Santa Baby, please bring me a library in Zambia from Passports with Purpose

If you are part of the travel blogging community, or even if you’re not, hopefully it won’t have escaped you that there’s a travel blogger’s charity initiative going on in the run-up to Christmas called Passports with Purpose. The initiative ends in a couple of days on Friday 16 December, so now is your last chance to support and win one of the great prizes on offer.

Passports with Purpose was started in 2008 and is a great way for travellers and travel bloggers and just anyone who wants to leave the world a little better than they found it, to give something back to communities that don’t have as much as we do in the UK. Things that we take for granted – like a school to go to, or a library where we can find books to read that give us a window on the world of possibilities.

Each year Passports with Purpose supports a different charity project in the developing world and this year we’re trying to raise money for two libraries in Zambia with Room to Read. The charity works with local communities to provide a library of books relevant to that school or community with resources for children who might struggle to even afford an exercise book can learn and develop their education through reading.

It’s a fantastic project to support, but even better, you can win any number of travel related prizes that have been donated by travel bloggers working with sponsors. I counted over 80 different prizes, from tech travel gear like a Kindle Fire or a digital camera, to luxury hotel stays, travel vouchers and tours. All you have to do is pledge $10 for the prize of your choice and you’re in the draw for that prize – the more pledges you make, the more chances you have to win one of these prizes. To check out all the prizes, go to the Passports with Purpose Donate page and follow the links to the individual blogs that have donated prizes, to find out more.

The Fund raiser ends in just a couple of days this Friday 16th December 2011 – so don’t delay – just hop over to the Passports with Purpose donate page and decide what you’d like Santa to bring your this Christmas. I wish you every luck in winning the prize of your dreams and every hope that we’ll raise enough for those two libraries in Zambia.

Here are some of the prizes that are tempting me;

A Kindle Fire – so much lighter than carrying travel guides and novels around, from Mother of all trips and a nunber of other bloggers too

A Nook tablet – from Foxnomad – an e-reader that is also wifi capable for a quick check of the e-mail or facebook page

A Sony Cyber Shot digital camera – from Amateur Traveler – A neat little camera to slip in your pocket

A stay at the Luxurious Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale Troon North – from My Itchy Travel Feet – the perfect place for a romantic gettaway

$500 stay in an apartment in a European city – from Ottsworld – Ideal for those who love to immerse themselves in local neighbourhoods when they travel

1 year’s worth of wifi with Boingo – from Everything Everywhere – Enabling you to login to any Boingo wifi point around the world

Hopefully I’ve encouraged you to head over now (before Passports with Purpose ends on 16 December 2011) and make your bid for a great travel prize and support the last push to fund those two libraries in Zambia. Go on – you deserve the chance to win, and those kids in Zambia deserve the room to read.

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com – Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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Turtles in danger on Zakynthos – in Greece

It seems that the future is uncertain for the Caretta Caretta or Loggerhead sea turtles on Zakynthos, as I discovered while visiting the Greek island where my sister lives. Yesterday, I looked in at the Earth Sea and Sky Wildlife Information Centre at Gerakas to have a chat with the director, Yannis Vardakastanis about his efforts this season to preserve the turtles and other wildlife. The Laganas Bay area of Zakynthos is a major nesting site for the turtles, who return here year after year to make their nests on the warm sandy beaches.

But Yannis was not a happy man as he told me how the numbers of turtle nests counted this year have dropped 30% since 2010. Despite having renovated the information centre with attractive traditional Zakynthian stonework, created a new aquarium and continued to educate visitors about wildlife conservation this past year, Yannis was not optimistic about the future of turtles on Zakynthos.

The numbers of loggerhead turtle nests counted by Yannis and his team of volunteers are well down on last year, only 716 in 2011 compared to 1053 in 2010. Yannis showed me the graph of total nests in Laganas bay that has been maintained since 1984 when nest numbers typically ranged between 1000 and 1500, but in the last 5 years the average number of nests has dropped and rarely exceeded 1000. The turtle nest count this year is about as low as it’s ever been. The hatchlings that survive to adulthood will return here to Zakynthos to make their own nests in another 25 year’s time, as turtles always return to the spot that they were born. But if the downward trend continues, Yannis predicts there will be no more turtles on Zakynthos for future generations to enjoy.

The numbers of dead and injured turtles was also higher than Yannis would have liked – around 40 this year due to rubbish pollution, getting tangled in fishermen’s nets or being struck by boats. Although boats, apart from the turtle spotting tours, are not allowed in the National Marine Park of Zakynthos, accidents continue to happen and the fishermen often regard the turtles as competitors for their catch and a threat to their livelihood.

The economic crisis in Greece is also a mixed blessing for the turtles. At least the pressure for further building within the conservation area around Laganas bay has abated for a while, since no-one has the money to build hotels near turtles nesting beaches as they did in the past. Yet the government cutbacks mean there are less wardens than in previous years, employed by the National Marine Park of Zakynthos to safeguard the turtle nesting sites. Yannis and his volunteers at Gerakas continue to work with the Marine park to count nests, maintain the natural habitats and keep them clear of rubbish, as well as educating visitors to the area about the turtles on Zakynthos.

At least Yannis is cautiously optimistic about the situation at Gerakas beach, where the numbers of turtle nests are being maintained. Next year, he has plans to expand the information centre further to add an area where rescued and injured turtles can be cared for until they can be released back into the wild. If you’re visiting the lovely unspoiled beach at Gerakas, do look in at the Earth Sea and Sky information centre to learn more about turtle and wildlife conservation on Zakynthos. In the meantime, here’s how you can do your bit while you enjoy your holiday on Zakynthos.

Do your bit to conserve the turtles on Zakynthos

• Make sure you take all your rubbish home from the beach, especially plastic bags which turtles can mistake for a tasty jellyfish snack.
• If you visit a turtle nesting beach, keep well clear of the turtle nests that will be marked and roped off.
• Don’t venture onto turtle nesting sites at night or shine any bright lights on these beaches – the hatchlings use the lights reflected off the sea to guide them and may be confused by other lights on the shore.
• If you are lucky enough to spot a turtle while swimming, observe them from a distance to avoid them any distress as they can also deliver a nasty bite if you get too close.
• If you take a boat tour around Laganas bay, don’t choose an operator that guarantees you a turtle sighting or your money back. This practice encourages boats to seek out and harass the declining numbers of turtles in the bay.
• I can highly recommend the turtle-friendly catamaran boat trips organized by Yannis company, Nature World Travel through the summer season where you will enjoy the wonderful scenery, swim in clear turquoise waters and into limestone sea caves and learn about the natural beauty of the area from Yannis and his team, as well as possibly spotting a turtle from the boat.

For more information about the turtles on Zakynthos

Earth Sea and Sky website
Earth Sea and Sky on Twitter
Earth sea and sky on Facebook
Earth Sea and Sky on Youtube
Nature World Travel – Yannis tourism company offering turtle-friendly boat trips and other excursions
Ionian Eco Villagers – Green eco-holidays in Greece – self-catering villas on Zakynthos in the areas of Vasilikos and Gerakas
National marine Park of Zakynthos - the government agency that manages and protects the area around Laganas Bay containing the turtle nesting beaches.

Video about the Catamaran boat trips run by Yannis in Laganas bay

Video interview with Yannis Vardakastanis about the turtles on Zakynthos

If you can’t see the two videos above, view them in my blog post here

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com - Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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My daughter’s community project in the mountains of Nepal

My 16 year old daughter, Sophie-Anne has just returned from a school trip to Nepal and in this second article she talks about the community work that her group did in a local school and her impressions of the children and local people that she met.

During our trip we had organised a community project, which would prove to be an amazing experience and culture shock. Upon arrival we were all giving a red mark on our head and a flower garland made by the villagers, despite the villagers’ stares (they had rarely seen westerners) we were made welcome immediately.

We were told the villagers were very upset that the electricity would not work, assuming we would be annoyed. This of course was not the case and despite the occasional girly scream when a leech was found, we all settled in happily to our tents. Our sherpas woke us up in the morning with a cup of tea and bowl of hot water each, which at the time felt like considerable luxury!

We soon got to work building a much-needed fence for the school and everyone, no matter how feeble and weak, got stuck in to the job. For a group of female teenagers building a fence, swing set and steps is a hard job and everyone in the group realised why builders have so many tea breaks.

We also got a chance to interact with the children, it is amazing how simple it is to form a bond despite the language barrier between us. At first the children were shy but soon they became increasingly lively, absorbing all the activities we had arranged for them.

Children trying the ipod in Nepal

Trying on the Raybans in Nepal

They all seemed fascinated with our cameras, ipods and even the balloons we brought for them. I specifically remember one boy looking at some bubbles like Christmas had come early, and then spending the rest of the day in hysterics popping all the bubbles that was humanly possible.

One evening the villagers arranged a traditional evening where they sang and danced for us, it was wonderful to see a glimpse of their culture. Everyone got up and danced, although its safe to say our Bollywood style dance moves needed a little work.

Despite the huge culture difference (us in walking boots and them in flip flops for example) we were able to really connect with all of the villagers, finding things we had in common like dancing or singing.

This is best summed up by when we all heard Justin Bieber’s ‘baby’ playing somehow somewhere in the village. We all went back to our tents that night forgetting about the rain and leeches to ponder whether even Justin knew his songs had reached a remote area in the Himalayas.

Read about the other parts of Sophie-Anne’s trip

My teenage daughter’s trek in Nepal
My daughter’s elephant safari in Nepal

Other adventures in India and Nepal

 Exploring the ‘Abode of Snow’ in the Indian Himalayas
My Indian Sponsor Child
Kolkata in India – City of Joy

www.flickr.com heatheronhertravels’ Nepal – school trip photoset

This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com - Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

 Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels

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