We were invited by the Rainforest Alliance on a trip to the south of Mexico to learn about the sustainable lodging program they are developing on the Yucatan Peninsula.
As you may already know, Rainforest Alliance’s vision is to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. GreenSpot.travel has been involved with Rainforest Alliance since 2007, and has found the alliance a powerful one, which allows us to be able to make a contribution to “change” in the tourism niche.

Day 1
When I decided to sign up for the FAM (familiarization trip) in Mexico, I hesitated a bit to accept, because of the fear to get the H1N1 flu.
I finally decided to come and I’m glad I did, as I realized the negative impact that some news could have on any region, when sometimes the reality of the issue is another one. 
We arrived in Cancun where the group was waiting for us. We were introduced to Barbara Derks, General Manager at Ixcanan Travel, Whitney Cooper, Center for Responsible Travel, Annett Pompner, Tourismus Schiegg, and Mariana and Carlos, destinostv.com.  That was our group!
We headed to Holbox Island, where the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico converge, where the whale shark comes to eat (July-August), where tons of pink flamingos arrive, and where we would see the turquoise waters of the Caribbean and white-sand beaches. The drive from Cancun to Chiquila was approximately 2 hours, and along the drive we started to break the ice in the group and it seemed like it was the perfect one to be in.

Once at Chiquila, the boat was waiting for us to take us to the beautiful Holbox Island, a 25 minute ride. I was so impressed by the color of the water that I felt like jumping in it at once and forget my fear of the ocean…We arrived at Villas Paraiso del Mar, our home for the first night in the Yucatan Peninsula. As its name says it, a boutique paradise in the island, 28 Jr. Suites and 6 Master Suites where families, couples, groups of friends are welcome.

I went to bed satisfied of being in the Yucatan Peninsula, exploring a new destination that is trying to operate under sustainable practices with the help of Rainforest Alliance and now GreenSpot.

The last couple of days we had the pleasure of seeing another small Caribbean coastal town of Colombia. As you drive from Cartagena, the vegetation gets drier and drier to the point where cactus trees line the streets and it appears desert-like.  The rolling hills while not lush, are interestingly covered in cacti, a mountainous desert in a way.

We drove through the town of Barranquilla where preparations for the annual Carnival parties were going on. Since our trip was focused on diving, we did not stop here for the festivities but the carnival here is apparently one of the biggest in the world, just not as well know yet as those in places like Rio de Janeiro and Trinidad.

This part of the country is surprisingly quite undeveloped, with most houses being small wood-framed huts along the road.  The winding road took us up into the mountains and down over the other side to the small town of Taganga, near the one of the oldest ports, Santa Marta. Taganga is a tiny beach town with lots of dive shops and backpackers.

Diving here was different, it always amazes me each time I go under water and a different world appears. Here the visibility wasn’t as great as San Andrés, but the coral was interesting. Huge rocks covered in different coloured hard corals and lots of different fish. The sea was pretty rough though and even though our instructor Max and his wife of Poseidon Dive Center took us out in a great fully equipped boat, the rocking back and forth on our way to the beach for lunch made me seasick!

We arrived at Tayrona National Park for an afternoon on a secluded beach where the Ecohabs are located. “Eco Habs” stand for Eco – habitaciones (or Eco Rooms in English). They are huts built in the traditional indigenous style of the region, furnished with comfortable beds in white linens, hammocks looking out to the forest or the sea, stone and ceramic bathrooms and even a flatscreen and iPod docking station, all under a thatched roof and 360 degree wood-shuttered windows.

We had a delicious 3-course meal on the beach. At this ecolodge several trails through the rainforest can be explored with a naturalist to see monkeys and various endemic species of birds and other wildlife.  The lodge is run by solar power and has several other initiatives to make it the greenest accommodation in Colombia.

With that our two weeks in the Caribbean drew to a close. We were then off to Bogotá for the real work to begin – the travel trade show – and another chance to explore the capital city at its high and cool altitude of 2640m (7900 feet!).

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I wanted to share some more underwater images from some of our dives so far. My favorite is the sting ray, such a graceful and gentle creature to watch up close. I love all the fish and corals and sponges. It’s another world. Enjoy the pics!

 

When I was a teenager I used to have a picture of an island in the Bahamas posted up on my wall, the perfect Caribbean island, with palm trees, soft pinkish coral sand, and beautiful turquoise water. This was my dream, I had to see something like this in my lifetime. Finally in my 22nd year I got to Jamaica for the first time, and was lucky enough to see some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The water in Montego Bay, Port Antonio, and Negril left me speechless. My dream had come true.

Since then I’ve been to many tropical beaches in the Caribbean, Central America and South East Asia, and the turquoise water is still one of my favourite things in the world. Here in Providence, I have to say I have been privileged to witness a sea so beautiful I gasped and repeated over an over again, “This is incredible!”

A few pictures, while not quite doing it justice, at least give you an idea. They call it the “Sea of Seven Colours” here because there are so many levels to the blues, aquas and turquoises. At Crab Cay, just a short boat ride from Providence we went up a short path to a lookout point on some rocks and had a 360 degree view of what I think is definitely some of the most beautiful water in the world.  Then we snorkeled around the small island and from the pictures it looks like we were on top of the world.

Back on San Andres we get a lesson in Rastafarian-style living. The word “Ital” pronounced “Eye-tal” while it might remind you of Italian, has nothing to do with it. It means “Vital” and it is what describes the natural way of growing and cooking food in Rastafarianism. It is essentially organic methods of farming and preparing food without chemicals and synthetic fertilizers, the way our ancestors were doing it for centuries.

As I mentioned before there is a strong influence of Jamaican culture like other parts of coastal Latin America (Nicargua, Costa Rica and Panama) and we had the pleasure of visiting Job Saas’ natural farm where he showed us the different fruit trees he grows as well as the endangered species he helps to protect and procreate such as various iguanas, black crabs and turtles.

 
Job Saas made us fresh Tamarind and cane juice and coconut cookies, sweetened from the sugar cane hand-pressed on his farm. Below he is pressing the cane, some of which we chewed on straight from the stalk, it’s sweet and refreshing.

Job Saas really believes in his work and it was nice to be able to visit his place and show him support, as organic farming is not easy, but is so important. He knows nothing he produces pollutes the water or the air, and is naturally healthy for all who consume the fruits of his labors. So kind he is, he even gave me a book that was on display called How to Speak Caribbean English. The Creole they speak here is similar to Jamaican Patois (in fact I can’t really tell the difference). The main difference is that Spanish is mixed in somewhat here, they say especially with the younger generation, as being part of Colombia means their education is in Spanish. Being completely captivated by language, I love to listen and pick out the roots of words and figure out what people are saying. It’s a lot of fun!

This part of our trip is over now, and on we go to one of the most historic and culturally significant cities in the world, Cartagena.

Ultimate relaxation here on Ol’ Providence or La Isla Providencia. It’s super tranquilo, no big hotels, just small cabin-like places built in the style of architecture of island homes. The homes and cabins are wooden two-storey or bungalow structures painted in bright colours, like the one we stayed in called Sol Caribe.  As Jennifer, our host, explains, “the island itself is the 5 star.” They don’t have big resorts or expansive 5 star hotels because they want the island to remain in as much of its natural state and local style as possible.

As we did in San Andres, we took a tour of the island to see some of the cultural and historical sites, like the first church, school, etc. I think sometimes locals must think tourists are crazy for taking pictures of things like an old school made out of wood, but to us these things are just so different it’s really fascinating. Inside the school there were two signs that touched my heart. One said, “We make studying a party” and the other said, “We bring our backpacks filled with love, creativity, discipline, responsibility and respect.”

 

In tropical countries, you never know what you will see on the road. In Cambodia I saw oxcarts, in Indonesia whole families on scooters (this is pretty common in a lot of places, including Colombia, but it was in Indonesia that I saw a little naked maybe 2-year-old boy standing up on the front of the scooter holding the handlebars!). Here we got to see a young boy on his way home from fishing taking his catch on his bike. Nothing like fresh fish! Then we were stopped on the road by a herd of cows and the herder, on motorbike was directing them up the road waving a branch.  There’s something to be said for simplicity in this world…

 
Another thing I love about the tropics is the fresh fruit and natural bounty surrounding you at all times. Have you ever seen almonds in their natural form, growing from trees?  Our lovely Providencian friend, Jennifer, found some for us and broke open the fruit to reveal the nut inside – a fresh raw almond.
 

Our days on Providencia included amazing meals at Miss Mary’s and Caribbean’s Place.  The small restaurants serve up fresh fish, crab and lobster served beautifully presented with fresh blended juices or wine if you prefer. The food has been SOO good the whole time, we’ve all been really satisfied and stuffed full!

Maybe the best part for me, being a huge reggae fan, was going to Richard’s place and watching the sun go down over the sea and grooving to some nice tunes while chatting with Richard himself. Alfonso, the friendly Rasta pictured below made us drinks and we swapped stories about Jamaica, where of course the culture of this island has its roots. An unforgettable place.

 

This morning we took an early flight on a tiny plane over to the small island of Providencia, or
Providence as the local Creole-speaking islanders call it, in English. I was too tired to do the first dive so I took a nap after breakfast and waited till the second dive. We took the boat out into turquoise waters, with the background of the green mountains and palm-lined sands completing the postcard image.

I feel a little nervous at the beginning of each submersion I think just because of the whole breathing under water thing, but I’m getting used to it. I’m also still having difficulties with equalizing, which is what you have to do on the way down. It just means filling the air spaces in your head like the ear drums and sinus cavities (not my brain cavity thank you), by plugging your nose and trying to blow through it at the same time. Your ears squeak letting you know air has gone through. I get pain in my ears so I have to do this quite often, but hopefully that will get better with practice too.

Once down below, after about 5-10 minutes, the adventure really starts. What I thought were corals are sponges, and they are really alive here, some looking like castles with long tubular shapes hosting a number of different colourful species. I have no idea how many different fish I saw but there was definitely a highlight. The other day seeing those large stingrays fly gracefully through the water. Today I saw what divers seem to be most excited about seeing: a shark. Yes a shark! It was just a small nurse shark, but a shark none the less. It was resting under a coral shelter and about four of us hovered around just looking at it sitting there on the bottom, peacefully, with its eyes closed. A little while later a couple of other divers made some noises or enough movement that it decided to change location, so I got to see it emerge and swim away. If you’ve seen Sharkwater, you know how special, important, gentle, and endangered sharks are. Like the lion is to the land animal kingdom, the shark is to the ocean animal kingdom. Without them, the entire ecosystem that is the ocean, our source of oxygen on land, could collapse. Not a bad first “official” dive.

It doesn’t end there, the day gets better. After a short rest and late lunch at about 4:30, all were deciding on whether or not to go on the planned night dive. Some were too tired, or just felt like taking a break. But Gonzalo, Ezequiel, and Willian (the Chilean, Argentinian and Brazilian guys) convinced me to come along, that it would be really awesome and that I didn’t have to worry. Willian is an instructor back in Brazil and Gonzalo is a PADI certified rescue diver, so really, with them and the instructor I didn’t have much to worry about.

Being out in the boat at night is so beautiful, especially in an island way out in the middle of nowhere; there were millions of stars out shining bright. The only difference on a night dive is that you have to use flashlights and so while I was a bit nervous thinking about it being dark all around me, it wasn’t really because we all had lights and while it was different it wasn’t scary.

Probably the coolest part was the phosphorescence. The plankton are out and about in the night and they glow in the dark. They just look like brown particles with the lights on. But towards the end of the dive we all gathered at the bottom on the sand in a tight circle and shut off our flashlights. Then we started waving our arms around like crazy which makes them all light up. Our leader, “Peachy” from Felipe’s Dive Shop (he’s an English, Creole and Spanish speaking local dive instructor) was humming a dance tune to get us into a rhythm as we moved around our arms lighting up the plankton creating a show. It was really cool. So cool it was just making me laugh out of sheer happiness.

Instead of returning right away for dinner, Peachy took us to Roland’s Bar, a nice outdoor beach bar with thatched roof tables and benches and we had a little fire where we stood around in our wet suits and he bought us all a beer. Now that’s a full dive service!

Sitting here now I feel a little bit of motion. I think being submerged twice in one day, for the first time in my life is having a strange effect on my body. Not in a bad way, just a sort of swaying, like the water molecules in my flesh and bones haven’t quite stopped moving around.

Another day of diving and exploring Providence, where there are only 4500 inhabitants and 13000 annual visitors. Jennifer, one of our local hostesses, says they like it this way. They could use a little more tourism to boost their businesses, but they don’t plan to overrun it, because they know it is a special place, with limited resources so sustainability is top of mind. With a seven-month dry season they really have to watch water-consumption and could not support large hotels. Most of the island is protected and undeveloped, with mangroves, forests and healthy reefs. It is calm, ‘tranquilo’ and super safe. A hidden gem of the Caribbean and pride of Colombia.

Being part of GreenSpot.travel means not only am I trying to find out which are the best hotels that we could potentially send our clients to, but also which ones (if any) have sustainability initiatives, are contributing somehow to the preservation of the island’s natural heritage and are benefiting the local people. I have to say that there are a few hotels right on the beach, and literally only several feet back, that are not integrated into the natural landscape at all. There are however some charming smaller guesthouses and posadas which are part of a program which helps Colombian natives rent out rooms in their homes, offering a private space but a warm and welcoming family atmosphere. There are of course a handful of all-inclusive hotels owned by mainly one chain.  So the main thing is to find lodging that would accommodate our clients in a unique and green way.

Speaking of green initiatives, our restaurant last night, La Regatta, was out on a pier and while they served the best fish I’ve had maybe ever, what struck me on the way in was the way they reused their bottles on the grounds to create gardens and decorations, some seriously creative recycling!

Onto the subject of diving, I have to say the undersea world is something all humans should be able to experience!  If the opportunity comes up, take it, because it is unreal. At times I felt I was watching what was in front of me on TV because it was so incredible to see so many fish swimming about right before my eyes.  The coral here is known to be quite healthy in comparison to other parts of the world. I did not see any brightly coloured coral yet, but the fish were amazing. And sting-rays! They are so beautiful. Several times we watched a large sting-ray, even an elusive Eagle ray, which had been resting on the soft sand floor, rise up and float away looking like it was flapping its wings. Such a breathtaking sight, we got to our knees in the sand and just watched. One of our group members, Willian Bueno from Brazil took a video that I will have to post.

I decided while I’m here to do my beginners certification because the more I learn about the sea, the more I want to see.  Today I began by watching a video at Blue Life Dive Center, and then my instructor, Fabian, and I went to the pool to practice and get used to the equipment. Now I have a text book that I have to study to take some tests tomorrow before I do a second open water dive like I did today, as well as another pool session to practice more technical skills.

In the afternoon we took a tour of the island to see some sights, including Henry Morgan’s cave where the infamous pirate hid treasure centuries ago. It is now a tourist attraction with some good points and some bad. It has a pirate museum which is interesting because of the artifacts such as old kitchenware and utensils, 400 years old, that have been discovered around the islands.  It also has locals dressed in pirate attire, giving spiels about the history and a replica of Morgan’s ship with dance of the pirate times. These aspects are not very authentic experiences, but the cave in addition to the small museum is interesting because it is made completely of coral, showing that the entire island was once under water.

 

Touring local areas on islands is always the most fascinating part for me, seeing where the people live, often times how poor a place really is especially in comparison to sprawling resorts. I’d much rather spend some time with some natives of a place in their homes or their hangouts but it’s something that’s not always possible. That’s why I love the posadas concept, because while it is a regulated system to ensure standards, it gives the local people the opportunity to really benefit from tourism, and provides a really enriching and authentic experience for the visitors. I only wish I get to stay in one but as we are a group it was not arranged for us.

I hear that Providencia, where we are heading to next, is spectacular compared to San Andres so maybe the excitement is just beginning!

I made it. A nice, non-stop flight from Toronto in 6 hours and I am in South America. Not bad. Non-stop flights are always good just because it saves you from the changing planes and waiting around ordeal. But they’re also good because the total of carbon emissions released for your trip is less. We haven’t solved the problem completely, I’m looking forward to the biodiesel fueled flights of the future (lots of airlines currently testing fuel made from agriculture waste, algae, and other non-food sources of bio energy!), but this is one thing that helps.

So I had been practicing Spanish before I left, as usual I called my friends in Costa Rica and talked to them for about an hour on Wednesday. On Thursday I went with Irene, GreenSpot.travel’s co-founder, to a Spanish “MeetUp” group in the city to practice and meet some other Spanish-speakers.  Then I chatted with the Ecuadoran lady beside me on the flight so I felt pretty ready.  Then I watched 2 and a half movies in English (Air Canada finally has those personal TV screens on the back of the seat. I say finally because Singapore Airlines had them years ago. Anyway I had to watch the Secret Life of Bees – a great book! – I cried throughout it, such a great story).

On arrival, I was happy to be greeted by a cheerful Colombian girl holding the “ProExport Colombia” sign which indicated she was those of us participating in the Destino Colombia 2009 event. We chatted easily and I remembered that the telenovelas that are popular in Costa Rica are often Colombian and the accent is easy to understand, nice and clear.

What I hadn’t thought about all this time was that the other people on the trip wouldn’t necessarily speak English OR Spanish!  Two French people arrived from France and our Colombian host, Yvonne, immediately switched to French to talk to them. I was dumbfounded when I realized I could understand! You mean 18 years of French classes weren’t in vain?  Unfortunately I cannot understand French Canadians, so I just thought I couldn’t understand the language at all, but although I couldn’t really speak back, at least I could get what was going on. I said a couple of phrases but they also speak English so I could respond that way.

So I was asking questions to Yvonne in Spanish, and she was relaying info in French, to which I was responding in English, to the French people – and Yvonne because of course she speaks English too! It doesn’t stop there.

We get to the hotel and meet the rest of our group members. A Chilean, a Brazilian and a German. The Chilean, Brazilian and I went for dinner together. I can speak English or Spanish with the Chilean but the Brazilian doesn’t speak either language. He speaks to us in Portuguese and we get the gist, the Chilean more than I because he has spent time in Brazil and has learned to understand it. I surprisingly could understand for the most part, and would respond in Spanish, which he can understand for the most part. You see how it’s working.

Then the Frenchman joined us and there was for the first time in my life, no common language among the group. So we spoke sometimes in English, but then I had to relay in Spanish what we were saying to the Brazilian and he would respond in Portuguese to the Chilean and me and we would relay in either English or French (the Chilean speaks French) to the Frenchman.  Now that’s a multilingual experience. I’ve spoken bits of four languages in the past 12 hours! Wait till we add the three others tomorrow from other countries plus our guides!

We are all heading to San Andrés today, a Caribbean island off the coast, to start our scuba diving adventure. To add another culture to the mix, I’m told the island has a heavy Jamaican influence, much like the Caribbean coasts of Costa Rica and Panama!  What an incredible world we live in, I am a culture junkie!

See you in the Caribbean…

By Kelly Galaski 

I wanted to look up some of the places I’ll be traveling to in Colombia, to give you an idea of what part of the country I’ll be visiting. As you can imagine, it is a country of great diversity with remote dense rainforests, mountains, big city centres with bustling culture, and indigenous heritage. Also, the world’s third largest barrier reef lies just off the Atlantic coast among Caribbean islands. Since the focus of my particular trip is scuba diving, that’s where I’ll be headed. How I love the Carribean.  I decided to do a little research on http://www.colombia.travel/ about some of the specific stops which include:

- Tayrona National Park near Santa Marta, on the Caribbean coast
- The Island of San Bernardo, near Cartagena, Colombia’s best preserved architectural  jewel
- The islands of San Andrés and Providencia on the Caribbean Coast, which lay next to the most extensive coral reef system in the world.

Tayrona National Park

Lonely Planet Publications chose this lovely nature reserve as one of the ten destinations to visit in 2010. It is located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and consists of 15,000 colorful hectares, 3,000 of which are marine. The park has over 108 species of mammals, among which howling monkeys, ocelots, corn monkeys, deer and over 70 species of bats stand out. Bird species, including the white and lone eagles, number over 300. Close to 110 coral, 471 crustacean and 700 mollusk species live in its oceans.

The Tayrona Indians were deeply aware of the environment. They channeled mountain water to their houses in an organized way and designed cities and cultivation terraces with the aim of protecting nature always in mind. Visitors to the park have access to the ruins and can attest to their creative abilities.

San Bernardo

The Corals of Rosario and San Bernardo National Natural Park is perfect for observing colorful coral reefs in shallow waters. Located at 45 kilometers from Cartagena, the park protects underwater ecosystems, mainly the coral reefs, which are fragile ecosystems, inhabited by a multitude of invertebrate species and a variety of fish whose movements and colors resemble ballet choreography.

San Andres and Providencia

The singular coloring of the coral reefs and the mangrove lagoons have conferred upon the sea of Providencia the name of “sea of seven colors”. Providencia is a beautiful Caribbean island located seven hundred kilometers from the city of Cartagena. In the underwater part of the park, the barrier reef that protects the coast of the island from the onslaughts of the sea may be admired in its entire splendor. In its land area, the park comprises a small hill by the name of Iron Wood and the McBean mangrove area. The prodigious coral reef and the McBean mangrove lagoon paint the sea with a spectacular gamut of colors, from deep blue to aquamarine to turquoise.

After that I’ll be whisked off to the city for an all day meeting where I will try to build relationships with Colombian operators that we can work with to design an itinerary and start sending people on trips!

Excerpts from http://www.colombia.travel/