I went off on a tangent yesterday, talking about the pleasures of un-touristy places. So I thought I'd continue my meanderings. I mentioned Culiacan, Mexico. It's not that I think people should make that a destination though! There are plenty of more interesting and picturesque cities and towns in Mexico that haven't been spoiled by tourism. There are even beach towns that have avoided this. One that I have visited several times is San Blas. It's located halfway between Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. There are no flights there, so you need to travel overland. Even then, it's a half hour from the highway down a winding road. It's a sleepy beach town built on a lagoon. An old Spanish fortress sits in ruins on a hill overlooking the town. The bay was once a haven for pirates. The streets are dusty, traffic is minimal. Most of the tourists are Mexican. There are no mariachis singing La Cucaracha, and English is less common that at the big resorts. What can you do there? Chill. But it's also worth a trip up to the fortress. Spend a few hours exploring ruins and enjoying the great views.
Another highlight is hiring a boat to take you up the river through mangrove swamps teeming with birds and crocodiles. This is the "un-Disney" jungle ride. Those are real crocs! The end point is a pond fed by a cool spring where you can spend a few hours swimming. There's a little palapa snack bar. After passing so many crocs, you might feel a little uneasy swimming. It's safe... probably.
Here's the town's website: http://www.sanblasmexico.com/. Here's a fun video of San Blas in 1962 that shows the ride up the river. It hasn't changed a bit! YouTube Video
ELI doesn't work in San Blas. Dang! But we do work in Merida (see previous post on Merida) and villages in the Yucatan. Maybe even cooler that San Blas! You can check our programs here.
I grew up not far from Disneyland. I loved it. The Magic Kingdom. I guess some might look down their nose at it as an example of capitalist excess, but that's not the topic of this post. I am using Disneyland as the antithesis of real-world travel, as a place where nothing bad ever happens. Where you can walk with your head in the clouds and not suffer any consequences. Where you can stroll safely late into the night. Where a vacation is a vacation from all concerns (except of course concern for your rapidly diminishing bank account).
There are ways of more or less replicating this "total" vacation: all inclusive resorts, tours, etc. But even those types of travel have risks the moment you leave the resort confines or the tour group to explore on your own. In many tourist destinations, there are areas with extra protections. In Antigua, Guatemala, the Tourist Police will take groups up a trail to an overlook. But tourist police are the exception when you travel, and will only be in heavily touristed neighborhoods. Perhaps you want something more than endless t-shirt shops when you travel. Maybe a restaurant, a shop, a beach with actual locals.
I've traveled a lot in Mexico - where every tourist town has a Señor Frog's bar/grill/t-shirt shop (Wikipedia says: "Señor Frog’s is a Mexican-theme franchised "infamous party scene" bar and grill in tourist destinations throughout Mexico, the Caribbean, South America, and the United States"). Some places are great in spite of tourism - Guanajuato, Merida. And there are places like Cancun that have no redeeming value except beaches and weather. I've made a few visits to Culiacan (academic visits to the Universidad de Sinaloa), a city with zero tourist activity: no beach, no ruins, no museums. The complete absence of tourism there is refreshing. If you want to buy a "souvenir" you're out of luck, but if you want to sit on the plaza mayor or stroll along the riverwalk soaking up local life this is a real town, and definitely not Disneyland. People who have heard of Culiacan are shocked that I enjoy the city. It is the birthplace and locus of the Sinaloa Cartel - one of the world's biggest and most dangerous drug cartels!
So, when you travel, whether it's Culiacan or Cancun, don't fall prey to the Disneyland Syndrome. Travel is not a vacation from potential trouble. Stay alert. No late nights on dark streets, avoid excess drinking, don't bring attention on yourself through your dress or your behavior. Will that spoil your trip? Honest... it is actually possible to enjoy travel and be prudent!
Travel has its obligations. Ideally, we will leave no negative trace of our presence. Like a backpacker in the wilderness who restores a campsite to its prior state when moving on, and packs out all trash, we should leave a place the same or better than when we arrived. This pertains not just to the physical world, but the host society as well. It’s your actions, not your thoughts that need to be regulated. Respect for a culture doesn’t mean agreeing with every aspect of it. So for instance a female traveler in Saudi Arabia might say “I’m an emancipated woman. I’m not going to cover my head and lead a cloistered life.” But how will the citizens of the country view your actions? Will they see you as a reasonable voice of dissent, or will they see you as disrespectful of their culture. Clearly the latter. And what possible good can come from that? What will you leave behind? The inflammatory impression that people from the West don’t respect their culture.
Similarly, when you’re visiting a culture where the sexes don’t show affection publicly, you might think that doesn’t apply to you, an outsider, as you cuddle with your partner. Once again, do you think that you are having a positive impact on the local culture? Remember, it’s not your idea of what constitutes individual freedom that matters here. It’s how the act is perceived, and the “trace” that you are leaving behind. Anything positive?
Friendships are a good and positive trace that we can leave behind. We should strive to build friendships through mutual respect and understanding. This is really pretty easy to do. Most people are open to forming bonds with others. But it is possible to carry this too far. Friendship, like everything else should remain within cultural norms. In a country where men and women have restricted relationships, is it right to ignore these restraints? The most common error we can make is to express friendship through a physical gesture – the innocent hug. I’ve seen this many times. We love to hug. The French and Russians love to kiss on the cheek. Do this in India and you’ll cause a stir – and not a good one. The actor, Richard Gere, kissed an Indian actress on the cheek in a playful Western way, but it quickly became an international incident.
On our India program, one of the first stops of the orientation program is Fab India, a clothing shop run by a women's collective. They sell somewhat westernized versions of Indian clothing (women's and men's). You would not go there for a sari, as pictured above, but it is a great place to buy socially acceptable attire that you might also wear when you return home. Here in the office, we love to see pictures of out volunteers and interns who have made this acknowledgement of local customs.
Rule of thumb: pick up your cues from the people around you. If the host culture doesn’t do it, neither should you.
An elderly African, in remote Tanzania, asks two travelers where they’re from. “U.S.A.... America,” they reply. The man seems to not understand, or maybe he just can’t hear them well. “Barack Obama is my president,” says one of the travelers, louder. “Barack Obama is my big boss,” jokes the other. The elderly man is instantly electrified. He reaches out his hand in greeting. “Barack Obama is my brother.”
Sounds corny, but this really happened, recently.
Whatever his troubles at home, internationally, U.S. President Barack Obama remains well-regarded, and in East Africa he’s more like a rock star. No longer quite the super-nova he was in November 08, but still a rock star. This ‘son of Africa,’ as he is sometimes called there, is a source of pride, fascination – and merchandise. You can see his name on everything from T-shirts to sandals , and linked to even the unlikeliest of venues: Obama Hair and Beauty. Obama Disco Club. Obama Expert Tayloring.
President Obama’s links to Africa gave Africans not only a huge emotional boost – but a significant tourism boost as well. In fact, in the year following Barack Obama’s election, Africa was the only continent reporting a rise in international visits. Everyone else was down due to the global recession and concerns over the outbreak of swine flu. Kenya in particular experienced a boom in so-called “roots tourism” by African Americans interested in exploring the world of Obama’s father, who grew up in western part of the country. That, plus the growing popularity of DNA testing to help identify African Americans’ ancestral origin, resulted in record numbers of U.S. citizens traveling to Africa. Even Ghana saw a steady increase in tourism to its Cape Coast Castle, a prominent former slave trade fort, after the President was photographed there on a trip with his daughters in 2009.
So if you’re contemplating a trip to Africa, don’t put it off. There’s probably never been a better time for Americans to discover this magnificent continent. And when you get there, odds are, you’ll be warmly welcomed by gracious people who also just happen to love your President. Enjoy. That hasn’t been the case for quite a while.
Visiting the Gymkhana Club in Chennai provides a fascinating glimpse of the British legacy in India. This is a remnant of the colonial days, the British Raj. Is it a symbol of British imperialism? No doubt. But even during the British occupation of India, the club had a mixed clientele. In fact, "independent" Indian women were allowed to join, and were, in a sense offered freedoms that Indian society at the time wouldn't have allowed. The club is a bit worn around the edges, but that lends to the feeling of history you get while sitting sipping (what else?) a gin and tonic on a steamy afternoon, with a fan slowing whirring overhead.
Membership has of course changed since the British days. You can see the list of past presidents on the wall. Up to the 50s, all names are English. Since then, all are Indian. ELI volunteers sometimes have the opportunity to visit the club, perhaps for lunch on the veranda or in the "buttery" (see definition). I recommend it! There are similar clubs in other former British colonies. I've visited the club in Nakuru, Kenya as well - the Rift Valley Sports Club. ELI's coordinator, Rosemary Wangui is a member there.
Of course, the British built more than clubs! Many of India's railway stations and other public buildings that date to the British occupation remain and are quite beautiful. The railway system was quite well-developed, and served India well in the post-colonial era.
By the way, gin and tonic, that drink that is so emblamatic of the British in India was developed as a palatable way to administer quinine, an anti-malarial. Here's a brief history.
I grew up not far from Disneyland. I loved it. The Magic Kingdom. I guess some might look down their nose at it as an example of capitalist excess, but that's not the topic of this post. I am using Disneyland as the antithesis of real-world travel, as a place where nothing bad ever happens. Where you can walk with your head in the clouds and not suffer any consequences. Where you can stroll safely late into the night. Where a vacation is a vacation from all concerns (except of course concern for your rapidly diminishing bank account).
Travel has its obligations. Ideally, we will leave no negative trace of our presence. Like a backpacker in the wilderness who restores a campsite to its prior state when moving on, and packs out all trash, we should leave a place the same or better than when we arrived. This pertains not just to the physical world, but the host society as well. It’s your actions, not your thoughts that need to be regulated. Respect for a culture doesn’t mean agreeing with every aspect of it. So for instance a female traveler in Saudi Arabia might say “I’m an emancipated woman. I’m not going to cover my head and lead a cloistered life.” But how will the citizens of the country view your actions? Will they see you as a reasonable voice of dissent, or will they see you as disrespectful of their culture. Clearly the latter. And what possible good can come from that? What will you leave behind? The inflammatory impression that people from the West don’t respect their culture.
Whatever his troubles at home, internationally, U.S. President Barack Obama remains well-regarded, and in East Africa he’s more like a rock star. No longer quite the super-nova he was in November 08, but still a rock star. This ‘son of Africa,’ as he is sometimes called there, is a source of pride, fascination – and merchandise. You can see his name on everything from T-shirts to sandals , and linked to even the unlikeliest of venues: Obama Hair and Beauty. Obama Disco Club. Obama Expert Tayloring.
Visiting the Gymkhana Club in Chennai provides a fascinating glimpse of the British legacy in India. This is a remnant of the colonial days, the British Raj. Is it a symbol of British imperialism? No doubt. But even during the British occupation of India, the club had a mixed clientele. In fact, "independent" Indian women were allowed to join, and were, in a sense offered freedoms that Indian society at the time wouldn't have allowed. The club is a bit worn around the edges, but that lends to the feeling of history you get while sitting sipping (what else?) a gin and tonic on a steamy afternoon, with a fan slowing whirring overhead.
