Westworld Alberta
Issue link: http://westworldmagazine.ama.ab.ca/i/68789
5 F OUR YEARS AGO MY WIFE and I volunteered in Costa Rica, a country blessed with postcard-ready coastlines, surf- ing beaches, jungles and national parks. We signed on with Habitat for Humanity in the town of Rio Claro, a dusty, southern agricultural community that for most tourists is little more than a gas-and-food stop on the way to iconic Corcovado National Park or the expansive sands of Playa Zancudo. As part of a con- tingent of North Americans who had for- gone the usual surf-and-sand holiday, we were treated to a genuine hospitality that is sometimes lacking in places where the human exchange is reduced to a mone- tary transaction between tourist and local. We lifted cement cinder blocks and mixed mortar under the subtropical sun, build- ing simple houses for people who other- wise might never have had a roof overhead. We worked alongside the locals, or "Ticos," as they call themselves, broke bread and shared jugs of water, as well as a (top) Courtesy Michael Paull, Tour d'Afrique Volunteer Vacations that bring deeper meaning to travel BY ANDREW FINDLAY few laughs. In so doing, we enriched our lives, and in a small but no less profound way, those of the local people we encountered. Which is the whole point of "voluntouring" – it allows trav- ellers to leave behind something other than dollars in the destinations they visit. It also gives them access to the B-side of a country, the gritty soul that may not be fi t for glossy brochures, but is closer to the authentic character of a des- tination. The opportunities are as diverse as the needs that exist around the world in the fields of environmental, social, humanitarian and cultural development. Here are a few ideas for your next volun- teer vacation. (main) A Tour d'Afrique group poses in front of the pyramids at the start of their adventure; (top) Albertan Michael Paull, en route, at an Ethiopian school giving out uniforms purchased with money he raised on his tour. 1 Cycle Africa Traversing Africa from tip to tail, par- ticipants in the annual Tour d'Afrique travel from Cairo to Cape Town, pass- ing through 10 countries and cycling nearly 12,000 kilometres in 120 days. It's an incredible opportunity to experi- ence Africa's astounding natural and WESTWORLD JUNE 2012 37