#silkwinds

[lord-raccoon]

mostly accurate sketch of my character, Velis Silkwinder, by @artoriarts​

[suwandic]

For anyone who might want to see the photo before it was being made as the cover for @silkair Silkwinds inflight magazine cover in this November 2017 issue. My favorite photo from my whole trip to Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park when on assignment for @inkglobal Silkwinds. Had to wear face mask to cover my nose and mouth to prevent inhaling the sands. #Bromo #Horse #Tengger #Semeru #NationalPark #Indonesia #SilkAir #Silkwinds #nature #sunrise #landscape #panorama #travel #cover #sand #Tenggerese #Surabaya #lppathfinders #lppostcards #lonelyplanet #natgeo #cnnireport #cnntravel #bbctravel #earthcapture #vsco #iamtraveler #tlpicks (at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park)

[yodapix]

Thank for plublish my photo. @silkair #silkwindsmagazine #silkwinds #silkair

[alexllove-blog]

Dressed in a black hoodie and jeans despite the sweltering city heat, Andres Malumpong shuffles into a modest factory building with a timid smile on his face, cradling what may as well be a pot of gold. Over the past 10 days, the 56-year-old farmer has gathered 2.5kg of coffee beans from the forest floor near his mountain village, situated 175km south of Davao City. He has travelled by motorcycle to personally deliver his precious harvest to Greentropics Coffee in General Santos City, near South Cotabato province. This social enterprise has been partnering with indigenous smallholders to produce fair-trade, single-origin coffee since 2007. However, the hefty bag of soiled beans in Andres’ hands isn’t his usual delivery. It’s actually one of the world’s most expensive – and unusual – types of coffee.

The region is home to some of the best arabica beans in the Philippines

Andres is a Blaan from Purok 8, the farthest settlement of Kinilis village in Polomolok, South Cotabato. Kinilis is situated on the southern shoulder of Mount Matutum, home to some of the best arabica coffee beans in the Philippines, which they have been growing since the 1700s.

“The success of kafe balos has encouraged the communities to be stewards of wildlife conservation”

Known for their intricate embroidery and loom-weaving of dyed abaca fibres, the Blaan are one of the numerous lumad – a collective term for the non-Muslim indigenous peoples of Mindanao. Over the past century, the Blaan have been displaced by lowland settlers from other parts of the country and by multinational companies engaged in large-scale farming, logging and mining. Ethnic minorities across the archipelago, being among the poorest and most neglected in Philippine society, often suffer from discrimination and exploitation. Consequently, lumads have often been forced to retreat into upland areas like Matutum, a 13,947ha protected nature reserve rising above one of the world’s largest pineapple plantations, managed by an agricultural corporation. Fortunately, the area overlaps with around 10,000 hectares of ancestral domain, which legally upholds the land rights of Blaans living in the shadow of the mountain.

A view across the pineapple plantations that surround Mount Matutum

With the continued assistance of Greentropics, the once-marginalised villagers have markedly improved their standard of living by growing organic coffee and collecting an off-putting but sought-after by-product: civet coffee. Known as kafe balos among the Blaan, civet coffee is made from beans that have been consumed and then excreted by palm civets, a weasel-like forest animal from South and Southeast Asia that often forages for the ripe coffee berries on the plantations. Philippine civet coffee is produced by the Philippine palm civet (Paradoxurus philippinensis), a newly recognised species also found on Borneo and the Mentawai islands of Indonesia. “Since we started focusing on coffee, our lives have become so much better,” the soft-spoken Andres says. “My family can now eat three times a day.” At P900 (S$23.60) per kilo – more than five times the rate for regular beans – his latest delivery will earn him P2,250 (S$59), enough money to buy a 50kg sack of milled rice.

Civet coffee famously originated from resourceful locals working on Dutch colonial plantations in Java and Sumatra who, having been prohibited from harvesting the main crop for personal use, acquired a taste for the kopi luwak left behind by the coffee-eating civets. On Matutum, some Blaan farmers consumed civet coffee out of frugality, long before it became a luxury beverage around the world.

Andres Malumpong is one of the farmers working with Greentropics

“My father gathered the droppings because he didn’t want [the beans] to go to waste,” says Julita Buan, president of the Matutum Coffee Producers’ Association, which was established two years ago to allow the farmers to take over more steps in the manufacturing process. “Soon, everyone in our family grew to enjoy kafe balos. We had no idea it was expensive!”

In 1991, the strange brew was introduced to the West by UK-based coffee trader Antony Wild. Prized for its smooth, earthy flavours and reduced bitterness – a result of enzymatic fermentation in the animal’s digestive tract – a cup of civet coffee can fetch prices of up to S$135 per cup in the United States. Unfortunately, the lucrative industry has led many unscrupulous entrepreneurs to try and meet this demand by caging poached civets, often in terrible conditions, and feeding them only coffee berries to increase production. Not only is this cruel, it also results in inferior coffee since the animals can no longer pluck the sweetest, finest fruits.

Blaan villager Gloria Diamante displays a find of valuable droppings

Greentropics founder Fred Fredeluces guarantees that all their kafe balos – which accounts for around 10% of their total annual coffee production – is ethically sourced, devoured by wild, free-roaming animals and collected by smallholders who sell only unprocessed beans to ensure authenticity. The company produces a total of 15 to 25 tonnes of organic coffee every year, supplying hotels, coffee shops and souvenir stores in General Santos. Available ground or as whole beans and starting at P700 (S$19) for a 70g pack, civet coffee sales have picked up in recent years and their Davao-based retail partner Kafe Balos Project caters to American consumers online.

Since the late 1980s, Fred, a former NGO worker, has forged long-term relationships with Blaan coffee farmers from Matutum, helping improve their regular coffee production by teaching them better harvesting and processing methods, and since 2008, encouraging them to collect civet coffee for extra income. “I want to add value and enhance their skills, making them part of the development spectrum of the region,” the 57-year-old social entrepreneur says. “They have come out of their shells, and now present themselves proudly as Blaans.”

The Philippine palm civet is a newly recognised species

Moreover, the success of kafe balos has encouraged the communities to be stewards of wildlife conservation. When Fred began acquiring wild-sourced civet coffee from Matutum, he also convinced the tribal council of Kinilis village to prohibit the capture and hunting of Philippine palm civets, thereby protecting a vulnerable species formerly regarded as a pest or a source of bushmeat.

Like other coffee farmers in Purok 8, a settlement of around 50 scattered households, the Buan family has upgraded from horses to motorcycles and renovated their home as a direct result of coffee cultivation. “I can now afford to send my two youngest children to school,” Julita reveals as she chops a pear-shaped chayote gourd for chicken soup and tends to the wood fire that’s cooking a cauldron of rice. The 50-year-old matriarch prepares dinner in a sooty outhouse kitchen that was once the tiny bamboo-walled hut where her family of nine slept on the ground – “like a can of sardines” – under a leaky iron-sheet roof. A two-bedroom house with concrete foundations, plywood walls and glass windows now stands proudly next door.

A jeepney (mini-bus) makes its way through the vast pineapple plantation

The following morning, cloud caps dissipate to reveal the lush volcanic peak looming over the village. Judith Morallas, the fresh-faced eldest daughter of Julita, scours a relative’s plantation up the mountain with her amber-haired mongrel named Baby Dog. Crouched beneath coffee shrubs, under the dappled shade of towering evergreen trees, she scans the leaf litter and inspects moss-covered fallen logs. Coffee scat is hard to come by outside the peak fruiting season between October and February, when the 8ha farm can yield up to P22,500 (S$590) worth of kafe balos in a month – that’s nearly four times the minimum monthly wage of an agricultural worker in the region.

After half an hour, Judith’s persistence pays off when she finds some elusive droppings, between the buttress roots of a large tree. She scoops up the loose, yellowish beans with her hands and carefully wraps them in a fresh leaf. “There’s more here!” Her jovial aunt Gloria Diamante yells from across the plantation, after uncovering two more clumps whilst weeding. As expected, the morning’s harvest is meagre but at least they aren’t leaving empty-handed.

Julita Buan and her family have prospered as a direct result of kafe balos

Judith, who married a non-lumad lowlander, is determined to pass on her family’s coffee expertise to her precocious six-year-old daughter Maricarl, who eagerly helps to search for coffee scat in her free time. “I want her to learn our way of life, and be proud of her indigenous identity,” says the 32-year-old former schoolteacher. “Who else will inherit our wealth?”

With the Blaans of Matutum now empowered, one can be assured that every sip of their exotic brew is a cruelty-free indulgence that not only supports indigenous farmers and their families but also helps protect their unwitting furry forest allies.

SEE ALSO: 6 creative coffee innovations around the globe

This article was originally published in the June 2019 issue of Silkwinds magazine

The post Cultivating ethical and lucrative civet coffee in Davao appeared first on SilverKris.

[bensleyblog]

Spread over more than one million hectares in the southwest of Cambodia, Cardamom Mountains is the largest expanse of unbroken rainforest left in Southeast Asia. Covering more than 5% of the entire country, it’s a biodiversity hotspot with more than 16 different ecosystems, and is home to significant populations of rare wildlife, including 70 species on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.    

[bluwommilanolove]

ESCLUSIVA PER L’ITALIA ADV AFFIDATA A ORKESTRA PER GLI INFLIGHT MAGAZINE DI INK GLOBAL

La passione di molti di noi quando viaggiamo è quella di sfogliare le riviste gratuite di bordo delle varie compagnie aeree. Riviste che ci accompagnano e ci fanno compagnia, spesso scritte in lingue diverse e che raccolgono al loro interno varie informazioni sia utili che piacevoli da sfogliare indipendentemente se il viaggio sia di piacere o di lavoro. Magazine studiati appositamente tenendo presente il potenziale utente, concepite per rappresentare al meglio ciascuna delle aziende partner ed in grado di coinvolgere i passeggeri durante tutto il viaggio con le migliori firme internazionali, grandi reportage di viaggio e interviste a celebrità. Il tutto corredato da una splendida fotografia, comprese le pagine pubblicitarie che devono ben integrarsi al tutto. Riviste a disposizione dei viaggiatori, che non devono essere lasciate a bordo ma che possono accompagnarci in tutto il nostro viaggio fino al ritorno a casa. Da oggi il potenziale portfolio clienti Italia di 15 importanti inflight magazine INK è in concessione esclusiva alla concessionaria ORKESTRA.

 INK Travel Media Publishing Company, leader mondiale dei travel media, ha affidato in questi giorni a òrkestra la raccolta pubblicitaria esclusiva di 15 inflight magazine per il mercato Italia. Orkestra è la prima concessionaria esterna a cui il gruppo inglese affida la propria attività commerciale.

 “La necessità di avere in Italia una concessionaria affidale e altamente professionale che diventasse un punto di riferimento certo per tutti i clienti interessati al segmento degli inflight magazine è stato il motivo principale che ha spinto INK ad affidare tale ruolo a òrkestra" - afferma Gianni Montanaro, managing director dell'agenzia òrkestra nella foto - "Sappiamo bene come in Italia il mondo degli inflight magazine sia spesso una giungla dove è impossibile districarsi alla ricerca degli interlocutori adatti, oggi vogliamo che òrkestra diventi un punto di riferimento preciso, professionale ed altamente competente al servizio di tutti coloro che desiderano pianificare la loro comunicazione su questi potentissimi mezzi. Sono assolutamente certo che il mondo della pubblicità apprezzerà moltissimo questa bella novità.!”

La caratteristica principale degli inflight magazine è la loro dinamicità: riviste che seguono il viaggiatore in tutto il mondo e che offrono l'opportunità di raggiungere numeriche di potenziate lettore veramente molto interessanti per il potenziale investitore, numeri che difficilmente potrebbe raggiungere pianificando nei singoli Paesi su vari testate locali.

Le compagnie e gli inflight magazine di riferimento gestiti da òrkestra in esclusiva per l'Italia sono:

   EasyJet: Traveller

American Airlines: American Way / Celebrated              Living / Nexos

United: Hemispheres / Rhapsody

Amtrak: The National

airberlin: airberlin Magazine

norwegian.com: N by Norvegian

Eurowings: Wings

Brussels Airlines: B-Inspired

WizzAir: Wizz

Cebu Pacific: Smile

Philippine Airlines: Mabuhay

Silk Air: Silkwinds

Tui: Flyjournal

Thomas Cook Group: Travel

Hong Kong Airlines: Aspire

  Per ulteriori informazioni: Digital PR a cura di Blu Wom Milano www.bluwom-milano.com p.fabretti@bluwom-milano.com

[greenwichplus7]

Phuket social from GREENWICHPLUS7 on Vimeo.

Shot in Phuket for the Singapore Airlines and the Silkwinds magazine. This video is displayed on the aircraft.

[villamalyboutiquehotel-blog]

Make a visit to Northern Laos including Luang Prabang and explore its wilderness and authentic charm.

[suwandic]

Bromo Volcano and Mount Batok changed its color to red when the sun is still low during sunrises. #Bromo #Batok #Volcano #Mountain #nature #landscape #panorama #travel #sunrise #lppathfinders #lppostcards #lonelyplanet #natgeo #iamtraveler #tlpicks #cnntravel #cnnireport #bbctravel #earthcapture #vsco #seaofsand #Pentax #Indonesia #SilkAir #Silkwinds #GarudaIndonesia (at Taman Nasional Gunung Bromo Tengger Semeru)

[pledgeholidays]

IN SEARCH OF SRI LANKA’S ELUSIVE AND SECRETIVE FISHING CAT AT VIL UYANA ECO-RESORT The pioneering Vil Uyana eco-resort owned by Jetwing Hotels is renowned for its dedication to safeguarding and promoting Sri Lanka’s amazing biodiversity. Although best known for its man-made wetlands, modeled on a bird sanctuary west of London in the UK, it is also home to a myriad species of wildlife, including the cute slender loris. But one of its most secretive and elusive creatures is the fishing cat, subject of a post on the website of Silkwinds, the regional wing of Singapore Airlines. Click below for more. #SriLanka #FishingCat #VilUyana #Jetwing #Silkwinds #SingaporeAirlines

[historyboy78]

Lydia’s Story, Part Five A True Story Three women, three generations - all cast from society, all forced into poverty by the men in their lives. This is their story. May 1817 Sophia Mayhew the Younger (my 4x great-grandmother) was the illegitimate daughter of James Rager of Bedingfield and Sophia the elder. Who had died in childbirth whilst delivering her sixth child. Her step-father was mean and when his wife died, he didn’t waste a single moment and cast the young Sophia out. She was 13 years old. #homeless #vulnerable #hungry Young Sophia began her long journey south in search of work and accommodation. From Occuld, Suffolk to Bocking, Essex she walked. Some 50 miles on foot. Passing through #stowmarket #sudbury and #halstead before her final arrival in #braintree It’s hard to imagine a 13 year old child cast out in the world and arriving alone in a strange town. How did Sophia manage? How long did she live without a home? These questions are lost with time, but I can imagine her ordeal was unkind and harrowing. Braintree proved its worth and young Sophia was able to secure work in nearby Bocking as a Silkwinder an industry which flourished in the region during Georgian and Victorian times. Was life going to get better for Sophia, or was this purgatory going to get worse. Time will tell... #ancestry #genealogy #familyhistory #ancestor #essex #braintree #sophiamayhew (at Great Leighs) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4nYb2XgNQP/?igshid=cw5j732yryb6

[nicklim11882]

so this is one of the shot that I was working on for their Oddbods show was selected to be featured for the magazine!

it’s a huge, almost 2 pages full spread on their page 38 & 39!

Woo hoo~ *archivement unlock sfx* it’s a rare chance and I’m deeply honored to see this happening! couldn’t contain all the excitement within me and i just had to post this up. xD

and here’s the link to the full pdf copy if you guys might be interested:

http://silkwindsmagazine.com/Aug2016/content/Silkwinds%20Aug%202016.pdf

- oh.. by the way, don’t forget to check out my updated reel at https://vimeo.com/177511294 -

[alexllove-blog]

This June, celebrate that special man in your life with a slew of gift ideas from KrisShop. For dads who are frequently on the road, why not gift them the Braun Buffel Wiley-331 RFID Card Wallet, crafted in fine grain printed calf leather. Lined with RFID-blocking technology and designed with 12 credit card slots, this sleek wallet is the ideal travel accessory. Another handy travel companion is the Montblanc M Rollerball pen, with its innovative magnetic cap-closing mechanism.

KrisShop has a wide range of items perfect for gifting

If your dad is an audiophile, he’ll love the Creative SXFI AIR – Bluetooth headphones with Super X-Fi technology that recreates the depth and detail of a high-end multispeaker system. Help him pair his top tunes with a top tipple, courtesy of Bottega Bacur Gin. This Italian craft spirit is redolent with juniper berries, lemon zest and sage.

SEE ALSO: Wellness offerings to enjoy on KrisShop this month

This article was originally published in the June 2019 issue of Silkwinds magazine

The post Fathers’ Day gift inspiration on KrisShop appeared first on SilverKris.

[suwandic]

This photo that I took during the assignment for @silkair to Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park become the cover image for this month November 2017 issue. Check it out while onboard Silk Air flight for this whole month of November 2017. What do you think? #Bromo #Tengger #Semeru #NationalPark #horseman #silkwinds #SilkAir #travel #nature #landscape #panorama #sunrise #volcano #lppathfinders #lppostcards #Indonesia #Probolinggo #CemoroLawang #vsco #cover #Pentax #lonelyplanet #natgeo #wildwest #magazine #publication (at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park)

[suwandic]

And here is the full article about Samosir Island. SilkAir SilkWinds July 2017. #SilkAir #SilkWinds #SamosirIsland #LakeToba #Toba #Nature #Indonesia #Travel #landscape #panorama #article #publication #magazine #inflight #photojournalist #Pentax #DJI #woodcarver #traditionaldance #batak #parapat #sumatra (at Samosir Island)