The Queenstown Tourist Curse

In my travels, up until now, thanks to the ingenuity of Couch Surfing and some effort on my part, I haven’t felt like a tourist. These past few days in Queenstown I haven’t been so lucky. Read on…

Queenstown, yes, there is a reason tourist flood to this place...

Queenstown, yes, there is a reason tourists flood to this place…

Way back when… me and my fighting stick in Japan

 

I never thought I wanted to go on one of these massive, around the world ‘trips’. Traveling always seemed to me like running from a constant state of boredom, having to decide each day where to go and what to do next. That’s why, after the army, when all my friends went travelling, I went to live in Tokyo, studied Japanese and got my ass kicked and my knees worn out by practicing martial arts. Thinking back I can postulate that my family’s holiday ‘trips’ have something to do with this early realization. The constant stress, being hauled from one ‘attraction’ to another (although I did love the amusement parks), was a tiring affair at best. But as circumstances have it, I’ve found myself on one of these so called ‘trips’ and up until these past few days I’ve been loving it. So why am I complaining now?

 

Look there's so many things you can do for some $$$$

So many things you can do for some $$$$

MANUFACTUREING A GOOD TIME

In his masterpiece, a Brief History of Humankind (It’s being translated to English as we speak), Prof Yuval Noa Harri, touches on the subject of tourism. It is only recently in human culture that people have started going away on vacation and seeking to collect ‘experiences’. If my memory serves me, he ties this ‘fashion’ in with the evolution of capitalism. After the last few days in Queenstown I have to agree.

Being one of the main sources of income in New Zealand, Tourism has shaped the lives of some of the small towns in the country, which probably wouldn’t even exist if not for this industry. There are many such places in the world, all of them trying to sell you ‘attractions’ and brainwash you into thinking that if you cough up some money you’ll have ‘the time of your life’ and, if not, go and buy a t-shirt so your friends think that you did.
Queenstown is one of these places. Built on a beautiful lake and surrounded by mountains, the town is overrun by tourist trying to have a ‘good time’, roaming in packs looking to get drunk and party or throwing themselves off some bridge/airplane, injecting instant adrenalin, in an attempt to feel alive in their otherwise mundane lives.

 

Look there's so many things you can buy for $$$

So many things you can buy for $$$ (even late at night when the rest of NZ is closed)

WHAT IS OUT THERE? CAN I HAVE IT?

Unlike tourism, I think exploration is deeply coded into our genetic makeup, ever since prehistoric humans went over the next hill or crossed the river seeking food, asking themselves ‘What is out there?’ and probably ‘Can I have it?’ These are the questions that have been leading me on my journey, without even noticing it up until know. In this blog I’ve shared with you some of the answers I’ve found.  These are questions tourists will never find an answer to as what they encounters is a simulacra, a fake with no origin, created in order for them to maxims money spending.

Help me not to be a tourist!

Help me not to be a tourist!

 

 

 

As the NZ part of my trip soon comes to an end, I’m spending the next two weeks on a quiet farm trying to work on some of my projects (hopefully you’ll know about them soon enough). After that I’ll be heading off to Australia with this old/new realization that I don’t want to be a tourist. If you have some smart thoughts on this subject or recommendations how this can best be done please share them with me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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