Lake Titikaka -- Tourism for Tourism's Sake
Lake Titikaka, Peru
(writing from Quito, Ecuador)
From Machu Picchu, we had a few days left in Peru. We opted to head South, see lake Titikaka -- the highest navigable lake in the world at 12500 feet above sea level -- and perhaps to meander over to Ariquipa and do some hiking up some volcanos or down canyons.
Two key learnings. (Preston's been feeding me some consultant powerpoints, so now I think about learnings, local champions, and levers)
Our time on Lake Titikaka made us reflect on eco- and cultural tourism. Any "organized" tourist experience is in some way manufactured and inauthentic. Our experience in Machu Picchu had definitely been manufactured--we were tromping through Andean forests and Inca ruins with a group of English-speaking foreigners, having our bags toted by indigenous porters, and we were one of 20 other groups just like us on the trail every day. But our guide was passionate about his history and culture and heatedly discussed the plight of the modern indigenous populations in Peru (he started as a porter himself on the trail when he was 14). He taught us Quechua, and he was curious about us, where we were from, and what our lives were like. He engaged with us.
When we heard about the "pristine" and "quaintly traditional" island of Amantini on Lake Titikaka, we were hoping for a similar experience--a cultural exchange, paradisiacal natural beauty, a celebration of traditional lifestyle. This is how the tour was sold to us. We stayed with a local family, but it was more in the spirit of a bed and breakfast, instead of an exchange. They were happy to make us meals (we couldn't convince them to actually eat with us) and show us our room, and that was about it. They were less about celebrating the traditional lifestyle and more about figuring out how to use the tourist dollars to get a TV and send their kids to study and live in Lima. This was fair enough--it's presumptuous and patronizing to push for maintaining a traditional lifestyle that the people living it don't want anymore. But then I wish it had been sold as a bed and breakfast on a beautiful island instead of a cultural exchange.
But even that kind of tourism is in jeopardy on Amantini--in an effort to get as much tourist income as possible, there are women dressed in traditional garb selling Snickers at the temple ruins on the top of the hill, and children along the trails reciting rhymes in languages they don't speak or selling braided bracelets, desperate for one or two soles. When asked about school, the kids avert their eyes and say they will go "tomorrow." It's tragic, because on the one hand, the people of this island absolutely deserve to milk every penny they can out of the tourists. But the way they're doing it is undermining the very reason tourists come. The images, even from a few years ago, of the "pristine" and "traditional" island are clearly crumbling. And there's no immediate reason for it to stop.
We payed a total of $60 for our 2 days in Amantini. If the people of the island aren't getting enough benefit out of that investment, I wish they would simply make it more expensive to get there. And they don't need to pander to tourists with a "traditional" lifestyle experience if that's not what they're actually interested in living. Amantini has the potential for being the Nantucket of Lake Titikaka, but right now it's headed in the direction of Myrtle Beach.
---
The second learning is that you shouldn't plan a leisurely trip through South Peru without double checking your flight itinerary. For example, you can't climb a volcano near Arequipa on May 4 when you leave the country on May 3. Such was our bemused panic as we leafed through our travel documents on the boat back from Amantini. Thank goodness for last minute flights...
----
Two photos. First our host family from Amantini:
Second, we stopped by the floating islands of the Uros people, who emigrated onto rafts of reeds to escape the various conquerers who tromped through the region. A stork strolled by and slurped down a fish while our guide taught us about the local history.
Lake Titikaka, Peru
(writing from Quito, Ecuador)
From Machu Picchu, we had a few days left in Peru. We opted to head South, see lake Titikaka -- the highest navigable lake in the world at 12500 feet above sea level -- and perhaps to meander over to Ariquipa and do some hiking up some volcanos or down canyons.
Two key learnings. (Preston's been feeding me some consultant powerpoints, so now I think about learnings, local champions, and levers)
Our time on Lake Titikaka made us reflect on eco- and cultural tourism. Any "organized" tourist experience is in some way manufactured and inauthentic. Our experience in Machu Picchu had definitely been manufactured--we were tromping through Andean forests and Inca ruins with a group of English-speaking foreigners, having our bags toted by indigenous porters, and we were one of 20 other groups just like us on the trail every day. But our guide was passionate about his history and culture and heatedly discussed the plight of the modern indigenous populations in Peru (he started as a porter himself on the trail when he was 14). He taught us Quechua, and he was curious about us, where we were from, and what our lives were like. He engaged with us.
When we heard about the "pristine" and "quaintly traditional" island of Amantini on Lake Titikaka, we were hoping for a similar experience--a cultural exchange, paradisiacal natural beauty, a celebration of traditional lifestyle. This is how the tour was sold to us. We stayed with a local family, but it was more in the spirit of a bed and breakfast, instead of an exchange. They were happy to make us meals (we couldn't convince them to actually eat with us) and show us our room, and that was about it. They were less about celebrating the traditional lifestyle and more about figuring out how to use the tourist dollars to get a TV and send their kids to study and live in Lima. This was fair enough--it's presumptuous and patronizing to push for maintaining a traditional lifestyle that the people living it don't want anymore. But then I wish it had been sold as a bed and breakfast on a beautiful island instead of a cultural exchange.
But even that kind of tourism is in jeopardy on Amantini--in an effort to get as much tourist income as possible, there are women dressed in traditional garb selling Snickers at the temple ruins on the top of the hill, and children along the trails reciting rhymes in languages they don't speak or selling braided bracelets, desperate for one or two soles. When asked about school, the kids avert their eyes and say they will go "tomorrow." It's tragic, because on the one hand, the people of this island absolutely deserve to milk every penny they can out of the tourists. But the way they're doing it is undermining the very reason tourists come. The images, even from a few years ago, of the "pristine" and "traditional" island are clearly crumbling. And there's no immediate reason for it to stop.
We payed a total of $60 for our 2 days in Amantini. If the people of the island aren't getting enough benefit out of that investment, I wish they would simply make it more expensive to get there. And they don't need to pander to tourists with a "traditional" lifestyle experience if that's not what they're actually interested in living. Amantini has the potential for being the Nantucket of Lake Titikaka, but right now it's headed in the direction of Myrtle Beach.
---
The second learning is that you shouldn't plan a leisurely trip through South Peru without double checking your flight itinerary. For example, you can't climb a volcano near Arequipa on May 4 when you leave the country on May 3. Such was our bemused panic as we leafed through our travel documents on the boat back from Amantini. Thank goodness for last minute flights...
----
Two photos. First our host family from Amantini:
Second, we stopped by the floating islands of the Uros people, who emigrated onto rafts of reeds to escape the various conquerers who tromped through the region. A stork strolled by and slurped down a fish while our guide taught us about the local history.
posted by backandzella at 1:34 PM
1 Comments:
It's been difficult to remember to check in every day, even though you're blogging again - at the start of your break, I was still visiting daily and each time I would reread, "Hanoi, capitol of capitalism". I've got memory burn.
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