Citizen of the world,
Came to think of one thing today, realising how much we actually travel and how many impressions we actually grasp while travelling.
Read an article about environmental travelling, that I have been thinking a lot about lately.
The whole idea arouse when 2/3 of my company went to Thailand last winter, all wanting to see unexplored paradise. It made me think that they are just a small percentage of all Swedes who go to Thailand during wintertime, and then not counting people from many other places.
When finding a paradise and giving it out there, it's like giving a treasure away as it gets famous, more and more people come and the rural inhabitants starts going from independent on their living (as farmers for example) to change the whole economy for the country where more and more hotels are built as well as restaurants. This evolves at the end to have hostels where rich tourists sleep, restaurants with international cousine (meaning meatballs for swedes) shops with goods adopted to tourists' tastes and requirements.
This all ends up in the fact that the farmers give up their business and are more or less forced to the areas where the tourists are located, the culture is ripped apart as sales people are forced to constantly increase sale and therefore become, sometimes a bit violent with tourists, the food culture changes as more and more fries are made in a country where fries aren't really a part of it.
Discos, bars and many more places get adopted for tourists so that the tourists can feel like home. But has anyone ever thought of the fisherman who once was completely alone at his beautiful beach, watching the sunrise all alone? The fisherman who had to move his house and boat as he couldn't afford fighting against the hotel chain that was to buy his beach?
There is a big difference in being a tourist and a citizen of the world. For example, many families claim that they need hotel chains and swedish food at the restaurants as the kids demand it. But please who wears the pants in those families? The parents or the children? It's very rare that kids at home get pizza everyday for dinner. Am I not right?
If the kids never experience and try something new, how will they learn but more important, how will they know and appreciate the difference between their culture and others? You can't constantly blaim the country you're visiting because they don't have meetballs at the restaurants. It's really not their fault.
The tourists often walks in the same pattern as other tourists, eating the same food, experiencing the same thing. However, the citizen of the world travels to a country ready to explore it. Not the big hotelchain nor the McD nor some international pizzas. A citizen of the world has a desire to not be seen as a tourist but to melt in as good as possible, eating at local restaurants, sleep in peoples' houses, or small family owned private bed& breakfast where you eat the breakfast that is served, not demanding panncakes, eggs, bacon, sausagges, fresh orange juice and so forth. Because that's what you eat at home isn't it? ;-)
You grasp what the country has to offer, not expecting anything. If nothing else there's a charm about the new culture (once you notice it) and you listen to what the inhabitans have to say, who are curious about you coming to their little village and not asking for the closest McD. A citizen of the world doesn't demand meatballs, swedish design at the hotel, a pool outside the terrace. There can be many memorable moments of a trip with small rooms, where there's just two dishes at the menu at the restaurant, but it's the best food you have in eaten in a long time.
Just mentioning some of many thoughts passing by my mind today. Talking about the environmental issues regarding touristic places is a totally new, and long topic which can be dealt with another time.
Hope it makes you think next time you book your trip and consider what kind of traveller you are and what new you actually experienced at yout trip.
Até logo pessoal!
Beijinho
/M
posted by Citychic in Lisbon @ 1:52 PM
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