Tourist Trap

I sit in my hotel room tonight, looking out my huge window towards the harbor of Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria, Spain. The light is so bright, it looks almost white in the photographs I've taken. And there's something almost *too* much about being here. This town was constructed 20-30 years ago with the sole purpose of tourism. The steep cliffs are covered with bright white hotels and the harbor is lined with touristy restaurants and a few souvenir shops.

Don't get me wrong, I love being in the sunshine by the water. And I loved sitting by the pool yesterday. I waxed nostalgic about living in Huntington Beach (i.e. paradise) 20 years ago. At the time, Huntington was a sleepy little surf town. There were tourists, yes, but the whole area didn't feel like it was devoted to tourism. My friends and I loved going to the beach, and I lived in the midst of surfers who would go surfing every morning. I even went out with one a few times. When I revisited HB last year, it was a little creepy. My favorite taco shop, Las Barcas, was still there, but so much had changed. I don't think I'd like living there anymore, at least not as much as I loved it in the late 80's.

I took pictures today, not to highlight beauty, but to focus on the touristic setting.

Looking towards my hotel in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria, Spain

The "beach," Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria, Spain

Souvenir shop, Puerto de Mogan, Gran Canaria, Spain

The back of a restaurant/bar, Puerto de Mogan, Gran Canaria, Spain

Marketing Puerto de Mogan as "Little Venice"

Coca-Cola can't be escaped, Puerto de Mogan

My hotel pool, back in Puerto Rico

So often, I want to see places, to become acquainted with new (to me) parts of the world. But sometimes I find that doing so leaves me with a profound sense of privilege, in the sense that I recognize that travel isn't something that a lot of people can afford to do. I know I'll continue to travel, there's something rootless and curious at my core that leads me to wander. But I'd like to balance the weight of my travel, my privilege, with figuring out how to contribute to peace, stability, and shared humanity in the world.

And I don't think I want to travel to any more destinations where the only raison d'etre is tourism.