A documentary film has been making its way around the office this week. This DVD has changed hands again and again, and we have all spent time witnessing a year in the life of a man named Feliciano and his young family. The film, Mi Chacra, or “My Land,” has been speaking to our company’s ethos in a unique way. Superbly filmed and scored largely with a traditional quena flute, the documentary manages to encompass the epic nature of the Andes mountains along with the very personal story of a family trying to make a life-changing decision. The story covers themes both personal and human, along with the larger issue facing all developing countries: that of rapid urban growth and shrinking rural populations. Beautiful scenery, and the exposure of a disappearing way of life come together to tell a story both foreign and familiar.
One of our travel specialists recently returned from his trip to Japan. He was kind enough to share some of his pictures and experiences with us! This is How We Travel.
March in Japan is an in-between month for Japan tours: winter is ending, but it’s still cold; spring is coming but the buds on the cherry trees are just perceptible. Japan is of course modern and old-fashioned at the same time - Tokyo is the epicenter of modernity, and amidst the concrete you’ll find architectural and design wonders. We flew into Tokyo, where we’d spend some time before heading into the mountains to visit some remote hot spring ryokans (traditional Japanese inns).
The Galapagos Safari Camp, located in the highlands of Santa Cruz Island, is the first of its kind in many ways. The construction of the camp was inspired by the well-known African safari model, so its rooms are set under tents designed to blend into the environment. Both the camp’s central lodge and nine surrounding tents are open-air and offer views of the western islands of this volcanic archipelago.
If “Morocco” does not evoke thoughts of green-living and eco-travel, if the the arid hills of Northern Africa are not on your list of destinations for your around the world tour, and if you don’t think a traditional Moroccan kasbah somewhere between the Atlas Mountains and coastal Agadir can teach us how to live our lives more harmoniously with our environment, let Atlas Kasbah Ecolodge change your perspective. When the travel specialists here at Global Basecamps were researching travel opportunities in Morocco, we were giddy to find a local property that so closely matched our company ethos of sustainable travel.
There was a buzz around the office here at Global Basecamps last week. As a San Diego-based company, we are so happy to get word from Japan Airlines that they will be debuting the first non-stop flights from San Diego and Boston to Tokyo. According to Japan Airlines’ press release, “JAL will begin serving the eighth most populous U.S. city, also the city with the largest Asian community currently without a direct flight to Asia, with four flights a week from December 2012 and daily from March 2013 to/from Narita [Airport].” Surely, many Southern Californians will welcome this news as an opportunity to skip a commute to LAX for any direct flights to the Asian capital.
Japan Airlines definitely had the Japanese business sector in mind when they created this route, as San Diego is the home to research institutions, universities and is closer to Tijuana, Mexico, where many Japanese companies conduct business, but this doesn’t mean that western travelers can’t take advantage of the new daily flights for their next ecotour! Not only will this make travel to Japan easier for Southern Californians, but Tokyo’s Narita Airport is also one of the major hubs for travel in Asia. That ecotour in Vietnam could only be one airport transfer away!
