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Our newly designed website is now up and running, as well as our new blog.  We will no longer be posting to this site.

We would love to have you come visit.  Engaging Cultures Travel, Website and Blog.

Thanks,

Engaging Cultures

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traveling With Locals

*This blog can now been seen on our new website.*

A few photos from our recent trip where local Jordanian students traveled with our guests.

Traveling With Locals?

I know interacting and participating with the local host community can enhance a person’s travel experience.  But, can actually traveling with locals (same van, same hot sun) add to the discovery and understanding of a travel destination and its people?  Could it even benefit all parties involved in some way?

We just had Jordanian university students, who are studying tourism, join a group of American university students on three days of their trip in Jordan.

Here is what we were thinking:

Our guests get to interact with the local community, put a face and name to real Arabs, and see Jordan from a perspective that may not be seen without local involvement.

In return, the Jordanian students have a venue to be empowered with hands on practical experience from what they are learning about tourism in school. Their cultural identity in being Arab, Muslim, Christian, Jordanian or Palestinian could be strengthened through sharing their lives and experiences with foreign travelers.  Could such an experience even add to their future marketability in the tourism industry?

What do you think?  Would having locals join a trip benefit a travel experience?

The Long Way There

“With anxious tourists canceling trips to the Kingdom because of unrest in the region, two American tour operators decided to prove just how safe the country is – by hitchhiking from one end to the other.”

We are thrilled to have our hitchhiking trip across Jordan featured in the May 2011 issue of JO Magazine!

To read more by Eddie Taylor about our journey to see if Jordan is a safe travel destination, follow this link: “The Long Way There”

Top 10 Reasons Prince William & Kate Middleton Should Honeymoon in Jordan

*This blog can now been seen on our new website.*

Rumor has it Prince William may be taking his soon to be bride, Kate Middleton, on a Middle Eastern honeymoon.  We in Jordan think this would be a perfect destination.

Prince William and Kate Middleton, here are a few reasons why you should come to Jordan:

10.  It will make your job easy, Prince William. . .the candles are already lit.

9.  Jerash has missed you, Kate.

Kate, Pippa and Michael Middleton in Jerash, Jordan (Photo: The Middleton Family, 2011)

8.  You can keep your privacy. . .camels have been known to ward off Paparazzi.

7.  No better place to jump start your marriage, than at one of the Seven Wonders of the World!

6.  You could get a pirated copy of “The King’s Speech” for 1 Jordanian Dinar.

5.  You’re sure to find someone to serve you tea and crumpets while floating in the Dead Sea.

4.  If you are stressed about driving on the right side of the road. . .you could always hitchhike, Jordan is safe!

3.  Just in case money is tight after the big day. . .easyJet flys from London to Amman for less than 200 Euro!

2.  These guys will serenade you on your visit to magical Wadi Rum.

1.  We guarantee you will be “chuffed to bits”!

Making a Difference in Tunisia – Part One

Tunisian Volunteer Group

*This blog can now been seen on our new website.*

This past weekend I joined twenty eight Tunisian friends from the country’s north to bring food, clothing and medical supplies to a village in the south whose main source of income – tourism – has almost completely disappeared following the Jasmine Revolution.

Overnight in the Sahara Desert

For many of the participants this was their first time experiencing the desert life and hospitality of southern Tunisia.  For me the opportunity to travel with locals made the experience more enriching because I participated in Tunisian culture with them.  I also enjoyed watching my new friends discover their own country and the peoples from southern regions that make up the Tunisian mosaic.

We departed Sousse, Tunisia’s third-largest city, at 9:30 am for a six-hour drive to El Sabria at the edge of the Sahara Desert.  The jaouw (Tunisian word for ambiance or vibe) that would become the signature of this trip started when a musician in the back of the bus began playing the drums. Dancing in the bus soon followed.

Dancing on the coach

Selecting lamb for lunch

Two hours later we passed through a town lined with barbecue grills and roadside restaurants so we stopped for lunch. The aroma of meshwe (barbecue) and spices filled the air. We selected our portions of lamb and soon bowls of grilled meat, salad, harissa and olive oil filled our tables – the first of several delicious meals I would share with my new friends.

We continued to the village of El Faouar, on the edge of the Sahara Desert, to drop off supplies and medicines at a newly-formed association that distributes goods to surrounding communities on Fridays (see part 2) before continuing to meet local guides at El Sabria.  After several minutes of warm greetings and photos, the men from the village loaded our bags, equipment, and some members of our group onto camels for the hour-and-a-half trek to our campsite in the dunes.  I chose to run up and down the dunes on my own.

Sunset hike to the campsite

Because we arrived at our campsite at dusk our guides quickly put up the tents, built the fires, and started making flat bread in coals on the sand. We then shared another delicious meal and washed it down with more tea cooked over the fire.

Then came another round of singing and dancing until after midnight.  Did I mention Tunisians love music? With big smiles the local guides drummed traditional rhythms on the darbuka and bendir and weaved songs that seemed to flow like the sand of the desert surrounding us.  All of this took place under an incredible canopy of stars.

Singing and dancing at campfire

Playing the Bendir

Friendships formed too.  I talked with a graduate student, Marwan, at the campfire about his background growing up in various countries around the Middle East.  He shared with me his concerns about the way forward for the Arab world and his desires for its people to emerge from the oppressive regimes with dignity and new freedoms.  He said we all share much in common no matter how our political ideologies may separate our countries. Amazing times in this part of the world!

Overall, this experience reminded me that the most valuable aspect of a destination is its people.  Engaging another culture through relationships with locals offers life-changing rewards most visitors never experience. Truly benefiting from what a region has to offer takes time and more often than not requires listening to others.  If you are in a hurry you will probably miss the best part.

Preparing to hike with men from a Sahara village

Afternoon in Toujane

After leaving the Sahara, we traveled two hours north to the village of Toujane,  located in a region known for its indigenous culture.  Some villages in the areas still speak the Tamazight language (Berber) in addition to Arabic.  Toujane has no running water and the remaining residents still draw water from a spring located over a kilometer away.  Typically tourists pass through on their way to Tatouine further south, however, few are coming these days.  Tourism in the south is only 20-30% of last year, and this is the high season for the region.  In addition, a severe drought in the south has crippled agriculture and driven away bees for honey production.  We stopped for a homemade couscous lunch prepared by village families for us, and to collect their Kilim carpets to resell in Sousse.  I think this leg of the trip made us all realize that real needs exist here in Tunisia and that it is possible to help with a little creativity and initiative.

Village of Toujane

Following some delicious rosemary tea in Toujane we loaded the bus to head home.  Everyone returned tired and sun-burned but completely satisfied from having helped communities in need with a small gesture through tourism.  Nearly the entire group slept for the first two hours of the five-hour bus ride back to Sousse.  Then someone in the back of the bus started playing the darbuka and we sang and danced in the aisle of the bus the rest of the way home.

Check out more photos from my adventure

Part Two: Tourism Making a Difference in Tunisia coming soon

Can Travel Make a Difference?

Local Man Serving Rosemary Tea in His Underground Home

While tourists have started returning to the resorts on Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast, the situation in the country’s interior remains desperate.  I was invited to participate on a solidarity trip this weekend with nearly 75 Tunisians from around the country who wish to help. The idea is to descend to the areas hardest hit by the economic crisis resulting from the revolution and participate in tourism activities there while interacting with local villages. The excursion includes a camel trek in the Sahara Desert, spending the night in traditional tents out in the dunes, and delivering toys, clothing and medical supplies to rural communities. One village has also arranged to sell their handicrafts to us. Over the next week I will blog about my experience and ask How can tourism make a difference?

Rediscovering Humanity While Traveling

It takes face to face encounters to rediscover the humanity of people. Negative news images and blanket stereotypes can make us Westerners forget that Arabs are real people, with hopes and hurts much like our own. Below are a few more of our experiences we had while hitchhiking in Jordan.

In the West, when we see someone that looks like this man, friendliness is not the first word to come to mind. But after actually meeting him it is hard to find a more fitting term.

Sitting in a truck, our driver “Hamza” (not his real name) told us of his broken heart. The woman he loved wasn’t allowed to marry him. Her father forbid it and chose someone else for her. He now drives for hours, his mind lost in thoughts of her. He has decided he will never marry.

Walking next to “Mustafa”, he began telling us the story of his twin brother. “We were the same. Same size, same voice, same likes and dislikes. We were 23 years old. Walking together side by side on the road, my brother doubled over. ‘My heart hurts’, he said. I picked him up, put him on my shoulder and ran to the doctor. When I got there, I laid him on the table. The doctor told me he was dead. I still cannot think of that moment without becoming overwhelmed with sadness.”

“Saif” showed us a treeless cemetery. We wandered through it together, and stopped at the grave of his father. Saif knelt down and prayed that God would have mercy on his father.

“Ahmed” told us of a group of Italian tourists that he had helped on the road. He invited them to his home for dinner. He was honored by their presence. They told him they would write him. They have yet to write. “Did I do something wrong?” he asked us. “Why didn’t they write?”

My most rewarding experiences while traveling have been the people I’ve met, not the sites I’ve seen. How have you been impacted by people in your travels?

Conversations on the Road. . .in Jordan

 

The closest we were to being unsafe while hitchhiking was when our driver and this shop owner fought over who would buy us snacks. The shop owner won.

The more we get to know Jordan and her people, the more excited we are about the experiences groups traveling with Engaging Cultures will have as they see the beautiful sites of Jordan and engage with the local communities.

Below are a few more experiences we had on the road. . .

. . .We initially thought he was pulling over for us, but a young Jordanian man who also was “hitch hiking” jumped out of the truck.  Upon seeing us at the door, the driver quickly invited us to come along.  After introducing ourselves, the young man getting out told the driver, “these guys are from America, give them a good picture of Jordan.”  We had not even shared more than a few words with this young guy and he expressed his care and concern for us feeling welcome in his country.

. . .“Food, money, do you need anything?”, “Belal” asked after giving us a ride to Mafraq.

. . .”Ahmad”, from Ramtha called and said, “please tell me you are not sleeping on the side of the road.”  The way he asked the question implied he would drive without hesitation the four hour distance to bring us back to his house for a safe place to sleep.  We also received a call from him a day after we returned to Amman making sure we were home safely and his country took care of us.  We affirmed to him how great our trip was and how honored we were to be able to travel in his country and meet the people of Jordan.  He is anticipating our return to Ramtha; we are too.

. . .one driver, every 15 minutes, said “Ahlan wa sahlan,” which means “welcome” in Arabic.  Sincere every time, he was letting us know how welcome we were as foreigners in his country.  Even had he kept silent, his smile and joyful appearance more than communicated our sense of being welcomed.

After Jasmine Revolution, Tunisians Help Refugees From Libya

Engaging Cultures Tunisia recently had the privilege to help refugees pouring in from Libya.  I volunteered for five days with a small group of internationals and Tunisians that cooked hot meals and served them to the refugees, mostly from Bangladesh, Vietnam, Ghana and Nigeria.

Each day, we prepared and distributed one hot meal in the late afternoon/evening for about 10,000 people.  When our food ran out, there remained a line of people waiting to be served that was longer than when we started serving.  The numbers of people were unfathomable.

I was most impressed by the generous response of the Tunisian people who, after experiencing their own revolution in January, provided nearly 100% of the food and supplies at our camp.  The overwhelming amount of food came from private individuals, extended families, neighborhoods, Tunisian business, schools and community groups.  Everyday caravans of cars, vans and trucks drove down to the border from as far as ten hours away to drop off the supplies.

I borrowed much of the below content from a friend who joined me:

It is hard to convey the sheer magnitude of the place, both in size and number of people.  One day a flood of 20,000 people unexpectedly walked to our camp overwhelming the military and volunteers.

“It was constant work so it was difficult to break away and take pictures.  Mostly, however, it was hard to disengage emotionally and treat the situation as if I were just a tourist.”

Every inch of free space was packed with plastic plates, cups and spoons. That is what was most needed on site. Our group brought about 10,000 of each. We thought it was a lot. It only lasted for one day.

This is the tent that is used for cooking. You can see a journalist in the picture filming the volunteers. Journalists were everywhere. The woman in the yellow t-shirt volunteered from Sidi bou Zid, the birthplace of the Jasmine Revolution; she wanted to give back.

These are the tents that the residents of the camp stay in. The rectangular tents in the foreground are for supplies. The residents stay in the semi-circular tents that make up the entire background of this shot. The number of tents varies from day to day, but there are easily 3-4 thousand of them. I saw about 6-8 people per tent.

A line of residents waiting to get water. At the far left are a group of Tunisians who drove down with a truck load of water and passed it out to those who needed it. Sometimes lines were small and orderly like this one, other times they were massive and chaotic.

The military cleared a section of land for a football (soccer) field. One of the Tunisian men from our group quickly organized a game between Nigeria and Bangladesh. It was a perfect example of how a little leadership and initiative can make a big difference to people who are desperate and scared. We also learned that Nigeria is much better at football than Bangladesh.

It was truly a  joy to work alongside Tunisians from all different backgrounds, helping others with a need. I can honestly say that in my everyday life here in Tunisia I also have been the recipient many times over of the same generosity and concern from locals that I observed at the border.