Why Surfing is the Best

To those who have not surfed, the sport is just another water activity. A leisurely, recreational, or sometimes competitive pursuit, like skateboarding, snowboarding, or wake boarding for that matter. It’s just another kind of board.

Surfing, however, at least to me and to many practitioners, is on a whole ‘nother level.

I tried surfing for the first time in the Dominican Republic on a spring break trip. Like anything I do for the first time, I was terrible at it. My teacher literally pulled me and pushed me until I barely stood up on a moving wave and promptly fell over. An hour-long lesson…2 seconds of upright "surfing". Boom! I was hooked.

There is something about an activity so challenging but with very noticeable progress that makes surfing so addicting. Each little progression, each time you do something new, you feel like a champion. The first time you stand up, the first time you catch a wave yourself, the first time you make a turn, the first time you catch a big wave, the first time you catch a really big wave, with your eyes wide and your heart pounding out of your chest, the first time you get “tubed”, when you are literally inside the breaking wave… and countless tiny steps in between. The reward of just a few seconds of riding a wave is unlike anything I have experienced elsewhere.

But there is another, deeper, element of surfing that makes it different from all other sports. When you surf, you are literally on the same wavelength as the ocean, as nature itself. You sit in the water on your board waiting for the next set of waves to come in, and with each little wave that passes underneath your board you move up and down. Maybe the sun is setting and bathing the ocean in a pink and orange hue, maybe a pelican passes an inch or two above the surface looking for its dinner, maybe you forget about your work, your responsibilities, really everything other than where you are at that moment. Surfing is spiritual and meditative unlike any other sport I’ve tried.

If you haven’t tried it yet, needless to say, I highly recommend it.

Here is your chance: From June 28th to July 7, Learn from Travel is hosting Fish School in Panama. You will learn to surf! AND ALSO how to fish and how to prepare seafood recipes. 

What is Community-based Tourism and why do we love it?

Sontule is a small, rural community located in the highland Miraflor Nature Reserve, one of the most beautiful places in Nicaragua. (If you don’t believe me, as the 300+ bird species that call Miraflor their permanent or seasonal home.)

Cow pasture in Sontule, Miraflor

After the civil war that plagued Nicaragua and Miraflor through the 1980s, the men in Sontule formed a coffee cooperative. Having a cooperative gave them access to credit, reduced individual risk and start-up expenses, and increased their negotiating power. Women’s cooperatives were at the time, and continue to be, rare.

Women in rural Nicaragua traditionally stay close to home to take care of the children, the garden, and the animals while also cooking and cleaning. Men work in the fields. Because women do not generate cash income it is usually hard from them to weigh in on economic decisions.

Doña Lucia shows a medicinal plant in her back yard.

The women of Sontule decided to change this.

A group of 28 women, led by Doña Lucia, one of the community leaders, got together around 1997 and decided to form a cooperative. They did not have land, however. Not discouraged, the women started small gardens in their homes. Some received technical training, such as medicinal plants and teas, with which Doña Lucia is now able to cure a variety of ailments.

Soon after their formation, they received training from a local NGO on Community-based Tourism. They would offer a room in their home to visitors, provide home cooked meals, and take guests on ecotourism activities such as birding, hiking and horseback rides. They also received some startup capital.

Kitchen in Sontule, Miraflor with a wood-burning stove.

From that point their lives, and the lives of hundreds of people who have stayed with them over the years, changed forever.

Visiting Sontule and staying in the homes of the women of Nuevo Amanecer, or New Dawn, as the cooperative is called is an absolutely transformative experience. One that does not come with the luxury of running water, much less hot water, indoor plumbing, or even electricity. It does come with the incredibly unique opportunity to be a part of a family in a place few have traveled to. It is an opportunity to experience the life of a Nicaraguan coffee farmer, and appreciate it for its beauty and its hardships.

This environment is epiphany-inducing. It is one of the best places to learn life’s greatest lessons. This has been my experience, and I know it to have been the experience of countless others.

The Miraflor Nature Reserve provides the visitor with ample time and space to think.

Coming back to our original question, Community-based Tourism is the unique opportunity to experience life as a guest, not a tourist, in a rural area. Moreover, it is a way to support local entrepreneurs, and in the case of Sontule female entrepreneurs. It is a way to travel responsibly. It is a way to learn from people whose life has been so very different from one’s own.

At Learn from Travel, we absolutely love Community-based Tourism because of the impact that it has on the traveler and the host. It is what allows us to advance our mission to enrich the traveler and the host. We love it because Community-based Toursim is unlike any other experience you can have. Every community is unique and has something different to teach its visitors. We hope you’ll come to Sontule to experience Community-based Tourism for yourself.

Some of the members of the Nuevo Amanecer agricultural and tourism cooperative.

Our Medicinal Plants, Mindfulness, and Rural Life experience in Sontule is coming up July 28th – August 4th, 2018.

The future is bright in Sontule thanks to Community-based Tourism, entrepreneurial spirit, and the resilience of the Nuevo Amanacer Cooperative. 

Our Top 5 Favorite Things about Chile

Chile is one of the most unique countries in the world. This narrow stretch of land, more than 3,500 miles from north to south, but only 350 from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes, has all of the major climates of the world, some of its tastiest fruits, and some of its most dramatic, and I mean DRAMATIC, landscapes. Here are our top five favorite things about Chile. 

5. Valparaiso
San Francisco of the south, Valparaiso has the grit of a port and the art of a capital. With some of the finest street art in the world, it is a great place to walk if you can stand the hills. Tired of walking? No worries, dozens of elevators throughout the city will take you to splendid views of this colorful sea side town that was once home to Chile's greatest poet: Pablo Neruda. 

4. Vineyards
Chile's climate and soil are perfect for growing grapes. It's rich agricultural tradition is perfect for making those grapes into world-famous wine. The latest trend is producing organic wine throughout Chile's three main wine-growing regions. 

3. Empanadas
With dozens of options for ingredients, including seafood, the Chilean version of this popular Latin America filled pastry is simply the best. Olives and eggs are usually added to the ground beef or another main ingredient. Empanadas are available road-side and in the finest restaurants in Chile.

2. Camelids
New World relatives of the camel, or camelids, are common in Patagonia. You might see a guanaco (pictured here with some penguins), or a vicuña, an alpaca, or even a llama. But don't confuse these four-leggeds with the huemul, the Andean dear, endemic to the region and sadly endangered. 

1. Glaciers
Chile has some of the largest glaciers in the world. In some cases one can navigate iceberg clogged lakes or bays to approach the tongue of a river of ice stretching for hundreds of miles. Glaciers around the world are receding, so don't wait to see them, they might not be there when you get around to it. 
 

Ready to experience Chile for yourself? 

Learn from Travel brings you an educational and culturally-immersive adventure that will stimulate your mind and your palate: Culture, Wine, and Glaciers in Chile November 17th to 27th. You'll experience the seaside charm of Valparaiso, slush organic wine around your tasting glass, walk the woods with an Indigenous Mapuche guide, and hike through some of the most dramatic landscapes on earth. Take advantage of discount pricing before April 30th.

We specialize in responsible, culturally-immersive, educational travel. You'll meet amazing people, go way off the beaten path, and never forget this travel experience. Go! Learn!

Other group travel experiences coming up...

Nature's Medicine in Nicaragua: July 28 - Aug 4

Top 5 Best Reasons to Go to Panama

Panama is one of our favorite countries. It is literally the crossroads of the world, has both Pacific and Caribbean beaches, and, compared to it's neighbor to the north, is relatively undiscovered. Here are just five of the things that make it a really special place to visit. 

5. Old Quarter
Panama  City is one of the oldest colonial cities in the West, dating back to 1519. The colonial heart of the city was recently renovated, featuring incredible world cuisine, nightly live music, craft beer, and of course stunning colonial architecture. It is one of the most pleasant places to go for a stroll, day or night. 
 

4. Panama Hats
The heart of Panamanian culture is in Los Santos Province, located on the Azuero Peninsula. The largely agricultural area hosts Panama's biggest Carnaval parade and features authentic rural fashion, like these hats. They are made from grass painstakingly woven together into thread and then sewn, all by hand. One hat can take up to two months to make and costs about $300!   

3. Sea food
With so much ocean around it, no wonder sea food is a real treat in Panama. Whole fried or grilled red snapper is a common dinner menu find, while ceviche, raw fish cooked in lemon juice and mixed with vegetables, is a healthy lunch option available at all convenience stores. By the way do you like octopus? That's pretty common too!    

2. Surfing
Warm water, frequent off-shore wind, almost no hazards like rocks or current, and year-round waves make Panama one of the best places to learn to surf. Some of the best breaks are in the Azuero Peninsula in the Los Santos Province. 

1. Monkeys
Panama is home to a variety of species including an endemic spider monkey and the howler monkey, pictured here. Howlers eat leaves but when you first hear them, that's not what you think. Somewhere between a bark and a roar, the howler monkey will make you shake in your socks just by saying hello. 

Ready to experience Panama for yourself? 

Learn from Travel brings you an educational adventure like no other: Fish School in Panama June 30 - July 7. Learn to surf, fish, and prepare local recipes in one of Panama's most stunning locations: the Azuero Peninsula. You'll be surrounded by howler monkeys, practice yoga, and stay in an environmentally friendly eco-lodge with a permaculture farm and a reforestation project. Take advantage of discount pricing before April 15th. 

We specialize in responsible, culturally-immersive, educational travel. You'll meet amazing people, go way off the beaten path, and never forget this travel experience. Go! Learn!

Other group travel experiences coming up...

Nature's Medicine in Nicaragua: July 28 - Aug 4
Culture, Wine, and Glaciers in Chile: Nov 17 - 27