I don't know much about horses or horseback riding. The only times I came anywhere close to that liberating feeling you get from being atop a galloping horse was while riding David Bowie (the horse, not the rock star) in the company of Alessandro Faro, our local guide and friend in Morro de Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Morro is an island around 60 km by boat from Salvador. The motorless island boasts a vast expanse of protected land and a periphery of white sand beaches. The locals pride themselves on spending long days on the beach, playing beach soccer, futevolei, capoiera and fresco ball. For good reason, it is not unusual to get completely distracted by beach activity (and speedos and bikinis) and forget about the interior of the island. In part, this is why I always go horseback riding on every trip to Morro.

Alessandro is originally from Argentina. He spent years driving taxis in Buenos Aires, battling traffic and stress. Now he and his wife live 10 minutes from the beach, in a carefully crafted wooden house among the trees. Ale takes visitors around the island's interior on horseback, providing a perspective that they may have otherwise missed, had they remained exclusively on the beach.

This time around, I was just as elated at the end of our tour as the year before. Ale invited us up to his home for refreshments, where we laid back in a hammocks and watched a humming bird beckon him to refill the bird feeder. Overcome by the peaceful vibes emanating from this place, I looked over at Ale, the head engineer of this situation, who had just finished rolling a smoke.

Out of nowhere, Ale, with a look of concern, took off running downstairs to his horses. I jumped out of the hammock and looked off the balcony to find David Bowie on his belly, and a nervous dog barking by his side. Both animals were clearly distressed. The horse had managed to tangle itself within its reins, and fallen to the ground. Ale carefully approached DB, keeping him up to speed with all his actions and intentions, quite like one learns to do in First Aid. He untangled the animal, comforting it as it came back to its feet, all while holding his cigarette steadily in his mouth.

I stood there in awe, as I watched him conclude this graceful rescue with some kind words and a stroke of the mane. Even the Canadian Beach Travellers group (horse-friendly folk) were impressed. Ale came back upstairs and nonchalantly mixed some more mango juice for us - what a champ!

Ravi Handa, Beach Travellers Brazil Guide

It's no mystery that Indonesians are great wave-riders. The LST is a local surf team in Nusa Lembongan, a small island next to Bali (destination #3 on BT's Bali & Beyond trip). The team started 10 years ago by a lady named Karen, who came over from Hawaii ten years ago, bringing the Hawaiian spirit and passion for surfing with her.

She noticed that in the water a lack of respect for the local boys was starting to appear at the island's main surf breaks.  Nusa Lembongan is a must-see spot for many backpackers throughout Indonesia, and in result the idyllic waves that once belonged to the locals of Lembongan were getting more and more crowded by “expats”. Karen formed the Lembongan Surf Team, a non-profit organization, so that the local young surfers could get out there and gain a name for themselves.

The boys on the team were put in control and taught how to manage the team on their own, each with an important position. By learning to run and organize the team, the boys gained a sense of importance and responsibility. The team has also taught the boys to have respect for others in the water and to keep surfing fun.

The team is all about equality, if a local kid is from a poor family and can't afford a surfboard, the LST helps the kid get access to a board. The LST often travels to the island of Bali and competes, and four of the boys on the team have now become sponsored by major companies such as Rip Curl and Billabong.

From July 25th to August 1st The Billabong Pro Junior 2011 contest will be held at the legendary "Shipwrecks" break on Nusa Lembongan. Four boys from the LST will be competing in this International competition right here at their home break for the first time ever, and the island is ecstatic with energy about this.

I found this to be a heart-warming and inspiring story so I thought I'd share it with all of you.  That's the beauty of travelling; meeting new people, hearing their stories and learning from them.

~ Maggie Verity, Beach Travellers Bali Guide

3h45 am, les derniers aux revoirs à travers les fenêtres de la navette qui ramène le groupe à l’aéroport pour leur vol de départ. Esteban, notre chauffeur de course, a le gros sourire au visage comme toujours. C'est pas aussi évident pour certaines personnes qui se voient quitter la Pura Vida qu’ils aimaient tant ; le surf, le soleil, les soirées endiablées, mais surtout les nouvelles rencontres de voyage. Let’s keep in touch !

Quand le groupe arrive au Costa Rica, tout le monde est excité, mais un peu timide en rencontrant un groupe d'étrangers. Une fois le groupe réuni, on s’ouvre une Pilsen bien froide et « Salud ! », le trip commence.

Après le casado au poisson couvert de délicieuse sauce Lizano et les 3 ou 4 mojitos beaucoup trop corsés, on redemande le nom de tout le monde parce qu’on ne s’en rappelle jamais après la première poignée de main. "Where are you from, what’s your job ?", les classiques. C’est après ça que tout devient plus intéressant. On se rend compte qu’on a plusieurs points en commun avec presque tout le groupe et que le trip s’annonce complètement fou.

Pendant les 13 prochains jours, on va tripper ensemble 16 heures par jour, des fois plus. On va se voir dans toutes sortes de situations, des fois drôles, des fois gênantes. C’est ce qui fait la beauté du voyage, l’imprévu. On vit des situations intenses qui nous rapprochent, qui tissent des liens très forts entre chacun d’entre-nous. Une session de surf de feu, un trip de ATV dans la jungle, un jam de guitare sur la plage autour d’un feu, un fou rire pendant une heure de yoga avec un prof complètement weird, peu importe. C’est tellement important d’apprendre à connaître les gens qui nous entourent, chacun d’eux à quelque chose à offrir. On ne sait jamais ce que l’avenir nous réserve et garder contact avec ses nouveaux buddies ça vaut de l’or.

J’ai décidé d’écrire mon blog en français parce que Beach Travellers est en train d’exploser au Québec. Le peuple québécois est reconnu comme étant très ouvert d’esprit à travers le monde et je souhaite à tous et chacun de voyager le plus possible.  BT est sans aucun doute une belle opportunité de sortir de sa routine et de découvrir les différentes merveilles que le monde a à nous offrir. Pour ceux et celles qui sont un peu tannés de caler des margaritas à partir de midi à Cancun, je vous suggère fortement un voyage avec Beach Travellers.

Expérimenter et sortir le la zone de confort, ça vaut toujours la peine! Vous devez absolument vivre l’expérience d’un TRITS Costa Ricain dans votre bouche avant de mourir, tout comme vivre la folie du Full Moon Party en Thaïlande ou bien de découvrir la culture à Bali et de sauter en deltaplane du haut d’une falaise par dessus Rio au Brésil. Un grand sage m’a déjà dit qu’on apprenait plus en un seul voyage qu’en une année complète à l’université……à vous de voir !

Hasta luego !

~Frederic Laurence, Guide Beach Travellers Costa Rica