PASSIONATE

“Person who lives life intensely -in a conscious and responsible way- and who shares his passion for life with others.”

These are times to reach out to others through oneself. We want to live each second intensely and share our life with the world. We want to go one step beyond, do something crazy, take on new challenges and get involved in an unusual personal project. There are lots of us who are true nutcases. We are the ones who chase our passion.

Welcome, passionate people.

Let me introduce you to José Manuel Barquero, a 48-year-old journalist and author born in Euskadi but who has lived and worked in Majorca, a sports paradise, for a long time now.

Barquero constantly struggles to keep his balance and nurture his passions: reading, writing, chatting and tasting life as it goes by in front of his eyes. He also takes action when he runs, competes, sweats, overcomes his limits and fears, climbs mountains and, eventually, finds himself. Body and mind need to meet and confront each other to live life to the fullest.

This October he has started his climb to Himlung Himal, a beautiful 7,000-metre-high mountain in Nepal, which he fell in love with in 2013. Five years later he comes back to her. Barquero will be sending us pics of what happens to him and he will be telling us about his journey with his inspirational and passionate words.

We would like to invite you to discover this adventure by following Barquero’s steps and keeping him company here on Hotels VIVA blog, on our Instagram account @hotels.viva on the hashtag #VIVAPassion. We can’t wait to read your comments, see your likes and feel your support.

This adventure is possible thanks to Hotels VIVA support. We are a hotel chain which promote activities committed to passion, personal growth, environment protection and our wish to share the huge love we feel for Majorca.

Apart from Hotels VIVA, our collaborators are Foracorda, Alcudia Mar, Ola del Mar and lots of friends who support Barquero with resources and materials for his climb and, above all, with their affection and enormous trust in him. His passion can move mountains.

We let you read and enjoy the first words and pics from José Manuel Barquero in Kathmandu.

DAY ZERO

Why do men climb mountains? Why do they endure such discomfort, put themselves at such risk and try to survive in a hostile territory for human beings? There are dozens of answers: the connection with the wildest Nature, a quest for the sublime, the contemplation of an inexplicable beauty, the exploration of one’s own limits… maybe the ego, the competition, the obsession for danger… All these explanations may be true, but none of them is accurate.

When human beings started dominating a part of Nature by building urban areas, the need to escape those comfort zones grew stronger. Firs of all, men were mesmerised by the siren’s songs in unknown seas. Then, the call of the mountains began. It is a very difficult sound to resist by some of us, especially now when nearly any experience is one click away.

In the next weeks I will be trying to climb the Himlung Himal, a beautiful 7,130-metre-high mountain in the Nepali Hymalaya, in the Manaslu region. It is going to be a physical challenge for me, of course. I have never been at this altitude. It is also going to be a psychological difficulty. These will be very demanding weeks for my mind as I will spend cold and long nights curling up in a tent while thinking about everything I do not have. However, I will also think about everything I do have: good health, passion and my loved ones waiting for my return.

I have taken on this double challenge, both physical and psychological, whenever I tried to climb each important mountain. However, on this occasion I am taking on a third new challenge for me. I am going to try to tell you all about my adventure, to pass on to you at least a part of the emotions I feel in that place where everything gets amplified: both the good and the bad. I will do this in the only way it can be done in such circumstances: from the bottom of my heart, without dictionaries at hand and with not many filters. See you up there.

Kathmandu, José Manuel Barquero