Why Do I Write About Travel?

     I don't get paid for the hours I spend writing about travel. Although I have sold quite a few copies of my travel book, What's an American Doing Here: Reflections on Travel in the Third World, I am donating the proceeds to Doctors without Borders, so I surely will never get rich on that project. My blog and the variety of on-line articles I have written are not a source of income either. Fortunately, that is not a concern for me but it still begs the question: "Why write about travel in the first place." Since I spend a good bit of my time on that activity, I do have to answer that question for myself so I'll let you in on it too.

     I know that part of the reason I write so much is that the very act of putting my thoughts and experiences on paper is a rewarding, creative activity. It is challenging to just write, to put information, feelings and opinions together in an organized, coherent way. It is also interesting to see how much of consequence I remember after a lifetime of travel and, perhaps, to test how complex and comprehensive those memories are. This is surely one motivation for me to spend so much time with words and revisions and distribution of ideas. But it is surely not enough for the hours I spend in this pursuit.

     Back to the book for a moment. Since I was not dependent on income from my book, I decided to use the profits to pay the Third World back for what it has given me, and to provide something for the people who have greeted me and made me feel comfortable, people who have been concerned about the quality of my experiences in their locales. It is clear to me that my writing is an extension of that goal but that, too, is only part of story. There were others who have contributed to my lifetime of joy and excitement and learning in out of the way places, namely the travelers I met along the way and the information I gathered from them to make my journeys richer and more successful. Their sharing of experiences helped me make intelligent choices about where to go and what to do. Their warnings enabled me to avoid unpleasantness and even dangers in some settings. Their joyful memories have enhanced my enthusiasm and desire.

      It was fellow travelers who convinced me that Sri Lanka was a wonderful destination even during their protracted civil war. They were so right. Others explained to me what facilities to choose and what to avoid in the Indonesian hinterlands. Thanks to them I missed resting places full of bats and rats for company. Still others pointed out places or activities I eventually stopped for and tried out but would otherwise have been unaware of. Thanks to them, I learned the value of sharing information about such things. Those stories made our travels safer, more comfortable and more rewarding than they would have been if we had not gained the knowledge fellow travelers shared with us.

      That is what I am trying to do for folks who read my blog, my articles and my book. I hope some of the information and observations you read in these publications serve as helpful guidelines or useful suggestions that make your travel richer. I have not been everywhere (although I have been to the places I most wanted to visit) so my blog is not totally comprehensive, yet there are probably places I have encouraged you to visit which you may have otherwise missed. My experiences and thoughts may contribute in some way to your future adventures and that is only payback for the joys I have had enhanced by those folks we met and shared stories with along our respective travel paths. I hope it works out that way. If so, my hours of writing will have been well worthwhile.

A Scene from China

It's Hard Not to Get Noticed

     Americans and other Western travellers in the Third World have trouble not being noticed. Even if we dress according to local customs, our manners and appearance are generally sure giveaways that we are not from the places we visit. Of course, this fact has consequences in how we are reacted to by the residents of those places. It goes without saying that, in locales where our country is unpopular, we may be avoided or snubbed or leered at at the very least. When I was in Pakistan, even before 9/11, I did not feel especially welcomed by the folks who passed by me. There were no outward signs of hostility evidenced but, except for the children, we were largely ignored by the people we saw along the street or in the buildings we visited. All of the folks I requested to take photos of, however, were quite cooperative and did not mind my doing so. Some groups like the Huli tribe in Papua New Guinea just don't like travellers in their midst. There were other areas of the world where it seemed that tourists in general were not especially welcome but that has been the exception rather than the typical reaction to the presence of Westerners. Responses to us did not usually seem to be related to the economic status of the folks we met as much as to the customs and the political outlook of the people. At the same time, I was always careful not to point my camera at scenes of poverty and have people assume that I was photographing their poorest neighborhoods or other things they may not have been happy to have me record. Red light areas, homes on stilts that were falling down, homeless people on the streets, disabled folks, beggars and the like were sensitive things and, even if I wanted to look at such things and photograph them, I either did so at a distance or very surreptitiously. My travel was not aimed at making people feel worse about themselves.

       But travelers cannot hide. I remember entering the courtyard of a large mosque in Egypt soon after Obama's election. The people were excited by that event and the question that folks there asked me often was whether or not I voted for Obama. When I responded by indicating I was a strong Obama supporter, I received cheers, approbation and even hugs in response. They were very aware of what was going on in the States and saw me as representative of those events whether I wanted to be or not. If we carry a camera or a fanny pack, we also mark ourselves as conspicuous and then we may even be regarded as potential targets, especially for those who have little and for whom our camera may represent a year or more of earnings. I wrote earlier about a robbery setup by a couple of peasant women on a back street in a small town in Bolivia as a clear example of this. There have been several others.

      And then there are the more common positive reactions, some quite heart-warming.  There are places in the world where America is popular and visitors reap the benefits of being associated with the country. People greet the Western traveler in such lands with curiosity and warmth. They want to know about you, they want you to take pictures with them, they even want you to visit their schools or their homes. They are interesting in sharing aspects of their own life to a surprising extent. I remember traveling along the Silk Road in Western China and telling my guide to ask at the homes of a few of the minority groups folks we saw along the way if we could talk with them or visit their houses. The answer was an unqualified yes.  We had worthwhile experiences and saw a lot because of the people we interacted with that day. At markets, folks generally smile at us and regard us with as much curiosity as we do them. There were even instances where we were regarded as special guests. In West Africa, we were often greeted as honored guests and invited to participate in ceremonies of importance to the people. In Indonesia we were asked for our our signatures on several occasions so that the people could collect them. Being famous was new to us but it was nice to sample it for the few moments we were in those places.

     The presence of Westerners in remote parts of the world is often as important to the people who live there as it is to the visitors. Our smiles, our flexibility, our respect for the folks we meet is part of the travel equation. We should be mindful of this. Let people respond to us as they may. We should leave them with the impression that we are there because we want to understand them and because we value them as fellow citizens of the larger world. Spreading good cheer and friendship is not only fun, it is a key ingredient of the traveler's footprint.

Driving Is Not Always Good in Karachi, Pakistan

Reading and Travel: A Pairing of Wonderful Activities

       When I was in my twenties, I had the enriching experience of living several years in Europe. I worked there, made friends, participated in all aspects of the culture, learned a couple of languages and immersed myself in the environment. Most of us do not have that opportunity. Such travel is more desirable and growthful than the shorter trips we take where we are mainly observers and rarely have the opportunity to be participants in the activities that go on around us. Living abroad (Peace Corp, foreign placement, study programs, and other such options) is the deepest and most informative kind of travel available because it enables us to become more aware of our own culture by truly experiencing alternative ways of dealing with life tasks and challenges.

   The problem with shorter trips is that it is hard to really get to  know the nature of the cultures where we travel; we tend to find ourselves looking in from the outside. If we do not work in our new locale, we can only watch other folks work. If we do not speak the language well, we do not have easy communication. If we do not stay with families, we do not learn what families do and what they value.

     Since the majority of travellers have to opt for shorter trips, it is important to make these as meaningful and enjoyable as possible. When I decide to go to a particular destination, one of the things I do very early on is seek out books by authors (for the most part, novelists) who write about the place I will be visiting. Good novels are wonderful sources of information about the nature of the societies the story takes place in.
Reading about other locales is a way to learn about the world even if we are not travellers but reading skilled, descriptive novelists also makes for deeper understanding on the voyages we undertake.

       When I was thinking about going to Bahia in Brazil, I came across novels written by Jorge Amado who lived in and wrote about that area. His books were an intriguing introduction to Afro-Caribbean culture, the religion and politics and music that characterize life in that part of the world. When I left for Bahia, I sought out to understand more deeply many aspects of the country that he introduced me to and I felt his writing had enriched my travel extensively. Llosa's War of the End of the World provided additional insight into that region of Brazil. In preparation for a recent trip to Eastern Turkey, I read Orhan Pamuk's Snow which turned out to be a fascinating story set in one of the cities I was to visit. As I travelled through one village after another in West Africa, I found it extremely valuable to have read the novels of Chinua Achebe, the wonderful writer from Nigeria. His characterization of the struggles of West Africa and the nature of life in the villages markedly enhanced my travels. Nagib Mahfouz led me through the streets of Cairo like an invisible guide walking by my side. My trips to India were likewise made more meaningful by an abundance of authors like Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiry and Rohinton Mistry.

     I could go on and on about the relationship between reading knowledgeable authors and traveling to the settings where their stories take place. That combination has helped me to partially cross the bridge between being a superficial visitor and travelling as an insightful observer. In earlier entries to my blog, I suggested a number of ways to make trips richer, more entertaining and more informative. Reading about your destinations is high on my list of recommendations for pre-trip preparation and also for productive activity while you are away. Just as reading before you go makes the travel more promising, reading as you go along makes the books you choose more relevant and enjoyable. It works both ways.

Niger River, Mopti, Mali

Follow Your Own Drummer

     We all carry our personal interests with us when we travel. For independent travelers the Third World provides limitless opportunities to indulge those interests. In an earlier blog, I wrote about my fascination with masks but almost anything can fit into this category. In the world of competitive photography, there is a whole section labelled travel. Almost any photo one takes abroad can fit into this category so if photography is your thing, the possibilities for worthwhile subject matter is endless. But that pretty much goes for just about any aspect of life. What is required is a knowledgeable guide and a traveler who knows what he or she wants to see. Most of us are accustomed to travel within the broad guidelines that travel agencies or "experts" have designed for us. It does not have to be that way. If you are specifically interested in music, you can probably find someone where you are going who can steer you to unadvertised performances. A cellar in Lisbon where aficionados gather to sing the local Fada music or a bar in Dublin that features high quality Irish folk music are available to the visitor if you find your way there. Those stops are unlikely to be written on your itinerary. A village in West Africa where the playing of talking drums or bands of coras will welcome you and provide authentic entertainment and often outstanding dancing. The gamelan groups in Indonesia or marimba players in Guatemala or Zulu singing in South Africa are other examples of musical treats for the traveler. The way to capitalize on these opportunities is to let your guide know what you enjoy most and that you will trade off other potential highlights to go where you want to go.

     You can select almost any focus in the pantheon of human activity to center your travel around. If cooking is your fascination, the opportunities are right under your nose. Again, find a wise guide and make your way into the kitchens of the places you eat or to the hearths of native cooks in their homes. Art is an obvious center of interest for those so inclined. Don't go to the tourist souvenir traps but make sure you do get to the out of the way places where budding artists and sculptors feature their work or to studios where their creativity is activated. Are you interested in cigar making or textiles or jewelry work or mining? Make your wishes clear and follow the expert. Do you desire to see the birds or local animals or insects where you go? You may need a specialist to lead you to such discoveries but such experts are not too difficult to find.

     Collecting is another activity which requires the traveler's asserting herself. First of all one needs to know what items are specialties of the place you are visiting and then find out where to go to indulge your interests. I remember being in the market in Chichicastenango in Guatemala and viewing the hundreds of masks on sale that had been made for the tourist trade in that popular market. They were not at all tempting. It was only after I had engaged a few folks in the market that I was able to get directions to a small store off to the side of the area which featured a much more interesting collection of authentic, older masks. If the specialty of the area is dolls or puppets or glass blowing, you can usually find a factory or workshop where such things are made. There you will see the process and you will have greater choice to augment your collection.

     I was an educator for many years and have an abiding curiosity about how kids are taught, how teachers are trained, and what the school environment is like. On trips to the Third World, I have discovered that, not only have I been able to visit schools, I have learned a lot, been very well received and delighted classes with an unexpected opportunity to talk with me and learn about life in the States. Such stops continually enriched my travel. As I wrote about in an earlier blog, it is important to make the trip your own. (You can't do that if you are travelling on a bus with thirty or so other people.) Do the necessary research beforehand, engage people to help you who really know the area you will be traveling in, and make sure your guide knows that you are not the general public for whom itineraries are pre-designed but a specific individual with particular interests who wants a trip that fits him as a person. You won't be sorry.

Pashtun Tribesman, Gilgit, Pakistan