Parques, plazas y esas cosas.

After Do you like changes? I need to post something much more calm because it is how my mind feels now. Since I was in Australia I realized a difference in the parks or with the outdoors activities, which people usually practice down under. I had this post in my WordPress draft folder for the past 2 months and it was time to finish it and to give it life, I only have one left in the draft folder and it is about economics

Almost everyone practice any sport in New Zealand or Australia, being Cricket one of the most classics in New Zealand and cycling in Australia. Cricketianos meets each Saturday or Sunday, with them white uniforms, to play until the sun come down, meanwhile Melbourne has hundred of different cycling routes or cycling groups. During my past months I played soccer, ultimate Frisbee, I went for running, swimming, sailing, cycling, kayaking and I been surfing and rock climbing once. All of this were not because I´m a very sporty person, it was because someone invited me to go or because I browsed it online and it came up and it was interesting to do. In the south Island I’m staying in a friends of friends house, who used to play frisbee golf… (click here for a video)

Anyway, parks never close and there is not security in them. Secondly the games are not only for kids; they are for teenagers or even adults who use them to “train” . The games seriously welcome you, swinging hamacas or climbing walls (Pictures from Victoria Park).

The floor, where the games are, is a synthetic soft carpet to avoid accidents and most of the games are made by plastic and inox, although most of the parks have some skate ramps. Parks keep people from all ages active, meanwhile they are a great way to connect them with “nature”.

Parks are used to host different public events, such us: bands playing live music, movies or light festivals. At the moment Albert Park (central park from Auckland) is hosting a cool light festival and Victoria park usually is the place where a group of 10 musicians meet every weekend to practice bagpipes, you can listen them from 8 blocks…

Finally, I think in parks there is a philosophy to let kids learning by taking little risks, I can see the future Edmund Hillary climbing one of the climbing walls.