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Respirazul

Respirando Azul Clarito. Turismo Consciente. Breathing clear Blue. Conscious tourism

RESPIRAZUL surge como una alternativa para jovenes de la ciudad de Manizales, interesados en la apropiación del territorio, tanto en sus dimensiones naturales como culturales, por medio de caminatas en el Departamento de Caldas, las cuales, basadas en la educación, la experimentación y el juego, permiten a sus participantes reconocerse como seres vivos.

17/07/2025

🌿 Can tourism become a path to peace and biodiversity conservation?

In my last post, I explored how destinations and communities build narratives — not just through words, but through actions that tell powerful stories. One of those stories is happening right now in Vista Hermosa, Meta, Colombia 🇨🇴.

Let me introduce you to “The Land of the Zocay Monkey with Faces of Peace” 🐒✌️, a community-led initiative that demonstrates how the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystems can foster peace, conservation, and inclusive economic opportunities 🌱💚.

📍Vista Hermosa is located in the Orinoquía region, on the transition to the Amazon. This once-forgotten paradise is home to seven species of monkeys 🐵, including the Zocay Monkey, and the majestic Harpy Eagle 🦅. Sadly, it was also deeply scarred by Colombia’s armed conflict — ⚠️ mines, illicit crops 🌿, and violence.

After the peace agreement 🤝, change began. Local communities, NGOs, and international cooperation programs came together to replace illicit economies with agrotourism 🧳 and biodiversity-friendly businesses 🛖. That’s how this inspiring initiative was born 🌄.

But challenges remain. ❗
Deforestation is threatening critical habitats — over 3,458 hectares were lost in just two months in 2022 🪵🔥 in nearby protected areas. The Zocay Monkey, already listed as vulnerable ⚠️, has lost over 30% of its habitat in the past 24 years 📉.

Still, hope is alive 🌟.

At La Piel Roja agrotourism farm 🌾, Doña Aurora and her family transitioned from processing coca to cultivating organic cacao 🍫 while preserving biological corridors 🌿. Leaders like Alex Rayo and César León are showing how value chains rooted in sustainability can drive regional transformation 🔄🌍.

This experience is much more than tourism. It’s a powerful journey through culture, nature, and resilience ✨:

Imagine waking up to a jungle symphony at dawn 🎶🌄, tasting tropical fruits 🍍🥭, tracking Zocay Monkeys through cacao trails 🐒🍫, climbing to breathtaking waterfalls 💦, and resting in a hammock 🛏️ as nature surrounds you 🌳.

30/06/2025

A story is not only told by words. A powerful example is the 10-meter-long painted rock wall created over 10,000 years ago in the Serranía de la Lindosa. These ancient paintings allow us to imagine and understand the cosmology of our ancestors. They speak of the jaguar, the interconnection of Amazonian cultures, fertility, and the cycles of life. Today, local communities are working to protect this heritage through community-led and regenerative tourism.

A story is not only told by words. Another example is the experience "The Land of the Zocay Monkey with Faces of Peace" in Vista Hermosa, a town home to seven species of monkeys and the largest eagle in the Americas: the harpy eagle. This story is told by communities deeply affected by the Colombian conflict. Today, this rich biodiversity has a voice. Local leaders and grassroots organizations are responding, creating meaningful experiences around farms, cacao plantations, dense jungles, and an abundance of birds and monkeys. This story is told through the eyes and faces of people who chose to transition from illicit crops to sustainable livelihoods. They listened to the voice of the Zocay monkey, the ambassador of their territory.

A story is not only told by words. It’s also told through music and rhythm. Have you ever heard about Colombia’s Pacific Coast? A land where music fills the air, and stories are shared through the sound of the marimba and traditional dances. These stories speak of "zoteas" — raised gardens filled with edible and medicinal plants. They tell of the bond between the moon, the fishermen, and the sea.

08/06/2025

Remembering these days of freedom ✨
makes me reflect on the bindings we place upon our own being.

Like ropes we cling to tightly 🧵—just to justify this journey of living 🌍.

Reaching out to the external world is an intrinsic need we have—
to refresh our existence,
to sow and reap ideas 🌱💭

But I wonder what happens
when, somehow, all the doors that connected us to reality have been broken.
Or at least the reality we wanted to believe existed.

What happens when you open your eyes 👁️
and see that existence itself gives you the chance
to grasp whichever ropes you choose—
to define the bindings that shape the near future of your life 🛤️

How do we say goodbye to the ties that have come undone? 👋
How do we nurture the new ones? 🌾

Is this, perhaps, a process of being born again—
a gift to reconfigure the compass? 🧭

02/04/2025

🌍 Cultural Routes: A Path to Community Tourism 🥾✨

For the past few weeks, I’ve been volunteering in Turkey, working alongside Kate Clow, the visionary behind the Lycian Way 🇹🇷—one of the world’s most breathtaking long-distance trails. Experiencing this first-hand has been truly inspiring!

🚶‍♂️ What makes this trail so special? It’s not just the stunning landscapes 🏞️ but also the tourism value chain it has created. This route generates hundreds of jobs, fostering a thriving ecosystem where restaurants 🍽️, guesthouses 🏡, and tour operators 🤝 compete fairly, maximizing their potential and strengthening local communities.

This experience made me reflect on Colombia’s tourism model 🇨🇴. While we have incredible destinations like Cartagena, Bogotá, Salento, Lost City, and Medellín, most visitors remain stuck in these hotspots. But what if we developed long-distance trails and cultural routes that allow travelers to explore at their own pace, connecting deeply with our landscapes and communities?

🌎 Some inspiring long-distance routes around the world:
✅ Lycian Way 🇹🇷
✅ Camino de Santiago 🇪🇸
✅ Balkan Route 🌍
✅ Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico to Canada) 🇺🇸🇨🇦

🏔️ Colombia has so much potential! Imagine routes like:
🌿 Colombian Cultural Landscape Trail
🌊 Pacific Coast Route
🌄 Andean-Amazonian Route
🚶‍♀️ Meta-Guaviare Route
🏝️ Caribbean Route

Tourism can be a powerful tool for conservation and community development when done right. Let’s promote slow, sustainable travel that benefits local communities and preserves our natural and cultural heritage. 🌱💚

What other routes do you think could be developed in Colombia? 🤔 Drop your thoughts in the comments! 👇👇

17/03/2025

Have you ever woken up in the morning wondering about the purpose of all this? Feeling like a tiny grain of sand, drifting with the wind. What if there is no purpose? No answer to all your questions. What if that utopia doesn’t exist? There’s no sense in thinking about the future that way, it doesn’t exist. Your worries don’t exist. Your dreams? Maybe they’ll never materialize. Your fears? One day, you’ll realize how wrong you were. Your sensations, your senses, your passions, what about them?

The truth is, the only real thing is what’s right in front of you. That sweet “good morning.” That space and time you give yourself to enjoy a cup of coffee. Those moments when you unconsciously ate or drank more than you needed. The hours spent scrolling through Instagram, trying to escape reality.

The present moment, the value of being present.

I could stand before the most breathtaking landscape, have the most loving person by my side, taste the most exquisite food, but if I’m not present, what’s the point of it all?

Keep your curiosity alive. Create a home for your mind and nurture it. Live now. Don’t be late to become the person you want to be.

Don’t be late to be out there.

02/02/2025

NOT ALL THOSE WHO WANDER ARE LOST 👣🐾

My beard has grown a little during my stay on the Mediterranean coast. It has been a unique experience—visiting stunning ruins and wandering here and there. Every sunrise and every swim in the cold water have been opportunities to be grateful for the gift of being alive.

There is also suffering that I must face in this process. Being alive is painful; mastering ourselves and building a good relationship with our minds and bodies is difficult and requires resilience, doesn't it? This journey, living as a wanderer without a home, has taught me the value of experimental living—and that not all experiments succeed. Most of them fail.

Wanderer 🎒, but not lost!!

09/12/2024

What an incredible adventure I had in the UK! Exploring its stunning architecture and picturesque canals was fascinating ⛵. Here are some photos I collected from my time in London and small towns I visited. Looking back at these memories reminds me how quickly life moves. I can hardly believe that the UK is now just a memory 🍂

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