"Tourism"

As I'm coming to the end of traveling before I head back to Lima tomorrow and start my placement on Monday, I've been reflecting on the idea of "tourism" and how it ties into notions of "development" or "underdevelopment" and representational inequality. Since the last post, I've traveled to Cusco by train, done a tour of the city, and of the Sacred Valley, and visited Machu Picchu yesterday (side note - yes, Machu Picchu is absolutely fantastic, and it was a dream come true to get to experience it). I've really enjoyed the perspective that being a tourist and getting to see many of the sites of Peru has allowed, but I've also had lots of awkward experiences and been fairly uncomfortable with how a "tourist" sees Peru.

My most uncomfortable experience thus far has been my train ride from Puno to Cusco. I booked it kind of without thinking - it was rather expensive, but it sounded like a great way to see the countryside and Andes. I toyed with the idea of taking the bus, but knowing that I would only have been in Peru for 2 days, I thought that the easiest option, one that was least likely to backfire and probably the safest, would be best. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The train was ridiculously luxurious. Little did I know that before PeruRail operated the train service, it was actually the Orient Express. The colonial implications of that fact were still very evident on my train ride earlier this week. To describe how it felt, I'm going to go into more detail about a couple occurrences. Firstly, the train goes from Puno through Juliaca on its way to Cusco, as well as many other small towns, but Juliaca was the strangest experience. Vendors had set up along either side of the train tracks, so it felt like those of us on the train were plowing right through the middle of everything and disrupting the lives of those in Juliaca. It was basically an experience of looking out of our windows from our luxurious trains and comfortable seats to "see" how the people of Peru lived. However, the most uncomfortable experience for me was when we had a band from Puno play for us on the train. They were all dressed in bright colours, and playing "traditional" Peruvian music and singing in Aymara. Then, a Peruvian woman, rather scantily clad, came and danced for the passengers. I couldn't help but wonder what Edward Said would have thought of the spectacle. Afterwards, we went back to our seats, and were served tea and sandwiches with the crusts cut off. I actually laughed out loud.

As much as the experience of the train made me uncomfortable, and as much as I probably would never choose to take a the train again, I appreciate the perspective that this and all of the other activities I've participated in have given me. For me, it has been more of a reflection on how tourists from around the world engage with Peru than a reflection on Peru itself. Obviously, "tourism" is contextual, and many tourists have radically different experiences than mine on the train. That, however, does not mean that some are less problematic. Last night on my bus back from Machu Picchu, there was a guy from Austria talking to someone about how he had lived in Lima for 7 months now (I was horribly eavesdropping, but the insight is important, so I feel like I have to share). He was talking about how he "knew" the culture in Lima from having spent so much time there, and I couldn't help but feel like this perspective was also problematic.

Me on the train....

I've really appreciated the chance to get to see much of Peru, but I'm really looking forward to starting my placement now. It will be nice to settle in somewhere, make some longer-term relationships, and get to see something that the average visitor to Peru doesn't see.