Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Charlatan
This is a rather whimsical idea. Largely what happens is you will stay in hostels rather than hotels and you will hang out with other tourists.
You see the thing is, in many eastern countries, in the smaller villages, much of the things that we consider private actions are done in public (food preparation and eating being two big ones). I have friends who tell stories of wandering into a small town or village and stumbling on peoples activities... they have pictures and anecdotes galore...
For a time, they though, "wow, we are having an authentic experience". Ultimately they came to see this for what it was, being nosy and ultimately exploitative.
Maybe I am being cynical but in my mind the only tourism that isn't exploitative is business travel. A business person arrives and has goods or services to exchange with the locals. There is a purpose to the visit.
I could be wrong on this and may even change my mind with more thought but it's the way I am seeing it these days.
|
I agree with most of this, not quite all. "Hanging out with the locals" and being accepted by them isn't going to happen for most people. On the other hand, it does happen for some who are genuinely outgoing, caring, and respectful around the locals. These people the locals may see as "real" people rather than bothersome transients or sources of money.
Caveat: some countries are a little too rough for this to be safe, unless you know them well.
On the other hand, if you really want to hang out with the locals and be accepted, the best way to go is to join up with some charitable project. I know a guy who's very involved with Habitat for Humanity. A bunch of us went down to Costa Rica once for a standard tourist trip (we rented cars there), but when we were ready to go home he went on to Guatemala to join in a habitat build with villagers in the back of beyond. Not exactly a tourist trip, but he had a great time and _did_ get the trust and hospitality of the locals. How could he not? He was there to help.