoos. Just like us humans, they are social creatures, deprived of their community life and natural habitat. They too, suffer from depression and other mental health conditions when denied access to the world. And we pay to keep them in lockdown forever. Scientists are in consensus that as long as deforestation, biodiversity loss and large-scale animal farming continue, we increase the probability of cross-species transmission of infectious diseases. Covid-19, Ebola, SARS, bird flu, nipah etc are all zoonotic diseases that jumped to humans through proximity to wild meat, pig farms and poultry farms. Maybe what we’re facing now is retaliation for all these decades of heartbreaking, inhumane, unjustifiable treatment of animals. And it’s high time we make travel, food and lifestyle choices that are not just more ethical, but also better for our own survival. Based on past crises, the travel industry will bounce back and still need bloggersAtleast one tourism board is positive that travel bloggers will still play a key role in destination messaging once this crisis is behind us I wrote to a handful of friends in tourism boards and airlines for this post. But as expected, in these unprecedented times, the focus for many is on providing emergency support to stranded travellers rather than dwelling on the future of travel. However, Chaminda Munasinghe of Sri Lanka Tourism was reassuring when he said, “Looking back at incidents such as terror attacks and natural disasters, it is clear that the travel industry gradually bounces back. Even in Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of the Easter attack in 2019, tourism quickly bounced back. We expect a boom in global travel – to destinations that are safe and covid-ready. And to that end, bloggers and influencers will play a major role in the decision making process.” I certainly hope so. For the sake of an industry that accounts directly / indirectly for 12.5% of all employment in India and 1 in 10 jobs worldwide. Including mine. What do you think is the future of travel / travel blogging?The post What’s the Future of Travel Blogging When Nobody’s Travelling? appeared first on The Shooting Star. What’s the Future of Travel Blogging When Nobody’s Travelling? published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr What’s the Future of Travel Blogging When Nobody’s Travelling? When it comes to finding the best air rifle for shooting rabbits, there are lots of models available on the market. Here’s a selection of the best, featuring options for both beginners and experienced shooters. Pellpax Storm X Deluxe KitIf you consider yourself a novice rabbit shooter, this is the perfect rifle for you. It’s easy to use and comes with an array of features that are ideal for shooting small pests. These include a muzzle energy of between 11 and 12ft/lb and ornately textured grips for a secure hold. And let’s not forget its good-quality scope. With rabbits mostly active at dawn or dusk, you need a rifle with a large lens scope for a greater range of vision. That’s why the Storm X Deluxe Kit includes a 3-9×50 scope, which fits the bill for rabbit shooting. It also comes with a screw-on silencer, which comes in handy when you’re trying to avoid spooking other rabbits in the area. Weihrauch HW77KThis is considered by many to be the best air rifle for shooting rabbits, due to its power and accuracy. If you’ve been struggling to hit rabbits from a long distance, the Weihrauch HW77K will help you overcome this issue. It’s incredibly accurate and has low recoil, making it a popular choice for pest control and target shooters. The trigger is also extremely precise, giving you extra control of your shot placement. The Weihrauch HW77K comes in 4 calibres – .177, .20, .22 and .25 calibres. The.22 is widely regarded as the best option for rabbit shooting, as it has a good “smacking power” and is therefore ideal for achieving a clean kill. There are also more pellets available for this calibre, giving you a wider range of options. Air Arms S410This is one of the most reliable air rifles on the market. It has a classic style, impressive accuracy and a multi-shot format. As such, it can be used by both experienced and novice rabbit shooters. The rifle also comes with a 10-shot magazine, meaning you won’t have to worry about buying pellets before you head out on a hunt. Check out the below review of the Air Arms S410 and watch it in action. As the reviewer says at the end of the video – if you can pick one of these up, you’re onto a winner. BSA Lightning XL SE TacticalThis rifle is popular among sporting shooters due to its durable, all-weather design. It also has a polymer coating, making it very comfortable to hold and easy to grip. So, if you’re planning on going rabbit hunting in a variety of weather conditions, this is the air rifle for you. Part of the BSA family, the BSA Lightning XL SE Tactical has a fully adjustable trigger and strong build quality. Another of its standout features is the legendary cold hammer forged barrels that BSA air rifles are famous for. This ensures power, accuracy and a great all-round gun. Gamo Varmint Stalker DeluxeThere’s very little not to like about the Varmint Stalker Deluxe. At £169, it’s one of the best value air rifles around, and you get a lot for your money. This gun is both powerful and accurate, which is ideal when you’re targeting a rabbit in the distance. It’s capable of firing .177 calibre pellets with a 1250 feet per second velocity and has a very smooth trigger. What’s more, its custom trigger design makes it highly durable in a wide range of scenarios. It also has a high quality black synthetic stock with rubber inserts for better handling, making it a great option for all-round shooting. If you do decide to purchase a new air rifle, it’s important that you get the right insurance to protect it. After all, the last thing you want is to pay huge sums of money if your air rifle is damaged, lost or stolen. Thankfully, our specialist insurance ensures that your kit is completely covered should the worst happen. Get an instant online quote today. The post The 5 Best Air Rifles For Shooting Rabbits appeared first on Gunplan Blog. The 5 Best Air Rifles For Shooting Rabbits published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr The 5 Best Air Rifles For Shooting Rabbits These are difficult times for the tourism industry and we have much to learn from sustainable tourism in Kerala.Cover photo: Ponraj Krishna Pandi (CC) These days, lying under the warm sun, soaking up spring in my hometown Dehradun (luckily I’m in lockdown here!), I’ve been thinking a lot about Kerala. Just a few weeks ago, I was lost in the bountiful south’s magical beauty. Cycling along bright yellow marigold fields. Hiking amid the mist-engulfed Western Ghats. Devouring organic, sumptuous, vegan Kerala meals off banana leaves. And devouring stories of kindness, humility, entrepreneurship and humanity from the many souls I met along the way. Being in an unprecedented lockdown has led to many of us discussing the future of travel. We have no idea when the on-going crisis will be behind us. Or what the world – and travelling in it – will look like thereafter. But one thing is for sure. Responsible travel will become more important than ever. After all, nature might have wrecked havoc on us to remind us of the havoc we’ve been wrecking on her. When Kerala Tourism reached out to me with their latest campaign on the ‘humanscape’ of Kerala, it immediately reminded me of something I’ve been meaning to write. Responsible tourism lessons for India and other developing countries, from my travels across ‘god’s own country’: Create linkages between vocational skills training and responsible tourismIt’s no surprise that Kerala was India’s first state to launch a “Responsible Tourism Mission” in pursuit of a single-minded goal: “Making better places for people to visit and better places for people (locals) to live in.” Tourism projects often tend to focus only on the former. To create more infrastructure for tourists, for instance. This mindless focus has led to roads being built through pristine forests and hill stations being overwhelmed with ugly, concrete construction. Officials often feel obliged to pander to tourist demands, no matter how they destroy the local ecology or culture. In the dry mountain desert of Ladakh for instance, that has led to the phasing out of centuries-old dry composting toilets in favor of flush toilets. Across India, that means tourism often hampers local life instead of enhancing it. This winter, while travelling across Kerala, I understood what the latter part of that statement meant. I ended up meeting several micro entrepreneurs and women’s self-help groups who were trained by Kerala’s RT Mission to develop their vocational skills (one of the mission’s many initiatives). These range from making poppadums and crafting recycled candles to sewing cloth bags to replace plastic bags. Vocational training is offered by many Indian states, but often fails due to the lack of job opportunities. Kerala’s success came from integrating these skills with tourism. By connecting entrepreneurs with hotels, resorts and homestays, market linkages were created to sustain livelihoods. Many entrepreneurs I met have managed to grow their business and improve their standard of living. Responsible tourism accommodations now have a steady supply of locally sourced, environmentally conscious products. Together creating a better place to visit and a better place to live! Also read: Offbeat, Incredible and Sustainable: These Travel Companies are Changing the Way We Experience India Support dying art forms by creating value for the time and knowledge of local artisansMany of us would love to support traditional arts, music, dance, crafts, storytelling rituals and other creative expressions that date back several centuries. But for a long time, I struggled with the how. As much as I value the effort and intricacy behind many dying crafts across the country, I simply don’t have the space in my bags (and the money in my wallet) to invest in them. And even if I did, the minimalist in me would probably cringe. Besides, many ornamental crafts are only relevant to a specific lifestyle – performing artists, ritualistic storytellers and the like. And yet, I still want to experience and value their efforts. I want to fill myself with awe as I watch a bell jar artist at work or comprehend why a jaali artist continues to use rudimentary tools instead of giving in to modern temptations. While travelling along the River Nila with the Kerala-based travel organisation, The Blue Yonder, I had a moment of clarity. We spent time with several artisans who are single-handedly keeping their craft alive. We learnt about their lives, asked them burning questions and documented some of their work. It was unlikely that we’d buy Kathakali ornaments or metal (bell jar) mirrors though! But unlike most responsible travel companies I’ve travelled with, The Blue Yonder compensates artisans for the time and knowledge they share with travellers. A novel concept for artisans who rely on the sale of tangible creations, but perhaps the only way to leverage tourism to save many of India’s dying arts! Also read: How Responsible Tourism Can Challenge Patriarchy in India Leverage environmentally-conscious luxury travel for employment opportunitiesEnvironmentalists and conscious travellers often argue that high-end, large-scale tourism is detrimental to the environment and the local way of life. I used to feel the same way. But I’ve come around to the fact that hotels and lodges create significantly more job opportunities than homestays or guesthouses, with the potential to impact many – for better or for worse. This winter in Kerala, one family-run business settled my internal conflicts. CGH Earth currently operates several accommodations across Kerala (and Tamil Nadu), employing 1500 people directly and many more indirectly. Their signature property – Spice Village in Thekkady – is a single-use plastic free zone, runs 70% on solar energy, has kept the tribal art of elephant grass thatching alive (so no air conditioning is offered / needed, even on hot days), has its own water bottling plant to collect rainwater and recycles paper waste for registration sheets at its own handmade paper making unit, among many other environmental initiatives. To me, Spice Village is setting the benchmark for luxury travel. One that offers unique experiences, creates large-scale employment, preserves the indigenous culture and is largely positive for the environment. Also read: How to Indulge Your Wanderlust at Home During the Travel Lockdown Tap indigenous wisdom for wildlife conservationTravelling through the tribal belts of Odisha and Chhattisgarh left me quite disenchanted with the concept of development. In our “modern” scheme of things, the indigenous people of India are considered “backward”. Despite their connection with the earth, their invaluable knowledge of nature and their largely sustainable way of life. Instead of tapping upon their vast reserves of wisdom, they’ve been sidelined into the fringes of society. Relocated from their forest homes, and encouraged to change their diet, clothing, traditions, customs and rituals to fit in with the rest of the country. In Central Kerala, in Thekkady’s Periyar Tiger Reserve though, I was inspired to learn about a visionary forest department initiative. The Mannan tribe lived in this forest for centuries, sharing their space with tigers, leopards and other wild creatures. They cultivated small patches of remote forest land, fished occasionally and largely lived off forest produce. When relocated to the buffer zone, with little to no livelihoods, many resorted to poaching. A community tourism initiative set out to create alternate sources of income. They were born in these forests, so basic tourism training readied them to be guides, bamboo rafting crew and anti-poaching squad. Leveraging indigenous knowledge has aided wildlife protection, created sustainable livelihoods and offered travellers an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the forest through guided walks and treks. An idea that can and should be replicated in the rest of India’s tribal areas. Also read: How I Connect Meaningfully With Locals as I Travel the World Encourage tourism as a means to support sustainable development in rural villages, not an end in itselfThe current pandemic has put a lot in perspective. In the responsible travel space, one important learning is that tourism – with all its ups and downs – can no longer be relied upon as a rural community’s only source of income. This made me reminisce about my first trip to North Kerala and the conversations I had with the founders of Kabani and URAVU, Kerala-based social enterprise and NGO respectively. In the picturesque village of Thrikkaipetta aka Bamboo Village (named after its bamboo artisans), they’ve developed a community tourism program with a difference. The goal is first, to supplement farming and craft incomes, through minimal investment in tourism development. That means the experience is raw and genuine – living with local families in their homes, sharing meals and conversations, hiking, getting involved in farming if you’re so inclined. The second goal is to ensure that the entire community, even those not directly involved in tourism, reaps the benefits. While 25% of the tourism revenue is used for administrative costs, the remaining 75% is channeled in two ways. Towards direct tourism providers – homestays, guides etc, and towards a sustainable development fund for the entire village. The assessment of what rural dwellers need is often done in air-conditioned offices with gross misassumptions. So the third goal is then, to let the community decide how to use the village development fund. This could include vocational skills development, waste management, renewable energy initiatives and organic farming – and ultimately contributes to the empowerment and sustainable development of the entire village. Also read: A Himalayan Village Where Locals Run Marathons and Their Own Instagram Channel Lower carbon emissions through local plant-based cuisineI guess I can wax lyrical about inspiring initiatives that promote sustainable tourism in Kerala. But like the rest of India and the world, much of Kerala too can learn from Kerala itself. A conversation still jarringly missing in the sustainable tourism space is the conversation about food. Tourism currently accounts for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions. I haven’t yet come across a study that estimates the carbon footprint of food in tourism. But this is what we know: Animal agriculture – raising livestock for meat and dairy – accounts for 14.5% of global emissions, a whopping 7 times more than flying! This doesn’t include emissions from fisheries, which is now estimated to be higher than previously believed. So my guess is that animal-based food contributes significantly to the carbon emissions of the tourism industry. Besides, to travel responsibly means factoring in the ethical aspect of using animals for food, clothes, zoos, riding and in the case of Kerala, elephants used for temple festivals. Perhaps their responsible tourism mission needs to have a third goal: to create better places for all living beings that share this planet with us. Which brings me to a small ray of hope in Kerala – a vegan homestay in the hills of Thekkady! Indhrivanam (a combination of two Malayalam words to imply “a feeling of forest”) is the home of Sarah and Morten. Built painstakingly with local materials, featuring dry composting toilets and rainwater harvesting. But what really sets it apart from other sustainable tourism projects in Kerala is the focus on locally-sourced plant-based cuisine. The food offered here – curries, millets, cashew cheese, lemon cake, kombucha and other mouth-watering delights – is entirely plant-based with substantially lower carbon emissions. And no animals are harmed in the process. Also read: How to Travel as a Vegan and Find Delicious Food Anywhere in the World Have you experienced sustainable tourism in Kerala or elsewhere? What are your takeaways?*Note: I wrote this post as part of Kerala Tourism’s new campaign ‘Human by nature’. Opinions on this blog, as you know, are always mine. The post What India (and the World) Can Learn from Sustainable Tourism in Kerala. appeared first on The Shooting Star. What India (and the World) Can Learn from Sustainable Tourism in Kerala. published first on https://airriflelab.tumblr.com via Tumblr What India (and the World) Can Learn from Sustainable Tourism in Kerala. |
About UsPhysical Educator and sports coach from 6 years , with degree in sports science and physical education from RLT University in US. Coach of football, skating, hockey and rugby teams. Now working as Sports development officer in Perth city. |