By Kali Carter
Centuries ago, before Lonely Planet guidebooks and the Travel Channel, people traveled to places not knowing what they might find. Often times, trying new things or venturing off the paved trails lead to the most hidden and unbelievable treasures. In fact, some of the world's best discoveries came about by accident. When Columbus set sail for India, he discovered America. When Alexander Fleming was looking for a cure for the flu, he had no idea a contamination in the Petri dish would create penicillin. When I traveled to Puerto Rico for a travel writing class, I too was not prepared for what would turn out to be a life-changing experience.
For as long as I can remember, I have done my research on every place I have traveled to. To be quite honest, I am not sure I know how to travel without creating iteneraries or organized plans. This summer, though, I traveled to South America for my first study abroad experience. For the first time, I was not in control of my plans. For the first time, things went wrong. For the first time, I immersed myself in a different culture. For the first time, I actually lived. It was not until Puerto Rico, though, that I figured out why.
On the television show "No Reservations," host Anthony Bourdain travels off the beaten path to find the hidden treasures. He lives by the philosophy that anyone can read a guidebook or pick up a map, but in order to truly experience a different culture, it is necessary to stop reading and start living. One of the best ways to do this is to ask the locals. The locals know where to eat, where to shop, and where to hang out; they also understand the customs better than any guidebook. Anthony Bourdain travels using the concept of the anti-conquest. The anti-conquest is a term coined by Mary Louise Pratt to describe the idea of innonence in traveling.
Like many tourists, I take pictures of what I see, especially when someone points out that a particular building, statue, landmark, etc. is of historical importance. Most of the time, when I return home and look through my pictures, I cannot remember what the picture is of. On New Years Eve, my friends and I met a French man named Vincent. The next day at the beach, there was one moment in particular that our entire group was checking their individual cell phones. I watched Vincent's reaction and asked him why he was smiling. He told me texting and checking cell phones were a very "American thing to do." We proceeded to have a conversation about the need for instant gratification. One thing that stuck with me throughout the conversation is what Vincent called life through a lens. He said many people spend their time travelling by taking pictures or videos, which distracts them from the real picture and learning about what they see. He said it is easier to pay attention when we have to rely on ourselves, instead of technology, to remember the information. Until this moment of clarity, I always thought capturing the picture digitally meant making a memory, but I finally realized the memories are made when time isn't wasted getting the camera out.
At one point during our stay, my friend Lauren and I walked around the streets of the city, when we stumbled upon what appeared to be the Rodeo Drive of San Juan. The street lined with upscale stores like Cartier, Louis Vuitton, and Gucci, is also home to the famous La Concha hotel. In two consecutive nights, my friends and I saw celebrities Ty Pennington and Benicio del Toro. Although meeting Benicio was a trip highlight, the most fun we had on a night out came in the town of Ponce at a local attraction called Hollywood Cafe. If I wanted to see celebrities and shop at expensive stores, I would have spent my winter break in Los Angeles. Personally, I would rather buy a purse from a street vendor or a souvenir shop.
On our last night in San Juan, our entire group went out to dinner to commemorate our last night. This was also the day before my 21st birthday. In typical tourist fashion, we could have easily gone to a popular tourist spot like Senor Frogs or Hard Rock Cafe, but we tried a local restaurant called Raices, which had some of the best mofongo (a local food) on the island.
In the end, Anthony Bourdain got it right. Although the tourist hotspots almost always guarantee a good time, nothing really beats trying new foods and getting the authentic island experience. I have done a lot of traveling in the past 21 years of my life, but what I learned over the past two weeks is a new way of traveling I will take with me the rest of my life.
