Taghia

My fourth time in Morocco and the High Atlas region. The first flying to the neighbouring country and climbing in the gorges surrounding the village of Taghia. Seven days and five long routes (from which the difficult classic L’Axe du Mal) on superb rock, ropes camaraderie with Mikel Bonilla, Vitor Sanchez, Adrià Solera, Roger Corull; and while experiencing both the unchanged and the ongoing on the local Berber culture and mountains. The certainty of a new visit.

From Home to the Strait

A cycling trip with the girls along the Southwestern coast of Iberia: Algarve and Andalusia towards the place where Europe meets Africa.

RIP Joseph Shabalala

Today died Joseph Shabalala, the leader and one of the founders of the Zulu band Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Well known for advocating the pacifist transformation of society through the self, its lyrics and performances have been ever since the apartheid, one of the strongest embassies of South Africa. Here’s a moment from the concert at the Cadaval Palace the 25th of April, 2019.

"Tough times never last, strong people do (...)"

Witch Doctor Chant

Swachh Bharat

“Swachh Bharat or Clean India Mission was a nation-wide campaign in India for the period 2014 to 2019 that aims to clean up the street, roads and infrastructure of cities towns, urban and rural cities and area in India. The campaign's official name is in Hindi and translates to "Clean India Mission" in English. The objectives of Swachh Bharat include eliminating open defecation through the construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets and establishing an accountable mechanism of monitoring toilet use”.

Ron Kauk

While climbing in Yosemite the last days of September, I had the opportunity to attend Ron Kauk's presentation (Return to Balance) and met him personally. A few days later - as the weather rewarmed in the valley - I went up for some routes in Tuolumne and, we came across, discussing keenly about some of the topics he had developed during the talk: his ideas on American native community, elders wisdom, nature education, conservation and the current industry behind climbing. Here's a portrait of the climbing legend.

On the Road

“Life is life, and kind is kind” - Jack Kerouac

Andy Parkin