Hola from Paraguay, What are the arguments against having fruit trees in the footpaths of our cities? Do we think they bring insects? Do we worry about falling fruit? Do we believe the maintenance is greater than for other trees? Or, is there a commercial reason? Perhaps it is thought that they somehow encourage homelessness …Read More
Hola from Asuncion, Paraguay, Imagine a museum paying indigenous people for artifacts; paying a reasonable price; negotiating in good faith with the people who were the original creators of those artifacts. This would be to avoid the deceptions caused by the theft of the so-called Elgin Marbles from Greece, now housed in the British Museum, …Read More
Hola from Paraguay, Socialism will always fail if it supplants capitalism. This, of course, is the impossible conundrum. Karl Marx predicted that capitalism would replace feudalism, and that eventually capitalism’s cruel excesses would lead to the population turning to a fairer system. The question is how to eliminate the ethos of greed and selfishness inculcated …Read More
Hola from Bolivia, Sometimes, it’s very reassuring to know that the driver, in whom you have just placed all of your faith and confidence, is familiar with the road. Bolivia’s famous Death Road will feature in another post, but the road between Villazon and Tarija deserves its own, too. It was a bit of a …Read More
Hola from Peru and Bolivia, Is Lake Titicaca worth adding to a tour itinerary? So came the query from a filial correspondent. So goes a common question for tourists in South America. Here, I’ll have a go at answering the question. Titicaca is large enough to have its own small tides. It is by far …Read More
Hola from Yungay in the Cordillera Blanca, Imagine raising a family, honestly toiling away, contributing selflessly to your community, complying uncomplainingly with all laws and regulations of your society. Imagine looking up every morning, in any season, seeing two magnificent snow-capped peaks of the Andes, and knowing that you were living a comparatively lucky existence. …Read More
Hola from Huaraz in northern Peru, “I didn’t know there were so many beautiful places in Peru.” “These places are improbably beautiful.” and “Wow” These are three typical responses to the string of photos from five days in Huaraz in northern Peru. There were more, but if I wanted to paraphrase them, these three do …Read More
Hola from Guatemala, A walk up an active volcano in Guatemala set a cat among the worried pigeons of my family. “For goodness sake. Haven’t you heard of White Island?” came one reply. After the uneventful excursion and after reassurances had reached their destinations (“Greg, answer us!”), one sedentary sister asked a desultory question: “Was …Read More
Hola from the Amazon jungle in Peru, Picture the scene, a very long way from the Amazon: a classroom in Dubai. All of the students are Arabs from the arid Middle East. They’re used to desert landscapes and they’re used to coping with the vicissitudes of such places. They’re not only used to deserts, they’re …Read More
Hola from the Amazon jungle in Peru, What a shame that it seems we have to perceive something as an economic asset before we value it. It all presupposes human primacy on a planet that we share with other life. The jungle in the Amazon is worth keeping, and not just for its economic value. …Read More