Tourists, Travellers and Wanderers.

This trip has been most invigorating, in some ways, because I haven't always been able to do what I want to do. Personally, I thrive in being the most uncomfortable situations, mostly slightly toeing the line (like not paying for bus rides in both Florence and Rome*). I would very much prefer to engage in this whole romanticism, of telling my audience that I had inspiration while sitting at cafe, or gazing by the Seine. Alas, the inspiration for this post is really quite mediocre.  I was actually eating berry Tiramisu at Chez Propsper on Place de la Nation when this idea hit. The culmination of almost 16 days of traveling 3 cities perhaps formulated the real insight to this "typology", rather than informed (or "informed") academic texts.

The Tourist

Tourism is a huge economy, some cities like Florence almost entirely depend on it. Florence reminds me of the Phuket of the West - glitzy without any soul. In the same fashion, the Tourist sees what is on the map, simply going to the major galleries, taking pictures with David because one is supposed to do so, not understanding the significance of the work. One that pays big bucks for small meals, and have small hearts with big pockets. As one can already discern, such people repulse me because one goes there simply for the hype, the bang, the flash, so that they can make themselves look good when they return home. These people queue to go into the Lourve, trample all over others, talk loudly and make the worse stereotypes of their nationalities. They dislike others like them, and yet they are twins. The compare their homes to 2 effects: one to denounce their present destination, the other to glorify it. Both reactions yield an understanding that is made from the narrow world-view of their homes. Travelling to more places will not expand their minds, simply because they will always see the same thing, merely a comparison...The Tourist's journey is a trophy, one that can be encapsulated in the numerous souvenirs in their bags, the pompous fake venetian masks and the made-in-china keychains.

The Traveller

Often on a budget, off time and possibly not much funds available. The traveller is often quite well-informed and well-researched. The stereotypical image of a traveller includes well-used maps that have annotations all over, the ardent fan of "Tripadvisor" and "Lonely Planet" for restaurant recommendations and last but not least, the well-used backpack. The traveller can also be a tourist, hunting down the famous spots and do what can be called, "city-hopping". Staying long enough to savour the essentials before moving on. Going to Giolitti for Gelare in Rome, to London's famous roast duck at 4 seasons. They thrive on recommendations from forums, magazies and forums of other travellers. They might take pictures of the architecture of Notre Dame, but not necessarily join the queue to go in. There is no time, off to the next place, off to the next hideout and cafe. We must try the Macarons at Pierre Hereme and then shop at Rue Raspail....

The Wanderer

Tranistra, Bergen City, Singapore Changi Village. The off-the-beaten track, with no itinerary, often armed with a blank map and a keen eye, the wanderer seeks not to explore or to discover but simply to be. The aim is complete the moment the plane lands. The Wanderer laughs in the face of danger and bathes in the delight of the unknown. They simply want to live the moment as it comes, talk to people as approached. They could almost pass off as locals, simply walking the streets, and sitting in front of cafes smoking. They don't have a fixed must-see place simply, because they have already been, or have simply no interest to go. They seek out what makes the city alive and what makes it simultaneously mundane and exciting. They combine both the visual sense of the traveller's anticipations, and the profanity of the dweller. They do not expect and can be often surprised. Tourists ask them for directions on the streets, to which the Wanderer smiles and shrugs. There are moments that only exist in certain places, amongst certain company, with certain variables that forms a unique composition...

*My logic is really simple: If I can get away with it, the system probably deserves to fail by allowing me to get off scott free for 13 consecutive days of traveling for free by bus.

When travel is not about anticipation

There is a difference between travel and holiday. The former seeks to explore, to consciously put oneself in an uncomfortable position and aims to be inspired by "being in the moment". The latter is about a getaway, the escape from the banal realities of life, when we can eat, drink and be merry.

This December for me, is to a holiday but a travel experience. I have never been put in a position where I have to make all the ticket bookings, the accommodation arrangements, and on top of that, still plan the intinerary. So far, I have been asked by a strange for sex, almost got knocked down by cars on the tiny italian streets, and tasted weird and strange foods that turn out to be surprisingly good. I am proud to say that I've trodden in the Florentino rain for an hour, ate like a pig for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as moved like a sloth when the mood suits me.

It's often cliche, how writers and artists find inspiration when they are are 'away'. There is a sense of mystery and intrigue when one is away, because you're a tourist, a visitor (that in some places, can be unwanted). You have the benefit of insight from the outside. You are in the moment, yet you are not. It is the dialectic of being in the place, and yet not quite being IN it.

It is also about learning what we always take for granted, the public transport system, the way people order coffee at one of the many small caffes in Rome for instance. In a city, it's amazing how much we already know,  and how much cities are similar in their rhythm and pattern. We automatically know what do in a train stataion (the yellow line seems pretty universal so far) and we instinctively reach out for the red button to call for a stop at the street.

So traveling is about meeting new people, but not  always nice ones. It can be about transgressing the familiar, the known, and find out after all, you have escaped not from a place, but from yourself. We can be who we want to be in a land of strangers, knowing you have no strings attached to this place and absolutely no obligation to go back there. It is a fantasy, and yet also reality - you can be who you are without substantially being judged. Traveling is not about anticipation, it is about revelations.

Writing Anxieties

I wanted to blog about something else entirely, one that is about being critical at Critical. However, after collecting my first extended paper, the guts that spurred my motivations for the previous article deflated.

My paper was on citizenship, and call for geographers to interrogate the assumptions of their writing, and how their criticisms are "nothing new" because it falls into the pit of dualisms, making the mistake they were criticising others of making. I have longed been impatient with geography as a discipline. For one that stresses links between social facts (see Durkheim and Suicide), it fails to draw links between disciplines on a fundamental level where we take a step back and really see where our logical arguments lead us. We are content with being critical, without actually analysing what does the geist of critic really is. For me, it presents a fundamental shift, the debunking of base assumptions - the challenge for others to accept the implications of their conclusions.

The comments of the paper were fair. First and foremost, I have problems in English expressions. Secondly, I did not justify why I used certain theories (because there were too apparent to me, some times I forget to lay it out plainly to people). Thirdly, my limited language is inhibiting the full extent of my ideas.

There are a couple of things I have learnt from this paper. It is not my ideas that are problematic, it is the way it is presented. I should count myself lucky because many people with higher linguistical ability would have to work on the conception. Language is something that comes with practice and continuous editing, and with that, I hope that I can be a better writer.

Someone recently started reading this blog and was taken by how I write. I am truly flattered, and humbled at the same time that people liked to hear more of my ideas. Due to this affirmation and consequent critical response from my supervisor, I wish to improve so that I do not disappoint myself - my ideas are worth much more than the limited language abilities I am right now.

“Writing is a form of thinking. If that’s true, the advice often given to writers—first get your thought clear, and only then try to state it clearly—is wrong.”

Howard Becker Writing for Social Scientists

Often times, I do not know what to think until I start writing. I become anxious because there was this pressure to want the "perfect" idea, and ever since I found that book, it became clearer that writing itself is a continous process that does not end when the letters enter .docx. It is simply the beginning of a very long journey of discovery. I think when I write, and write to think.

I am bummed at my paper because there was pride involved. I was used to being "good" and became too comfortable at my knowledge, that I didn't think about working at my abilities. This semester, I visited the writing centre and didn't receive very constructive feedbacks - it simply affirmed what I wanted to hear. In some sick fashion, I was yearning for criticism, but on my own terms. When it was finally dished out, it hurt. I guess at this point, I comprehend now that criticism is not looking for what you already know what is wrong with yourself, but to accept that there are many other blind spots that only people who have experience can point them for you. That is why we all have supervisors to "keep us in check". Yet, I am also afraid, that I won't make it in time. Having said, that is beyond my control because if I never try, I'll never know.

Now...I guess I have to visit those Primary School English section of Popular Bookshops to refresh my grammar somewhat.