Oof this hits hard. I went on a whale watching tour today in Kaikoura NZ and probably half the tourists were clearly just there for the photo ops. People aren’t even seeing what they’re seeing! It’s not clear what can be done about it but oof.
It’s so bloody hard to get a good photo of a whale. And those blurry photos of a partially-submerged blow hole? No one will want to see them. Not them. Not their friends. It just robs them of the moment.
Yep. What really blew my mind is that multiple were dressed up to the nines for these pictures! Like full length cream coat with matching scarf and fancy hair with a flower tucked in. The picture was really the whole point. Unrelated: the word blowhole is incredibly fun to say/read 🤣
Unlike someone swinging for photographers while wearing a dirty dress, I authentically enjoyed this. Thanks also for doing the audio. I record audio for all my posts too, and appreciate when someone puts in the extra effort. It adds such personality to the whole thing, I think.
My actual job is in podcasting. I honestly couldn’t put something out which hadn’t been a bit mixed and edited. Leaving in my stumbles would be a mortal wound.
I completely agree that Insta is screwing stuff up. I was in Dorset, UK recently and saw tourists dicing with death on a cliff top in order to get the right photo. How did travel end up this way? Very sad.
Bingo. I learnt after my first trip overseas that I hated carrying my DSLR camera within the first week of my month long trip to Europe/UK, particularly 'working' as a music photographer back in Aus. I didn't really want or need to take the same photos that everyone else took on the tours and when I went off on my own, I took photos of more 'interesting' things. Touristy things are boring. Though, your post has touched a nerve; I've not been to my parents' motherland of Vietnam and, because it's such a touristy country, I'm not sure what I'd want to see over there...
Nicholas Nassim Taleb also bemoans the touristification of life. His antidote is rational flaneurism, setting off with no plan, and deciding on the next destination without the Lonely Planet, moving instinctively Bourdain style. IG has a lot to answer for.
You know, I was going to write a piece about stoicism being silly in a modern context. I took a gut disliking to the philosophy, mostly because every dude in Bondi seemed to be reading books about it.
But the more I looked into stoicism, the more I liked it - hahaha.
I first went to Bali in the mid-90s and cried many times simply at its mindblowing beauty. Went back several times over the next 20 years and the last time I was there, in 2012 so before social media caused people to sell their souls and hashtag the results, I cried for the enormous multi-lane road roaring through the tiny village in the north, the disappearance of the football field in Ubud, and the transformation of a pristine white sand beach that was now shore-to-jungle hotels. I will never go back.
There are still flashes of the sublime, but over-tourism has done such a number on the place.
Honestly, it makes me conflicted about tourism. Is there really an ethical way to travel? is it fair for me to be upset about what tourism has done to Bali, or does that rob the local people of agency? It's helping make the area more wealthy - is that a fair compromise?
Even when I was there, plenty of people harked back to the 50s and then the 60s/70s hippy trail, bemoaning the island’s ruination through tourism.
I actually don’t know if the Insta hordes etc are making Bali more wealthy. It depends how we define it - certain areas remain very poor while others are doing better on the back of the tourist dollar. My hunch is that as with so much else, gloablisation is actually causing deeper wealth disparity rather than raising living standards.
I spent time on Lombok also in the 90s. A very different culture, of course, but one of the things I discovered was that it was becoming increasingly common for young people (men) to sell their family land. It seemed quite normal to inherit and thus own a patch of land which I suppose traditionally would have been farmed, but for that to not seem like a very enticing (or financially viable) choice for the people inheriting. So they were increasingly selling up, mea. Totally understandable and probably in many ways a sensible decision; also one that has allowed the land to be bought by property developers, hence turned into hotels etc.
I don’t know, I really don’t have any answers to these issues. Is wealth about bank accounts, ownership of land, ability to travel, increased possibilities in life, community? I dunno… but I do think that rampant tourism/globalisation is flattening all these possibilities into the simple chasing of money and status. One of the reasons Bali was so attractive to travellers in the first place was that it offered a radically different way of life, grounded in a profoundly different worldview. I imagine it’s indistinguishable from thousands of other beautiful places now, apart from little signifiers of “authenticity” such as poleng cloth in Bali, Indian saris in Sri Lanka etc…
The part of this piece that interests me the most is how guides are trained and licensed. Is the system An described limited to SE Asia? I’ve taken private excursions on port stops on cruises and never thought to ask the generally great guides how the system works in Europe or South America. Btw, I try to avoid tours booked through the big consolidators and book directly with the local companies.
Haha I fucking loved this! I mean I hate what’s going on and it depresses me but I love your snarky and hilarious tone. Truly, what is the point of travelling if the whole experience is just performative? Put the fucking phone down!
I'm also depressed by it....? But as I mentioned in a previous comment, at least social media corrals all the fuckwits into small, photogenic spaces, leaving the rest of the world to normal travellers.
Your last four ( Yup, I counted them 🙄) sentences just sum it up so well! It’s just another box ticked. Having said that, a very enjoyable and thought provoking read! Thank you.
The groan that involuntarily came from my person when I got to the sentence “…being a photographer” is likely to alarm my neighbours. Thank you for sharing An’s story, this insight into the Vietnam tourism industry, and the putrid state of the insta-world, second only to how rancid that red swing dress is 🤮. Your docile tones make it go down easier.
Oof this hits hard. I went on a whale watching tour today in Kaikoura NZ and probably half the tourists were clearly just there for the photo ops. People aren’t even seeing what they’re seeing! It’s not clear what can be done about it but oof.
It’s so bloody hard to get a good photo of a whale. And those blurry photos of a partially-submerged blow hole? No one will want to see them. Not them. Not their friends. It just robs them of the moment.
Yep. What really blew my mind is that multiple were dressed up to the nines for these pictures! Like full length cream coat with matching scarf and fancy hair with a flower tucked in. The picture was really the whole point. Unrelated: the word blowhole is incredibly fun to say/read 🤣
Unlike someone swinging for photographers while wearing a dirty dress, I authentically enjoyed this. Thanks also for doing the audio. I record audio for all my posts too, and appreciate when someone puts in the extra effort. It adds such personality to the whole thing, I think.
Oh I am SO GLAD you listened to it. It takes a surprising amount of time to record and edit. I always wonder ‘why the hell am I bothering…?’
You edit? I’m impressed. I guess that explains why the quality of your recording sounded so good.
My actual job is in podcasting. I honestly couldn’t put something out which hadn’t been a bit mixed and edited. Leaving in my stumbles would be a mortal wound.
I completely agree that Insta is screwing stuff up. I was in Dorset, UK recently and saw tourists dicing with death on a cliff top in order to get the right photo. How did travel end up this way? Very sad.
And does the world need another photo of a cliff top? No one ACTUALLY cares. So not worth risking your life for.
Reading this is like reading some dystopian novel. But it’s here, it’s happening and it’s real. Thank you for this eye-opening insight.
It is SO FUCKING weird and dystopian to see. My sister was with me in Bali, and we talk about it a lot. Grim doesn’t even cover it.
Bingo. I learnt after my first trip overseas that I hated carrying my DSLR camera within the first week of my month long trip to Europe/UK, particularly 'working' as a music photographer back in Aus. I didn't really want or need to take the same photos that everyone else took on the tours and when I went off on my own, I took photos of more 'interesting' things. Touristy things are boring. Though, your post has touched a nerve; I've not been to my parents' motherland of Vietnam and, because it's such a touristy country, I'm not sure what I'd want to see over there...
Perhaps the good thing about social media, is that it contains the people to a few chosen areas.
Train street is packed with people, tripods and madness. A few streets back, normal again.
It’s the taking of the same photo over and over again which kills me. What is it all for?
Nicholas Nassim Taleb also bemoans the touristification of life. His antidote is rational flaneurism, setting off with no plan, and deciding on the next destination without the Lonely Planet, moving instinctively Bourdain style. IG has a lot to answer for.
YES.
THIS is an excellent philosophy. I reckon the flaneurs had it right, honestly. What a way to live.
Appreciate the comment, didn't know that Taleb held that opinion.
He has some wonderful insights on applying Stoic philosophy to modern problems. Worth reading is his shorter book on becoming Antifragile.
So thanks for this recommendation.
You know, I was going to write a piece about stoicism being silly in a modern context. I took a gut disliking to the philosophy, mostly because every dude in Bondi seemed to be reading books about it.
But the more I looked into stoicism, the more I liked it - hahaha.
Had to abandon that idea.
I love having beautiful pictures of my trips but I also really want to experience the place I'm in, and that always takes precedent.
It IS a balance that's possible to manage. But I think the scales are waaaaay off for a lot of people at the moment.
I first went to Bali in the mid-90s and cried many times simply at its mindblowing beauty. Went back several times over the next 20 years and the last time I was there, in 2012 so before social media caused people to sell their souls and hashtag the results, I cried for the enormous multi-lane road roaring through the tiny village in the north, the disappearance of the football field in Ubud, and the transformation of a pristine white sand beach that was now shore-to-jungle hotels. I will never go back.
It sounds like you went there at a great time.
There are still flashes of the sublime, but over-tourism has done such a number on the place.
Honestly, it makes me conflicted about tourism. Is there really an ethical way to travel? is it fair for me to be upset about what tourism has done to Bali, or does that rob the local people of agency? It's helping make the area more wealthy - is that a fair compromise?
I honestly don't know.
Even when I was there, plenty of people harked back to the 50s and then the 60s/70s hippy trail, bemoaning the island’s ruination through tourism.
I actually don’t know if the Insta hordes etc are making Bali more wealthy. It depends how we define it - certain areas remain very poor while others are doing better on the back of the tourist dollar. My hunch is that as with so much else, gloablisation is actually causing deeper wealth disparity rather than raising living standards.
I spent time on Lombok also in the 90s. A very different culture, of course, but one of the things I discovered was that it was becoming increasingly common for young people (men) to sell their family land. It seemed quite normal to inherit and thus own a patch of land which I suppose traditionally would have been farmed, but for that to not seem like a very enticing (or financially viable) choice for the people inheriting. So they were increasingly selling up, mea. Totally understandable and probably in many ways a sensible decision; also one that has allowed the land to be bought by property developers, hence turned into hotels etc.
I don’t know, I really don’t have any answers to these issues. Is wealth about bank accounts, ownership of land, ability to travel, increased possibilities in life, community? I dunno… but I do think that rampant tourism/globalisation is flattening all these possibilities into the simple chasing of money and status. One of the reasons Bali was so attractive to travellers in the first place was that it offered a radically different way of life, grounded in a profoundly different worldview. I imagine it’s indistinguishable from thousands of other beautiful places now, apart from little signifiers of “authenticity” such as poleng cloth in Bali, Indian saris in Sri Lanka etc…
Strike a pose …..
Only when no one is looking.
But of course.
I hear you loud and crystal clear!
Hahahaha - I assume you listened to the audio.
The part of this piece that interests me the most is how guides are trained and licensed. Is the system An described limited to SE Asia? I’ve taken private excursions on port stops on cruises and never thought to ask the generally great guides how the system works in Europe or South America. Btw, I try to avoid tours booked through the big consolidators and book directly with the local companies.
I think it helps to remember that Vietnam is run by a one-party communist Government.
It would make sense they'd want some oversight on what tourists are being told and taught about their country.
Haha I fucking loved this! I mean I hate what’s going on and it depresses me but I love your snarky and hilarious tone. Truly, what is the point of travelling if the whole experience is just performative? Put the fucking phone down!
PUT. IT. THE. FUCK. DOWN.
Thanks Sara, appreciate your comment.
I'm also depressed by it....? But as I mentioned in a previous comment, at least social media corrals all the fuckwits into small, photogenic spaces, leaving the rest of the world to normal travellers.
That’s an excellent point. It’s an automatic filter, in a meta sense.
Your last four ( Yup, I counted them 🙄) sentences just sum it up so well! It’s just another box ticked. Having said that, a very enjoyable and thought provoking read! Thank you.
Hahahaha - finished this article up after a red-eye flight. So I might have been a bit more... strident... than usual.
The groan that involuntarily came from my person when I got to the sentence “…being a photographer” is likely to alarm my neighbours. Thank you for sharing An’s story, this insight into the Vietnam tourism industry, and the putrid state of the insta-world, second only to how rancid that red swing dress is 🤮. Your docile tones make it go down easier.