When you start travelling more, you will see poor.
You will see babies sleeping on a busy sidewalk and in fields.
You will see garbage – loads of it – on the most beautiful white beaches.
You will have kids that haven’t showered in who-knows-how-long beg from you.
You will see generations of a family living under one dirty, awful excuse for a shack.
Even when staying at nice places, employees will sleep in any corner they can find.
And you will see this. Amputees dragging themselves on dirty sidewalks – with a bucket, begging for money.
It’s easy to turn a blind eye. To pretend that you haven’t seen anything awful. To tell friends and family about the good times travelling, and not the bad. And for you, to leave this blog post, or scroll past this photo, in disgust.
What have I learned?
First, I will never, ever have this complicated world figured out.
And more importantly to do the best that I can:
To educate myself & practice responsible tourism (i.e. don’t buy from children).
To ask questions and seek to understand over being understood.
To put your money where it counts.
To volunteer where it matters.
To strive for a more green life.
And remember to always, always give gratitude for all that we have.
I challenge you to do the same.
Sending so much love from South East Asia – where there is heartbreak in the midst of such beauty.