Connecting the Dots; Beyond the Bolivian History   Last year, my colleague Gisela went in-depth through Bolivia and loved it. Who wouldn’t? Most people only explore the lake or the salt flats, however as a self-admitted history buff, diving into the history is what drew me in, especially around the 15th and 16th centuries. Yet where I connected the dots, quite literally, was in the astronomy in the Uyuni Salt Flats.   While attending university, I was considered a vector calculus nerd who loved astronomy and the math around tracking planetary movements (including the pinky rule). Now ..read more

Ibera Wetlands to Bahia Bustamante   Have you ever traveled to a destination where it seems like… the tourism cycle is set on a rinse-and-repeat setting? While you think of a few of those destinations try not to bash your head against a brick wall. For us, I would tell you that Argentina was on that list for a while, a magical place that just couldn’t get out of its own way, because it was so married to the same areas. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just that Argentina has so much more to offer.  Today, the news is paralleled with economic updates which seem to come ..read more

Paraguay, Guarani and the Jesuits   When we talk about the indigenous people of Latin America, what usually comes up are the Incas, the Maya, and even the Aymara. And the language we hear about the most is usually Quechua from the Incas. However the language I have always been the most fascinated by is Guarani, specifically in Paraguay. This language is often overseen however variations of this dialect are still spoken in Argentina, Bolivia, and parts of Brazil. Being the most widely spoken indigenous language in Paraguay is what sets this amazing place apart in my opinion.   I remem ..read more

More Than Rio   When I was a child in Kenya, my late father, got me hooked on the 80’s TV show, The A-Team. There were a few well-known catchphrases, however, the one I loved the most was Lt. Peck’s “music to my ears”. Although quite common, it came to mind when we received the following update from our team in Brazil.   The Brazilian congress is analyzing the suspension of the decree signed by President Lula reinstating the visa requirement for holders of American, Australian, and Canadian passports to enter Brazil. Last Thursday, the federal government reached an agreement with con ..read more

Mahen’s Last Letters. The ABCs of Life A – Acceptance: Embrace life’s changes with an open heart   Dear Advisors, Partners, and Friends This is a very special Blog… A letter written 2 months ago by my fathers hands, in his office, alone with his thoughts and sheer reflection of the world and how we should all perceive and embrace every outcome as it is believed, in life all is as it is meant to be. Almost as he him-self knew he would be writing this blog, as so, please take note of the Date and Time it was written… exactly 60 days…almost to the hour when we said our final goodbyes ..read more

The Holy Month   As the holy month of Ramadan begins, we wish all our close friends and colleagues whom I often call extended family, Ramadan Kareem. رَمَضَان كَرِيم   This week, I was supposed to be in Egypt with the family for one of my last two spring breaks with my son. Circumstances however were such that the trip had to be pushed out although I will certainly be back in Egypt after ILTM Cannes later this year, one of our Egypt specialists will be there this summer. Egypt is like home for me, since I was a teenager, and many of you know my mother is from Sudan while Dad and I ar ..read more

The Ultimate Habituation In the third and final dispatch from my annual East Africa adventure with our advisor partners,  I find myself back in Uganda, one of my favorite places. My love of this country goes far beyond the amazing gorilla interactions and biodiversity. It’s the people. Now before you roll your eyes, let me explain.   Back in July 2003, just after I was married, my wife and I were on our way to Africa. En route, we stopped in London to visit her grandparents. For those of you don’t know,  Purvi’s family was forced out of Uganda, among the many thousands of Indian ..read more

Rob and Storm, The Samburu Family   My first interaction with the Samburu tribes of northern Kenya was as a child. Back then, the experience was not as immersive as it is now. In the years since, and the development of the Northern Rangelands Trust, the experience is more authentic, and more contrived, depending on whether you are in a game reserve or a private conservancy, which camp, and the operator.   I first met Storm and Rob when they were in Shimla, India, working at a historic hotel resting at the foothills of the Himalayas. Originally from South Africa, this couple fell in l ..read more

This is my Origin Origin stories are the best kind of stories no matter if it’s about a superhero, or an everyday Jane or Joe. It is a story about craftsmanship as I was taught very early on, the story about how someone was made, not what they became. I liken this to a stitch pattern on a quilt or the grain on a tree, where each movement tells you something about the labor of creation. We as people are no different, each scar, each memory, and each experience is the stitch pattern on our lives.   How fitting then, that I begin our 2024 East Africa dispatch and my origin story in Nairobi ..read more

Patience is a Virtue So they say, and in certain countries, it is a necessity due to a long period of turmoil or what seems to be a series of false starts. The fact is that countries that endure these periods don’t waver on the higher commitment to sustainable tourism which is a topic for a Master Class in itself. Countries that fit that bill include Egypt, Colombia, Uganda, and Rwanda; however, a country that defines enduring, but is often left out of the conversation, is Sri Lanka.   Interestingly enough, my colleague Colin, who happens to be a former guide in India and the sub-continen ..read more