welcome to odette ricasa's travel page visited 295 countries
ODETTERICASATRAVELS.COM
ODETTERICASATRAVELS.COM
Together with her Art works as an artist and her FIVE Books as an author. She loves to play the piano for easy listening. Created to share my experiences with fellow travelers, culture seekers, writers, artists and musicians. Relax and enjoy!
Typhoon Onday victims of the Philippines. Oct. 2010. Odette, Diding & Baby
Foyer Islamique de la charite Orphelins, Bujumbura, Burundi.
We donated snacks of flour, rice, sugar. October 2012.
John Hay Elementary School - April 2013.
Ryan Paul Rivera, Marilyn Picardo Rivera
Camp Executive Assistant, Odette Aquitania Ricasa
Odette as an artist has written five books. She took formal studios at Mission Renaissance Art School, Pasadena. She takes painting lessons while traveling and has over 100 paintings on display.
In Unguarded Thoughts, Lourdes Odette Ricasa has undertaken an extraordinary exploration of her travels and works of art. The book reveals her poignant side. One can feel the moment and it does not take long to feel what she expresses.Seeker of sunlight and bright skies, fascinated by light, shadows and colors, she has compiled poems written since nineteen hundred and eighty seven. By seeing through the eyes of an artist, she has also written about the enjoyment, rewards and pleasures of painting and everyday experiences in life. The depth of text is impressive in the way she has superbly presented the beauty of Spain. The Cow Bells of Monte Perdido, The Magic of Flamenco, the long and memorable sunsets at the Alhambra, the caves of Guadix and Flamboyant Seville.
Wandering from one moment to the next from Vanuatu to Tasmania and then perhaps she will be back to Vanuatu, sometimes with a sudden crisis of the heart, in which she does not act or react. Some unconscious choices how a particular individual behaves, leading to a drama of psychological inclination. Running with Echoes of Desire is a clear exercise of her talents, a special type of poetry for readers. For without love, without poetry, we become squeezed in social conventions. Destined to satisfy our literary cravings, a fleeting movement, a magnetic power has exerted a distinct influence in the art of her writing. The book jump starts our imagination. It tells us about life. Words that shine to new truths. It contains more than two hundred fifty poems and newsletters and her Art sketches. Exciting…she prefers to stay at the Paradores of Spain, chains of Palaces in Santiago de Compostela, Leon, Ducal Palace of Lerma, Trujillo and the Posada Dos Loios de Evora.
Pieces of Dreams best describes the excitement of a journey, from the remote and magical cities of Bukhara and Samarkand, the diverse terrain of the Kazakh steppes, the rare beauty of Kyrgyzstan to the fairy tale castles of Spain.Lourdes Odette Aquitania Ricasa has traveled by foot, by bus, train and slept with families. Her poetry contains her encounter with Central Asia's people and landscape, the enigmatic megaliths of Malta, the wonders of the world, bringing a tantalizing invitation to more travels. Her book paints a rich picture of our universe. Above all, it is full of the sights, sounds and laughter in the extraordinary places she visited.Many wonders of the world both physical and man-made give an inspiration to the reader and help decide on where to go next.
Lourdes Odette Aquitania Ricasa loves to play the piano, paint, and write. She is a world traveler who has been to 257 countries and is one of the prolific writers of our time. Explore-in-depth coverage takes you beyond the classic cities into the heart of the islands of Indonesia's verdant green and purple hills of Tana Toraja, the Dani tribes of Wamena, Papua (formerly Irian Jaya), the splendor of Iran and Turkmenistan. The excitement continues almost to the North Pole, polar bears at Svalbard in the Arctic, and to the penguins at the bottom of the earth, Antarctica. On to Lake Baikal in Siberia and to the remote islands of Reunion, Rodrigues, Cape Verde, St. Pierre and Miguelon. She resides in San Clemente Beach, California, and is currently working on her sixth book. Cover design by Rica Rudio.
In Excerpts from Life, Lourdes Odette Ricasa describes her travel adventures and life experiences in the company of those transcendent beings who move in a world of fancy.
She portrays people she met and reveres in illusion, dotes on fantasy and rides on poetry without harness. Her style is free verse, some with alternating rhymes. Her book shows a new concept of the height of her spiritual and emotional purity giving finesse that verses might attain.
‘She surveys the world with open eyes of a master and a winner, using words with a touch of simplicity combined with a flash of brilliance.
She loves to write and quotes: ”Life is a battery of ideas. Finding the right words to express emotions within is a challenge, like two pokes that attract or repel each other. Achieving the right harmony is a pleasurable joy and fulfillment.”
Interview with Honorable Marcos Punsalang in Chile and Letter from Jerusalem, Israel
World Traveler 293 countries, Author five Books, Motivational Speaker, Artist, Plays Piano
Lourdes Odette Aquitania Ricasa is an artist and a world traveler. She has traveled to 293 countries and territories and is a platinum member status of Travelers Century Club.
"World travel . . . the passport to peace through understanding". Staying in style-whether it is a thatched hut, a bed-and-breakfast place, an old refurbished monastery, a stately castle or a royal palace-her words deliver. Her writing helps you get under the skin of this incredibly diverse universe. It evokes time, heat, indolence, diligence, and joy through the sheer force of its imagery and voice. Whipped in full motion, words glow with brilliant coolness. Some poems translated to Spanish are linguistic diamonds.
TRAVELS:
Has traveled to 293 countries (see country list www.travelerscenturyclub.org) Arctic, Svalbard archipelago and Antarctica, most of Africa, Senegal, Mali, the Ivory coast, Cameroon, Namibia,Boswana, SouthAfrica, Swaziland, Asia , Nepal, Bhutan, Mongolia, China, the Middle East, all of Europe including the Isle of Man, Aland Islands, Faroe Island, Greenland, Iceland, Siberia, North America, all of Central America and all of South America including Suriname, British Guiana, French Guiana, islands and territories: the Caribean Islands. Turks and Caicos, Easter Islands, the Galagapos, Tahiti, Fiji, Rodrigues, the Comoros, Reunion, Las Canarias, Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles, the Andaman-Nicobar islands, Palau, Saipan, Guam, American Samoa, St. Pierre & Miguelon, the Kingdom of Tonga, the Cook islands, Norfolk Islands and much more (see Country list).
BOOKS WRITTEN:
FIVE (5) books published: www.amazon.com - search: books by Odette Ricasa. Titles:
1) Unguarded Thoughts
2) Pieces of Dreams
3) Excerpts fromLife
4) Running with Echoes of Desire
5)Touching the Wind.
PAINTINGS:
Studied four years at Mission Rennaisance Art School in Pasadena, California. Plen air paintings while traveling. Enrolled in Art Schools abroad: Biarritz, France, Zaragoza, Spain, Noukchott, Mauritania, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Douala, Cameroon, Monrovia, Liberia.
MUSIC:
Plays the piano - classical and pop music for listening pleasure.
Various TELEVISION and RADIO Interviews:
1) Encore T.V. show - Bill Cook and Marie Jordan, interviewer, Ernie Roper, camera man, Adelphia television.
2) Interview and motivational speech to the students of: Kamenge Youth Center, Bujumbura, Burundi. Invited by Hermininglde Niyame, Servas President.
3) Top Matin Television Show - with Serge Ondon Titan and James Ahu, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
4) Radio Zaragoza frecuencia 99 with Alfonso Campos, radio commentator.
AWARD:
First Prize Toastmasters International Area Division contest.
MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER:
San Clemente High School., Youth Organization Services of Africa, Kamenge Youth Center, Burundi, Servas Organization, Republic of Congo.W
I was bitten with the travel bug when I was 12 years old attending Geography class, my teacher described the mountain chains of the Andes In South America, the Pyrenees of France and Spain, the Altai in Kazakhstan. I was mesmerized! I said to my self "I will explore all these one day." My first trip was to Russia and Israel. I learned about the beauty of Moscow, St. Petersburg, the Star of David in Tel Aviv, Israel and the candle light procession in Bethlehem. I was hooked on more travels.
I was invited by Ms. Penelope Bowers, Head of Prince Andrew School, Francis Plains in the very remote island of St. Helena to deliver a motivational speech. It was an assembly of 200 students plus teachers, aides, etc. The subject was "How to Achieve your Dreams/Goals". The students from 8th grade to 12th grade, ages 12 to 18 was in complete focused attention as I recited/shared my poem "Yes, You Can". The thunderous applause was music to my ears. I kept a lot of positive comments from the stuedents and teachers in my Treasure Box :).
Picture of tortoise in the remote island of St. Helena. Jonathan, a giant tortoise roams the green lawn of the Governor’s house. Even though, virtually blind from cataracts and has no sense of smell, Jonathan is 188-years-old. He may be the oldest land creature currently living on the planet. BBC, CNN, OAN Television crews, radio announcers, brides to be, people from around the world wants to see Jonathan. He has cataracts in his eyes and has trouble finding his food. So Teeny Lucy feeds him, carrots, cabbages, apples and more greens. Tortoises has a sharp tooth that can be a scythe that cuts the grass. Jonathan can no longer cut the grass, so we had a bucket full carrots, apples, cabbage and greens and fed him.
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First prize winner -Toastmaster International Division
I love to hear from fellow travelers! Have a question about some of my recent trips? Want to share some travel tips, or have a question? Drop me a line!
Los Angeles, California, USA