San Basilio Del Palenque – an Oasis of African Culture in Colombia

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Like all mornings on the Carribean coast of Colombia, that one in early August was hot and humid. Instead of spending it in Cartagena, where we were staying at the time, we were heading south to a small village of San Basilio del Palenque, known as the first free African town in the Americas.

During the one-hour drive, Diover, our guide – a young and cheerful African man, was telling us about his community. Inhabited by Afro-Colombians, descendants of the African slaves kidnappend and brought to Cartagena by the Spanish, the village is a corner of African culture in Colombia.

As we were crossing rivers and marshlands and passing banana plantations, Diover turned from his front seat and said:“Palenge a senda tielan ngombe ri nduse i betuaya”.

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The Brown Lady of Mexico and her Devotees – Meeting Pilgrims on the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe

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“Are you crazy? People are warned to stay at home, don’t go!” When I messaged Oxanna that morning that I’m on my way to Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she panicked. Millions of pilgrims were expected to visit the basilica on December 12th, the Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, to see the venerated image of La Morenita (The Brown Lady, as Virgin Mary is called here), and ask for her blessing. Reassuring Oxanna as best as I could, I left the taxi in Tepeyac, in northern Mexico City, and made my way towards the basilica. According to tradition Virgin Mary appeared here before a native Mexican peasant Juan Diego. A story that changed Mexico forever.

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Luce (2019, US)

Mike

My movie score: 4.5 (out of 5)    Rotten Tomatoes: 90%

My personal best movie of 2019, “Luce” is a family-school drama that feels like a thriller and ends up being a cinematic event. A movie that has something substantial to say about the African-American experience in the US, adoption, parenting, the school industry, female solidarity and what not.

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An Ex-Gang Member is our Guide to El Chorillo, the Invisible Side of Panama City’s Old Quarter

Mike

“I started working when I was 9 – selling flowers, mangoes on the street. By the time I was 14, I joined a gang”. Jafet Glissant, a smartly-dressed black man in his thirties, he stands on the stairs of the American Trade hotel. The walls of the hallway are covered with photos of how the place looked like just ten years ago. Today a luxury hotel, this used to be an abandoned colonial building controlled by the “Ciudad de Dios” gang. Called after the favela in the namesake Brazilian movie, it was one of the largest gangs operating in Casco Viejo and El Chorillo, the two sides of Panama City’s historical center.

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Haifa’s Coexistence is Tested by Politics During Elections

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To see the raw energy of Brazil, it’s best to visit it during a World Cup. To understand something about the head-spinning mosaic that is the Israeli society, it’s worth coming here during elections. That’s when the sectarian, religious and socio-economic contradictions play out visibly before your eyes. Haifa, the most diverse of Israel’s cities, is the perfect place to watch the people and parties engaging in a public battle. Coming back to Israel to visit my family and friends after 3 years of absence, I had a chance to watch it all from up close during the run-up to April’s general elections to Knesset.

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24 Hours in Managua, the Most Idiosyncratic City in Americas

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Nicaragua travel guides usually recommend visitors to skip the capital Managua and head straight to the picture-perfect Granada. After reading how bad Managua was, more than anything, it got me curious. So after a month in Nicaragua, and just before leaving the country, we spent our last day in the capital, exploring its revolutionary landmarks, empty squares and peculiar cathedrals. A city without a center (the downtown was erased in the 1972 earthquake), Managua is not an attractive or orderly urbanity. But what it lacks in looks, it makes up in sheer quirkiness.

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Meting People in Their Homes. Community-Based Tourism in Nicaraguan Highlands

Mike

After spending a day exploring Matagalpa, we wanted to get out of the city to see the country side of the Nicaraguan highlands. In San Ramón, a small municipality 12 kilometers from Matagalpa, a local agricultural cooperative UCA organizes community-based tours to nearby villages. That’s where we headed for the day.

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Matagalpa, Where We Meet Nicaraguan Revolutionary and 100-Year-Old Virgin

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After a month in Granada, you start thinking that all of Nicaragua is hot, humid and happily slow-moving. All you need to change your mind is a weekend in Matagalpa. A two and a half hours drive from Granada north, and you are in a different country – one where spring subdued the summer, surrounding highlands are abound with cloud forests and coffee fincas planted by German immigrants in the 19th century still produce coffee. But before venturing into the mountains, we spent a day walking the city and making some unexpected discoveries.

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Catarina, Where Nicaragua’s Best Nacatamales Are Sold From Homes

Mike

Ever since we came to Nicaragua we heard about nacatamales, a traditional Nicaraguan dish of indigenous origin. But restaurants rarely serve it, as it’s considered a family weekend dish. So to get a taste we decided to go to Catarina, a small town not far from Granada, whose locals, as rumors would have it, sell homemade nacatamales right from their houses. Continue reading “Catarina, Where Nicaragua’s Best Nacatamales Are Sold From Homes”

Granada, Nicaragua – A City of Rocking Chairs, Open Doors and Fleeting Hopes

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Granada is one of the emblematic cities of Central America. Lying on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, its rich colonial heritage, colorful houses and vestiges of Moorish architecture make for eye-catching views. But if you want to see its real self, you have to come out at sunset and step away from the center. When the day finally gives away and the evening brings a long-awaited respite from the humidity and the tropical heat, that’s when the streets fill up with locals. Continue reading “Granada, Nicaragua – A City of Rocking Chairs, Open Doors and Fleeting Hopes”

This Non-Profit Founded by Travelers Invests in Nicaraguan Children Living in Poverty

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Dirt roads that swell after every rain. Houses that are hardly more than shacks made of slate. I’m in Pantanal, on the outskirts of Granada. Just a few kilometers from the center of Granada where tourists sip cocktails, Pantanal is a striking image of poverty in rural Nicaragua. Continue reading “This Non-Profit Founded by Travelers Invests in Nicaraguan Children Living in Poverty”

Los Ramos, A Tiny Island Village Balancing on the Edge of Active Volcano

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“Please write about us!”, said Esperanza to me before we parted. “We don’t get many visitors. Maybe if someone reads about our village, they will come here”. More than a year after our visit to the tiny indigenous community of Los Ramos in Ometepe island, I still remember her words. It’s time I fulfilled the promise. Continue reading “Los Ramos, A Tiny Island Village Balancing on the Edge of Active Volcano”