Mejdi Tours, made up of an eclectic team of Arabs, Jew, and Christian peace-builders, has created a travel experience with the potential to re-define travelers’ perspectives, bringing guests a greater understanding of the complex history and culture in the Middle East.

This year they’ve teamed up with National Geographic Expeditions to offer a 12-day trip through Israel and the West bank guided by both Israeli and Palestinian peace-builders. On the trip you have a chance to meet and hear the stories of a range of people, from rabbi’s to refugees, all in the effort of creating a balanced narrative. Just take a look at Day 3 of the Mejdi Tours itinerary: as you make your way through Jerusalem, you’ll learn the significance of the Mount of Olives from a local rabbi, at Dome of the Rock you’ll hear from an imam concerning its Muslim roots, and finally later in the day you will explore the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a important Christian pilgrimage destination, with a local pastor.

Mejdi is the brainchild of Dr. Marc Gopin, Aziz Abu Sarah, and Scott Cooper. Marc is a professor at George Mason University and director of its Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution. Also an ordained rabbi, Marc has over 25 years experience in the world peace-building and conflict resolution. Aziz, an entrepreneur at heart, has worked in the world of tourism for over 10 years and co-founded Al Tariq – The Palestinian Institution for Democracy and Development. Scott built up years of experience in the banking and financial markets to help peacebuilders and investors identify the best business models that will harness growth, change, and success.

One eager student, Ziata, who joined in on one of their academic tours, blogged, “Tolstoy once said that everybody wants to change the world, but nobody wants to change themselves. Our whirlwind experience completely rocked our worlds and made us wonder of our own roles in our societies. Such a change on a personal level can bring about a change on a broader, national or international, level.”

Trips begin in October 2012 and run through May 2012.

Also check out these destinations and tour operators similar to Mejdi that we’ve featured in previous issues: The Holy Land Trust, The Top 10 Countries for Sustainable Adventure Tourism (Israel is #2), Exchange Tourism during Ramadan Creates Equality in Jordan

Try his signature Sea Cave Nature Tour, which takes you to caves not many people know how to find.   You’ll explore three caves, if the tides allow.  This coastal area is teaming with life – harbor seals, as well as a multitude of creatures such as crabs, fish, birds and algae, are all on display.  We loved the sea stars, purple sea urchins, and flower-like green sea anemone, which feast on crabs and snails.  Click here for a video of harbor seals making their way into sea near Mendocino.

A recent paddler remarked, “We experienced slow, medium, and slightly rough waters in different parts of the trip, and Craig very skillfully guided us all through them… he managed to keep an eye on everyone and we loved how he loves Earth – always stressing respect and care for the environment.”  Craig also offers kayak surfing lessons, a nice idea for day two and a definite contrast to the predominantly smooth paddling of the caves.

End your visit with a trip to one of the area’s boutique wineries and a stay in one of the local B&B’s – Craig can recommend the best!
For more information call 707-937- 0700 or send an email through the contact form here: http://www.kayakmendocino.com/contact.php.

Hint: This national park supports a wide range of ecological diversity, but the flamingos and other water birds are the major attractions. The lake’s abundance of algae attracts the large population of flamingos, while the ecosystem as a whole provides for approximately 56 different species of mammals including the white rhino and buffaloes.

Details: This month’s photo was taken in 2010 on a School for Field Studies’ Community Wildlife Management Program by Evan Tipton. Evan is an editor at OTR and intern with Xola.com. Be the first to send an email to editor@travelofftheradar.com with the correct answer and we will send you a surprise from Eagle Creek!

Previous Winner: Congratulations to Pam Kraske, who won a OneSeed Expeditions mug and 15% off their choice of a 2012 expedition offering.

The Sierra Norte Mountains in Oaxaca

While CNN has countered negative press about travel to Mexico with facts – taking into account the newly expanded U.S. travel warning, the region continues to suffer from negative press.  Lonely Planet’s U.S. Travel Editor, Robert Reid, points out, “It’s in the 17 of 31 states not named in the newly expanded warnings where you’ll find the most rewarding destinations: the Yucatan Peninsula and Baja California beach resorts, colonial hill towns like the ex-pat haven of San Miguel de Allende, even the capital Mexico City.”

Recently the Wall Street Journal described the effect of the cartel wars on Mexican tourism, travel advisory warnings have been posted for 14 of the 31 Mexican states and have successfully discouraged travel to Mexico. While Mexico pushes to regain tourists’ trust by advertising sandy beaches and authentic cultural heritage by accompanying them with their slogan, “Mexico: The Place You Thought You Knew,” the constant stream of frightening news about ongoing drug wars have discouraged travelers from choosing Mexico as their vacation spot this year. When you compare numbers though – the violence is much on par with U.S. cities,  this article points out that last year 111 U.S. Citizens were killed in Mexico last year, comparable to U.S. cities such as Boston and Orlando.

Hello –

My partner and I are planning a trip to Oaxaca, Chiapas and possibly Guatemala around February 2011. We were hoping to get involved with some cool cultural things, possibly relative to the Mayan calendar while down there. Do you have any suggestions about organizations to get involved with or happenings down there around this time?

Many Thanks,

Jami W.

Hi, Jami

Our cup overfloweth with recommendations throughout Oaxaca and Chiapas. In fact, Chiapas just hosted the 2011 Adventure Travel World Summit. We recently worked closely with Traditions Mexico located in Oaxaca. They connect travelers with the local craftsmen and women who have a keen interest in pottery, weaving, culinary discoveries, and local festivals.

We’ve featured a few other operators in past issues. Take advantage of StepUp Travel’s portal where you’ll find many local operators who have some of their offerings on display. For example – spend the night in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala visit Comunidad Nueva Alianza where you can learn about the way coffee and macademias are grown (and no doubt have one of the best cups of coffee in your life). Make your way up through Tapachula (which borders near Guatemala) to the Argovia Finca Resort in Chiapas, Mexico where you’ll find plenty of horseback riding and spend your days harvesting coffee with the staff. Argovia is also connected to Ruta del Cafe, a trail that links you to 12 other coffee fincas in the area.

In Oaxaca, stay at Casa Machaya, a picturesque bed and breakfast that also offers Oaxacan Cooking Lessons courtesy of Dona Lancha. Everyone will probably be jumping at the chance to come to any dinner party you throw after you take those lessons.

Best of luck – let us know how your travels go!

Tania + the Off the Radar Team

Now, they are wrapping up production and are harnessing the power of the web to raise support in order to create a feature length film. A one-hour version will be aired next year on ABC.

Kickstarter, in case you haven’t heard of it yet, is a funding platform for creative projects. With one caveat, if a project doesn’t meet its funding goal before it’s deadline, no money is ever exchanged. Mongolian Bling hopes to raise $50,000 dollars in order to finish editing, creating an original soundtrack, obtaining rights to the film’s music, and more. Already, they’ve found forty backers, but still need to continue to raise more support to reach their goal by Tuesday, November 29th (1:24pm EST).

Watch this message from writer/director Benj Binks as he makes the case for your support.

Don’t worry, you not only get the satisfaction of helping out a worthy project, the Mongolian Bling team has laid out several pledge levels that earn you the best thank you in the world.

$5: Facebook shout-out as well as an exclusive thank you video from their crew

$30: gets you the Mongolian Bling DVD (and all of the above)

$60: Mongolian Bling tshirt (and all of the above)

The prizes go on, with the most impressive going out to the first twelve who pledge $5,000. They get tickets to the premiere as well as a spot on the Mongolian Bling tour which starts and finishes in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. How’s that for some cool swag?

Be sure to Check out the Mongolian Bling’s Official Website. Better yet follow them on their Facebook page and sign up for their newsletter to find out when the film will air on ABC.

This year, the Islamic holy month of Ramadan fell during August. Around the world, fears rose and people speculated what would occur in countries that are currently experiencing turmoil, such as Libya or one of the other countries in which the US has issued travel warnings.

In May 2011, Shannon Stowell, President of the ATTA, traveled to Jordan and Egypt, commenting,”…Jordan is unfortunately lumped into ‘the Middle East’ along with different problems, each destination should be considered completely separately. Yemen, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Libya, Tunisia all have very different issues going on and the media does a disservice when misreporting goes on.”

Zikra is an initiative based in Jordan which has a goal of breaking down stereotypes.  Based in Ghor al Mazraa’, Zikra Initiative welcomes visitors from around the world (although currently 65% of visitors are Jordanian) to participate in exchange workshops allowing visitors to learn traditional skills and crafts such as making organic eye-liner , weaving baskets, tassling hatta, and cooking traditional dishes like Gallayet Bandora or Tomato-in-a pan. In exchange visitors pay a nominal fee that is channeled into a microloan in addition to other economic and social development projects, such as university scholarships. People pay JD 25 which will support the ladies of Ghor Al-Mazra’a. “Women don’t usually have work so this creates job opportunities, helping them become more independent,” adds Rabee’.

About 65% of their visitors are actually Jordanians themselves, people from larger, more urban communities such as Amman. Zikra’s founder, Rabee’ Zureikat commented, “We mainly target Jordanians in an effort to connect and shatter stereotypes in both communities. When Zikra was launched it was a charity drive, I had learned about  a ‘dusty community’ discriminated against because of their skin color. They had been taken advantage of by loan sharks and now couldn’t pay the loans back so their land was taken away. After awhile it started feeling awkward – it created a giver/receiver relationship, as if we, the givers, were the heroes. In reality we were learning a lot from this community.”

Rabee’ continues, “Amman is full of influential people, it has become very westernized yet we don’t really know the country. I wanted city dwellers to visit the rural areas without being the heroes and going to ‘save’ the area and community.”

Muslims view Ramadan as a time to reflect while they fast each day in order to practice patience and submissiveness to God. Practicing Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, at which time Muslim communities gather to break fast and celebrate together.

Zikra Initiative has put together a special program with the Ghor al Mazra’a community in Jordan, who hopes to share their heritage as well as allow any foreigners who visit to experience what it looks like to celebrate the breaking of fast during Ramadan.

Although the Ramadan program is now over, Zikra offers many other programs of interest throughout the year. If interested in participating in the Ramadan exchange next year, send them an email to reserve your spot.

Be sure to keep up with Zikra on Twitter and Facebook. Check out their YouTube page to hear one of their community members sing live at a recent TEDxDeadSea event (this was the first time that someone from the community was actually there to represent the Dead Sea community.)

Another organization to keep in mind  as you plan your travels is Voluntour Morocco.  They host a number of programs throughout Morocco that not only allow you to volunteer your time but also foster an atmosphere that encourages cultural exchange. Founder, Nabil, also imports various crafts selling them at various trade shows he attends,  if interested contact Nabil to learn more.

Ghami Village in Mustang Valley

“Nepal has stolen my heart for the mix of nature and scenery, especially the culture and mix of Buddhism and Hinduism,” comments Tjalling whose home lies in the Netherlands.

Tjalling is from Venhuizen, a small agricultural village, 50km north of Amsterdam. Ten years ago Tjallling discovered Botanical Treks & Excursions through a friend who had organized four other trips with them. Bijay manages Botanical Treks and has acquired over eleven years of experience in the field of tourism as well as sever professional certifications.

Sue also trekked with Bijay in 2002 and six years later as she planned a second trip, chose Bijay again, “He was the best person for us fledglings as he was very kind with us. He is such an expert and professional, he just encouraged us all the time with every hurdle we encountered.  He seemed to know innately when we were flagging and a bit desperate and just kept us keeping on with it.  We all have our own special memories but agree that it was the best experience we have ever gone through – at 50 and 60 years of age, this is quite [a bold statement]; we have done many things throughout our life!”

Botanicak Treks has a variety of trips that run at various times throughout the year. If you’re looking for an authentic experience, take a

Gyanandra, Lee, Sue and Bijay in Nepal, October 2008

look at Botanical’s Upper Mustang Trek.

In 2008, Nepal officially asked Mustang’s King to step down from his position and thus ending a Monarchy whose roots extended to the man they say founded the Kingdom in 1380, Ame Pal. Formerly a part of Tibet, Mustang became a part of Nepal and is open to only a selected number of trekkers each year. In fact, if you plan on trekking in the region you must obtain a special permit that costs around $70 each day. Individuals are not permitted to hike in the area, so it is best to book an expedition with a tour operator months in advance. Upper Mustang is an 18 day expedition and can be booked between May and October.

As we spoke to former clients, opinions were unanimous regarding Botanical Treks’ experience, personality, and expertise, Sue commented, “I would and do, recommend Botanical Treks to anyone who wants advice about trekking in that part of the world.  In fact, Lee and I did…a team leader contacted us both for a reference…as a result, they got the job.  Why wouldn’t they, they are brilliant at what they do.”

Off the Radar continues to be encouraged by comments such as these, to know that around the world, responsible tourism thrives, thanks to individuals and organizations such as Bijay and Botanical Treks who have a passion for what they do and the ability to sustain the cultural traditions and knowledge of such vast, diverse areas.

Be sure to check out Botanical’s profile on StepUp Travel.

Prize: A OneSeed Expeditions coffee mug and 15% off your choice of their 2012 expedition offerings.

Sponsor: OneSeed Expeditions,

Hint: This village is home tothe famous school school founded by Sir Edmund Hillary on his return trip from Everest in 1961.  The village is quite famous for its green-roofed homes and proximity to Namche Bazaar.

Photographer: OneSeed Expeditions

Last Issue: Congratulations to Bryan Turner of Austin, TX who won a Himalayan mask courtesy of White Umbrella

If you’re looking for somewhere to go this year, consider Costa Rica, it’s safe, inexpensive and can entertain a wide variety interests. There is plenty of terrain to explore ranging from rain forests, hot sandy beaches, active volcanoes, and cloud forests. Jack Farrell and Matt Gravely, students from Union College spent their last break in Costa Rica, traveling, learning to surf and exploring the country on a tight budget. They stayed in hostels throughout the trip, met people from all over the world and learned about Costa Rican culture.

As Jack described, “Costa Rica offers young travelers a diverse experience. The short distance between beach towns and abundance of safe/clean hostels makes the country a great place for first-time backpackers. While staying at a hostel in Santa Theresa, a small surfing village near the southern tip of the Nicoyan Peninsula, we met people from Canada, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand. The “Bohemian lifestyle” is the norm in these small surf towns and serves as common ground for a blending of cultures.

Thirsty travelers will not have any problem finding lively night life in Costa Rica, every beach town has a hot spot full of young vacationers. The big sand beaches and warm water are perfect for the non-surfers and the jungle is always right around the corner for those seeking wildlife, canopy tours, and waterfalls.”

If you imagine your vacation on a beach…
Costa Rica has both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea with 762 miles of coastline to explore. Travelers can take public transportation across the country by bus in about three hours. The Pacific side of Costa Rica is a famous destination for surfers. Playa Tamarindo is a popular pacific destination for eco-friendly vacationers looking for some adventure along side a relaxing and stress-free vacation. Caribbean province Limon offers beautiful sandy beaches near Panama border where Afro-Caribbean and Tico cultures mix and create a unique and relaxing place to visit.

If you’re looking for adventure…Learn to surf on the Nicoya Peninsula a famous spot for surfers around the world. Explore the unique cloud forests in Monteverde and the area around the active Arenal Volcano. Enjoy the country’s national parks including Tortuguero National Park in the Northern Carribean Region.

If you’re interested in volunteering… Look for opportunities to work on an organic farm in exchange for food and housing while planning your vacation. Wwoof provides a means to actively participate with Costa Rican culture as well as support sustainable and organic farms. If you’re interested in working with the conservation of endangered sea turtles, seeturtles is an organization that provides locations in Costa Rica where you can volunteer to protect the nesting areas by patrolling the beaches at night, provide assistance to researchers and participate in the release of baby turtle hatchlings.

Turn Volunteering into College Credit…If a week or two isn’t enough, consider turning your volunteer work into a project or an internship that will give you college credit. Talk to organizations such as seeturtles and your school beforehand to see what’s possible and available in the area. Blue Ventures in Belize also has a great volunteer program if you are interested in tying it in with your school work.  Whether you’re looking for volunteer opportunities, adventure or a vacation on the beach, Costa Rica provides a wide variety of eco-friendly and affordable trips for college-aged students.