Slow Down!Slow down even more… I’ve been a “running”, almost hectic person in Life, trying to achieve and do as much as I could.Day after day, the Wave of Destiny is showing me another way of living at a slower peace: enjoying the moment I’m living in, being free to stay longer in a place I like or with a new friend met on the way. Forgetting airplanes and travelling by bus or even better waiting on the side of the road to get a ride from someone like me, who likes to share and meet new people
Vipassana meditation: what to expect from these 10 days of silence?
Here we are again.. Since my last post when leaving El Bolson and its friends almost a month has passed. Many places and experiences, but one in particular went deep inside me: 10 days retreat to learn Vipassana meditation technique, the same discovered by Buddha over 2500 year ago! The course is starting in a week time near Cordoba, over 1800 Kms drive from El Bolson, but before closing myself in complete silence I have time to visit San Carlos de Bariloche with its mountains and the
I stop here in El Bolson!
“El Bolson te atrapa!” (El Bolson gets you!)It is probably the phrase I heard the most in the last month.. Climbing is one of my passions and thanks to this sport I met incredible friends. One of them apparently moved back from Milano to his home country and town: El Bolson, Argentina. Destiny wants that this little charming town protected by the mountains is on my route North. Fabio and Yen are still travelling with me when we jump off the bus in the centre of El Bolson and receive the best
To the End of the World – Land of Fire (“Tierra del Fuego”) !
Three weeks driving day and night on a dusty road in Patagonia with limited access to a shower and having as home a crowded van was probably not enough!Addicted to this lifestyle and to Wicked Campers with Fabio and Yan we decide to give it another round and go even more South, up to where the road can bring us! And I mean it literally! Our new house is a three seater van with a big wolf painted on one side. I must admit it’s not the epic Mystery Machine, but the Wold has its charm and grit!
Patagonia: a land of Adventures and Surprises!
What a challenge to describe with few words the last three weeks spent in the Wilderness and Nature of Patagonia jumping from one adventure to the other! To share the feeling of Freedom given by explore new lands and people with two Wicked vans that became the home for me and other nine other amazing friends while driving South from Santiago de Chile to the “end of the World” (also called Punta Arenas). Ten travellers “from all around the World!”, as we soon get used to reply in chorus to all
The Best Carnival and Waterfalls on Earth!
Rio de Janeiro Carnival ! As I land in Rio de Janeiro’s the vibe and energy of the Brazilian carnival is all around me. Streets full of people dresses up with any kind of costume from the professional colourful dresses of the Sambódromo parade to last minute make up, the same I will try to do for the next 4 days. I catch up with Nora, a very good friend of mine since the time of my Erasmus in Spain 12 years ago, and after 40 minutes of taxi for 3 km around blocked roads we finally reach home.
Living with the Amazon tribe
It takes a while to find the (first) jungle adventure and experience right for me… Already on the taxi the driver talk me through a standard tour offered by the agency he works for: pick up by a touristic mini van to get on a boat that sails up the Rio Negro and get photos with the pink dolphins, one or two nights in a comfortable forest lodge alternated with a night in the jungle an hour walk away from the lodge… Simply not what I’m looking for! It need a bit more than a couple of hours of
Back on Land.. is that the right wave?
Since my last post many things have happened: many positive, but also some very bad signs that made me really wonder and think twice on the decisions taken… Dropped once for all my hopes to join Wylde Swan in sailing the Caribbean, I accepted the generous proposal from Luis to stay on board few days more with him and the amazing new friends from Atlanta. Mike and Kristin are expert paraglider up to the point that Mike had his year off to paraglide around the world. His passion is aviation
The Vagabond of the Oceans and the Dutch Lady
His name is Marco and he’s sailing solo since 23 years.Saturn is the name of his boat and home. She’s 7.20 meter long and more than 40 years old: a simple glaze at her transmit a feeling of adventure and when I listen to the stories from Marco I feel like being in the movie “The Life of Pi”. But let’s start from where I left you…The stop in Point a Pietre, Guadaloupe, with Wind Whispers gave us the good encounter with a cool French couple friend of Luis. Laurent and Anne Marie are living on
Sailing with Dreamers
This chapter is dedicated to all the people who have dreams, whatever they are, and to those who try to pursue them, no matter the result at least it worth to try! At the moment I’m living with people who made of their dreams their real life.. The arrival in Antigua has been celebrated with a proper lunch flooded with rum punch and followed by a long night out partying and meeting new folks, most of them crew of the yatching world.. The first night out becomes the rule and soon English
Sailing the Atlantic Ocean ! ! !
Land! It’s the morning of 16th December when, after 16 days from the start in Last Palmas, Nina and us are finally entering the port of Antigua! Even if we had far less wind than we hoped, living on board a sailing boat in the middle of the ocean under an unpolluted sky of stars every night has been a unique and unforgettable experience! With everyone hoping to beat last year’s time to reach Antigua, I must admit I’m happy that this long dreamed adventure lasted a couple of days more. But
The first Leg from Cape d’Agde to Las Palmas – Canary islands
After over a week of preparation of the boat and a good dinner finally all the crew together, the captain Edo gives the safety briefing to remind the main safety rules to be followed and the watch shifts night and day for the coming 8-10 days to Canary Islands. Blown off the fenders and stored them in the sail room, we install the jackstays, lines that run from the fore to the stern of the boat and to which we will clip our lifejacket in case we need to leave the cockpit to reach the fore
Getting ready to sail away taking care of her !
Here we’re are in Cape d’Agde, South of France. After 5 trains, 1 bus and 13 hours travel last Tuesday 10th November I finally landed on Mina, the boat that will ferry us to Caribbean islands (Antigua). She’s amazing and completely different from any boat I’ve been till now. Designed and built by CNB (Construction Navale Bordeaux) she’s a super luxury 60 feet (20 meters) fully equipped. The line is elegant and aggressive with the deck entirely done teak, a fine wood used in naval ship boats. I
Stopover in Italy
Almost Ready to go! I left you on the plane taking off from Amsterdam and landed safely after 1.5 hours in Milano. The time for a coffee with a friend and to handover my luggage and I’m on a new flight to Rome for a dinner with an old friend waiting for the day after and the interview with Doctor without Borderd (MSF: Meds Sens Frontières). Indeed within the experiences of this year there is the desire to do a volunteering job for a period. The choice of MSF was driven mostly by destiny and
Keep Focused
Here we are in the end… Leaving another “home” (Amsterdam), but this time heading for a different destination… My Dreams! A mix of very different emotions cross my body. Nostalgy: leaving the house that after one year become “home” with friends ringing the door belle at every time. Watching the living room so empty both on the walls, stripped of the travel photos that warmed them up till now, and empty of the friends that I had to say “see you soon”. Love: for the power that this city
The First Step
This travel, not only physical but also of research, starts today Friday 7th August 2015 with my resignation letter that I’ve been thinking about since long time. The reasons behing this decision are various and I want to fix them here in order to remember them in the moments of doubts and uncertaintly that I will face and that will make me sway along the way. My job has been giving me a financial security and many exciting experiences, but inside me the need of pursuit something different, to