Eco adventure and travel. Calling oneself Eco has become all the rage these days. There are lots of business tagging the line onto their names, brochures, buildings, etc. I am suspect of the reliability in a name only, and have sought to talk with and get to know the intentions of the owners/managers of the properties/businesses I will cover below. That said, I am looking to take from the experiences that follow a wealth of information with which to begin my own process of building a sustainable retreat center. This of course is still a work in process, and hopefully will continue to be...indefinitely.That said, a bit about what I am striving for. Currently there is a void, which I aim to fill. The tour companies, as far as I have been able to find, offer more or less the same kind of experience. Find a company on the Internet, book a week, come and see the usual towns/surf spots/markets, return home. There is however a strong showing of backpackers who are more likely to stray from the beaten path, and have been the source of many a good lead. The void I have taken note of, and have my professional experience in, is that of experiential education. While at the some time hoping to push the envelope a bit in regards to eco-tourism/sustainable development.
It seems as though bits and pieces are being done, but nothing that looks to me as if it has been done wholly/intentionally. Home stays as part of a package, for instance, are as close to experiential as I have been able to find. And experiential they are, but more could be done. First, I would like to see the experience and learning go both ways. One of my primary concerns for the future is to create a 'school' for training local kids the arts of outdoor recreation/education/experience. Part of the experience, hopefully, would be to pair incoming students from the states with the families of the local student guides. Thus creating income for the local family, and a learning experience for all. The students would then be taken into the field to work together as part of a group experience. I aim to fund the school project by setting aside 3% of net profits as well as soliciting donations.
I moved down to Nicaragua with the framework of this plan, having been plotted stage by stage through my personal education/development. However I knew that with limited, meaning next to no, funds I would have to work through the process slowly. My aim was to join a friend in the construction business, get some experience with materials, terms, crews, pricing, etc; then move into more sustainable practices. And at some point have the experience to buy some coastal, or near coastal, property and build a self sustaining retreat center/school/home. Nicaragua, as it turns out, is not insulated from the 'economic meltdown', and business has slowed to the point where there is no work for me in construction. Possibly a blessing in disguise, as my time has been spent 'scouting' business and coastline for opportunities in tourism.
These of course, are grand goals. I am currently working one step at a time and will be utilizing the best business I can find to fill the goals of the experience I desire to create. As of now I feel I can outsource the pieces of the puzzle I am not equipped to provide, with piece of mind knowing I am contributing to good people/business/local community.
The first company I would like to mention, Tonalli Eco Tours, is a new eco-tour company owned by Nicas (Nicaraguans), and run as a sort of cooperative. The website is still being built, but should be completed shortly. In addition to running tours, there is a branch of the company that is focusing on starting the first recycling program in Granada. Toalli is intentional in its approach to growth/development/social improvements for the community. There are many opportunities for interaction with this group, one of my favorites at the moment is the family stay program they are building in the northern area of the country, near Esteli.
Parque Maderas, www.parquemaderas.com, is the lodge I will be using for surf trips. I have met with the owner/founder and have a really good feeling about the situation there. He has a background in education, as a teacher, and is instilling learning as a primary component of the experience at his place. His website explains better than I could here.
Volunteer opportunities abound. This is a country of volunteers. Search and rescue, firefighters, lifeguards(where there are), teachers at times, and many more are all, at one time or another, if not always, volunteers. And they appreciate any help they can get. Orphanages, after school programs, art, environmental, or rally some local kids from one of the 'scholarship schools' and take them to the beach for the day, many of whom have never been. The sky is the limit for opportunities to lend a helping hand.
Surf would be taught by yours truly. I have 8 years experience teaching surfing, as well as an open ocean lifeguard certification. I have seen some of the 'surf schools' in operation here, and not to toot my own horn, but I know I can improve on what I have seen. Surf can be worked into any itinerary, but I would suggest a minimum of 2 days surf if it is going to be on the roster. I have secured a 4x4 vehicle for which to access the surf, and can get hold of motor boats if the group desires a more adventurous trip, a sail boat could be worked out too, depending on group size.
My goal is to customize the trip to the intentions/desires of the group. As such there are a myriad of possibilities to meet these goals. I will list a bunch here, knowing there are more I have yet to discover. My aim is to provide this service with as small a footprint as possible, and as much community interaction as can be had. That said if you would like more information on any of the following please let me know.
Hike Volcan Mombacho
Eco adventures on Ometepe(a volcano/island in Lake Nicaragua)
Sustainable Farming work projects/stays
Volunteer opportunities mentioned above
Masaya Market, the real one(there is a tourist trap by the same name)
Family Stays
Art/Ecology workshops at Parque Maderas
Teaching art/ecology to local students at parque Maderas
Yoga
Canopy Tours
City Tours(Granada, Leon, Masaya)
Teaching English in Granada
Surf
Canoe
Kayak
Hiking
Backpacking
Additionally, if there is an area/focus I did not mention that is of interest I am more than happy to 'scout' out the possibilities. I am open of course, to any and all suggestions/feedback. I look forward to seeing what possibilities for growth we could have together.
Dane Landrith
dane.landrith@gmail.com
US: 619.399.7760
Nica: 505.984.8131
For those of you first time visitors, this website has been used as a blog to chronicle my journey to Nicaragua. If you are interested in the mental process I went through just before leaving for and then on the way to Nicaragua, please read through the blog sections below. Henceforth this website will be used to post new information regarding the realization of my personal goal to start operation of an adventure travel company. I will be focusing primarily on surf at first, but have many ideas for the exploration of the remote wilderness of Nicaragua. My personal and professional experiences are merging, and I look forward to hosting you for the adventure of a lifetime. Please contact me at dane.landrith@gmail.com for adventure customization. I can also be reached directly at US: 619.399.7760, or Nicaragua: 505.984.8131. 
the thing that has been toughest in this quest for equilibrium has been consistency. too much of anything good, bad, or otherwise is detrimental to the balance. as the balance is fragile, so too are the emotions associated with mental stability. recently I have been partying consistently, yeah San Diego. yet I have also been surfing consistently, yeah San Diego. the combo has had a balancing effect for the most part, but sleep has been hard to come by. run down is the best I can describe the feeling I have had lately, but in a good way-although if I keep it up I am going to wind up sick.
the better approach would be to tone down the partying, a little, and keep up with the surf. i have cut back on the party scene in the last couple days as I began working again today. but alas, so too goes the surf. work call time is 7am and we are looking to be working 10-12 hour days. so here I am again, chasing the ever-elusive equilibrium.
easing the way
This country has restored the hope I once had in it to be a world leader. Although it has struck me as odd, albeit semi-understandable to someone raised in the U.S., the awe with which a black man has risen to the presidency. We are proving again to the world that we can back up the talk; the electorate that is. Obama still has some ground to cover before he backs anything up, but I am glad to have him at the helm. In a country that is by most “modern” measures at the head of the pack, how is it that electing someone other than a white, old money, fat cat has been so difficult? And in a world that is ever shrinking, why did it take so long? Not to sound like a complaint, I am just venting frustration in this day after an historic election, which in my opinion was less awe inducing than the headlines are reading. It is sad that this country has come to be inspired by the right choice instead of driven by it. Who would have thought W. would have been re-elected? Certainly not the rest of the planet, yet did they know something we didn’t? I think not, and those that failed four years ago soon learned the error of their ways. I hope beyond hope that what we are witnessing is an awakening of the American spirit and not just a reaction to the “financial crisis”. President Obama you have some work to do. Please don’t let this one slip away. That said I can now venture out with my head high knowing that I won’t have to answer questions about American motives to elect another subjugator of its people bent on world conquest. Don’t make me eat my words Mr. President.
I leave you with a bit of a poem I found in a free newsstand magazine Vision. Take the time to be amazed, you never can tell where wisdom will be found:
A system where humanity’s been replaced by the bottom line,
Raised in a world where money is time.
Once those in power held influence through gold,
But cash turned into credit, or so I’m told.
-Archie Underwood
This country has restored the hope I once had in it to be a world leader. Although it has struck me as odd, albeit semi-understandable to someone raised in the U.S., the awe with which a black man has risen to the presidency. We are proving again to the world that we can back up the talk; the electorate that is. Obama still has some ground to cover before he backs anything up, but I am glad to have him at the helm. In a country that is by most “modern” measures at the head of the pack, how is it that electing someone other than a white, old money, fat cat has been so difficult? And in a world that is ever shrinking, why did it take so long? Not to sound like a complaint, I am just venting frustration in this day after an historic election, which in my opinion was less awe inducing than the headlines are reading. It is sad that this country has come to be inspired by the right choice instead of driven by it. Who would have thought W. would have been re-elected? Certainly not the rest of the planet, yet did they know something we didn’t? I think not, and those that failed four years ago soon learned the error of their ways. I hope beyond hope that what we are witnessing is an awakening of the American spirit and not just a reaction to the “financial crisis”. President Obama you have some work to do. Please don’t let this one slip away. That said I can now venture out with my head high knowing that I won’t have to answer questions about American motives to elect another subjugator of its people bent on world conquest. Don’t make me eat my words Mr. President.I leave you with a bit of a poem I found in a free newsstand magazine Vision. Take the time to be amazed, you never can tell where wisdom will be found:
A system where humanity’s been replaced by the bottom line,
Raised in a world where money is time.
Once those in power held influence through gold,
But cash turned into credit, or so I’m told.
-Archie Underwood
So...things went well on the drive back to CA from OR, I only ran out of gas once. But on the positive side I am driving much slower and have increased gas mileage to 17mpg. That may have been the problem to begin with was that i was in too big a hurry and pushed the van too hard. Crazy the lessons we can learn from seemingly inanimate objects. As time goes on I am finding the "personality" in this van, turns out there is something on this earth more stubborn than I. Overall the van is running well, and I am now back in Modesto after a short stay in Eureka. If all goes well I should be back in San Diego by next Tuesday.
Trying to find the balance is a complicated undertaking, not exactly the free-spirited no-responsibility adventure I had imagined. Not letting the lows get too low is one thing but not letting the highs get too high is quite another. I am not sure I have quite mastered the off switch when it comes to having a good time. When the good times roll, I'll be the first in line...and often the last to leave. But as it turns out this spirited behavior can easily drop me into bottomless lows. Funny a thing to work out that way, although i feel that the recognition has enabled me to balance a bit better.
On to greener pastures...
i ain't no puppet
Been working in Eureka the last few days. Ended up putting the van back in the shop up in Newport, OR. Aubs decided that it would be best for her to come back to Eureka and get a job, she is now down to about $200. It is better that way, she is not comfortable driving down in the van, how could one blame her? Turns out the repair is going to run another couple thousand, bringing the official total to… ridiculous, in dollars that is.
Having no commitments to employment has given me tons of time for reading and conspiring on the internet, and I have come to the conclusion that this country is done, as in well-done. No one with the brains to see what is going on has the set to do anything about it, myself included. But what is one to do, take on the military complex? Short of an armed resistance, the powers that be…will be. The Constitution of these United States is no longer legitimate, having been dismantled by an illegitimate president and his masters in banking and oil. And the tit we have all been suckling is about to run dry, and not by accident as most believe.
If I can manage I will be joining the man, in the tropics, before he drains them dry too. Enough rambling for now, I am hungry and must eat, turns out some things are still more important than the man and his plots to rule the world. Finding significance outside of imposed structure will bring balance, and it may even cure hunger.
For more enlightening ideas go to: http://thevenusproject.com/
Been working in Eureka the last few days. Ended up putting the van back in the shop up in Newport, OR. Aubs decided that it would be best for her to come back to Eureka and get a job, she is now down to about $200. It is better that way, she is not comfortable driving down in the van, how could one blame her? Turns out the repair is going to run another couple thousand, bringing the official total to… ridiculous, in dollars that is.Having no commitments to employment has given me tons of time for reading and conspiring on the internet, and I have come to the conclusion that this country is done, as in well-done. No one with the brains to see what is going on has the set to do anything about it, myself included. But what is one to do, take on the military complex? Short of an armed resistance, the powers that be…will be. The Constitution of these United States is no longer legitimate, having been dismantled by an illegitimate president and his masters in banking and oil. And the tit we have all been suckling is about to run dry, and not by accident as most believe.
If I can manage I will be joining the man, in the tropics, before he drains them dry too. Enough rambling for now, I am hungry and must eat, turns out some things are still more important than the man and his plots to rule the world. Finding significance outside of imposed structure will bring balance, and it may even cure hunger.
For more enlightening ideas go to: http://thevenusproject.com/
watch this!
Do yourself a favor and paste this link into your browser. It is the 2nd Zeitgeist movie and has some suggestions as to what one can do to be proactive in these perilous times.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912
Do yourself a favor and paste this link into your browser. It is the 2nd Zeitgeist movie and has some suggestions as to what one can do to be proactive in these perilous times.http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7065205277695921912
I finally got in the water today. The hottest day we have had since coming to Newport, OR, it was 80ish. Waves were waist high but clean. My shoulder held up better than the last time I was out so, gotta get back in shape for Nicaragua. Currently we are waiting on a dog create for Buck, he needed the Giant model. The process for flying an animal of his size turns out to be quite expensive. All told it is going to run me in the $7-800 range. His old ass better stay alive long enough to enjoy the tropics.
We are getting close, wish us luck in putting together the last leg of the journey to get to Nicaragua.
As we travel through this life tendencies begin to emerge regarding our personal traits. Some we like some we don’t, but they are uniquely ours. My tendencies tend to reside at the poles so to speak, at the farthest reaches of the spectrum. Although not technically bi-polar as the previous sentence may suggest, I do shift between highs and lows somewhat dramatically. As such my life’s pursuits have tended to ride the roller coaster of emotion as well.My affair with coffee is this way; I usually start the cycle slow and cordial, a cup a day if that, mostly sticking to espressos and the like preferring quality over quantity. A few months into it I am a full-blown junkie - headaches if I don’t’ get my coffee, 3 cups a day of whatever I can get my hands on, energy drinks in the afternoon, etc. At this point I realize I have once again taken things too far. So I put the breaks on, all the way on. Only to find myself at the opposite end of the spectrum, staying away from caffeine completely.
The full-on or nothing at all of it has led to some realizations, namely that equilibrium cannot be found if one is forever attempting to balance on ones ends, and secondly that we only get one attempt to get it right in this thing called life. So I will be aiming for somewhere in the middle, and chasing the things I find most worthy in this life, surf and travel. Surf is an equilibrial act in and of itself, but also provides me with an outlet for physical and emotional well being. Travel provides a means to be educated, and interaction with others, fulfilling and balancing out what matters to me most at this time.
I fully understand that my consciousness is time sensitive, and expect that I will continue to grow and learn. As the sum of my experiences has led me to the understanding I now hold, future growth will expand that understanding in a search for life’s answers. Until the time comes and I have found Shangri-La, I will be Chasing Equilibrium…
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