Culture is one of the prime reasons we travel. And travel as a unique human behaviour — as well as a concept — is always a process; never a one-dimensional event.
In the world of travel and tourism we often talk about intercultural understanding, and travel as a means of achieving universal aims and objectives.
Permaculture is also a conceptual and pragmatic way of interacting productively with the many “systems” inherent in the universe and in human communities. It is therefore a philosophical endeavour, a mindset, but above all it is a common sense approach to land management.
It is also not difficult to draw parallels between the Permaculture movement and the travel and tourism industry, given especially the regeneration of the Heritage Movement in which a return to a grassroots and meaningful form of travel is emphasized.
In addition, the increasing emphasis on responsible tourism (often referred to as green tourism or sustainable tourism) is also for many people a preferred method of travel which follows similar principles and ethics to that of the Permaculture movement.
Permaculture emphasizes the designing of human settlements and sustainable agricultural systems which in turn reflect the natural relationships found in the universe. The movement began as an agricultural phenomenon and quickly became an international movement, and for many a way of life.
Increasingly in the world of travel journalism — a corollary “system” to travel and tourism — many are also striving to go beyond the “Where’s the beach?” school of solely consumer-oriented travel. By emphasizing the advantages of a more integrated, reciprocal, and participatory approach to travel, the travel experience is re-affirmed as the most experiential form of learning.
And as you will hear Graeme Calder explain in this podcast, there are many opportunities throughout the world to “travel” in a Permaculture mode.
Statistical footnote
According to a recent Yahoo Travel/Forbes Traveler.com article, the essence of Permaculture is also statistically consistent with travellers who want a “big trip, low impact” travel experience.
“Along those lines, sustainable and eco-friendly tourism are also on the rise–and affecting people’s travel decisions. A survey conducted by the U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnership in July 2009 shows a 9% increase from 2007 in awareness of “green travel.” Six in 10 respondents in the same survey said they believed environmental programs at travel services could have a positive impact on the environment.
The general idea of such an excursion involves minimizing harmful effects on the environment and making sure the money tourists spend in a country stays there. For example, tourists stay at local accommodations and participate in fair trade, buying goods directly from the makers.”
“A danger of travel is that we may see things at the wrong time, before we have had an opportunity to build up the necessary receptivity, so that new information is as useless and fugitive as necklace beads without a connecting chain.”
On the other hand we may not have the necessary receptivity to see certain realities because of the old adage of not seeing the forest for the trees.
Art and Climate Change
Jeroen Bechtold is a ceramic artist that I have had the pleasure of meeting, interviewing, and writing about.
His new series “15 Claims” which focuses on Climate Change is a remarkable work that accomplishes many artistic and human objectives.
He is a traveller and artist in the most comprehensive sense of the term; and in that regard he is someone who sees the forest and the trees.
To listen to this radio interview, click on the link below.
For a number of years I had the privilege of working with Roy Lowey: pilot, retired airline executive, owner-operator of his own airlines, radio host (WTMY Sarasota, Sunday Travel Radio, grandpa, man-for-all-seasons, and one of the funniest and most down-to-earth people I have ever known — and travelled with.
On his radio show he engages in dialogues with many different people from all sectors of the travel and tourism industry.
In a recent segment of his show, we talked about Martinique.
To see more images of Martinique, click on the following links:
The annual World Congress of the World Federation of Journalists and Travel Writers (FIJET) took place in Shanghai, China.
There is little doubt that human beings are a migratory species. However, even though most of us moved beyond the transient stage in our evolution and “settled down” in permanent communities – in which our diverse cultures soon began to take root – many of us continued, of necessity, to migrate throughout the world.
There are of course many historical, economic, and sociological reasons why human culture (in its various hues and shades) continued to spread far from and beyond the initial “borders” in which it developed; but history shows how these migrations also contributed to the mosaic of other indigenous cultures, and to human culture in general.
As we look to the near future, and our FIJET Congress in Shanghai, it is perhaps worthwhile attempting to get an overview of the enormous contributions that Chinese culture has made to global culture – and to many of our individual national cultures.
The numbers speak for themselves
Worldwide, there are an estimated 40,000,000 “Overseas Chinese.” These are people of Chinese birth or descent; and we must not forget the additional numbers of individuals of partial Chinese ancestry who may also consider themselves as belonging to the Chinese diaspora.
The latter term, by the way, is from the Greek and means dispersion. It also has connotations of forced exile, and a collective migration out of the traditional homeland. Also implied in the term is the immigrant experience of living as a minority in a majority culture.
In many nations around the world, this minority cultural experience has often been the norm for Overseas Chinese, and a significant hardship. In Canada for example, where I live, people of Chinese descent are the largest non-European ethnic origin in our nation today; and the fifth largest of any ethnic origin in Canada other than English or French. Most were also born outside Canada. In fact, when you include all Chinese dialects and the two principal languages of Mandarin and Cantonese, Chinese is the third largest mother tongue in Canada after English and French.
But we have a number of skeletons in the Canadian historical closet, one of them being the Chinese Head Tax. Although Chinese workers (male primarily) were the main immigrant group that built our transcontinental railway – the “national dream” that united Canada east to west and was one of the most important factors in our becoming an independent nation – the head tax was first imposed when the Canadian Government passed the Chinese Immigration Act of 1885 whose purpose was to discourage Chinese from entering Canada once the railway was completed.
A blatant example of discrimination, it took until June 22, 2006 for the Canadian government to issue a formal apology (via our current Prime Minister Steven Harper) to the Chinese Canadian community for the prejudicial use of a head tax and the exclusion of Chinese immigrants to Canada. In his speech to Parliament he said, “… we fully accept the moral responsibility to acknowledge these shameful polices of our past.”
And although people of Chinese descent are the communicators of one of the world’s greatest cultures, many have experienced similar negative experiences elsewhere on the planet. For reasons that are of course complex but nonetheless problematic, Chinese culture – which is often highly misunderstood in terms of its extraordinary diversity – the cultural “gifts” that the Chinese people collectively have contributed to human society may be unparalleled.
Integration and heritage preservation
The Chinese people have always been a migratory culture. As early as the Ming Dynasty they were exploring trade opportunities in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Different waves of emigration (and subsequently immigration) followed to regions as diverse as North America, Oceania, the Caribbean, Latin America, South Africa, Russia, and Southeast Asia. In the 19th century, the age of colonialism was at its height and the many multinational colonies far from their cultural homelands required labourers, and China often supplied a pool of such workers. These people of course were most often economic refugees and frequently they worked in backbreaking and dangerous jobs such as the building of railroads and mining. This, as I have indicated, was how Canada’s transcontinental railways completed the east-west natural flow of which the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes were the first stage in the longest freshwater waterway to the interior of the North American continent.
As economic refugees, these migrant Chinese struggled long and hard to improve their lives and to successfully integrate into the “host” nation. This was not always easy as racism and other forms of discrimination often relegated them to the status of second class citizens. However, as difficult as their lives were overseas (often living isolated existences; for example along the route of the aptly named Canadian Pacific Railway where even today you can find small Chinese businesses in the smallest of communities) what they did manage to do was to hang on to their culture. And as we all know, language is the core of any culture. In many ways the Chinese who emigrated throughout the world became role models for preserving thousands of years of history and art, while at the same time contributing to infrastructure-building far from “home.” And they continued to speak Chinese.
Subsequent historic events both slowed and precipitated further emgiration. Following challenges posed by emigration regulations in the 1950s, the first steps to the transformation of Hong Kong from a British colony to a Chinese territory began in 1984. New waves of emigration began again but slowed by 1997 when China reclaimed sovereignty over the colony.
And as we now know, China has emerged (along with India) as one of the most important “business partners” in the global marketplace, especially in certain countries of Africa where development is the highest priority. The entry (or re-entry) of China as a major player in the global economy has also led to a renewed interest in all things Chinese, especially in the field of the arts. However, as is the case with any national group that leaves its cultural homeland, the Chinese have assimilated to a lesser or greater extent into the mainstream culture of the host nation. But assimilation can be a two-way street.
While assimilating and accommodating themselves to their overseas adopted nations, the Chinese also contribute to the overal “persona” of the host nation’s culture. And as we travel journalists know full well, human culture is not a static entity; it is dynamic and constantly evolving. What is interesting however, and this would appear to be global phenomenon, is that cultural diversity, multiculturalism, and the transcending of borders (both geographical, cultural, and conceptual) is becoming the new mainstream. This is especially true, for example, in Toronto which many people consider to be the the most multicultural city on the North American continent.
A question of identity
In my belief, one of the strongest attributes of travel journalists is our ability to identify with “the other.” Like all skills, this ability to relate comes with practice; with frequently “getting up close and personal” with the subject matter. In our business, that subject matter is human culture. And at this point I would like to leave the last word to Margaret Mead, the well-known American anthropolgist who said:
“If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse gift will find a fitting place.”
……………………………… Three Interesting and Related Resources
FIJET (Fédération Internationale des Journalistes et Écrivains du Tourisme/World Federation of Journalists and Travel Writers) is an official member of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
… including a podcast with Daniel Pouplot President and Director of la Fédération québécoise de la marche
The randonnée
Like so many words and so many cultural experiences, “it sometimes loses in the translation.”
A randonnée in French suggests a purposeful way of getting about – on foot – but at the same time there is an element of freedom that the word signifies. Whereas the word marche is probably closest to the English word “walk” or “walking,” randonnée evokes images and sensations of discovery, of getting closer to the landscape (physical, human, and cultural); and the term also suggests a means of travel that is at the pace of nature itself.
And as we discovered, Martinique is an island in which you can travel at leisure — and at your own pace.
A timeless concept
TheFédération québécoise de la marcheis a not-for-profit organization that has been in existence for more than 30 years. A member-based organization, its mandate is to promote and develop what may seem to be a simple human activity, that of walking.
And yet, walking takes many forms, from adventurous trekking, to hiking, to what in Britain is called “rambling,” to a gentle stroll through a content-rich environment or milieu, whether it be urban or rural.
The culture of walking
As a cultural activity and a fundamental means of travel, walking has always been a principal means of exploring any destination whether it be international, national, regional, or local.
And the Fédération québécoise de la marche fulfills many functions related to this primary form of travel including providing information on special walks, bringing together all kinds of different clubs devoted to walking, and encouraging and promoting the development of pedestrian-friendly pathways.The association is also a role model for a healthy lifestyle which also emphasizes the leisure benefits of simply walking.
Made up of over 3000 members in the province of Québec and 100 other related organizations, the association also produces a magazine called Marche-Randonnée, topographical guides for walkers, and even a resource guide for walking and snowshoe trekking in the winter; an activity that is very much at the heart of the québécois culture.
The Fédération is also responsible for special events such as an annual “Festival of Walking,” “Snowshoe Festival,” and a national day devoted to the creation of walking paths. Above all, the Fédération solicits funding that supports its many activities.
Martinique as a walkers’ paradise
I met Daniel and his partner Nicole Blondeau on the island of Martinique.
La Martinique (an official département of France) is a luxuriant cultural environment in a topographical, historical, and environmental sense.
Volcanic in nature, this is a multidimensional island destination that is as fertile culturally as it is agriculturally. Furthermore, Martinique is an island that is a mosaic of sensory experiences, and a destination in which you can get up close and personal with the landscape.
And as we often say, landscape shapes culture.
Organic farming Creole-style
In Martinique, the Creole Gardens are one of the best examples you will find anywhere of good land management, of cultural self-determination, and of natural beauty.
Without a doubt, the economy of Martinique benefits from tourism because of its natural and cultural diversity. The industry of agriculture however is also a fundamental component of the island’s economy, in particular the cultivation of bananas, and to some extent sugar cane which is used primarily for the production of rum. It is important to point out that 14 per cent of the active population of Martinique work in the agricultural industry (compared to four per cent in what the Martinicans call La Métropolitaine ( “metropolitan France”).
The “Creole Gardens” we visited in the highlands of the interior of the island are maintained by individuals and families who work in other sectors of the economy of Martinique but at the same time pursue centuries-old farming practices on the nutrient-rich slopes and small cleared fields of the island.
For those interested in agritourism (one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel and tourism industry) a walk through this unique and very bio-diversified terrain is a highly engaging and horticulturally-rich travel experience.
……….
Other walks recommended by Daniel Pouplot and Nicole Blondeau
1. The “wet” rainforest
Starting from Fond-Saint-Denis, just east of the old capital of Saint-Pierre, Daniel and Nicole completed a circuit in the tropical forests of the neighbouring mountains. Towards the end of their walk, they also visited a section of Le canal des Esclaves (the Slave Canal) which is an historic small irrigation canal constructed by slaves about 1770.
Their guide was Richard Montredon of the tour provider Ékokay, a “green tourism” company that also specializes in walking tours.
2. The nature reserve of la Caravelle
I also had the pleasure of accompanying Daniel and Nicole on a walk through this natural reserve on a peninsula in the north-east part of the island. Le Parc Naturel Régional de la Caravelle is especially well-known for its mangrove and dry forest, both unique environments that are excellent examples of natural sustainable and regenerative ecosystems. Nearby are also the ruins of Château Dubuc, a stunning site with magnificent views. Near the town of La Trinité, the Château is also an important heritage site as it is an historic sugar plantation, in terms of its black history, and in terms of the role it played in the extermination of the Carib Indians (who called the island Madinina the “island of flowers”), and because it was a site known for its extensive smuggling operations.
3. La Trace des Caps
Martinique has an official Bureau de la Randonnée, a government agency that promotes walking throughout the island. La Trace des Caps is a walking trail that follows some of the most beautiful beaches you will ever see in the Caribbean, along the most southernly coast of the island. Its total length is 27 kilometres but you can begin and end your walk at numerous locations.
On May 8, 1902, Mt. Pelée erupted, destroying the city of Saint-Pierre, once known as the Paris of the Caribbean. The eruption also killed over 30,000 people. However, as ironic as it may seem, and as is the case in so many areas of volcanic activity throughout the world, the soil eventually became enriched again and the inhabitants (farmers especially) returned because the land was cheap.
One can walk up and around Mt. Pelée using a number of different routes and hiking trails. Daniel and Nicole followed the Aileron trail on the eastern side of the mountain. In my chat with Daniel, you will hear him refer to “the Chinese” (in French Le Chinois) which is the summit of the mountain because it is said to resemble a conical Chinese hat. Often in the clouds, Mt. Pelée, as Daniel points out, is also a botanist’s dream.
Their guide was Christian Bapin of the company Terre de Mornes.
I found the article “How Volcanoes Work” on the website of the University of San Diego especially useful for understanding the importance of Mt. Pelée and other volcanoes like it.
5. The Creole Gardens Walk
For me, the most significant walk in socio-cultural terms was our walk through the Creole Gardens in the highlands of Martinique accompanied by one of the most learned and committed guides I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.
Patrick Duchel is un homme à tout faire (a jack of all trades but also a master of many). The proprietor of the gîteaux Z’Amandines (a rural hospitality provider not unlike a bed and breakfast), Patrick is a member of the Réseau Tak-Tak, a collective of relatively low-cost suppliers of accommodation, soft adventure activities, and other hospitality providers, all of which emphasize the “up close and personal” authentic travel experience in Martinique. For those who are especially interested engaging in first-hand encounters with the history, heritage, and rich ecosystems of Martinique, the Réseau Tak-Tak may be for you.
As you will see from my Flikr slideshow, Patrick took us into the heart of the Creole experience in Martinique. Along the way, he also gave us lessons in biology and botany that provided an in-depth understanding of this island’s extraordinary natural resources. And experiencing first hand “the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things,” we also were given perspective and insights into the complex and rich history of Martinique.
The Creole Gardens are also referred to as Les jardins de résistance (the gardens of resistance), which is both an appropriate metaphor for this nutrient-rich landscape but also a very realistic expression of Creole history in Martinique and the struggles of people of African descent in this former French colony.
When slavery was finally abolished by France in its overseas colonies, Black Martinicans gained the right to own property in the interior. Initially, farming these small and quite inaccessible plots of land, was certainly a challenge for newly emancipated people. However — and this is why Martinique is also an island that symbolizes self-determination — today these gardens are models of sustainable agriculture.
If you are a person of a certain age, you will probably remember Robert Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance; and you may also remember the surprising effect the book had on the general culture of travel in North America.
Published in 1974, the book became a literary and cultural icon as the author took those of us who were heavily into the loosy-goosy counter-culture movement of that period of time; when it was not only permissible but encouraged to think and behave in unconventional ways and to go travelling (or questing) in search of higher truths, especially metaphysical ones.
Let’s not forget the tenor of the times: the Civil Rights Movement, the Women’s Movement, the beginning of the Gay Rights Movement; and the winding down of the Vietnam War. The latter of course hit hard at the metaphysical core of America; and when I say America I mean Canada as well as the United States because there is always an overflow across the (formerly) “longest undefended border in the world.”
It was a time of general angst and collective questioning of “What’s it all about, Alfie?” However, it was also the “best of times, the worst of times,” in that, despite the struggles and the aforementioned angst, there was also a renewed idealism and search for truth in North American society. It was also a time when quality of life and individual self-expression were also being re-assessed and articulated differently.
The Cleaver family was well on its way to the recycling bin.
So when Pirsig’s book came along, it struck a Jungian chord with many. In part I believe this was because the quest that Pirsig’s alter ego undertakes — he is not identified in the book, although with the luxury of hindsight we can see how much of Persig is in the character who he is trekking across the country on his motorcycle with his son Chris with whom he is struggling to bond — has a lot to do with something very fundamental to the human condition, to wit — the road trip.
Now the road trip is really nothing new. The first travellers, maybe even travel journalists — have you ever thought of yourself as a troubadour? — went where they went and saw what they saw and achieved whatever level of enlightenment they did … on foot.
Was Marco Polo a travel journalist, a kind of Paul Theroux of ancient times? What great stories were told along those caravan routes, along the pilgrimage routes? How many of the Canterbury Tales are really travel stories? And are we, the lah dee dah travel journalists of the 21st century, really any different from the motley crowd of pilgrims who made there often randy way from Southwork to Canterbury Cathedral?
And now if I could get my head back into the 20th century for a moment, I must also pay homage to the Jack Kerouacs of the world who had also gone where angels fear to tread long before Robert Pirsig and his literary doppleganger did.
Quite simply, the road trip has become a staple in our psyches and collective consciousness. I was reminded once again of this fact recently in Missouri as we rushed hither and yon (on the most intense media tour I have ever been on) across that betwixt and between state. And as we did so, we followed Interstate 44.
However, weaving its ghostly presence back and forth along our journey was the equally iconic and resonant Route 66.
Well if you ever plan to motor west,
Just take my way, that’s the highway that’s the best.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.
And in his recent New Yorker article on his own culturally conflicted and morally painful road trek across Siberia, Ian Frazier writes:
“In America, we love roads. To be ‘on the road’ is to be happy and alive and free. Whatever lonesomeness the road implies is also a blankness that soon will be filled with possibility. A road leading to the horizon almost always signifies a hopeful vista for Americans. ‘Riding off into the sunset has always been our happy ending.”
These days, travelling by road, especially in and around our major megalopolises, can be be a hair-raising and even dispiriting experience, but when you hit that true open road, happy endings cannot be too far away. And that is why it still gives me a pang when I read Pirsig’s introduction to Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance:
“The study of the art of motorcycle maintenance is really a miniature study of the art of rationality itself. Working on a motorcycle, working well, caring, is to become part of a process, to achieve an inner peace of mind. The motorcycle is primarily a mental phenomenon.”
I’m still waiting for the inner peace of mind; and still not sure what I want to be when I grow up, but in terms of what Pirsig was exploring in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance I still get it.
At first I was sceptical about the book and hesitated opening it. Like many I prefer to remember certain experiences and moments in time as I choose to remember them, godammit!. I am always a bit concerned when someone writes a book about a famous book; and possibly reformats the first experience in such away that all the romance goes out of that long-term stored memory.
And by the way, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is most certainly a romance novel, but only in the truest sense of that word. From the French roman meaning novel, the definition of romance that speaks to me best is “a medieval narrative, originally one in verse and in some Romance dialect, treating of heroic, fantastic, or supernatural events, often in the form of allegory.”
Allegory. The trip. The journey. The quest. The romance.
I am definitely not talking Sleepless in Seattle.
Fortunately, Richardson’s book did not either gild the lily nor disillusion me, although he certainly paints a portrait of Pirsig that sheds a whole new light on Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. I don’t want to give too much of it away, but in many ways Richardson continues Pirsig’s journey with all its inherent conflicts, doubts, and angst. For example, he sets just the right tone when he says:
“It’s tough to explain to someone who’s only ever traveled behind a windshield, sealed in with the comforting thunk of a closing door. On a bike there’s no comforting thunk. The road is right there below you, blurring past your feet, ready to scuff your sole should you pull your boot from the peg and let it touch the ground.”
This particular excerpt resonates with me (even though I am a non-biker) because there have been trips (even media trips) in which that immediacy of experience of the destination is so strongly felt; and in my experience it is always connected to some person or persons who have embodied the truly authentic sense of the place.
If you have read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, you will remember that key metaphysical element of this “trip” is Pirsig’s search for quality and his attempt to define it. Richardson does a similar thing, in part I suspect because he too was at a crossroads in his life where he was starting to doubt what “it” was all about. I’m only guessing mind you, but get this.
Richardson writes:
“It was Zen that brought me here and Zen that helped get me to the top [of a mountain]. Just as readers who like motorcycles are attracted to Pirsig’s book, so are readers who appreciate Zen. And both sides are often disappointed that Zen and the Art isn’t really about either motorcycles or Zen…. There’s just not enough time to get to everything in this modern overstuffed, overtaxed, overindulgent world…. The moral here is [he's actually talking about a particularly vexing maintenance issue Pirsig is having but I suspect their spirits have coalesced] that it doesn’t matter how much physical care you apply to something — if your mind gets stuck along the way way or your heart’s not in it, the work will be substandard. Quality will be lost. Substance needs art. Ying and Yang.”
Anyone out there ever experienced writer’s block?
Anyone ever felt they were being asked to dumb it down just a touch so that the travel piece was a little more marketable?
Another road trip book and “must read,” recommended by yours truly
Human theatre comes in many forms; but essential to the human drama, which so many distinct travel destinations embody, are the elements of character, characterization, and dramatic conflict.
The Borough of The Bronx in New York City is the stage on which many stories have been played out.As one of the initial and principal centres of immigration to the United States – and a multi-ethnic and multicultural one – The Bronx has been one of the major settings for the arrival of immigrants escaping poverty, tyranny, or simply looking for opportunities that circumstances denied them.
And as the character of Molly Goldberg demonstrates (in the multiple senses of the word “character”), the social history of The Bronx is is one of layers of meaning and meaningfulness.
As a spokesperson for an iconic and diverse community in which the struggle to “fit in” was a constant need and drive, Molly Goldberg (a character created by Gertrude Berg) is in many ways an expression of the survival and flourishing of both the individual and collective self.
As you will hear my friend and colleague Bijan Bayne explain in this podcast, Molly Goldberg became an iconic figure because she represented strength of character and a simple sense of humanity.
To hear my chat with Bijan, click on the audio button at the top of this page.
Aviva Kempner’s Portrait of Molly Goldberg
In her award-winning documentary, Aviva paints a loving portrait of an archetypal figure. In her own words, she says:
“In Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg I’m delighted to document the amazing accomplishments of the talented Gertrude Berg. I am in awe of how this woman would wake up at six in the morning, write her shows, and then go off to the studio to produce. Without missing a beat she seamlessly performed Molly to perfection. Here is a woman who wrote the most positive portrayal of a Jewish mother and her family during the decades that severely threatened American and European Jewry. It is more amazing still that she crafted such a warm maternal figure in spite of her own mother’s mental illness. Berg created the “perfect mother” she never experienced in her own life.”
For more information on Aviva Kempner’s delightful documentary“Yoo Hoo Mrs. Goldberg,” visit www.mollygoldbergfilm.org.
To read reviews of the film, click on one of the links below:
Gertrude Berg was a multitalented woman who learned early on in life to use her intuitive skills and talents in the comprehensive and interconnected community that early radio and television gave birth to.
“Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg does an exemplary job of celebrating the seminal achievements of Gertrude Berg and reaffirming her status as a broadcasting pioneer.”
“An engrossing nostalgia bath … a window into a bygone world.”
“A rousing portrait of Berg… inspirational look at one of the key pioneers in both radio and TV…”
“Before Oprah, Before Martha, There Was Gertrude Berg”
When attempting to define the idiosyncratic and rather curious human behaviourism known as “travel” ─ in other words, trying to understand the reasons why our species is also known for its peregrinations ─ I often make reference to the following:
“We travel to explore the diversity of human society; and in so doing discover the commonality.”
From the earliest migrations of human beings along trade routes, over pilgrimage trails, or through forced migration as economic or political refugees, there has always been intrinsic to that “travel” a search for ideals. And from what I have deduced from observing travellers (and travel journalists), this penchant for us to move about the planet is also a search for a sense of self ─ both of the individual and of the collective self.
Alternative travel
And in recent years the contemporary world of travel and tourism has shown a growth in such “idealistic” travel. In many ways it has become a priority. With the diversification and transformation that we have witnessed in the industry, especially with the advent of the so-called “information age,” there is no shortage of opportunity nor motivation for people to travel. Travel habits have certainly changed; they have become far more consumer-oriented and consumer-defined, but the desire to travel has never been stronger. In many respects, travel has become an activity of self-determination.
Recently I have been in contact with a young Scottish man who is, in my opinion, the 21st-century version of the explorer or idealistic traveller. He goes only by his first name (Dan) and communicates his love for travel and his interpretations of human society through an online blog simply called Dan’s Adventure. And in order to fulfill his need to travel, he uses the (relatively) new world of electronic communication.
Dan’s next stop is Africa.
The cultural products of tourism
Increasingly the cultural “products” that satisfy this kind of need on the part of the media-wise and engaged traveller in the 21st century are not “mainstream” but alternative travel experiences; journeys in which the traveller has the opportunity (and motivation) to explore a destination and a culture in a much more direct way; on a much more grassroots level.
All travel is a journey on so many levels: physical, emotional, aesthetic, philosophical and, above all, conceptual. There are some travel experiences ─ and herein lies the primary skill of the engaged traveller ─ that are not just one-way streets but reciprocal experiences, and an opportunity for intercultural dialogue.
This kind of travel experience is organic; it is travel in which the new “sense of place” that our psyches absorb is the result of so many factors: new geographical and topographical realities; the ebb and flow of history; language elements; in brief, landscape shaping culture.
But that landscape is also the realm of ideas and ideals.
Landscapes can challenge the traveller
Anyone can, from time to time, be challenged by landscapes that are both physical and cultural. Although we are a highly adaptive species, our need to acclimatize to our surroundings is not always easy. Perhaps that is another reason many of us like to move on.
I was reminded recently of how travel can be an ambivalent experience when I read Barack Obama’s early autobiography Dreams From My Father.
In the book he describes a time in his life when, living in New York City, he began to feel confused, disturbed, and even disenchanted with the environment in which he had chosen to live. Making reference to a physical environment in which he was feeling more and more alienated, he says,
“The beauty, the filth, the noise, and the excess, all of it dazzled my senses; there seemed no constraints on originality of lifestyles or the manufacture of desire [my emphasis] …. Beneath the hum, the motion, I was seeing the steady fracturing of the world taking place…. I might wander through Harlem ─ to play on [basketball] courts I’d once read about or hear Jesse Jackson make a speech on 125th [Street]; or, on a rare Sunday morning, to sit in the back pews of Abyssinian Baptist Church, lifted by the gospel’s sweet sorrowful song ─ and catch a fleeting glimpse of that thing which I sought. But I had no guide that might show me how to join this troubled world…”
In many ways, his journey had only just begun.
A case study of idealistic and results-oriented travel
Recently, I had the opportunity of re-visiting the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico and having some direct interaction with the Mayan people in their own unique and distinct environment. I also got to meet another young man who, for me, has come to represent the idealism and search for universal meaning through travel that I have referred to above.
His name is Jesús Mesa del Castillo Bermejo. As you may already have suspected, he himself is not Mexican, but Spanish; a young journalist from Barcelona. You may immediately wonder, as did I, what he was doing in Mexico. His story and his achievements are impressive.
Jesús came to Mexico to work with the Mayan people themselves and to set up a non-governmental organization called Kanché, a not-for-profit organization that works with the Mayan people themselves who have established their own tourism industry in this part of Mexico called La Puerta Verde (Green Road). Together, Kanché and La Puerta Verde offer travellers unique indigenous travel experiences and interaction with the Mayan people. Along the way travellers discover the centuries-old wisdom of this ancient civilization, especially in terms of its knowledge base, and its sustainable land use, above all the water resources beneath the surface.
The organization is called Kanché because the Mayan word refers to an apparatus called a germinator which is raised off the ground. In the germinator the Maya plant seeds so that the sprouts will be protected from animals and insects.
The NGO that Jesús founded is also a germinator ─ of ideas.
Redevelopment and respect
Throughout the world there is a renewed recognition of the wisdom and pragmatism of aboriginal peoples. There is also a renewed emphasis on the art and artistry inherent in their way of life; and in their contributions to human civilization.
As many nations begin to refocus and re-orient their societies, especially in terms of the challenges inherent in their physical environments, and the growing urbanization of human communities everywhere, governments and non-governmental organizations are rediscovering and reaffirming the interdependent relationships to land and sea that indigenous peoples have always had.
Today the Maya are experiencing a renewed sense of themselves; once again their language is being taught in school and no longer are young people hesitant to use it. A renewed awareness of the critical dynamics of eldership and oral history are also now increasingly emphasized.
And this I suspect is what has brought Jesús to live among the Maya.
To hear my conversation with Jesús, click on the following link:
A visit to the Siksika Nation (the Blackfoot of Alberta) is a case study of an Aboriginal sense of place that differs in many ways from both the preconceived notions that many of the Europeans held before their arrival, and conceptually different from the European relationship to the land. An encounter (however brief) with the Siksika Nation (and the Blackfoot Crossing National Historic Site) south-east of Calgary, will allow you a glimpse and a new appreciation of this distinct sense of place in part because the physical landscape will have a powerful sensory effect on you. And when you delve into the history and culture of the Siksika, you will discover that the sense of place is inextricably linked to a sense of time.
The Kilim Nature Park on the Island of Langkawi in Malaysia is one of the world’s most important mangrove swamps. Whereas the mountains of the interior of Penang Island were the “lungs” of that Malaysian island, the 100-square kilometre Kilim mangrove swamps are the filtration plant for Langkawi ─ and beyond. That is how a mangrove swamp works. The Kilim Mangrove Swamps are home to once-in-a-lifetime flora and fauna experiences: Brown Eagles, Mud Skippers (which are still emerging from the primal sludge), Multicoloured Tree Crabs, and my favourite, the Monitor Lizard.
The Kilim Nature Park is also now part of a UNESCO Geopark.
Like all great rivers of the world, The Yukon has witnessed many comings and goings. Some anthropologists believe that the Yukon Valley was the main immigration route for North America’s first human inhabitants; those who came across the frozen land bridge, called Beringia between Siberia and Alaska. I should add that some First Nations peoples dispute that theory, preferring their own traditional beliefs that their ancestors originated in North America. But like all great rivers on the planet, The Yukon has nourished human culture in its many hues and shades.
At Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand (as is the case in much of New Zealand), you can get an appreciation of how Maori culture has played a very prominent role in New Zealand. Especially important is the Treaty of Waitangi which itself established an international precedent. The Treaty made New Zealand a part of the British Empire, guaranteed Maori rights to their land and, at the same time, gave them the rights of British citizens. Still debated to some extent, the Maori consider the treaty a sacred pact; and in New Zealand, Waitangi Day is a public holiday and a significant commemoration.
In many ways, the road to Mata Ortiz in the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua is a metaphoric journey to a place in which are inherent artistic integrity and the kind of altruism that is essential to integrated communities. For the outsider, this tiny, dusty pueblo in the northwestern corner of Mexico’s largest state seems the least likely place to encounter a world-class artist. Appearances are deceiving however because it is the area’s isolation and desert environs that in fact led to the renaissance of a distinct centuries-old art form. And here I met Juan Quezada, a living national treasure in Mexico.
The principles, practices, and values inherent in the Slovenia Tourist Farms organization are not in any way old-fashioned, archaic, nor spent energy. Quite the opposite; they are as relevant today as they have always been. That is the nature of universality. As we discovered during the FIJET Congress in Slovenia, this grassroots tourism business model emphasizes natural resources. And people are also one of those natural resources.
When her children had finished college, Joyce Major set off to rediscover the world. As she herself says, “This passion for life propelled me to fulfill my dream of a year-long trip around the world; but with a twist. I knew that I wanted more than simply being a tourist looking at the world from arms-length. But how could I accomplish my goal to gain a deeper understanding of foreign cultures and benefit local people and the environment at the same time? Voluntourism seemed the perfect solution, combining a sense of adventure with active participation on local projects. It also meant that though traveling solo I would always be a part of a team and meeting new people at the same time.” The end result was her self-published book Smiling at the World.
The photographs in this article were all taken in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, among the Maya.
I have recently returned from Missouri and an African-American media tour of that state; a destination in which there is still a great deal to discover in terms of Black history and the legacy of the institution of slavery.
I say “still” in part because even in the 21st century there are historical events in that state that require further “interpretation,” additional deconstructing (although I am not personally comfortable with the latter term), and a wee bit more reality-based travel journalism.
This is the “warts and all” school of travel writing I am talking about; this is not Gone With the Wind. As a matter of fact, as a Canadian, I had no idea how important the “in-between” state of Missouri was in terms of the Civil War; and its far-reaching aftermath.
I say this at the risk of being accused of indulging in revisionist history; and I am also aware that I may be offending the sensibilities of those of us (hmmm … me included) who are easily seduced into romanticizing history. Travel journalism of course can rarely be separated from complex historical contexts, and in Missouri especially, attempting to contextualize the travel “stories” might raise some puzzling, discomfiting, and even ethical concerns.
There are numerous events in Missouri that, on closer examination, defy the kind of media-friendly story that is usually intended to send happy tourists on their way exploring a destination to their heart’s content. And why not? Well I suppose it might depend on what you consider a good time. If it means that your romanticized image of the archetypal figure of Daniel Boone may just become slightly less Fess Parkerish, well I recommend that you fasten your seat belts. Daniel, by the way, was a slave owner himself and has become an heroic and iconic figure whose reputation in the contemporary light of day you might find a tad less larger than life. The way I “heard” it, Daniel was no doubt a great white hunter, but deep down he was just a woods-friendly guy who wanted to get away from civilization, do his thing, kill animals (and “Indians”), and not really worry a whole lot about bringing European culture to the Western Frontier. Actually, in my opinion, his son Nathan Boone was the more interesting (and entrepreneurial) figure, especially when I met Friar Moses Berry, a black priest in the Orthodox Christian Church in America who is a direct descendent of Nathan by .. um .. an “Unknown Slave of African Heritage.” Orthodox Christian Church in America, you say? Yup. And Father Berry also spent time in Russia before returning to his roots and opening his tiny Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum.
And there are numerous other African-American stories in Missouri that are slightly obscured by the mists of time. Springfield, Missouri, for example, was a town that had a prosperous middle to upper middle class black community until one of those devastating lynchings occurred (same old story of a white woman accusing a black man of rape), which created an exodus from the city of the aforementioned community. Fortunately, through the efforts of a woman by the name of Katherine Lederer, a university professor and archivist at Missouri State, the “lost black history” of Springfield has been partially recovered.
There are an almost unlimited number of other stories in Missouri that also deserve a much closer look. George Washington Carver’s birthplace in Diamond, Missouri is a bucolic spot, but also an opportunity to appreciate how this amazing man embodied the kind of Earth-friendly agricultural practices that, given his background, were way ahead of their time. And of course, the Dred Scott story is engraved on the consciousness (and conscience?) of the U.S. (if not the world) in terms of that historic and outrageous Supreme Court Decision. And what a surprise to discover that St. Louis had the largest and most affluent Black population (after New Orleans and Savannah) in antebellum America. How was this possible? Well, therein lies another great story. And the real story behind “Franky [Baker] and Johnny Were Lovers…” and Franky’s considerable economic impact on that city and its “society” world, may just knock your socks off. By the way, Carl Sandberg referred to the song as America’s putative “national gutter song”; and I assure you he was not being disrespectful. This of course is also Mark Twain country, and when you get a few glimpses behind the Missouri curtain, you also get to understand where Samuel Clemens was really coming from. Oh, and before I forget, I must mention the French town of Ste. Geneviève, which gave me a bit of an out of body experience because it was like being “back home” in small-town Québec. And that quintessential Québec-via-Normandy architecture was a bit of a jolt; especially the vertical log home built and owned by Blacks.
Suggesting a timelessness and some kind of other consciousness inherent in nature, Antoine de St.-Exupéry, one of the world’s best-loved writers, once wrote:
“How could drops of water know themselves to be a river? Yet the river flows on.”
The river in this case is The Yukon in the Territory of the same name in northwestern Canada. Along its extensive route, it passes through or by places that have been embedded in the collective memory of Canadians, and many others. Does the name Lake Laberge mean anything to you?
At 3185 kilometres in length, The Yukon is the fifth-longest river in North America. The exact location of its headwaters has been debated for a long time. Some attribute the genesis of this great river to a glacier, which itself is part of a great watershed area in the northwest. The Canadian Encyclopedia however, has declared that the river rises in the mountains above Tagish Lake near the northern border of British Columbia.
Whatever the “source,” it’s all rather immaterial to The Yukon. It just keeps doing what it has for eons. It even at one geological point in time changed course; and instead of flowing south, decided it would head northward. Any life forms along the way just went with the flow.
Like all great rivers of the world, The Yukon has witnessed many comings and goings. Some anthropologists believe that the Yukon Valley was the main immigration route for North America’s first human inhabitants; those who came across the frozen land bridge, called Beringia between Siberia and Alaska. I should add that some First Nations peoples dispute that theory, preferring their own traditional beliefs that their ancestors originated in North America.
But like all great rivers on the planet, The Yukon has nourished human culture in various hues and shades.
What sets The Yukon apart from those other great rivers (The Nile, The Amazon, The St. Lawrence, and the list goes on) is that it has managed to retain most of its original glory. In this writer’s opinion, it is a river that has been only lightly touched by human intervention.
A crooked beauty
Nature has its own rules, and even though you can find symmetry and a renewed sense of equilibrium in The Yukon, you will have to put aside your urban constructions and integrate into an environment that has its own rhyme and reason.
The eclectic, sustainable, and non-conventonal programs and amenities offered by The Great River Journey blend well with the landscape and with the history and culture of The Yukon. As the images indicate (see link below to my Flikr site), this is a travel supplier that builds integrity and meanngfulness into its operations.
And as you will hear in the comments by Chris Vetterlein in the podcast (see link at the beginning of this article), there is a very coherent and adaptable plan of action in place that is also open-ended, coherent, and brimming with passion.
As many in the world of travel and tourism begin to “think it through” more and more, many such operators are returning to fundamental principles and long-term thinking which intrinsically represent the concept of “best practices.”
Images and imagery of The Yukon River, Lake Laberge, and the amenities of The Great River Journey
Horizon & Co, one of Canada’s most respected tour companies which provides specialty programs in collaboration with The Great River Journey.
The Great River Journey is also very appropriate for the corporate and incentive markets. For those companies that want to give their personnel a breath of fresh air, a sense of renewal, some corollary challenges, and some moments of inspiration, head north to this very special place in The Yukon.
Condor Airlines. You may surprised to learn that this German airline has non-stop flights from Europe to Whitehorse, the capital of The Yukon.
Numerous other airlines have excellent connections to The Yukon, including Air Canada, but you may also want to check out Air North (Yukon’s Airline).
Coming soon to The Philosophical Traveller
“The Yukon: A Study in Bliss”
… a multimedia narrative of travelling in Canada’s most northwesterly territory.
The insights and subsequent enlightenment (the latter is always a process and never an event) that you get when you look at life through a different lens, can be liberating. Engaged and participatory travel also involves critical analysis and introspection; and is therefore a creative endeavour. It is an antidote to the “sigh in a shouting mob” syndrome.
To listen to this radio interview, click on the link below.
To see more images of Martinique, click on the following links:
… including a podcast with Daniel Pouplot President and Director of la Fédération québécoise de la marche
The randonnée
The 
Made up of over 3000 members in the province of Québec and 100 other related organizations, the association also produces a magazine called 
I met Daniel and his partner Nicole Blondeau on the island of Martinique. 
Without a doubt, the economy of Martinique benefits from tourism because of its natural and cultural diversity. The industry of agriculture however is also a fundamental component of the island’s economy, in particular the cultivation of bananas, and to some extent sugar cane which is used primarily for the production of rum. It is important to point out that 14 per cent of the active population of Martinique work in the agricultural industry (compared to four per cent in what the Martinicans call La Métropolitaine ( “metropolitan France”).
For those interested in agritourism (one of the fastest growing sectors of the travel and tourism industry) a walk through this unique and very bio-diversified terrain is a highly engaging and horticulturally-rich travel experience.
… with Bijan Bayne
The nature of travel
I have recently returned from Missouri and an African-American media tour of that state; a destination in which there is still a great deal to discover in terms of Black history and the legacy of the institution of slavery.
… a podcast with Graeme Calder
Culture is one of the prime reasons we travel. And travel as a unique human behaviour — as well as a concept — is always a process; never a one-dimensional event.
In the world of travel and tourism we often talk about intercultural understanding, and travel as a means of achieving universal aims and objectives.
Permaculture is also a conceptual and pragmatic way of interacting productively with the many “systems” inherent in the universe and in human communities. It is therefore a philosophical endeavour, a mindset, but above all it is a common sense approach to land management.
It is also not difficult to draw parallels between the Permaculture movement and the travel and tourism industry, given especially the regeneration of the Heritage Movement in which a return to a grassroots and meaningful form of travel is emphasized.
In addition, the increasing emphasis on responsible tourism (often referred to as green tourism or sustainable tourism) is also for many people a preferred method of travel which follows similar principles and ethics to that of the Permaculture movement.
Permaculture emphasizes the designing of human settlements and sustainable agricultural systems which in turn reflect the natural relationships found in the universe. The movement began as an agricultural phenomenon and quickly became an international movement, and for many a way of life.
Increasingly in the world of travel journalism — a corollary “system” to travel and tourism — many are also striving to go beyond the “Where’s the beach?” school of solely consumer-oriented travel. By emphasizing the advantages of a more integrated, reciprocal, and participatory approach to travel, the travel experience is re-affirmed as the most experiential form of learning.
And as you will hear Graeme Calder explain in this podcast, there are many opportunities throughout the world to “travel” in a Permaculture mode.
Statistical footnote
According to a recent Yahoo Travel/Forbes Traveler.com article, the essence of Permaculture is also statistically consistent with travellers who want a “big trip, low impact” travel experience.
“Along those lines, sustainable and eco-friendly tourism are also on the rise–and affecting people’s travel decisions. A survey conducted by the U.S. Travel Association and Ypartnership in July 2009 shows a 9% increase from 2007 in awareness of “green travel.” Six in 10 respondents in the same survey said they believed environmental programs at travel services could have a positive impact on the environment.
The general idea of such an excursion involves minimizing harmful effects on the environment and making sure the money tourists spend in a country stays there. For example, tourists stay at local accommodations and participate in fair trade, buying goods directly from the makers.”
To read more go to “World’s most unique places to visit” by Becky Chung.
Permaculture Resources
Pacific Permaculture
The Permaculture Research Institute of Australia
The Montréal Bisophere
The Green Barn Nursery
The Permaculture Guild of Montreal
Earthship Biotecture
The 9th International Permaculture Conference
“Common Circle Education – Permaculture Design Course” (Youtube)
“Permaculture in Action – Greening The Desert” (Youtube)
Leave a Comment
Posted in Agritourism, Canada, Commentaries on Travel, Cultural anthropological Travel, Educational Travel, Global Issues, Indigenous Culture, Special Interest Travel, Sustainable-Green Travel