Travel Blog

BRINGING AWARENESS TO BLINDNESS IN NEPAL

For two and a half weeks this October, Finisterra will venture to far-flung regions of Nepal with 17 donors and board members of Vancouver-based charity, Seva Canada. Tour leaders Aili Rauk and Rob Kruse, will work alongside local guides to showcase some of Nepal’s most spectacular sites en-route to very remote eye clinics. We are honoured to be hosting this trip and to give Seva donors the chance to witness the positive impact they have had on Nepali communities. Blindness and visual impairment is a massive world-wide issue. With numbers growing daily, it is estimated that 39 million people are blind and a further 245 million have debilitating low vision. Half of the world’s blindness is caused by cataracts, a reversible condition that requires a 15-minute operation at a cost of about $50 throughout most developing countries. Since 1982, Seva has developed a sustainable approach to a world-wide problem and has worked closely with its Nepali partners to help them build clinics, train staff, and provide cost effective cataract surgeries. Its mountainous terrain and extreme diversity of ethnic groups have resulted in Nepal being one of the least developed nations in the world, where access to medical care are severely limited. Travelling across Nepal’s ruggedly beautiful terrain, the group will visit remote hospitals and eye-camps that Seva supports where participants will have the opportunity to interact with local doctors and patients. The group will learn firsthand about Nepali life from villagers and local guides crossing the country from chaotic Kathmandu… Read More »BRINGING AWARENESS TO BLINDNESS IN NEPAL

MAGNIFICIENT PETRA

Our local guide had everyone link hands and close their eyes. Not really understanding why, everyone begrudgingly abided and lined-up on one edge of the canyon. The walls of the steep canyon tower 50 stories above our heads on each side, while we stand in a gap so small that you can sometimes touch both sides. The canyon looks as though it were carved and painted, presenting a natural beauty that seems to add mystique to the experience. The canyon, known as the Siq, is nearly empty due to our early start, a choice most people won’t appreciate until they make the return journey amidst the daytime crowds. The Siq was actually carved, but not by the roughly 30 thousand people estimated to have lived here almost 2000 years ago. A giant sandstone slab of rock was split by an earthquake before being worn smooth by water over hundreds of years. Later additions, such as the Roman paving stones or the exquisitely cut mini-aqueducts on each side of the canyon can go almost unnoticed as visitors stare up at the immense 1.5 km canyon they are walking through. This wasn’t the usual front door, archaeologists now believe it was the royal entrance, reserved for special visitors and important caravans. My first trip to Jordan was only half for work. I tagged along on a friend’s tour of the country, enjoying the nice things about being on an organized group tour without having any of the responsibility. I spent a bit… Read More »MAGNIFICIENT PETRA

Finisterra…What Does It Mean?

As with many good ideas, this one begins in a pub in rainy Vancouver during an evening of witty banter fueled by that delicious barley beverage. High-fives were delivered, pinky swears were made and hugs were given as this was the night that the concept for our company was born. Now when you have an idea for a company, the first thing you want to do is name it so it seems like a tangible object. We wanted to tell our friends and family about our great idea for the ultimate tour company but how were we to refer to it? Naming a company can’t be that hard, right? Wrong. Our little company kind of went through an identity crisis as we had no idea how challenging the task of naming it could be. From Latitude to Footprint to Off the Grid to Inspire to dozens of other names that didn’t pan out, why was this the impossible task? We ran into the same problems over and over again; website domains were unavailable, tour companies with the same name existed in Vietnam, Panama or Zambia, or companies were already registered under the same name. We spent hours upon hours brainstorming, asked friends for help, and relied heavily on the thesaurus for inspiration but still no name. Weeks passed and the elation from the high-fives and initial concept had begun to fade. Frustration took over as every name we chose was unavailable for one reason or another until one night while… Read More »Finisterra…What Does It Mean?