Sunday, June 7, 2009

THAT DOESN'T COUNT


St.Lucia has become honeymoon central. There were at least 8 wedding dresses hanging in front of me on the flight there. Pretty much every passenger on our plane piled onto the Sandals bus when we arrived & back off as we prepared to leave. They're easy to spot- girls wearing high heels from their honeymoon wardrobe, full makeup coverage, trying very hard to look like the humid climate doesn't make them sweat. They're entertaining, but what pushed me over the edge was listening to their conversations while in line for coffee, before we took off.

"These prices say EC! What's an EC? I don't have any of that. How am I supposed to pay?"

Seriously? Had they really spent an entire week on this island without even bothering to figure out what the local currency was? I wanted to shake her! Why bother visiting a foreign country if you're not going to set foot off the resort? I love going to the beach, lounging by the pool, and being catered to as much as anyone, but if that's the only experience you're after, save yourself some time & money & go to Florida. I don't even think you can say that you visited St.Lucia. That's like saying you've been to New York City, because you once had a layover in Laguardia. I'm sorry, but that doesn't count.

Do they realize how much they're missing? I may not have eaten at the 4-star restaurants in their resort, but I'm willing to bet that the red snapper I ate at a picnic table, beneath a bare bulb, in a metal shed, where you bring your own silverware, served by a bunch of local fisher boys, was FAR superior! It couldn't have been fresher. We watched them bring it in off their boat. And, if you're looking for good service- after forgetting to give us our fresh fruit for dessert, they literally ran over to catch us at the dock. They handed it to us on one of their own plates and simply asked that we return it to them in the morning.

Add in a bug flying in my ear and the picnic table turning over when all of us on one side got up at once, and that's what I'd call a dining adventure that no one wants to miss out on! (Ok, so I don't want to repeat the incident with the bug, but how interesting can your story be about dinner at the Tex-Mex restaurant in your hotel?)

2 comments:

  1. I agree. You can really miss a lot by isolating yourself in a new location. However, I'm sympathetic to A) People on their honeymoon are often in a blur and don't want to think/plan/work for anything at that point. B) Experiencing a culture takes work, planning and most importantly just a mental willingness to take risks.
    You are somewhat unique you know and these sorts of things come naturally to you. I like that about you.

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  2. You're right. I don't mean to pick on honeymooners. They have their own priorities and that's fine, but I think people should think about why they want to travel and plan their trip accordingly. There's so much more to factor in when you think about what you can learn from other cultures, how you can benefit their economy, and how you can be a better global citizen in general. You have to force yourself to take some risks if you want to reap the rewards. I think I feel another blog post coming on... :)

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