Connecting Routes: Holistic Harvests

QATAR - VANUATU - GHANA

Post-feast, gazing out on an autumn evening with loved ones

Here’s to “Connecting Routes” ~ a space to spotlight a common theme in my travels that offers snapshots from one place to another, like the tantalizing tease of a tasting menu or a shortlist of your next dream vacation!

Top Three Places for Holistic Harvests

I absolutely love October. After all, it’s birthday month! Even though the sunworshipper within vehemently notices the fading rays of these days, Nature’s fall season also intrigues me. I get nostalgic thinking of our annual family tradition of piling into the car to scan the immersive colour collection of canopies of trees, agnostic of the direction. From then till now, crimson and mustards overpowering the chlorophyll’s capacity for photosynthesis puts on a show for us each year, as if these groves were generating autobiographies of their past year. I think of the cycles of death and life as I look to a changing horizon - I too want to be like these leaves, leaving behind a trail of blazing beauty when it comes time to transition to another season.

From feasting to family time, the process, pause and paying homage to harvests have been etched into various worldwide traditions. While our world needs to rework the inherent complexities in which Thanksgiving is rooted, the holiday can enhance our own awareness and approach to gratitude, getting involved and calls to action. Beyond North America, communities come together to give thanks for their ancestors, children, family, friends and harvests. From Chuseok (North Korea), Tết Trung Thu (Vietnam), Kinrõ Kansha no Hi (Japan) and Chung Chiu (China) to Erntedankfest (Germany), Pongal (India), Sukkot (Israel) and Asogli Te Za or Homwow (Ghana), the contribution of workers, human rights, peace, unity, fertility, the moon and environment are also celebrated.

What can a harvest bring? Indeed, the bounties of the land are likely the first to land in our minds. Of course, there are useful substances (such as rainwater) that can be harvested, cells and body parts for medical use and perhaps as well, we’d consider the mining of information. Through travel, I feel fortunate to also experience the value we reap from various situations. As I reflect on the land, leisure and loved ones, I’m grateful for how a harvest can offer wholesome and holistic bounty and beauty - year after year, from one continent and community to another.

Pumpkin spice latte in hand, I look out at the fall leaves that are sprucing up the skyline. I think about garnering fruitful experiences, whether it’s in the bounties of a country’s land, what it can offer for leisure or the ways in which the human spirit is levitated. Isn’t it remarkable how much we can harvest, even as we journey?

1. Qatar: You may be (pleasantly) surprised at the options and opulence of Doha, so if it hasn’t hit it yet, this is a radar-worthy destination. These lands lend themselves to great exploration. From mosques, museums, FIFA stadiums and exhibitions to creative installations, conscious green spaces and narratives that nudge reflection, the state seems optimized for balancing sophistication, style and surrender.

2. Vanuatu: While I snailed my way initially perusing Port Villa and wayfinding around the island, soon I’d gathered and witnessed loads of leisurely moments from fire shows, banyan tree swings and the underwater post office. That was even before I took in the aerial views that led me to stand at the edge of an active volcano! This is the place where the brave men of Pentecost Island jump off hand-made towers only with vines attached to their ankles in hopes of a good harvest - who knew this would be the precursor to bungee jumping?

3. Ghana: This African country gives generously in its verve. Perhaps because of the slave trade’s doors of ‘no return’ where millions were forced from their lands and lives, coupled with Ghanaians deep connection to faith, the country is replete with examples of resilience, loyal connection and overflowing joy. Journeys here sow seeds of reclaiming, wholesome living and the blessings and bounty of forgiveness, faith and love.

Whirling dervish, cycling through life’s sentiments and seasons

May we be granted a generous and holistic harvest such that we’re in a state of perpetual gratitude,