indo adventure - day 16: a better guest
Landed in Tokyo right on time. There was an empty middle row across the aisle from my seat and I asked the flight attendant if I could sit there, and she said yes. So I was able to lay down fully and sleep most of the flight, which was wonderful.
The Tokyo airport might be my favorite yet. It is very clean, people working here are genuine, earnest in their work, and they have all sorts of simple solutions to irritating life things like the toilet-paper holder: instead of a spring-loaded dowel, they have these 2 triangular pieces on either sides with hinges at the top so they move only upward. Here's my crude illustration:
I had to change terminals, which ended up being much simpler than I anticipated. I found the shuttle bus pickup, and a wiry, kind-faced gentlemen asked to see my boarding pass, then pointed at an enormous sign with the shuttle time table. I had about 15 minutes to wait. So I pulled out my knitting and observed him while he did his job, not intentionally at first, but it became quite fascinating. He appeared to be in charge of this one set of doors facing the tarmac, which would eventually have a shuttle bus outside them. But lots of airport workers came to the doors, and every one, even those he seemed to be friends with, he subjected to thorough inspection. Nothing on wheels came through without his I-see-under-things-mirror-stick meticulously sweeping under with his eagle eyes reviewing it all. There was chatter and chuckles, but no one questioned or whined when the inspection occurred. I was very impressed. He has a job to do, and he's doing it no matter who it is coming through those doors. Eventually the shuttle bus came and a part of me was sad to say goodbye to this guy who didn't know I'd been keenly watching him (yes I'm aware that sounds creepy). I found his work ethic inspiring. But away I went.
I am flying "Premium Economy" back to Boston, which comes with lounge access and ooooh-eeee is it nice! Food, coffee, showers, massage chairs, lockers for your bags so you can wander the airport without schlepping your life-in-bags and working up a lather. Once I had my bags in a locker, I went out for an airport stroll, mainly just to move. And to find udon noodles. I really like udon noodles.
Udon mmm
Once back in the lounge, I decided to check out these massage chairs. I sat down in an open one, took off my shoes and sat back. It felt a bit like the chair might consume me. I picked up the remote and well....
In addition to this remote essentially being a smattering of mystery buttons to me, every time I experimented and hit one, a loud, high-pitched 'BEEP' sounded and this room had 5 other massage chairs with humans in them and the room lighting and overall ambiance said "SHHHHH". Eventually I hit one that did something and I thought the chair was seizing up for a sneeze with me in it. I hit the power button once I stopped flailing and instead of the chair returning to normal to let me out, it just powered down in the big-inhale-before-sneeze position that I couldn't even conceive of how to climb out of. So I hit the only buttons with pictures and jumped out as soon as freedom was visible. In the end, not the massage chair for me.
on being a good guest in someone's home
this trip has really stirred up my thoughts about how to travel well, specifically in terms of being a good guest in someone's home country. Many countries were made dependent on tourism through political destabilisation and economic pressures, pushed into service-based industries because their resources, lands, and labor were already being exploited. The concept of ‘development’ we’re sold is often just colonialism: Western investors owning the land, controlling the profit, making the rules, while locals are marginalized and pushed into subservient roles in their own homes. And I'm not sure what the solution looks like, but I have been working on thinking through a framework for determining whether and how to travel to places. A few concepts I've come across as I've been digging into this "tourism is the new colonialism" topic include:
- Tourism leakage — the financial benefits of tourism often leak out of the local economy. Money earned by tourism does not recirculate locally but is used instead to pay for imports required by tourists, or pocketed by international corporations and foreign investors.
- This is the economic mechanism behind what I saw in Canggu — the money is there, it’s just not staying with Balinese people.
- Potential solutions: pay attention to where my money goes, eg Rana vs a foreign-owned transfer company. The ARMA workshop vs a tourist-facing curated market. The local warung vs Burger Brothers.
- the “living museum” problem — some communities become commodified for the sake of visitor entertainment.
- Instagram as a driver of colonialism — Instagram has been one of the driving forces behind the rise of tourism, with significant numbers of people admitting they were interested in travelling somewhere that would “look good” in social media pictures. Geotagged locations make it easy for people to flock to a location en masse without knowing the significance of the place aside from it being a pretty photo op.
- Infrastructure costs borne by locals -- The wires. The water scarcity. The roads.
- The structural point — this doesn’t mean travel is inherently unethical. Travel can be transformative — a way to learn, connect, and grow. But only if it’s done with care, consent, and respect.
I don't have many potential solutions in mind right now, but as mentioned, am trying to think through a framework for when trying to decide on a trip. I want to carefully consider and research:
- my biggest areas of impact:
- carbon footprint (primarily in getting there and back)
- Water - potable water for drinking, water for bathing, cooking
- Getting around once there
- Food
- Tourism
- Infrastructure state of location - electricity, water, fuel, food, etc
- Tourism industry- are most in-country companies/does money go back to the host country and its people?
Then if I still want to go/feel strongly about going, figure out if:
- there are any lodging options that prioritize a balanced stay that do not overuse local resources such as water
- whatever I’m traveling for, can I do it somewhere else that has fewer negative impacts?
Thank you all for reading this trip blog. It has been fun thinking of you all when I write. Until the next adventure, when I will be a better guest.