I have just returned from the Canaries and whilst I love it I'm yet to see much of their culture. So far, all I can see is commercialism. We did however go up the mountains and had a few stops at local shops where we could taste the traditional marmalades and figs oh and 'mojo sauce'! :shock: but the trip was paid for, again commercialism.
My favourite holiday destination has to be Greece though. We go every year, I love their food, I love their culture, I love the weekly family get-togethers and the dancing and the traditionality. All in all my preference is Greece.
Where do you love for the culture?
I have been there as you now many times and that island has no culture of its own its a holiday island and always will be, my ex loved it even said she would love to live there, but no love to live else where but not there.
I have been to many countries and have to say the best culture I found was in Australia, they are so laid back.
They work hard (well some do) but play hard to the hospitality i recieved was second to none, my house is your house.
Dare I say it theres no class system out there which breaks down so many barriers. The only culture i really want to sample at the moment is italian.
I want to go because of the food and wine to be honest, I spent so many years selling it I want to see where its from. There was the romatic bit to but thats gone by the way side for the moment.
Egypt yes would like to see that, Machu Picchu now theres a culture I really want to see.
splendid wrote
"
I am sure that the Aboriginal people would disagree with you on that."
that was then, and this is now, doesn`t make it right, but no civilisation lasts forever,or we would still be celts or whatever was before them, having none of the advances that the romans brought, even though that came at a cost to the natives ,who were still painting themselves blue .
never been such a thing as a classless society, and never will be. we like to think we can be egalitarian, but we all think we are better than the guy begging for pennies for his addiction. can accept argument against this if you have taken such a person home to try to help, and all praise to anyone who can honestly say this
I've not been to many places abroad but I loved Grenada. We stopped there on our cruise 2 months after the hurricane hit and we were staggered by the resilience and charm of the islanders.
They were so busy trying to save the spice trade and rebuild the many buildings that had been destroyed but still found time to be so kind to us while we were there. Even the children were still going to school immaculately dressed despite being taught in Unicef tents where the classrooms were destroyed.
Listening to their stories of how they survived what must have been so terrifying was an incredibly humbling experience.
Now I'm looking forward to my trek in Morocco in October and the chance to wander around the souks in Marrakesh
Egypt, rip-off merchants and tourist traps aside is a wonderful country, oh and dodgy regimes and secrete police and Islamic fundamentalists, and well a whole host of nasties aside is a nice country ,oh and the flies, but that aside…its one of the few places in the world you can walk in the shadow of, and reach out and touch 5000 years of civilisation. Been twice and would happily go again.
Japan, everything Dlep said and a whole lot more besides. I spent two years living there, and would go back like a shot.
I would love to travel to India, Nepal, Bhutan to experience the culture.
've always fancied experiencing the wild and varied culture known to exist in a small field in Wiltshire
lp
I guess the truth is that by going anywhere as a tourist you are spoiling that country. It is hard to complain about there is a tourist industry in a country if you have visited that country as a tourist.
Do they need our money? Almost certainly.
Do they get it? Probably not.
The hotels we stay in are owned by multi-nationals. We travel in planes owned by multi-nationals. I would think only a tiny percentage of what you spend on a holiday is put into the local economy.
Where ever we go we leave a foot print. And this footprint is commercialism.