A Sweltering Sun

I’ll never forget the day that I landed in Nassau, Bahamas when I was eleven years old. Coming off the cruise-ship and away from the tourist sites of brilliantly crystal clear waters, we got a taste of the reality of Nassau. Though a vague yet incredibly vivid memory, I remember seeing an indigent man playing a beautiful harmony on drums made out of worn and dirty buckets. The town of Nassau was suffering, whilst all of those who come here end up on the coast or on their boats, they forget about the people that make the Bahamas the beautiful place it is. This man was clearly feeble, but he had the most genuine and marvelous smile. The town was sweltering in heat, and the women were standing outside makeshift shops trying to grab the attention of passer-by’s offering hair braiding in exchange for a few dollars. The reason I will never forget this day is because it opened my eyes, revealing that there was such greater beauty in seeing Nassau in it’s truest forms. Of course, it was not exactly what you’d call alluring, there was no buzz or business in the streets, but what there was were a plethora of incredibly welcoming and warm-hearted Bahamians even though they lived in such impoverished conditions. Flash-forward ten years and I have an undoubtedly strong desire to get to know each destination by its people, not it’s sights. I find it profoundly upsetting to see that many lovely destinations are filled with tourist traps, sucking you dry for your money with lavish hotels, pools and shops when not far from you is the outskirts where the natives live, and most of the time they are living in unthinkable conditions, yet they are the most warm-spirited folk around. I find it so important that wherever you may be travelling, that you should get to know the citizens who make the country what it is. Be it the culture, the customs, the food or the music, many miss this opportunity, even if just for a day, to wander through the streets and photograph the people. Talk to them; get to know their culture! The world can be incredibly small at the same time it is large. If only for a minute we could open our eyes to the unseen secrets of the destination, and look into the eyes of the people who fill it with such dazzling, authentic charm.