The Tourist Phase

Second day in Oaxaca and I’m fighting a familiar battle. On the one hand I want to see and experience everything this place has to offer, in an almost uncritical way. On the other hand, I’m fighting off mild disappointment at the more touristy parts of the town.

Of course, the reality is that I am a tourist (it hurts to admit that) and the only thing that makes sense right now is to embrace this state and move on. Standing in judgement of things like “tourist traps” only blinds us to what a new place has to offer. Moreover, one has to consider how local communities can realistically connect with tourists commercially in order to support themselves.

My feelings now are similar to what I felt visiting LiJiang some years back. LiJiang is also a beautiful town, with a rich and well preserved heritage, local culture and fabulous arts. On that trip I also took few photos in the early days and just tried to adjust to the place.

So for now, it’s lots of walking, looking and trying to figure out what images I’d like to create. The patterns and images will emerge, eventually.