“Brutal, Offensive, Pure, True”: Welcome To Vevčani Festival

“Brutal, Offensive, Pure, True”: Welcome To Vevčani Festival

I went to Vevčani festival in rural North Macedonia. It is perhaps the wildest village festival in the Balkans.   Every Orthodox Christian New Year period villagers get dressed up as pagan characters, monsters or political figures, drink large amounts of rakia, then perform rituals and parade around the village.   It’s supposed to be an expression of independent spirit and free speech, but some think that the more extreme costumes are beyond the pale.   Episodes of Keep Going: An Unexpected Travel Podcast are currently coming out every two weeks, in the usual podcast places and with full videos on the pod's YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@keepgoingtravelpodcast].   Subscribe to get episodes as soon as they land.   Writing, recording, narration: Jamie Fullerton [https://fullertonjamie.journoportfolio.com/] Sound editing: Samira Tazari [https://www.samiratazari.com/] Music: Olguita Acuña [https://linktr.ee/olguita.acuna?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn4ZynDgXK-y2JsZSywe06Pq7hBcSapfTmt15vjh438KRjUfBySmLirE2M1WQ_aem_yENuCAtsI4amTsTFpJrZrw] Podcast artwork: Nini Giunàshvili [https://www.instagram.com/giunas_sketching/]   Vevčani location: Google Maps [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Vevchani,+North+Macedonia/@41.24292,20.5847258,15z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x1350e3b89f63d8f1:0x1c2cf1b0b2580607!8m2!3d41.2407543!4d20.5915649!16s%2Fm%2F02rh_gn?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQyOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Bagpipes In The Mountains: Gaida (And Guns) In Bulgaria

Some bagpipes styles are intensely annoying, but Bulgaria’s kaba gaida style is low in tone, moody, spacey, almost gothic, and linked to rural life in the country for thousands of years.   Now new generations of Bulgarian bagpipers head deep into the Rhodope Mountains each year for a bagpipe festival and competition.   It’s part of a resurgence in folk arts in Bulgaria. Among the younger generations are bagpipes even… cool? I went to the Gela bagpipe festival.   Episodes of Keep Going: An Unexpected Travel Podcast are currently coming out every two weeks, in the usual podcast places and with full videos on the pod's YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@keepgoingtravelpodcast].   Subscribe to get episodes as soon as they land.   Writing, recording, narration: Jamie Fullerton [https://fullertonjamie.journoportfolio.com/] Sound editing: Samira Tazari [https://www.samiratazari.com/] Music: Olguita Acuña [https://linktr.ee/olguita.acuna?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn4ZynDgXK-y2JsZSywe06Pq7hBcSapfTmt15vjh438KRjUfBySmLirE2M1WQ_aem_yENuCAtsI4amTsTFpJrZrw] Podcast artwork: Nini Giunàshvili [https://www.instagram.com/giunas_sketching/]   Gela, Bulgaria: Google Maps link [https://www.google.com/maps/place/4710+Gela,+Bulgaria/@41.6428808,23.9115947,9z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x14ac5ef8b2c446eb:0xa00a014cd0df4e0!8m2!3d41.6440534!4d24.5730401!16s%2Fg%2F1z2v7pwsw?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D] Nearby hotel: Monastery 2 Aparthotel [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Monastery+2+Aparthotel/@41.6624469,24.6834956,17z/data=!4m10!3m9!1s0x14ac580a34aa3ba7:0x789f83b2fe157e3a!5m3!1s2026-04-21!4m1!1i2!8m2!3d41.6624429!4d24.6860705!16s%2Fg%2F1ptyk6p8w?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

A Sloth’s Journey: Building Bridges In Costa Rica

Costa Rica has positioned itself as a successful eco-tourism destination, and tourists cascade into the country with ambitions to see sloths in the wild.   As more tourist infrastructure gets built, more of the famously lethargic-looking animals are getting injured and killed due to the development. Sloths are susceptible to species isolation caused by new roads and buildings cutting off treetop pathways.   A group of conservationists is taking action by shimmying up massive trees and putting up rope bridges for the sloths. I joined the team on a bridge-building mission.   Episodes of Keep Going: An Unexpected Travel Podcast are currently coming out every two weeks, in the usual podcast places and with full videos on the pod's YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@keepgoingtravelpodcast].   Subscribe to get episodes as soon as they land.   Writing, recording, narration: Jamie Fullerton [https://fullertonjamie.journoportfolio.com/] Sound editing: Samira Tazari [https://www.samiratazari.com/] Music: Olguita Acuña [https://linktr.ee/olguita.acuna?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn4ZynDgXK-y2JsZSywe06Pq7hBcSapfTmt15vjh438KRjUfBySmLirE2M1WQ_aem_yENuCAtsI4amTsTFpJrZrw] Podcast artwork: Nini Giunàshvili [https://www.instagram.com/giunas_sketching/]   The Sloth Conservation Foundation: Slothconservation.org [https://www.slothconservation.org/brandpartnercontact?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22364422695&gbraid=0AAAAAC7DcbWTMaBLcjhD4MinVJ14wcXAr&gclid=CjwKCAjwhe3OBhABEiwA6392zOoQ8Nh6J3QZT9poKaafM2Cd9Yyn2jfb1BgU4D20QqhC6nFSjszochoC69IQAvD_BwE] Jaguar Rescue Center: Jaguarrescue.foundation [https://www.jaguarrescue.foundation/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Bulls Of San José: Costa Rica’s Amateur Bullfighters

Every year around Christmas, massive bulls and “Improvisers” descend on bullrings around San José, Costa Rica’s capital city. The Improvisers are members of the public who get drunk, put on fluorescent t-shirts, leap into the ring then chase and annoy the bulls.   Bullfighting was brought to Costa Rica by Spanish colonisers and is still hugely popular in the small Central American country. Bullfighters there don’t kill the bulls, but animal rights protesters still sometimes stage protests against the events.   I spent Christmas with the amateur bull-botherers of San José, and some of the people determined to end their booze-fuelled fun.   Episodes of Keep Going: An Unexpected Travel Podcast are currently coming out every two weeks, in the usual podcast places and with full videos on the pod's YouTube channel [https://www.youtube.com/@keepgoingtravelpodcast].   Subscribe to get episodes as soon as they land.   Writing, recording, narration: Jamie Fullerton [https://fullertonjamie.journoportfolio.com/] Sound editing: Samira Tazari [https://www.samiratazari.com/] Music: Olguita Acuña [https://linktr.ee/olguita.acuna?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn4ZynDgXK-y2JsZSywe06Pq7hBcSapfTmt15vjh438KRjUfBySmLirE2M1WQ_aem_yENuCAtsI4amTsTFpJrZrw] Podcast artwork: Nini Giunàshvili [https://www.instagram.com/giunas_sketching/]   Tickets and information for the Pedregal bullfighting: Torosalatica.cr [https://www.torosalatica.cr/] Zapote bullring: Google Maps link [https://www.google.com/maps/place/Redondel+de+Zapote/@9.9171852,-84.0539717,16z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x8fa0e398894c0747:0x314541e1a3fc0889!8m2!3d9.9171852!4d-84.0513968!16s%2Fg%2F11cjjtfjz3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D] Karen Elena’s San José animal rights group: Coordinadora por la Liberación Animal on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/coordinadora_liberacionanimal/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

The Mayan Train: Mexico’s Controversial Tren Maya

Mexico’s Tren Maya takes tourists around the Yucatán Peninsula, to cities, ancient Mayan ruins and jungle towns. It has displaced Indigenous locals, destroyed sacred sites and caused environmental carnage.   Mexican authorities have touted the Tren Maya as offering a Mayan adventure and providing jobs and transport for poor locals. I spent a month traveling around the railway route to see how the massive project has affected life near the tracks.    Watch full video episodes on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@keepgoingtravelpodcast].   Writing, recording, narration: Jamie Fullerton [https://fullertonjamie.journoportfolio.com/] Sound editing: Samira Tazari [https://www.samiratazari.com/] Music: Olguita Acuña [https://linktr.ee/olguita.acuna?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQMMjU2MjgxMDQwNTU4AAGn4ZynDgXK-y2JsZSywe06Pq7hBcSapfTmt15vjh438KRjUfBySmLirE2M1WQ_aem_yENuCAtsI4amTsTFpJrZrw] Podcast artwork: Nini Giunàshvili [https://www.instagram.com/giunas_sketching/]   You can buy Tren Maya tickets from the official ticket website, Reservas.ventaboletostrenmaya.com.mx [https://reservas.ventaboletostrenmaya.com.mx/]. ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.