Nikkilude #2: The Traveler's Dilemma

After spending just 2 days in Quito and getting totally ripped off once for a city tour that I pretty much ended up doing on bike, I’ve decided that I’m starting to have mixed feelings not about traveling, but about being a tourist. Inherently just by stepping foot in a foreign land, you’re setting yourself up for a few rip offs and hectic, confusing moments, regardless of what you do, but those just seem a bit more unbearable when you’re rallied to and fro with tens of other people rendered temporarily unfashionable and just as confused as you, but in other languages (equally as confusing sounding sometimes). In getting to interact with a few locals in Quito, I realized that yes, you have to see the landmarks, but sometimes it’s way more fun to sit down and share a meal or a drink with somebody who’s not desperate for all the money in your wallet. They have invaluable insights about their city/country—because they live there! And they can show you their favorite places that Lonely Planet might have missed.

But wait, you say, what’s the point of going all across the globe if you’re not even going to take pictures at its greatest landmarks? That’s like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre; going to Botswana and not going on Safari; going to China and not visiting the Great Wall—and the list goes on and on. The problem with these things is not that they’re not worth the long lines and high prices you have to pay, it’s just that you can’t help but feel like you’re not really in that place—you’re beyond that in a little international bubble. My favorite traveling moments have definitely included these things, but looking back on what stands out the most, I remember the people I met which have included fellow travelers and local peoples. OK, and I remember the food too…

That being said, does it mean I’m renouncing all tourist activity, but maybe choosing them a little more wisely. Instead of getting on a bus, maybe I’ll try a bike. Or maybe I’ll get the word out and try and get hooked up with a local person before I even arrive. Granted, on weeklong trips you have to make the most of that time, but does every day have to be devoted to museums, artifacts, history and tours? I don’t think so. At the root of everything are people and communication, so why would I squander an opportunity to meet people from other walks of life and hear their stories? Loja, being a much smaller and less touristy place (along with my having 2 months here) seems primed to be such a place, which is why I’m loving it so much already.