Traveling the world one step at a time

By: Pamela Ortega

Plantains, pina coladas( http://www.elboricua.com/pinacolada.html)  and Puerto Ricans captivated me as I traveled through Puerto Rico. Witnessing Puerto Ricans engage within themselves, all while tasting perfectly made food was a diamond of its own. People don’t lie when they say Puerto Rico is the land of enchantment. My journey through Puerto Rico has taught me to discover the hidden gems in the world. As I move forward in life I plan to travel, not to the common popular cities everyone travels to, but to the small hidden towns with bright gems to offer. Puerto Rico showed me to look beyond San Juan, instead discover the wonders in Luquillo (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g635965-Luquillo_Puerto_Rico-Vacations.html) and Fajardo. Often time people are so over consumed by the marketing tactics of the travel industry, that they don’t stop to think about the hidden towns that are often forgotten. I hope to apply my knowledge of real traveling to my future endeavors.

Tourism is the simplicity of visiting a place and claiming to be there. It is a basic concept that is a multi billion-dollar business. Tourism limits the tourist by only providing a handful of places to visit and take photographs at. Thus, it is essential to engage in travel in order to become a traveler. My tourism experience limited me in fully engaging with the people. The activities we did in San Juan, were strictly tourism related events that focuses on places. Having Jose as a tour guide, allowed us to experience more of a travel experience.

The media can positively and negatively influence a travel experience. The booming tourism industry tends to focus on a single aspect of the touring location. Although the tourism industry focuses on prime tourism parts, some travelers go outside the box and publish work about their unique experience.

http://www.nytimes.com/travel/guides/caribbean-and-bermuda/puerto-rico/overview.html

http://www.seepuertorico.com

http://www.travel-journeys.com

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/how-to-find-authentic-travel-experiences

http://welcome.topuertorico.org/tinfo.shtml

Unity In Puerto Rico

Unity In Puerto Rico

Zaina Al Ghabra

January 10, 2010

Traveling today has changed drastically when you compare it to the agendas of those who traveled before us. Back then travel was dedicated to advancing certain agendas. Those traveling to far away places were a minority who were assigned to certain tasks. Luckily today, more people associate traveling with leisure and as a way to learn about our world and all its complexities. Anti-conquest is a word coined by Mary Pratt, which refers to the innocence of travel rather than traveling for conquering and dominating other people and cultures. Many of us find ourselves traveling to far away places simply to fulfill a curious obligation within ourselves; thus reiterating the notion of anti-conquest.

Anthony Bourdain is a well-known author and chef who travels documenting his experiences and broadcasting them on the Travel Channel for the world to see; a luxury that was not readily available in the past. His series integrate Pratt’s notion of anti-conquest, as he travels to different parts of Puerto Rico and offers his own account based on what he has seen and experienced. More so, he offers pointers to those who plan on following his footsteps into unknown lands. Bourdain also emphasizes the importance of familiarizing oneself with the local population, gaining a “real experience, rather than being immersed in tourist destinations with other tourists.

When it comes to the amount of things I have witnessed and been a part of on this lovely Island, I can definitely say I was offered a well-rounded experience. Bourdain stresses on tasting a Piña Colada when in Puerto Rico, and I can walk away assured I was lucky to find and indulge in the freshest Piña Colada on the Island. More so, Bourdain emphasizes a little restaurant in Old San Juan called “Raices,” of which myself, Dr. Subervi and Dr. Carstarphen, along with a few other classmates had the wonderful opportunity of eating at. Not only did we eat there, but we indulged in the all famous Mofongo. Mofongo is a Puerto Rican delicacy composed of mashed triple fried plantains topped with your choice of meat, chicken, shrimp or vegetables. Bourdain also made sure visitors know the relevance and love people in Puerto Rico have for rice and beans.

Lastly, visiting Vieques, The Three Kings Festival, El Yunque Rainforest and the Bioluminescent Bay just last night, truly offered a tourist experience like no other. I feel as though I can walk away from this trip with a personal account of the Islands rich beauty, history, food, culture and people; Anthony Bourdain would be pleased. Of course none of this would have been possible without our amazing tour guides who gave us their all, our professors who are the backbone of the trip, and of course my fellow students who filled our journey with laughter and fun.