We were recently featured on “Try This Dish Radio” with our new pal Sean from Dallas Texas.
Sean saw the show on KXAS – NBC 4 in Dallas, dug it and asked me to be the very first guest of his “Try This Dish” radio show which can be heard online and in several cities in Washington State.
I was and am honored for the privilege.
Now anyone that has been watching Raw Travel or knows me very well, knows that I’m a horrible cook. Well Sean’s website and show are perfect as they are kind of a cooking for dummies kind of thing.
If you are like me, or better yet, even if you are not, you may want to check out Sean’s website Black Chef Web TV or twitter feedand maybe pick up some cooking tips or a recipe for a dish or two.
Sean and I shared some good conversation about the wonders of Filipino food (they put cheese in ice cream) and our upcoming Foodtastic Philippines episode that kicks off our 3rd Season next October.
We chatted about more than food though, so if you’d like to give the show a listen, here is a LINKto the interview… enjoy!
“RAW TRAVEL” PREPS THIRD SEASON PRODUCTION WITH WESTERN U.S. ROAD TRIP
– New Episodes to Showcase New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming & the Dakotas-
NEW YORK, NY: May 27th, 2015 – AIM Tell-A-Vision® Group (AIM TV) announced today that Raw Travel®, the nation’s most watched authentic travel series, is a “firm go” for Season 3 and is kicking its production off in June with the “Great North American Road Trip – Western Frontier”.
The indie produced, adventure travel series is currently in its 2nd season. It has experienced +46% year-to-year audience growth and surpassed viewership of much bigger budgeted, cable network prime time travel shows to become the nation’s most watched authentic travel show on commercial TV.
For Season 3, the adventure travel series promises its most diverse season yet with far flung destinations on the menu such as Western Africa, French Polynesia, Northern Europe, Southeast Asia, Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America. Raw Travel will first kick off its 3rd Season production in June with a unique look at the great U.S. western frontier as the crew embarks on a month long road trip through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Wyoming and the Dakotas.
In its trademark style, the show plans to showcase adventure travel to these destinations in a way never before seen on U.S. television. The show will dig deep into indigenous roots found in the western United States while seeking out underground sub cultures and socially conscious living and travel angles.
“Season 2 episodes in Eastern Europe & Southeast Asia were wild and wooly and helped push Raw Travel to become the most watched travel series on U.S. television, but our U.S. destinations of Nashville, New York City and New Orleans were even more popular,” states Host & Executive Producer Robert Rose. “We’ll begin in New Mexico and then, in a truly bold move, we’ll explore other U.S. destinations that don’t actually begin with the letter ‘N’ as we road trip for a month through some of the U.S.’s most storied locations and beautiful landscapes,” Rose continues.
The show also hopes to continue to discover and showcase emerging, independent musicians while highlighting unique volun-tourism opportunities featured in its weekly “Give Back” segment.
# # #
ABOUT RAW TRAVEL
Raw Travel is an adventure travel & lifestyle series showcasing the rapidly growing wave of socially and environmentally aware independent travel. The series weaves together themes of eco-tourism, volun-tourism (giving back) with underground music and authentic culture in a way unique to television.
Raw Travel can currently be seen in over 116 U.S. cities representing over 85% of the United States and in a variety of international territories such as Asia, Belgium, Italy, Romania, Russia and Africa. Viewers may visit www.RawTravel.tv/wheretowatch for a listing of U.S. affiliates and time slots. More information at http://www.RawTravel.tvFacebook.com/RawTraveltv and @rawtraveltv for twitter.
ABOUT AIM TELL-A-VISION GROUP
AIM TV is an independent content, production and distribution company founded by media executive and entrepreneur Robert G. Rose. AIM TV aspires to produce and distribute positive, compelling content that reflects its mission of presenting Media That Matters. Visit www.AIMTVGroup.com and www.RawTravel.tv for more information.
I love Europe, both Western & Eastern. But let’s face it, compared to much of the world it’s not the friendliest continent. I mean there are pockets of Spain (in my limited Spain experience, pretty much the whole pocket outside of Catalan) that are very hospitable… and many other great destinations I’ve yet to hit such as Portugal, Italy, Greece, etc. so granted this judgement is a bit premature.
And like all sweeping generalizations, it is inaccurate on it’s face because of the relative nature of the question and the fact that the answer very much depends on the individual experience.
But both of my experiences in Serbia were absolute treasures in my memory bank. I enjoyed Hungary, Romania, Czech Republic… Bulgaria is awesome, Poland was super and I made great lifelong friends in each of these places, but Serbia.. well Serbia is gritty and full of life and if you are a solo traveler, well, you are in for a treat.
My first time in Serbia I was that solo traveler and upon arrival by train from Budapest, a local but trustworthy looking and semi fluent English speaking gentleman grabbed my too large bag off the arrival platform, jumped on the bus with me and then took a good 1/2 hour of his time to assist me in finding the flat I had rented up a very steep hill.
Of course, I tipped him but I really had the feeling he wasn’t in it for the money. I’ve been hustled all over the world so I know a thing or two about getting hustled and this man was simply super friendly and eager to help this rare American visitor any way he could.
On my last trip in the summer of 2014 with my film crew taping for Raw Travel, I had a rare few moments to myself and I decided to go out and jog the streets of Belgrade. I was lost, winded and had slowed my running to a leisurely stroll to just take the city and it’s people in.
I could viscerally see the struggle on the faces of the Serbian people I met along the way. The families in the parks with young toddlers…. the grandmas and grandpas…It was a surreal but uneventful moment that probably shouldn’t have but brought tears to my eyes nonetheless. I still remember that moment as if it were yesterday.
When the 3rd Balkan War was going on in the 1990s, I was the blissfully ignorant, largely unaware American caught up in my own world of establishing my career and other, largely selfish pursuits like making as much money as I thought I deserved. Oh the folly of youth.
Visiting Serbia several years later made me more aware of the tragedy and long lasting repercussions of this and all tragic wars. Not just for Serbia but for all involved of course, all because a relatively few morally bankrupt, senseless, shameful “leaders” are out to save their sorry asses. What’s a few thousand crimes against humanity compared to that?
Serbia has yet to join the European Union and the economy leaves much to be desired. But its not the economy or even it’s history that defines a people or at least it shouldn’t be. When it comes to the friendliest spot in Europe, Serbia gets my vote. And I can’t wait to return.
After posting on Instagram a photo of an elephant to promote our Laos episode, someone posted a sarcastic comment about the elephant enjoying “the rope around its neck and the chair on its back”.
What I did not post and I suppose should have, was an explanation that we discuss the treatment of elephants in Laos and other parts of Southeast Asia in the episode. We talk about ways travelers can make a difference in their sometimes cruel treatment. In fact, that is the entire reason these particular elephants were included in the episode. They provided an “organic” entree to make the point that elephants in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand, are sometimes drugged, beaten, etc. into submission unbeknownst to “tourists”
We had tried desperately to demonstrate this point another way by visiting elephant conservation centers in both Laos and Thailand but either our timing was off, the sanctuaries were too strapped for resources to accommodate us or they just didn’t bother to reply to our inquiries.
After an exchange back and forth on instagram, the commentator followed up that she was a fan of Raw Travel but was “against animal cruelty”. That’s a pretty popular stance. I bet if you ask 10 people, 9.8 out of 10, myself included, will say they too are against animal cruelty. Even people cruel to animals would most likely never admit that they are “for it”.
But this exchange did get me to thinking. Why are we so quick in the West to jump to conclusions and lecture each other and the developing world on how they should be living? Consider many of these countries are 50-100 years or so behind the U.S. Consider where the U.S. was 100 years ago in terms of animal cruelty or race relations or gender equality, or almost anything we wag our fingers to others about, etc.
Why should people in the wealthiest economy in the world be able to tell people in one of the poorest what they should and should not be doing? Is it right to do so? I honestly don’t know, but a hunch tells me no.
Duck Blood Soup
I know from personal experience, that choices are very different when you have enough money verses when you don’t. To pretend otherwise is to be naive. Priorities range from scraping by to feed your family to being able to afford the latest tech gadget, shoes, car, etc. or other material “necessity”. These are two very different and opposite ends of the spectrum and depending where you are on that spectrum will largely determine the decisions you make.
In Southeast Asia elephants and water buffaloes were and are in many cases, still a farmer’s beast of burden. In the U.S. we have tractors and have had them en masse since post WW II, but back in the day, say 80 years ago, it was a mule, oxen or horse. Yet today, do we in the U.S. outlaw horseback riding? Is not that also cruel to animals? Ever seen a horse broken? Who rides a horse to round up cattle anymore? But others can’t ride elephants or water buffaloes to get work done or rice planted in Laos or Vietnam?
WE HAVE LOTS (TOO MUCH) TO EAT… DO THEY?
And it seems we want the whole world to eat what we eat. With our factory farmed slaughterhouses for chickens, beef and all manner of meat processing, we are now going to criticize people in Southeast Asia who have been eating fogs, fish, snakes, cat or dog for centuries and decades? What gives us that right to dictate their diet?
I don’t want to eat dog or cat, it’s just not in my upbringing. I have had many beloved cats and dogs as pets so I revere them. Besides, they are cute.
I also did not care to eat snake or other “exotic” animals, but I’m sorry, I just don’t have the same qualms about eating something that is not obviously a pet (a cobra) in my culture at least. Now if you have a pet cobra, then yes, you may not wish to eat one. As I said in the Vietnam episode and I have said before, given the choice, I probably would not eat cobra again. In fact, I know I would not (due to the rat explosion, which hurts rice production) and I encourage others not to either.
But eating cobra is not against local laws and in fact is within their custom and thus it is YOUR moral choice. Yet some British guy living in Vietnam goes ballistic on our twitter page for even mentioning “Snake Village” in Hanoi. He didn’t see the show and when I tried to explain to him the context he was tweeting so relentlessly we had to block him. Of course a high minded, know-it-all, annoying ex pat hiding behind a key board in another country is nothing new. Funny, no Vietnamese saw any need to complain.
We weren’t sure whether to mention we’d seen dog meat for sale in the Hanoi food market. But I couldn’t “un-see” it and pretend that didn’t exist. Our guide gave a great explanation so queasy, pampered and idealistic Westerners like myself could better releate. “After WW II 2 Million Vietnamese starved…”, so they tried anything including dog. It’s not common in Vietnam but it’s not uncommon either. It is what it is. Don’t kill the messenger and since I’ve never thankfully witnessed mass starvation, I’m going to give them a break. Who am I to tell them what to eat?
HOW DOES MEAT GET TO THE PLATE? DO THE ANIMALS COMMIT SUICIDE?
I grew up on a cattle farm and even as kids we knew that cute little calves were going to grow up to be eaten someday. Did it make me feel funny about it? Sometimes, yes. Had I seen it killed, I would have definitely thought twice.
Which is why we show the duck being “murdered” in the duck blood soup segment in our Laos episode. I realize we may attract the wrath of extreme animal lovers who will accuse us of engaging in animal cruelty, but some (not all mind you) of those same folks will go out and eat meat in the U.S. which has been treated many, many times worse than a duck who lived most of it’s life in blissful pursuit of bugs and crickets to eat. Or if they don’t eat meat perhaps they wear leather shoes?
The family in this remote Laos village wanted to fix this meal, we did not request it. I am NOT going to tell them not to fix duck blood soup because I am not a vegan and I live by MY morals and ethics, they live by theirs and I believe that you should live by yours. It’s part of what authentic culture is about, live and let live, observe and participate to see another way of living. Now if that culture involves harming someone or holding one down or is directly counter to my own moral code, (i.e. not allowing females to get an education) I will not participate and then perhaps criticize.
But before I do, I try to realize, that because I am from the U.S., where though we make up less than 5% of the world’s population but consume almost 25% of its resources, they may think that I need to get my own house in order before I can credibly begin criticizing theirs, especially when it comes to feeding their families.
Tad Sae Waterfalls in Laos
Are we going to send money to support every poor family’s vegan diet in Laos? Even then I doubt they’d turn vegan. They’d probably buy a new farm machinery or fix the hole in their thatched roof house. Unless we buy every elephant owner a tractor or provide them an immediate alternative means of income to feed their family, it’s all naive, happy talk or in the case of most commentators on the internet, angry & self-rightous key strokes that accomplish little to nothing.
PRO ANIMAL SHOULD NOT BE AGAINST PEOPLE.
In Laos, our guide Alex of White Elephant Adventures was forthcoming about why his company does not make ANY money whatsoever off elephants. He took us to see the spectacular Tad Sae waterfalls and forewarned us that the elephants would be there. He wanted no part of exploiting them nor did we. But we both wanted to tell the elephants’ stories and showcase what happens at Tad Sae compared to other parts of Southeast Asia.
As Alex explains in the international cut of the episode (which unfortunately due to time constraints gets cut in the U.S. but hopefully will air eventually), personnel from the Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC) in another part of Laos regularly visit Tad Sae to insure the elephants are treated properly.
Now “treated properly” is relative I realize. I must admit that yes, these elephants would probably have preferred to be running around free in the jungles of Laos, but that is not possible now. At least they are alive and not getting poached. They are also not getting shocked and abused to do tricks in a circus sideshow.
They are fed a LOT of food and they earn income for their owners who are very poor and have families to feed in addition to the responsibility of taking care of the elephants. I’m not justifying their treatment of elephants but simply stating facts as I saw them, on the ground in Laos, in a very, very quick visit.
I personally felt an emotional connection to the elephants. This was the first time I’d been so close to these magnificent creatures and now I better understand why people get worked up about them. They are intelligent and I believe wise and I think we need to save them from both abuse and extinction. This was a great side effect of getting to see these guys up close and personal.
But I don’t think the default mode of our dialogue when it comes to the discussion of animals or anything for that matter should immediately be negative, snarky and judgmental. I have the highest respect for animal lovers and know more than a few who consistently make their views known without a hint of imposing it on others. THEIR influence has had a powerful effect on me.
To those who follow the opposite approach, I have to wonder about their true convictions. If they really wished to be effective they’d stop virtually shouting to try to get others to bend to their will. That approach doesn’t work for me and it certainly won’t work in Laos, where respect is an intricate part of the culture (and something sorely lacking in the West).
The world is not a black and white place and it’s only looking backwards that we are often able to put on our 20/20 glasses and see past atrocities for what they are (i.e.slavery, war, discrimination, etc.) and even then things were not as simple as often explained in our revisionist and politically correct history.
I believe that many who attempt to SHOUT other’s down probably don’t have the courage of their OWN convictions. They express their anger and self-righteousness, hit a few key strokes on a keypad to feel “good” about themselves.
LIVE & LET LIVE, BUT TO THINE OWN SELF BE TRUE
I’m not social media expert, heck I’m not even a travel expert (I’m a travel enthusiast). And yes, Raw Travel is socially aware but not socially perfect. We are going to keep it raw and real. If a culture is mistreating elephants, we’ll show it. If a culture is eating bizarre stuff that we find unusual perhaps even sickening, we’ll still show it. If a destination’s leaders are corrupt we’ll show it. It’s real and raw and real is not pretty sometimes, in fact, oftentimes it isn’t.
It’s impossible to please everyone so I don’t try to please anyone but myself. My own ethics and morals are all I can worry about not because that is all that matters but because that is all I can control and feed off of and still be true to myself. And please understand these morals and ethics are still evolving. I’m a different person now than I was 20 years ago, not because it’s fashionable to think another way but because of the experiences I have had and the information I have absorbed and because the world has shifted as well.
Travel has made me a better but not a perfect person and I never will be. I’m still a work in progress, as I bet and hope you are.
I will continue to blunder along in this life until I die, traveling and evolving making many more mistakes along the way. That’s the beauty of travel and the art of living. I encourage you to do the same.
Your RESPECTFUL comments and dialogue are always appreciated, whether you agree with me or not. If we can have a respectful dialogue, then something can get accomplished. Otherwise, I’m afraid, we’re just shouting in the wind.
What I knew about Laos before arriving by plane from Thailand, could fill a sticky note, the little ones. And that info had largely been acquired vicariously through the travel of a friend who had visited the year before and on the plane ride over.
I’ve said it before research to Southeast Asia was hampered prior to my visit by personal, familial and work issues and commitments. I simply had no time to research.
Luckily, my cracker jack production crew did. Erica, our producer on this trip, tried as best she could but Laos is a bit off the grid when it comes to the web. It’s simply not as advanced as it’s neighbors Vietnam & Thailand in terms of tourism infrastructure. Therein, of course, lies it’s charm.
From the capital city of Vientiane to the more touristic and temple laden Luang Prabang and everywhere in between, I simply fell in love with largely rural, laid back Laos. Traffic was light but even in the towns and cities where it could be jammed, horn blowing was unheard of. It’s simply uncool to lose your cool in Laos. I needed this place and the memories fuel me daily in a polar opposite spot like New York City.
The roads were difficult to traverse and windy and full of pot holes, making for some nauseating multi-hour trips in packed vans. It built character.
Just when we arrived to Vang Vieng, Mother Nature decided to mess with us by raining for almost the entire time we were there, which I was told was unheard of during the dry season and specifically why we’d waited until January to film in Southeast Asia.
We’re used to dealing with the unpredictability of the weather but in Vang Vieng, it’s pretty much outdoor adventure sports capital of Laos and the main reason to go, thus all our planned activities revolved around being outside. I don’t like being wet but I get even more annoyed at rain when worrying about expensive electronic equipment that was needed for the remainder of the trip. Our pals Vong from VLT Natural Toursand his British ex pat buddy, Brian helped us immensely and I’d like to shout them out.
Plastic rain ponchos were re-purposed as camera covers and we carried on thanks to the help of incredibly helpful locals and ex pats. But it wasn’t just wet, it was chilly… and muddy. A couple of days filming in those conditions and you feel you’ll never be dry again, but alas the sun came out, as it always does and life carried on.
The Ho Chi Minh Trail runs through Laos and as a result it was the most bombed country in the history of warfare during the U.S. led Vietnam War and what was then termed the Secret War. The result today are tens of thousands of UXO (Unexploded Ordinances) that are spread over parts of Laos that create a very dangerous condition for Laos children. Many have lost lives and limbs and are still doing so, thanks to this brutal lethal legacy.
We visited the highly regarded and informational Cope Center in Vientiane to learn more and it was life altering. I love my country (the U.S.) and recognize things are very, very complicated and not as black and white as many will have us believe, but this visit to the Cope Center opened my eyes to the horrors and long lasting effects of war, especially on the innocent. It’s a travesty of our very existence as humans.
But most of our trip was simply heart warming adventure. Luang Prabang was one of those spots that is magical and was made more so because of our pal Alex at White Elephant Adventures (no elephant tours with these guys though we did meet some on our journey). Alex spent 2 days with us in and around Luang Prabang and took us to one of the schools they had helped build for a rural village just outside of town. WEA had recently constructed a dorm for the school meaning that the students didn’t have to sleep on the ground in huts that leaked rain and had scorpions, bugs, etc.
Meeting the students and seeing what real tangible good can be done in a place like Laos was truly gratifying.
Alex, the owner of WEA, is another big-hearted British Ex Pat who was beyond generous with his time and went out of his way to show us (as he does other travelers) an authentic side of Laos that takes into account the livelihood and culture of the locals. WEA is a great example of how important it is to include locals directly in the economic rewards of travel and tourism.
Alex spirited us off to a friend of his in a nearby village to enjoy some freshly prepared Duck Blood Soup and to witness how a typical Laos family lives.
Some may get upset with me when with the killing and preparation of a cute duck to make duck blood soup. But the reality is that this is how people live and to pretend otherwise is not only disingenuous but in my opinion silly. There are no factory farms in Laos and our good duck friend had a relatively nice life running around the village foraging for food before meeting his fate. Not everyone can afford to be so picky about their dietary choices, not yet.
Still, I don’t like killing or harming animals and in general, I’ve again considered cutting meat out of my diet altogether, in part from these experiences I’ve had in Southeast Asia where almost anything that moves is fair game (but nothing goes to waste).
It’s just not my place to judge people who don’t have even close to the availability of food we have in the west. Which may explain why I didn’t see an obese Laos person while there.
But they did seem happy, laid back and genuinely sensible in their approach towards visitors. Not overly ambitious to separate us from our money, but not ignoring us either, it was a perfect, almost zen like balance.
If you are in Southeast Asia, you simply must give Laos a go.
The fight of the century featuring Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather was a disappointment to most. No surprise there. Anything that hyped, with that much money at stake is bound to be a let down.
Which is why I love to travel to under hyped destinations, even places that people would never think to visit. Manila, Philippines is one of those cities and if you go in with low expectations (as we did) you are bound to be rewarded with an unexpected experience that could have you raving about the place when the trip is over.
The Philippines are a group of over 7,100 islands with some of the most stunning landscapes and beaches in the world and this is why most people visit.
My Side Job.. Driving a Jeepney
Manila is simply a landing point, a place to catch a flight, renew your visa perhaps or take care of business, but it’s definitely not on many traveler’s trail.
We were tight on time and we had a choice. Get to know Manila, a city with very little appeal, at least according to most online reviews, or a more typical tropical, beach vacation.
I grew up on a farm, but live in Manhattan and I’m kind of a city boy at heart so we chose the less traveled route of spending our precious time in the Philippines with a stay in Manila.
At first I regretted it. The traffic was overwhelming. The grittiness of the city and getting around and the hot, hot sun reflecting off concrete & steel combined with the normal sights and sounds of an overloaded capital city was intense. Manila, like many urban areas in developing nations, are falsely seen as a beacon of hope to impoverished citizens who moved in to try to work their way into a more comfortable existence.
But then, about day 2 or 3, as we toured sites like Intramuros, Makati, Chinatown and outlying areas, I began to fall in love with Manila and more importantly the good-natured and fantastically friendly Filipino people.
Trying Halu Halo in Intramuros
It happened so slowly at first that I didn’t really notice, but Manila grew on me to the point that by the end, I didn’t want to leave. And this was, mind you, after 26 or so straight, grueling days of traveling and shooting (Manila was our last stop on our 4 country Southeast Asia tour).
We weren’t staying in luxurious accommodations. We were in fact living as many regular Filipinos lived but with, of course, the knowledge that we’d be leaving soon. We had a choice to be there, many do not.
Like those in Tondo. Tondo is a community of garbage pickers that essentially live in a garbage dump, doing what they can to get by and feed their families by sifting through garbage looking for food and salvageable items to sell or use. We visited with the Project Pearls organization and the entire crew agreed it was the highlight of our trip.
Project Pearls in Tondo
You won’t see Tondo in many travel brochures and on most if any other travel shows most likely. It may or may not cost us the chance at sponsorship or support from tourism industry types but that’s a small price to pay for telling the truth and gaining a new perspective on the world and in one’s life.
Tondo and other places like it (there are other similar communities in Manila such as Smokey Mountain), need not be the thing that governments and tourism bureaus try to hide. Indeed with more travelers than ever choosing voluntourism and giving back over the banality and sterility of a resort or all inclusive destination, these areas can be a draw to a whole new category of travelers.
Helping Out in Tondo
I know there are some folks (someone’s always unhappy) who may say we are exploiting the living conditions of these folks for our own benefit and maybe that’s partly true. But if this exploitation leads to helping them then I’m all for it. The people of Tondo need it and organizations like Project Pearls and volunteer travelers are stepping in where the government is either unable or unwilling to.
Nothing new under the sun there. Governments will always be poor substitutes for neighbor helping neighbor. Even if that neighbor happens to be 8,000 miles away.
Coincidentally, the evening before the big earthquake in Nepal, I watched Vice On HBO’s report on the confounding money pit Haiti has become after their devastating 2010 earthquake (below is a debriefing by Vice Reporter, Vikram Gandhi).
Like many who’ve donated money to Haiti, the report was beyond frustrating to see. Unfortunately it is not surprising.
I kind of had the feeling that this would happen. The fact that private U.S. companies are benefiting with millions of donors’ and taxpayer dollars while providing nothing of substance to the Haitian people hammered home the surprisingly difficult task of giving, especially when large, self interested bureaucracies like the U.S. Government, United Nations and a struggling third world government like Haiti’s are involved.
When we’re on the road filming up against intense deadlines in a country we’re often not familiar, The Giveback segment is often the most stressful of all segments we produce.
My biggest fear is giving media credibility and valuable exposure to an individual or organization that is a sham, scam or simply dishonest. There are so many so called “not-for-profits” that are set up with the sole purpose of making money by securing funds with little or no resources actually going to those in need.
On more than one occasion we’ve walked away from a filming opportunity because something didn’t feel right. Unfortunately, this is a horrible gauge of whether to help or not, but with scant research available in many of these destinations, we do the best we can and rely on what we see when there on the ground. So far, I don’t think we’ve made any mistakes, but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen.
Project Pearls in Manila
Large, well funded organizations with slick websites and marketing plans can give the impression of stability, security and goodness of mission. But as we’ve witnessed and the Vice reporter underscores, this can be misleading.
That is one of the reasons we encourage DIY (Do It Yourself) Voluntourism and working with smaller, lesser known organizations run by locals. When there is less money at stake, there seems to be less opportunity for graft, corruption and waste.
Further, I feel our exposure has a larger relative impact and viewers who decide to help may get a more visceral feeling working with smaller organizations.
Our “Give Back” segments are less about the particular organization we happen to be highlighting and more about shining a spotlight on Voluntourism as a travel option in general. Viewers are encouraged to do their own research and get out there and do what makes them feel good. Giving after all is ultimately a selfish enterprise. We largely do it because it makes us feel good, but what a great way to be selfish.
This is not to say that all larger organizations are bad or corrupt. Unicef, World Vision, the Red Cross and dozens more like them are doing good work. We need these guys and we need to support them.
DIY Voluntourism – Water Filters in Honduras
But we also need to ask hard questions and expect the right answers. What is happening in Haiti is a travesty of human greed and reflect the worst angels of human nature. But I know among all that misery, all that waste and disgusting display of capitalism disguised as charity, that there are people doing the right things and working hard to make a difference. I know because I’ve seen them and witnessed the results of their efforts first hand.
They, thankfully, are large in number even though it’s often maybe not a sexy story for the likes of CNN and other corporate media concerns.
We’re planning a trip to Haiti for our upcoming Season 3. We had every intention of going in Season 1 but then the earthquake hit and we weren’t established enough to handle producing in a disaster zone. We still aren’t. But if we wait for Haiti to fully recover then I fear we’ll be waiting a long time. Plus one of the main reasons for going is they still need our help.
In the meantime, I hate to say it but I’ve been thinking twice about donating to disaster relief in Nepal, a place I haven’t visited but have every intention of getting to eventually (not to climb Everest but to get to know the people and culture).
That’s the tragedy of these things. The disaster capitalists rip us off in Haiti and then we’re hesitant to give the next time the need arises there or somewhere else.
But in the end I can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I do believe most short term disaster relief through most large and reputable organizations does get to the intended targets and without that help, disaster would be multiplied many time over.
Nepal needs help so I’m going to do it. I’m including links below to Unicefand the Red Cross and World Vision. Three organizations I feel comfortable with. I’m sure there are many more.
A good tool to reference is Charity Navigatorbefore you give to some of the more established and larger charitable organizations.
If you know of other, reputable, on the ground organizations in Haiti or Nepal, who could use Raw Travel’s brand of help, let us know. We’d like to check them out for ourselves and if we like what we see, maybe give them a little exposure.
Vice focus on the greed and corruption of the bad guys and I’m very thankful they are.
As for Raw Travel, we’ll continue to focus on the good.
This past January we traveled to Southeast Asia for the very first time for what can only be described as a mind blowing, life changing adventure.
As we made our way from Thailand, through Laos, to Vietnam and then onward to Manila, Philippines I was in awe of Eastern culture and the zen like and restrained, respectful way in which people carried themselves and treated others.
The extraordinarily beautiful Buddhist temples full of chanting monks at sunset…the incredible, exotic and yes sometimes shocking food.. the traditional and (you know me) non traditional music.. the colors and of course, the people were this traveler’s mecca.
It was at times overwhelming but always fascinating and entertaining. Southeast Asia is affordable, safe and a raw traveler’s dream come true.
One month is not enough to see even one of the countries we visited much less four and much less all that Southeast Asia has to offer.
But it did whet my appetite for more, more, more. If I can brave the 24 hour flight and the ensuing crushing jetlag, you’ll see it on my face when you watch the shows, again then I will. You can bet that I’ll be back and this time making my way through Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar and more.
In the meantime, enjoy many more photos from our travels at our FLIKR page HERE.
and check out the new video teaser trailer, hot off the press. Be looking for full episodes beginning in early May and carrying throughout the summer into the fall of next season.
Hope you enjoy watching them as much as we enjoyed shooting them!
When I visited my hometown of Nashville and Pulaski, Tennessee to shoot for Raw Travel I had two extra goals in mind.
1) Show the diversity of Nashville, both musically and culturally.
2) Dispel stereotypes about my hometown of Pulaski, Tennessee (just google it if you don’t know what I’m speaking of)
If you’ve seen the episode, then I suppose you can be the judge of whether we succeeded in our aims.
But if you’d like to see some of the musical diversity featured on the show, we’ll share with you a couple of musical artists who were kind enough to perform for us.
First up is Jonah Kraut, a singer/songwriter from Chicago. At first glance, Jonah fits the profile of the prototypical musician transplant so abundant in Nashville these days in that he moved here to be surrounded by music and the creative energy that finds its way to Nashville.
However, there is one notable exception. Jonah’s not looking to be the next George Straight or Kings of Leon or whatever. He’s a classically trained musician who was inspired by Nashville’s country, bluegrass and blues roots. Listening to Jonah’s music one could forget they are listening to a contemporary artist. The listener is taken back in time to the good old days of roots country and blues.. even mixing in some rockabilly from time to time.
I was inspired by Jonah’s music and his story and he’s truly a good guy. I loved hanging out with him and the irony of a Chicago transplant showing me around my own hometown was not lost on me. Though in my defense, I have been gone for quiet some time and while I lived in Nashville for many years, Pulaski is my true hometown and where I spend most of my time when back in Tennessee.
I hope you’ll give Jonah’s music a listen. You can find out more about Jonah at his website www.JonahKraut.com and here is Jonah performing for our cameras his blues inspired song “Company Man”.
On the other end of the musical spectrum are the guys from the psychobilly band “Hellfire Revival”. Psychobilly is a niche form of music combining elements of punk and rockabilly and more likely to be celebrated in places like the West Coast of the U.S. or internationally in hotspots like Germany and other parts of Europe, but I’ve found small scenes almost everywhere I’ve visited and Nashville is no exception.
These guys all have day jobs and while they are from all over, they moved to Music City not to pursue any big musical dream but to simply enjoy what Nashville has to offer to young, creative types, a cool lifestyle within a somewhat affordable cost of living.
They performed for our cameras in the heart of East Nashville. East Nashville is hot right now and not unlike Brooklyn is to Manhattan, is the place where artists and creatives are making their home these days because of less expensive rent and the plethora of cool spots to hang out. If I were to move back to Nashville, I’m pretty sure East Nashville would be my spot.
Here are the guys from Hellfire Revival having a good time and doing their thing, which as you’ll see, is neither Country OR Western.
