I’m sipping hot lemon and honey. It’s early and I awoke to the sound of the rain with a very sore throat. We’re back, my daughter and I, from a trip gone wrong. We had opted for a real travelling adventure which i hoped would offer consecutive days of lazing in the sun and sand as well as a good stiff peek into the human condition beyond the comforts of home. We got the stiff peek, especially my daughter who contracted e coli upon arrival and subsequently endured the discomfort until a diagnosis and treatment protocol were made.

So here are the top two issues that broke my heart and made me think about world:

1. There is no paradise. I had always wanted to spend time languishing on the shores of the Caribbean Ocean. The blue is truly breathtaking.  Seeing the coast line from the ancient steps of Tulum one can imagine (briefly) what a tropical paradise might have really looked like. But it is gone. Our modern lifestyle and throw away culture is choking the oceans and beaches not to mention the fish and birds that mistake brightly coloured bottle caps for fish and eventually die with a belly full of trash. For more on this urgent situation visit Algalita and the work of Captain Moore and be sure to click on the TED lecture at the bottom of the home page.

2. The cost of clean water. It used to be when you travelled in Mexico that hotels placed the big blue water bottles of purified water in courtyards for customer consumption. But not anymore. Now however it is all about the disposable water bottle. The beaches and trash cans of idyllic places like Caye Caulker Belize, or Isla Mujeres Mexico are overflowing with discarded water bottles. And they aren’t cheap. In three weeks, staying at budget hotels, I only encountered one place that offered refills. Currently the fifth World Water Forum is underway in Istanbul and even there, the hidden corporate agenda of water for profit is alive and conniving. For additional insights into the issue visit the Council of Canadians.

This little bit of writing is all i can manage for today. There is more to share, and I’ll get there. Thanks for reading.