Journey of Action: The Browns Prepare for Mexico

Ryan and Kassidy Brown, siblings from the USA, did what many of us do, when faced with the world's ills. They sat on the couch and watched documentaries, then felt a little overwhelmed by it all. With an almost obsessive need to learn more, and to feel like they were doing something, they joined various action groups. Newsletters poured through the post; e-mails collected in their inboxes. But then came the epiphany and their whole lives were about to change.



The Browns, a brother and sister duo from Nashville, Tennessee, realised that they were reading a lot about the problems. However, they were hearing very little about what people were doing, on the ground, to address these issues. They had faith in their own generation, whom they've dubbed the Millenials, as an age-group of 'doers'. So what were these twenty-somethings actually doing? The Browns decided to take a camera out on the road to find out.

Their 'Journey of Action' has already taken them through their home country, as well as Canada. They are seeking out inspirational Millenials and filming their stories. Topics include sustainable living, positive environmental working and community development. Their journey began in Alaska and will end in Argentina. They will enter Mexico at the end of the month. The Browns travel in an RV van, altered to run on vegetable oil, blogging and Tweeting as they go.






Ryan Brown (30) was a Nashville Spanish teacher; Kassidy Brown (25) has worked on Disney film sets. The siblings are both graduates of the University of Belmont. Both have degrees in Communications and Spanish. They have described their 'big idea' as:

We believe our generation, Generation Y, is aware of the social and environmental challenges we face on a local and global level, but they lack daily tools for action. At the same time, there are so many members of our generation that are making change a reality and who are changing the traditional systems of business, non-profits, and education for the better, but they receive little to no media attention. So, our mission is to entertain, educate, and inspire our generation through short form videos that highlight the culture of social activism.
Fast Company Article

They have already earned the respect of outdoor clothing company, Timberland, who have underwritten the $50,000 to fund their epic project.

Their trip through Mexico will include visits to our world-famous coffee plantations. Ryan and Kassidy wish to see how Fair Trade principles are progressing through the work of the Latino Millenial Generation.

To learn more about this remarkable couple, and their great vision, then please visit their website: Journey for Action.

Here are a couple of tasters of their work:





If you wish to see more then stop by their YouTube channel. There will be plenty of Mexican footage coming up over the next few weeks.

Why You Shouldn't Approach a Shark Giving Birth

The blogosphere is currently agape with sensationalist writing - shark attack in the waters around Cancun! A woman has been bitten! Flee the sea! Reading these, and the newspaper stories that inspired them, would have anyone convinced that the Caribbean Sea is now grey with hordes of smirking sharks staring down tourists in the hope of a snack. It's patently time to inject a little truth into the reporting.


Bull Shark - one of the suspects (Photo: Brian J Skerry)
I'll admit that, when I first heard about this, I was skeptical. Despite the headlines, this just doesn't happen here. In fact, we have already covered the highly improbable scenario of a fatal shark attack, in the waters off Cancun: Sharks in the Mexican Caribbean. So was this incident making liars out of us? Not really, no.

The official verdict on the circumstances has yet to emerge, as it's been too soon. However, we can piece together the likely events from eye-witness reports and the telling of the victim herself. Nicole Moore is currently recovering well in Cancun's Hospiten. Despite rumours to the contrary, all of her limbs are intact and likely to be functional in the future. She is perfectly able to explain the situation herself.

Even her father, talking to the National Post, stated that, "Some of the reports have been grossly exaggerated." While the director of the hospital, Dr. Italo Sampablo, has commented, "We've not had this kind of incident here previously."


Cancun's Caribe Park Royal
Nicole is a 38 year old nurse, and a mother of two, who traveled to Cancun with a party of ten fellow Canadians. They all hail from Orangeville, Ontario, and came here to celebrate the 50th birthday of their fitness instructor. Her husband and two daughters stayed home. On Monday, Nicole was amongst a crowd of people playing volley-ball on the beach. It was an activity organized by Cancun Caribe Park Royal hotel, where she was staying. As the sun crept up towards noon, coupled with the exertion of the exercise, she decided to go into the sea to cool off.

As to what happened next, the Mexican authorities are waiting on their report until they can establish that it was definitely a shark and not a barracuda. However, eye-witnesses state that it was definitely a shark. The fact that none of them can identify which species of shark would suggest that no-one present was an expert in the field. However, specialist knowledge was not required to see what was happening: the shark was giving birth!


Tourists clambered around to take photographs or simply to get a good look at the wondrous event. After all, you rarely get to see something like this outside of the Discovery Channel! Nicole was one of them. Also attracted by the sudden furore were lifeguards, who quickly assessed the situation and blew heavily on their whistles to clear the water. Jetskis were mobilized to get between the shark and the tourists. However, before they could reach them, the shark snapped.

Unfortunately, Nicole was closest to her jaws at the time. She suffered injuries to her arm and thigh, but never lost consciousness. She is a nurse. She instructed those around her on how best to stem the blood and apply First Aid, until the paramedics could reach her. Ten minutes later, she was in the hands of professionals and en route to hospital. She has undergone surgery, but is now awake, chatting with friends and looking forward to going home. It's believed that she will be able to return to Canada in a week.

Meanwhile, the shark, having delivered her warning, disappeared into the open ocean. Presumably to find somewhere more peaceful to deliver her young. Four lifeguards, on jetskis, searched the area immediately afterwards and were unable to locate her. As a precaution, the Cancun Caribe Park Royal beach was red-flagged for the rest of Monday through to yesterday. It is unknown whether it will remain so today. There have been no more sightings anywhere along the Yucatan coastline. Some people are defying the ban and going into the waters anyway.

Fashionable Canadians Come to Cancún

Until recently, Americans were the top nation taking their vacations in Mexico. Now so many Canadians have flocked to our beachside resorts, that they've ousted the USA. Moreover, they tend to stay longer and explore further than their neighbours.



Figures just released show a steady rise, throughout the decade, in Canadians heading into Mexico. These count those spending at least one night here:

2000.....691,900

2001.....688,600

2002.....607,400

2003.....715,800

2004.....705,200

2005.....794,400

2006.....841,300

2007..1,019,000

2008..1,124,500

2009..1,208,600

The 2010 numbers aren't there, as we're still in it, but the estimates all point to another increase. It is projected that 1.5 million Canucks would have slept overnight, in Mexico, this year.



All of this is despite smear campaigns and sensational news headlines, telling Canadians that the country is very dangerous. Even travel agents have a policy of warning holidaymakers not to stray from the resorts and never, ever befriend the locals(?). It is a view that irritates Alberto Lozano, of the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa. He's pointed out that only 20 Canadians have died in Mexico, during the past four years. Alcohol was involved in the majority of deaths, including the seven who plunged from hotel balconies, while messing around up there. Most were accidental deaths and the rest were natural causes. None of them were killed in gangland violence, nor even saw it.



For the Canuck vacationers, the biggest problem that they will encounter, in Mexico, is that they eventually have to leave again. Of course, some don't. The Canadian Expat Association in Cancún has 65 members. It's also a good job that Kelly ignored all of the dire warnings not to speak to locals. Otherwise she would never have met and married one, moved to Cancún and started a family. For the rest of us, that means that we would never have had the amazing 'A Canuck in Cancún' blog!

Incidentally, here is what she had to say about the 'danger' issue:

So, is Cancun safe for tourists? Yes. Crime happens here, sure, pick pockets, thefts from hotel rooms, etc, etc, but violent crime against tourists, no. The type of crime that happens here occurs in every city around the world, tourist attraction or not. Use your common sense and street smarts and you'll be fine. I would venture to say that Cancun is safer than most big cities around the world, I don't feel any different here than I did in Toronto or New York or Los Angeles. In fact, I probably feel safer.
'Tourists Safe in Cancun' by A Canuck in Cancun

But what does she know? She's only lived here for nearly 8 years.



Meanwhile, the cultural exchange isn't just one way. In Mexico, there are an increasing number of events, where Canadian food, film, music and other exports are introduced to locals and tourists alike. 'La Sombra del Sabino', held in Tepoztlán, is just one such example.

For many Canadian travellers, the taste of home isn't why they rush to Mexico. This is especially true in the winter months. After all, it's currently -5°C (22°F) in snowy Toronto. Meanwhile, on the beaches of Cancun, people are sipping their margaritas, applying sunscreen in temperatures of 29°C (84°F). It's hardly rocket science to work out why the Canuck tourists come.