When I go about this world, I yearn to be a traveller more than a tourist.
“A traveller lives every moment of their trip. They are appreciative of every inch of new ground that they are exploring and of everything around them. They notice the faint smells of cooking, wood smoke or blossoms that gently permeate the air. They notice the struggles or joys of life for the inhabitants…
They strive to keep a low profile and leave behind a positive impression of visitors wherever they go, and always attempt to be polite, culturally sensitive and attempt at least a few words of the local language. They sample the food, they listen to the music and they respect local customs…” (from Tourist vs Traveller by Simon Vaughan)
Welcome to Maafushi, my home for 7 days.
Maafushi is one of the inhabited islands of Kaafu Atoll in Maldives. It was heavily damaged in the 2004 tsunami which impacted over 100,000 of the Maldives 300,000 population. Today it is one of the islands in Maldives with a thriving local economy. While more than sixty families benefit directly from fishing, tourism industry has taken a new turn since 2010. (Wikipedia)
I have learned that in a foreign country there are no foreign people. Separated by oceans or lands, we all share the same love for family, care for neighbors, motivation for work, drive for success, search for spirituality, reasons for tears and sources of laughter.
As it is said, “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.”
People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.
VIOLETOLOGY 