Located about 90 minutes northeast of La Paz, Bolivia’s capital city, the small town of Sorata (elevation 8000 ft) is situated in a valley surrounded on all sides by the rugged snow capped Andes Mountains. Sorata is very popular with the trekking crowd. Having visited Sorata on my most recent tip to Bolivia, I can attest to its popularity with young trekkers. In fact, Sorata markets itself as being the trekking capital of Bolivia.

All the tourists I met – most of them were 22-35 years old – came to Sorata specifically to do some trekking. There are a number of popular multi day trek options in the area. It seems that the only non-trekker in Sorata was yours truly. Due to a very bad leg, a multi day trek - especially in very cold weather at high elevation – would not be very smart, so I decided to stay put in town. That being said, I did my fair share of walking every day.

While hiking to the Gruta lagoon – some 12KM away - I met a group of young Israelis. Like most young Israeli travelers, they had recently completed a stint in the Israeli army before embarking on a one-year journey around the world. I talked to one of the young guys in the group, a wiry fellow in his early 20’s. He related how he recently completed the arduous 3-day trek to the summit of llimani while staying in La Paz. That wasn’t surprising in itself – given his relatively young age - but I was a little bit taken aback when I discovered that he was a moderate smoker

I met another small group of people at my hostel who were embarking on a multi day trek after breakfast to the nearby. One of the trekkers was an amiable British chap in his early 40’s. He had done some moderate trekking in the UK and Europe and he was a smoker as well, not a heavy smoker albeit. Trekking with him were two ladies – early to mid 30’s - that he met while traveling in Bolivia. The owner of the guesthouse set them up with an experienced local trekking guide equipped with donkeys, food supplies and other gear. Apparently they were going to camp outside along the slopes in sleeping bags.

Although I enjoyed myself immensely during my short stay in Sorata - especially after befriending a precocious young street dog - somehow I felt that I was missing out on something – because I wasn’t able to trek. Oh well…

Travel is very rewarding. Every day is an adventure (that’s for sure)
as you meet new people, have new experiences and visit foreign
and exotic new places. From my experience, there is never, ever a dull moment. That is precisely why I love to travel.

This short video entitled “Muy Picante” captures some of my most outlandish and humorous not to mention some of my x-rated moments on a recent trip to Brazil.

After watching this video, you might conclude that I have a fascination with dogs. Admittedly I have a special relationship with man’s best friend as well as other creatures. This traveler just likes to have fun!!!

I hope you are amused and entertained as you step into my world – the world of a traveler. Me abraca a me beija! ENJOY!

I really used to like Kamala Beach, a popular resort area on Thailand’s Phuket Island. Despite the many cafes and shops along the boardwalk, as well as many lounge chair and massage concessions on the beach, it used to be a fairly mellow and quiet scene. Believe it or not, I liked Kamala Beach even better after the Tsunami of December 2004 cleansed the area of the boardwalk and its horde of concessions. The Post Tsunami Kamala Beach was devoid of lounge chairs and there was only a smattering of tourists. I was there to survey the scene in August 2005 – the beach was wonderful and oh so quiet!

The last time I visited Kamala Beach was in December 2007 – things had changed considerably, not only was the boardwalk and all its concessions were back (and then some), a very disturbing development impacted the Kamala Beach area – Jet Skis had invaded the scene.

Trying to relax in the late afternoon from my lounge chair near Kamala Dreams Hotel was almost impossible due to the incessant noise of these awful machines whizzing by. Not only were they noisy, but the jet skis also dumped an inordinate amount of gas and oil right into sea, contributing to the growing problem of water pollution in Kamala Beach. The environment impact of jet skis are well known.

I bet you most of the foreign tourists on Kamala Beach were also put off by the recent introduction of these motorized contraptions. To me, you go to the beach to relax, read a book and have a quiet conversation – with the constant noise pollution of these jet skis, that’s damn near impossible. I guess that is what they call progress!

To get away from the noise (and the polluted waters), you have go another 2 miles up the coast to the relatively unspoiled beach scene at Laem Singh

Believe it or not, my search for the the most eco-friendly beach destination in THAILAND has uncovered a place I haven’t been to yet, and that is Koh Libong! I am sure most travelers have never heard of this relatively obscure island as well.

Koh Libong is the largest island in southern Thailand’s Trang Province. The island is home to a rather substantial colony of Dugongs, a large marine mammal that is closely related to the manatees. These creatures feed on the sea-grass beds that flourish off Koh Libong’s southeast coast. A colony of green turtles are also residents of the island.

From what I have read, there is more of a commitment to an environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism industry in Trang Province than anywhere else in Thailand. The governor of Trang Province has gone on record stating that he wants to avoid the haphazard and reckless tourism development that has ruined other island destinations in Thailand i.e. Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi etc.

In order to protect the natural beauty of the region, the Swedish Government has funded a master plan for sustainable development in Trang Province. In particular, on Koh Libong, Swedish environmentalists and Thai academicians from Bangkok have joined forces in an effort to make the island an ecotourism model for the region.

Three small Muslim fishing villages are scattered around the island – the native people in these communities seem to be enlightened about the need for conservation and environmentally friendly practices. The interior is home to rubber plantations and is heavily forested. There are only a handful of small resorts, all located on the west coast of the island. While many small beaches surround the island, there is only one “classical tropical beach” – a 1 KM stretch of golden sand fronted by clear, aquamarine waters.

Since I have never been to Koh Libong, I will have to wait to till I visit this island (and Trang Province), before I can assess the staying power of this sustainable tourism movement. If history teaches us anything, tourism development is usually guided by greed (and the pursuit of the almighty dollar) and has destroyed many an idyllic paradise.

Only time will determine the fate of Koh Libong and other island destinations in Trang Province. I have plans to do some reconnaissance there in 2010!

For your information, over the Christmas Holidays, I plan to visit Ko Lipe, considered by many to be overall, the most beautiful island in Thailand. From what I have read, Koh Lipe is another Island Paradise that’s on the threshold of getting trashed!

In the last several days, I have done some extensive research in an effort to identify the most the eco-friendly beach destination in Thailand. To be honest with you, it is a lot easier for me to rattle off a list of beach destinations/island resorts which are not very eco-friendly. See below..

Pattaya - Truly an Abomination!

Located about 90 minutes east of Bangkok is Pattaya, Thailand’s internationally renowned sex tourist mecca–beach town. Located on the mainland, Pattaya leads the pack of those beach destinations where development, human greed and the excesses of tourism have had a severe negative ecological impact. No other beach destination in Thailand comes close to the ugliness and urban blight which is Pattaya. Believe it or not, before the Vietnam War, Pattaya was a sleepy fishy village with lush green vegetation and sparkling white sand beaches. Not anymore!

Phuket and Koh Samui - Paradise no more!

Below Pattaya on my list (quite a step down) are Thailand’s two most popular island resorts – Phuket and Koh Samui. Both places have international airports to receive tourists all over the world; while the airport in Koh Samui is like an island boutique, Phuket’s airport is a modern gleaming affair. Both islands are abundant in natural beauty with a mountainous interior and gleaming white sand beaches, however both Samui and Phuket have suffered from the excesses of development and tourism leaving behind a severely degraded environment.

Phi Phi Island - Paradise Ruined!

Located in Southern Thailand’s Krabi Province, Phi Phi Islands – an area known for its raw physical beauty - is just another example of Paradise getting trashed by excessive development and too many tourists. Admittedly, I have never been there.

Koh Chang - Going the way of Phuket and Samui

Of all the island resorts, Koh Chang is the place I know best, having been there four times. My last visit was in November 2006. An extremely lush and mountainous island, Koh Chang is rapidly changing (and not for the good) as there are still plans to make it the next Phuket. Climbing the slopes of the jungle clad mountain slopes are many new bungalow operations and along the west coast, the land is being cleared to accommodate a variety of upscale (and opulent) albeit expensive beach resorts. If an international airport ever happens here, it will be the coup-de-grace.

In Koh Chang, proper sewage treatment facilities are lacking, and in some places near the beach you can smell the raw sewage as it trickles into the sea. If you don’t believe me, go to Magic Resort – small budget bungalow operation on Klong Phrao Beach – and take a whiff of the raw sewage on the southern perimeter of the property. Sort of reminds of the smell on the far side of Aloha Beach Resort, a first class hotel located on Lamai Beach in Koh Samui. In Thailand, only a handful of hotels in the resort areas have their own sewage treatment plant.

Koh Lanta and Koh Jam/Koh Pu - Not ruined yet, best of the lot

Ko Lanta and the relatively obscure island of Ko Pu/Ko Jum, both located in Krabi Province seem to be holding up all right from an ecological perspective. Based on my visit there in 2005, the tourism growth had not completely swallowed Koh Lanta, and Koh Jum/Koh Pu - the Island with the split personality - seems to be comparatively pristine.

Coming up, my nomination for the most eco-friendly beach destination in Thailand. Stay tuned!