After doing a little bit of world traveling, I've started to wonder how someone can actually experience a city, town, or country. If I went to a province in China, and I only stay in one part, how can I have really known the heart of China?
As I'm writing this, I am in Bogota, Colombia, and we have just returned from a flea market. As we sat on the curb of the street, we talked about what it means to experience a city. Thanks to Camilia, Marcela, Caroline, Jay, and Liliana for helping me make this list. Here are some of the things we talked about to really experience a city.
- Eat in Hole-in-the-Wall Places. Whether these are street vendors or small cafes, eat the local food as much as possible. It might give you heart burn sometimes, but you are already across the world, live adventurously.
- Find the Local Music, and dance your heart out. Music reflects the heart of the city, so find what locals listen to, and join in the dancing. You are already going to stand out in most of the world, so just go ahead and commit.
- Walk Alone. Always having a translator or guide will dampen your ability to actually look at where you are. Wander around a market and try out those four words you know. The worst that can happen is that you will be robbed and murdered in broad daylight...but hasn't that always been the worst that could happen? Stop thinking about the worst thing that can happen...it'll make you a crazy person who has no fun.
- Learn the Language. Culture and language are inseparable. Learn as much of the local language as you can before arriving, and then spend the entire trip absorbing as much as you can. Insisting that other people learn your language and then making no effort to learn theirs is not an option. If you don't care about other people's languages, you probably don't care very much about other people - and I've found that life is much better when you care about other people.
- Avoid the Tourist Traps. Sometimes you rely should go to them anyway, but remember that it is not really seeing the heart of the city. You are seeing what everybody sees, not what the locals see.
- Travel the City/Country. Broaden your view of the City or Country by traveling the highlands, swamplands, coastlines, and skylines.
- Learn the Geography. It helps your understanding of a city to know where you are and the different parts of the city.
- Go to a Market. Wander and browse the places where the locals shop. Avoid the malls and chain restaurants.
- Don't Only Stay in the Rich Part of Town. A lot of people are poor or middle class. If you stay where the money is, you will experience money culture, not local culture. Money culture is the same world round.
- Learn the Local Politics. You don't have to start rioting in the streets with locals over fair trade, but you should learn about what makes the government tick.
- Finally, travel with an open mind and go to learn and experience, not just to take pictures. Pictures can often take the place of experiences and give the illusion of having had an experience. Try not taking a picture, but instead, spend five minutes absorbing the image, rather than snapping a picture and moving on without being moved at all.
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