The day before

Here we are once again the day before our departure with Desert Therapy.

It is the usual frenzy, with a thousand things to prepare in a short time: because this time the trip was decided upon only a few days before departure, but this is not a problem for us. On Saturday morning, when we embark on our flight to Cairo, everything is always ready. The weather forecast predicts cooler temperatures than the previous editions, but both us and our clients are equipped properly. And also, the cold in the desert is not the same cold as in Milan! We can expect clear skies and stars and perfect days for walking. Also…there is Roberto’s birthday to celebrate! For the first time, we will blow out the candles on a Desert Therapy journey, and it will not be the only time. In March, when we leave for Egypt, there is another birthday to celebrate in the desert! By the way, there are still two places available for the trip departing March 5 and returning the 13th. You are all invited to the party, do not miss this opportunity!

The COUNTDOWN

Here we are again close to departure for the White Desert, we can’t wait to go back!
Is it the winter, that this year is particularly cold and sad, or the enthusiasm to realize that Desert Therapy is becoming a beautiful reality: the fact is that this adventure has fascinated and inspired from the start. It is the fourth that I will walk between the white pinnacles, for Max and Lauren the third experience. The work to ensure a memorable trip for our new travel companions will no doubt be challenging, as always, but the great satisfaction of every time seeing the eyes of those who come with us change as the desert does it work, is worth more than anything else.

Updates

It was an intense week, full of events. First with Gamma Donna in Torino. It was an interesting meeting with an audience that was very attentive to the story of my challenges, but above all interested in learning about Desert Therapy.
The next day in Milan, there was the inauguration of Wellness Temporary Village, open until February 13: also here Desert Therapy was presented and the images in the videos captivated everyone.
But the most exciting news is that we will return Saturday, February 6th to the White Desert with four people. There are two couples of friends who together have decided to celebrate the birthday of one of them in this magical place. It will be an unforgettable experience and the complete team (with Max and Lauren), will do everything to give life to an truly special edition of Desert Therapy.

Entrepreneurs

Thursday in Torino there will be the third edition of Gamma Donna, an important event dedicated to women entrepreneurs who tell the story of their work and life to the public. I will also be there: I was invited to tell about my challenges in the desert and how Desert Therapy was created. This occasion will be presented by Anna Ferrino, the owner of the company which followed me in all my crossings: who better the she knows my story? In 1991 when I started the desert crossings I certainly never thought that one day I would be part of the world of entrepreneurs! Yet it happened and I am proud. It is true that limits are undefinable, the important thing is never to stop when facing a difficulty and to have the courage to walk even the most difficult roads that life offers us. So many surprises await us!

To help Haiti?

After the terrible earthquake in Haiti, Oscar, who is a doctor, immediately made himself available to help. He should be leaving Saturday from Milan to go to the Island that was devastated, but yesterday the orders of the head of the humanitarian organization arrived: everything will be pushed back to the beginning of February.
His first reaction was disappointment, due to feelings of helplessness in being able to these people in great need, but objectively it doesn’t make sense to leave without even knowing what there is to do. There are no suitable facilities to house the Italian doctors, operating rooms are few and inadequate, and also the violence and looting that taking place everywhere, do not guarantee safety for those going to lend a hand. It is better to wait until someone takes the lead in organizing the relief effort, hoping they do so soon. The passing of time does not help those who are suffering.

Begining again

Now even those who were able to take a longer break are back to daily life. I think there is an action that unites all of us who begin a new year of work: opening the agenda for 2010 and organizing work. I did it as well. The first commitment in January- participating in the prestigious Salone di Torino Gamma Donna, where I was invited, along with a good number of women, who will talk about their everyday commitments as entrepreneurs. I will talk about Desert Therapy, and how it has come to be and how love for the desert has transformed not only me but also all those whom I have had the great fortune to accompany in this enchanting place. This is another gift that I had in life: being able to witness the transformation of people as they “discover” the desert, each in their own way, but all in way so complete, it also fills me.

Happy New Years!

Also this year we have reached the end of the calendar. It is difficult to escape from the typical trite sayings: I think that just the fact that they are trite means they contain some truth. In any case we must weigh the year. For me, on the whole: positive: it was a year of big projects, some of them realized, some of them still in progress: but watch out if it is not like this! My loved ones are still close to me and this is the most important thing. It is a turning point this New Year’s Eve, whether we like it or not. And for us it is also a chance to relax, away form our normal horizons. Lauren and Max chose the mountains, while Oscar and I have taken two weeks of freedom in our “Little Get Away”. Peace to all!