The Impact

Much of our conversations these days have centered upon a theme of “impact.” In fact, this also may be true of most of our blog postings to date. Impacts of tourism on culture and landscapes; impact of making eco-educated decisions on the future of the planet and of our time here; impact of our blog on readers; impact of disasters on local and global community; impact of western ideals on non-western societies and vice versa; impact of two American backpackers and hitchhikers traveling the world on their honeymoon. Any way you look at it, the simplest of our actions have an impact. Positive or negative, they are never neutral.

But isn’t it self-righteous and arrogant and absurd to decide that your impact is positive? Can you truly see the situation from all angles? Are you being honest in your observations and viewpoint? Absolutely not. How can a person be absolutely objective; isn’t true objectivity a concept that we may understand but cannot actually possess? It is one of these sci-fi terms that might be applicable to robots and aliens, but really hasn’t a place in the human brain.

I drive N crazy with my barrage of suggested options and solutions and ‘what-ifs’ and possibilities; they come forth no matter what the situation, as long as I have time to think. I always like to play the devils advocate, to try to see the situation from the other side, to weigh both (or all three or four) sides. It exhausts me, but I can’t stop…it’s who I am. My actions oftentimes prompt N into a decision-making role, otherwise nothing would ever be decided. I have always struggled with definitive and succinct answers: the world is constructed of shades of grey, rarely do you find black and white in nature, only in human-made places.

But how to decide on your impact? For although there is never a choice as to whether an impact will be made, a choice does exist as to the type of impact. We have the power within ourselves and within our actions to give our impact direction and definition. When you stop to think about it, it is truly a weighty responsibility. It can become all-consuming; it can burden you. Finding a balance between living a normal and average life, and being conscious and aware of your impact on the world and on others can be difficult to achieve. Because everywhere you look, there is another impact, emanating from you and spreading out into the world.

We happen to think that abstaining from guided tours and expected tourist protocol sends a positive message about respect and personal perspective, but doesn’t it also hurt people whose livelihood depends on their job as a tour guide? Haggling with shopkeepers for the correct price will perhaps help future foreigners avoid gouging, but does this action give a negative impression of Americans?

There are always two sides to the coin, and all we can do it try as best as is humanly possible to make decisions that are more positive than negative, while keeping in mind healthy global values of consideration, respect, graciousness, kindness, care, and honesty.  

Read more...

Visiting a Mosaic School outside Venice

Our energies and aspirations to ‘know’ a portion of Italy in too short a window of time was luckily informed and bolstered by our experiences in the region of small hamlets north of Venice.Thanks to our wonderful host and the lovely countryside surrounding Pordenone.



The region is a historic wonderland. It is a place to see villages almost entirely intact dating back a thousand years. There are towns filled with frescoes covering insides of churches and outsides of normal buildings. These are public art murals dating back 400-600 years!! People will be warm to your visit. In many places, they only get some regional tourists, maybe an Austrian bus tour or two, but not very much in terms of distant travelers (these people rarely leave Venice).



Our best find was one of the only two Mosaic schools in Italy. At the School Mosaicisti del Friuli, Spilimbergo, Italy, Students come from around the world to spend three years studying the Mosaic arts. The school itself is basically a museum of sculpture and mosaic arts right down to floors and walls which were created, designed, installed by students and staff. Types of Mosaics on display range from historic reconstruction, to portraiture, to abstract and contemporary arts. A visit to this venerable institution will likely broaden your appreciation for craft arts and sculpture, for trades and guilds, for public art, and for a general respect which the arts are given in Europe.

Try and visit while classes are in session to meet some of the students. Their dedication, craft, and work ethic will amaze you. It is a place of living history supporting the crafting of art - modern, contemporary, restorative, public.

Read more...

Straying from the Asphalt

We have now passed through many tourist destinations of the world: The National Gallery in Washington D.C., USA; The Lucy Museum in Changsha, China; elaborate temples and parks in Bankok, Thailand; rock hewn churches and ancient lakes in Ethiopia; a slave fort museum in Cape Coast, Ghana; the Pyramids and Egyptian Museum in Cairo, Egypt; and ancient Roman ruins in Turkey.

We are tourists, oh yes we are.

Much as we like to put ourselves in a different category and call our travels “off the beaten path,” you will sometimes find us alongside the masses. It is fairly difficult for us to place ourselves so fully and intentionally on a path shared by so many people. But we go, for there is something to be said for a site or object that attracts tourists from all of the world: it is most likely remarkable and exciting and absolutely worth seeing.

There are extreme differences between travelers, and visiting tourist destinations highlights and defines these differences in new ways. We see tour groups and independent tourists, guides and translators, drivers and hotel touts, tour packages and buses. We see all different nationalities and hear all varieties of language being spoken.

And to be honest, we are terribly critical of tour groups. We poke unnecessary fun as the accessories of tour groups. Whether matching water bottles or baseball hats or t-shirts or stickers, they bear the club insignia with some sense of pride. I guess that in a foreign land, it feels good to belong to something.

I was stunned by the silent tour groups shuffling through the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. Each member of the tour had a headset through which they could hear the voice of their tour guide, standing tens of heads away. Arms folded, faces dour, they all looked bored to death. It was easy to avoid these groups for they all moved as a great amoeba; stragglers were nonexistent.

A few days ago, caught in the tentacles of the tourist-driven Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, we burst (rather frantically) out into the normalness of a city street. There we saw the member of a tour group, a bright number 3 blazing on her shirt, obviously separated from her herd. We were delighted to see that her split was unquestionably intentional as she wandered the street with ease and comfort and interest.

In Ethiopia we saw tour buses speeding through the scorching desert sun of Ethiopia, the windows filled with pasty tourists cloaked in heavy sweaters to combat the icy bus air-conditioning. Tourism in Ethiopia was usually a packaged deal: tour and guide and hotel and shopping were all wrapped together, with comfortable shuttle buses ferrying to and fro.

While in Egypt, we visited the pyramids at Giza. We took the Cairo metro out to Giza Station, then caught a local bus, and walked the rest of the way. Our early morning efforts were rewarded when we arrived as the gates were being opened. However, the tour buses moved quickly through the site and soon left us in the dust. I was frantically urging Nathan along, “come on! We have to get ahead of all of these people!” I probably would have been running had he not been with me. But in fact, we were surprised not to have much interference from the tour groups at all. You might have been amazed by the lack of other people in our photos from the Pyramids. Want to know our trick? We strayed from the asphalt. Most other visitors to the pyramids drive from site to site in the tour bus, briefly alighting at each stop. We trucked through the entire place in flipflops, though heat and wind and dust. And it was magnificent; we felt like explorers.

While pausing at the ancient theater at Termessos, Turkey, we were joined at the space by a group of ten or so middle-aged American tourists. They were boisterous in their excitement, exclaiming with joy and amazement. We watched them, eating our bread and cheese and tomato sandwiches, comfortable in our distance. Though many members of the group departed after a few minutes, a trio of three woman dismissed the urgings of their guide and steadfastly refused to leave. “You can go ahead, we aren’t leaving yet. We have some chanting to do.“ The tour guide, slightly bemused, left them to their presumed insanity, urging them to catch up soon. The ladies sat together, chatting and laughing for a short while. Then they collected themselves and uttered harmonic chants into the acoustical vastness of the ancient theater placed high up on a mountain. I truly respected their intentions and appreciations of the space and the moment.

The truth is, while I criticize tourists and tour groups, there are always anomalies. And isn’t going to the Egyptian Museum with a tour better than never going at all? I think so. And I must give credit to all travelers, regardless of their style. For it takes work and effort and bravery to embark out into the world, outside of your comfort zone, regardless of the path.

So cheers to the travelers of the world, even though my path takes me off the asphalt.

Read more...

Ethiopia for Travelers

Ethiopia is wonderful, but heavily impacted by foreign influence, NGOs, and tourism. We spent nearly one month in Ethiopia (March - April 2010) and traveled as far north as Gonder and Lalibela, and as far south as Arba Minch and Kemba. We also spent one week in Addis. Please note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive travel guide, but is limited to our experiences and some tips that we think might be helpful for travelers.

Overall, I would say that the north is great for those who love tourism-packages, churches, guided tours, etc. The south was much more up our alley. The effects of tourism were less, the people seemed more genuine, and the presence of other foreigners was greatly reduced. But that’s just us. The north was beautiful and incredible and the stone-hewn churches of Lalibela were spectacular. But Lake Tana was a drag (rather expensive and not especially incredible), and most of the other tourist-towns were overwhelmingly tourism-focused: nearly everyone you interacted with had an agenda or something to offer: a guide, a translator, a coffee ceremony, a hotel, it was hard to just “make a friend.”

In a culture that has been so impacted by foreign-influence, aid, and tourism, I think that it’s important to be educated and responsible about giving. Although each person is entitled to their own opinions and ideas on this, we have written a few blogs about aid and giving. Check them out here and here and here if you’d like.

We traveled exclusively over-land while in Ethiopia. The buses take a loooong time. When you are given an estimate of how long the bus will take, double it and hope for the best. The roads are bad, the buses are ancient, and the livestock just can’t resist wandering in the middle of the highways. Plus, the buses make frequent stops to pick up travelers and items for transport. But, aside from the discomfort of eight and nine hour bus rides, it’s a great way to see Ethiopia. Also, we never found that the minibuses arrive at the destination much faster than the large buses, so keep that in mind when you are comparing prices.

Addis Abeba
Tsegereda hotel - Assefashi kinfu Kidane (Piazza behind Cinema Ethiopia)***
Tel - 011-157-4755
Very good service. Really a beautiful Garden Patio. Chilled-out vibe during the daytime transforms into loud music and “ladies and gents of the night” in the evenings. Shared bath is absolutely awful, best to use the chamber pot. Shower situation was questionable: staff told us that we could use the showers at the National Hotel next door, but it was much easier (and nicer) to use the Taitu hot showers next door. Honest. Helpful. Smiling. 40 birr night is a great price for Piazza, even with the negatives.

National Hotel (next door to Tsegereda and several doors up from TaiTu). Best coffee in Addis - rich, dark, divine. The mokiato and sweetened steamed milk are also good bets. Best to go early in the morning and get a fresh biscuit: lightly fried twist of buttery bread with a few rye seeds cooked within.

Baro Pension 125 birr, clean w/ Private bath, tours. **
tel. 25111155, 011-1574157
Email abenet@baro.com.et

Wutma email wutmahotel@yahoo.com **
tel. 251-111573163 Mgr Chernet Agonafer
105birr Priv Bath, Restaurant, book exchange

D.S. Guesthouse, across from Axum Hotel. (tel 001-6-18-92-00, mobil 09-11-64-08-54)
Following some notes from our friend Benson’s Lonely Planet Ethiopia, we took a minibus from the airport to a hotel called Debre Damo in Addis Ababa. We were thoroughly disappointed with the place: 240birr for a crappy hotel where all rooms led onto a concrete parking lot. Even through our plane-related and airport-sleeping delirium, we hit the street trying to find a better option. We were delighted to find the DS guesthouse, just a few blocks away. It was a world different, and SO worth the 60 birr upgrade. A shared minibus from airport should be less than 10birr per person to DS. Peaceful, serene, very kind and gracious family, private bath, hot shower, cable television. Kitchen available for guests upon request. Breakfast is included. 300-400 birr/night. One minute walk to minibuses that go all over Addis.

A.A. (Addis Abeba) Women’s Association Café, Piazza. On the second floor of a large restaurant and shopping mall right in the midst of Piazza. Excellent food, very fair prices, very friendly and sweet staff. We went there more often than was appropriate, and usually ordered the Tibes with Spagetti with spicy tomato sauce. And plenty of Ambo.

Lalibela
Blulal Hotel: Lalibela. We got our hotel room for 50 birr per night for two with shared bath and shared hot shower. Shared bath was for three rooms upstairs. Hotel also has rooms with private baths and hot shower for 150 birrh/night. Beautiful views of the mountains from two large windows (that even opened!!). Sophie (the owner) is especially gracious and friendly, and has a restaurant (Chez Sophie) on the first floor. Perhaps a bit noisy for some, as the nightclub two doors down can get a bit raucous on the weekends.

Read more...

Improving tourism and the touristic experience

As we become global citizens and see our lives intertwining with our peoples around the planet we want to become more respectful, better stewards, economically just, and culturally aware. Whenever onetravels to countries as far apart from our homelands, as China is from the United States, this may seem more daunting. This should not prevent one from traveling and taking on this challenge.

Brittany and I often have talked about the pain we feel when we visit beautiful regions in the world that have been exploited and inexorably altered by the power of touristic influences. In early experiences of travel, most backpackers rely heavily on guide books to help them navigate new cities, countries, and hard to reach areas. These books, (Lonely Planet, Footprint, Rough Guide etc), help reveal special places often recommended by other travelers experiences. However, there is a corollary effect to tourist and guidebook recommendations. After 'making the guide' influx impacts of new tourism on remote indigenous, culturally unique, environmentally pristine, or ethnically sacred territory often destroys exactly what made each great. Edward Abbey made good descrition of how this occurred in the development of USA National Parks in his book Desert Solitaire. New Orleans native, Mark Plotkin, draws a similar comparison to missionaries, drug companies, and tourist impacts on the last remote tribes on the planet in his ethnobotanical memoir Shaman's Apprentice.

I have lost track now of how many times I referred to those of us who began hostels in Colombia in the last 10 years in the following way,"We are in the tourism business; but, we do not want any more tourism." Tourism, it seems, is killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.

How can we behave differently as tourists and guides to mitigate the negative effects of too much tourism and facilitate sustainable travel?

Here are some ways of building positive touristic experience:

As the tourist:

1. When you reach the end of the road, keep going.
   In Latin America the tourist trail is referred to as the Gringo Trail. Travelers go to the same spots other travelers have gone before. As travel increases, tourist businesses develop to meet increasing demand. To reach nonimpacted areas all one has to do is go 2 km from any tourist route. Generally, one will find that one is welcomed as an honored guest, helped more eagerly, and given a more local and complex view of the area one is wanting to visit.
2. Respect local customs and yourself in the process.
   We are always ambassadors for the people who come after us and for the lands and people from which we have come. Lacking knowledge or language skills is not enough of an obstacle to being dignified, polite, and generous of spirit. Across the planet, observing how locals interact, treating people the way we hope to be treated, and engaging our hosts with thankful and joyful honesty opens doors for others to follow us.
3. Keep your game face on - and put your best foot forward.
   Travel is difficult, fraught with unexpected events, sudden changes, and uncomfortable new challenges. While one may feel overwhelmed, tired, or bemused in the moment, hold on to what is usually at the root of why we come in the first place: This place interests and intrigues us; and, while we may not be 100% at ease in every moment, our previous experiences (and the wealth of those who have experienced travel before us) all point to the overwhelming majority opinion that negative and uncomfortable memories are erased and our positive memories have staying power. We remember smiles and pleasant differences.

As the tourist developer:

1. Think 'green' locally, act globally
2. Behave outside the Box
3. Make your tourism unique
   Most parts of the world where tourism begins start off when someone recognizes that others would like to visit a place we have fallen for completely. Starting a business in this condition only insures that copycat businesses will follow and replicate your success. Not only does this present an annoyance and undercut your hard work's achievement, it utterly ruins the sacred place you aimed to share. Generally, if you have any business principles or memory this will force you out figuratively or literally.

Emerging Trends in Tourism: Ecotourism and Sustainable Development

In earlier blogs, we have discussed ZERI or Zero Emmissions Planning Ecotourism, Volunteer Tourism, and Zero Carbon Tourism are new ways travelers seek to fully engage new peoples, lands, and places while allowing their footprints to fade ecologically into the sands of time. Allowing tourists to take increased responsibility for their impact changes behaviors between locals and visitors. This also enhances the overall experiences of visitors and hosts.

The future is here, how do we embrace it more fully?

Read more...