As is usually the case, the image that one has about a place has little to do with the reality on the ground and everything to do with the extremes highlighted by the media. So it was for me…
How does one prepare for a trip to Haiti?
Ben leaves tomorrow for Haiti for meetings with various organizations and entities interested in sustainable low cost bamboo housing, and it occurs to me that on a personal emotional level there is no way to prepare for witnessing the devastation…
Can CO2 Bambu play a role in Haiti?
The 24/7 news coverage of the Haiti crisis makes three things abundantly clear: 1) the extraordinary hardship that befell the Haitian population and which will last, sadly, for a long time, 2) the logistical nightmare of trying to coordinate donations…
Beach hopping on the Nicaraguan Pacific Coast
The Pacific beaches of Nicaragua we have seen so far are devoid of large developments and hotels. San Juan del Sur is the only hub with the beginning of a future booming tourism industry. North of SJDS there are a…
Quito Ecuador, first impressions
A trip to Ecuador always seemed linked to a once in a lifetime Galapagos Islands experience. We are both animal lovers and thought this would be an obvious trip for us to take. Alas, the facts don’t bear out the…
A new furry friend.. (Granada.)
Walking in the street last night, while Mango was chasing a soccer ball and Ben was chatting with some kids, I noticed some girls with a little kitten nearby. Suddenly they threw the kitten,…
Minor annoyances.. Life in Nicaragua.
Minor annoyances, such as bats and potential intruders… Bats have been easily dealt with by painting one of our standing lamps in the sala a nice red, which is said to scare them off. On a recent evening I forgot…
Update from the bamboo world ~ Granada, Nicaragua.
CO2 BAMBU hit a key product developoment milestone last week, as we invited Costa Rican bamboo experts to come and boost our Nicaraguan team’s knowledge of bamboo processing. The area we wanted to focus on was the production of bamboo…