Latin American Film Festival

Kepri participated in Montreal’s Cinema du Parc’s latest Film Fest: The Latin American Film Festival. A two week event that brings about some of Latin America’s most venerated and award-winning movies… To motivate as many Montrealers as possible to come open their film horizons (instead of going to see typical Hollywood movies!) and also run the chance of winning one of two Kepri trips to Argentina that include all the local costs for the tour around the country:

Discover the charm of Buenos Aires while walking around the historical as well as modern neighborhoods

Enjoy the views and spectacular falls of the national park of Iguazu

Encounter the local community of “El Monte” and take a beautiful journey to reach the ecolodge in the middle of the forest

Discover el Cerro Aconcagua, the highest mountain in America and the highest outside Asia

Visit the Che Guevara museum and learn more about his life

Taste Argentina’s delights, wines and delicious meat

For the trip info click here: http://www.kepri.com/index.php?sec=3&sub=1&lang=en&tripID=98

Here are some event photos:

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Atypical tourist destination: Armenia

Being from Armenia, I will often get a blank gaze when I mention my country of origin, and an even more surprised stare when I mention it for tourism or cultural ecotourism purposes. I therefore thought it would be useful to briefly talk about Armenia for all those alternative tourists out there who might be interested:

With a history of 3500 years, Armenians are one of the most ancient civilizations that stood the test of time. One of the most impressive aspects of the country is its true mix of oriental and occidental cultures. By reviewing the events in the history of Armenia, one can easily understand how this came to be. Until today, this regions remains highly strategic with respect to international commerce. Situated in the middle between Europe and Asia, the ancient silk routes and Crusades from the Middle Ages all passed through the country. Many ancient (and recent) civilizations prized Armenia land and constantly attacked and invaded it over the last few thousands of years: from the Assyrians, to the Romans, Persians, Mongols, Arabs and lately the Turks and Russians. So even with all these great forces pushing its culture aside, Armenians were able to survive even a Turkish genocide and continue to distinguish themselves with their language, their religion and writing.

In 301 A.D. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as the state’s official religion. Shortly after, the Armenian alphabet was created to replace the Greek alphabet. The Armenian culture is intimately linked to that of the Church and the alphabet. Its history is filled with invaders who tirelessly tried to convert the locals into other religious beliefs, failing time and time again.

Armenians look proudly at their heritage, yet today are living a difficult transition from communism to open free markets. However, the last few years have been marked by foreign investment by the Armenian Diaspora that is slowly coming back to their roots. Since the 21st century the economy has seen encouraging results of growth via the diamond trade, health services, IT and even tourism. By lacking a major industry or natural resources to drive its future, Armenia’s true greatest treasure is its human assets, waiting for your next trip in order to share with you their unique country…

Here is an example trip with activities and visits:

- Visits of Armenian pilgrimage sites

- Bird-watching in an enchanting site in the company of an expert

- Discover the culture, music and the customary hospitality of rural communities

- Hiking to one summit (3987m) of the highest mountain in the country

- Exploration trek in the autonomous republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, still not recognized by the international community

For more info on an example trip to Armenia, click here.

Ara Markarian, Kepri.com

Happy Holidays and an eventful 2010!

Wishing everyone a great New Year’s Eve, enjoy the celebrations and looking forward to traveling with you in 2010!

Peruvian Film Week in Montreal

Take a look at the event, where, for a whole week, the Cinema du Parc theatre was showcasing Peru’s most venerated movies, and the Peruvians in the Kepri team were there to give away a trip and promote our unique trips to their country of origin.

Take a look at the promo video that was shown before each movie played:

Take a look at photos from the event: we had the chance to put up some beautiful photos as a gallery for all movie-goers to enjoy:

Where Are The Sails?

What can be more enjoyable than being on a sailboat for a beautiful Nile cruise or on an excursion on the Mediterranean? The sailboat is, without a doubt, one of the most pleasant ways to discover Egypt’s northern coast and the Sinai Peninsula; plus, it is almost 100% ecological. Traditional sailboats like the “Dahabeya” in Egypt or the “Gulet” in Turkey have been around for centuries and have always sailed in harmony with the natural environment… until one day mass tourism appeared.

Off the coast of Turkey today, tour operators have transformed these magnificent vessels into motorboats as they try to maximize their short-term profits. With a motor on board, these deformed sailboats are easier to manage since they require less labour and upkeep (for example, there is no more need to clean the sails) thus lowering the operating costs.  This myopic approach has pushed tour operators in the mediterranean into a regional price war.  This is a true shame as the mass of tourists benefit from the discounted price that the environment ends up paying for, not to mention the complete lack of charm that motorboating on a sailing across the sea brings.

On a positive note, the real sailboats do still exist in the area, they just require a bit of homework to be able to find them.So next time you book yourself a mediterranean cruise, make sure the sailing crew will actually use the sails!

Karim Haggar, Kepri.com

Kepri’s photos at McGill University

Kepri is honoured to have been chosen as the supplier for McGill University’s MBA Lounge gallery of photos that are decorating the walls… with a selection of 9 beautiful photographs all taken on Kepri trips in the last few years, the university halls at the Peel and Sherbrooke corner Business Faculty (Desaultels) can make even the avid traveller wander off in a daydream…

The small plaques with inscriptions describe the scene and for those of you living in Montreal, you can visit the gallery by going to the 3rd floor of the building located at 1001 Sherbrooke Street West, Montreal, QC.

See the Faculty’s website here: www.mcgill.ca/management

Kepri’s Alyson Rodriguez on mining in Peru

Alyson Rodriguez, C.O. for Peru

An interview between Alyson Rodriguez, Peru CO (Creative Organizer) and ekimondo.

QUESTION: How has mining had an impact on the Amazon in Peru?

Mining was one of the main sources of labour in Peru when it was introduced by the Spanish.  Today, mining projects represent some of the largest investments in the country. Mining companies that are extracting different valuables from the mineral-rich Peruvian ground have to respect local environmental norms, invest in education and health, as pay high levels of corporate taxes. As there are many companies that follow the legal outlines mentioned, many do not.

For many years now, independent mining companies have been contaminating some of the most important Peruvian rivers in the Amazon. Last May, during my expedition across the Tambopata river we saw miners manifesting against the governments recent actions to imprison illegal independent mining companies’ managers. Unfortunately for the local population, this caused many Peruvians living in the Maldonado Port area to lose their jobs, at least, until the conflict is resolved. Read full interview