There are two ways you can experience a city...As a tourist or as a local! While most fall into the former category, there is a certain charm about the latter that words can’t do justice to...
We all fall prey to the tourist scam sometime or the other. We pay more for local transport and land up visiting sites that have a fancy name and feature in all Google searches. Yet after an arduous journey and a hefty entrance fee you really wonder why you took all the effort. Google has become the traveler’s best friend and yet the real world exists quite faraway from it (and thankfully so).
Consider this...When in Corbett, you must have been taken on a tiger trail...A dolphin spotting excursion in Goa...The similar con in Sri Lanka is crocodile spotting. Guess what...no one has seen a damn animal, yet millions join this bandwagon.
Its ditto for the food...What they serve as local cuisine is just a local name and the taste has been bastardized to suit the European palette.
The next time you visit an exotic location...ditch the sightseeing tour for a ride through the town on a bicycle, sample the local beer and go eat at a local restaurant. The waiter who serves you in the plush hotel is actually your best guide...provided you tip him well!
As they say – When in Rome, do the Romans...oops, do like the Romans!
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1 comment:
i just soooo totally agree with u!!!
leaving off the tourism net n exploring on ur own is the only way u can actually visit a place....n live it together!
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