Our ship pulled up to Gallno. The landing was nothing more than a small dock and a dirt trail that led into the large island. It’s the sort of place where my sense of direction is totally adequate, just one trail with some things along it.
Sharing the trail were a couple people from the boat. One had a hand cart with some sort of cargo, and didn’t speak with us. The other was a chatty woman from Stockholm who ended up leading us to the only hostel on the island, a converted schoolhouse that looked closed and had no signage whatsoever.
There’s not much to do on the island, but that’s a nice change sometimes. We’re in the main room of the schoolhouse, converted to a big living room. I’m programming, and Justine is painting. Out the window I see purple and white flowers, green fields, and a few cows. Last night we roasted ourselves in the wood-fired sauna.
When I travel and see other foreigners, I involuntarily cringe. As if Tokyo isn’t a big enough city for at least a dozen of us white devils, I feel as though my trip is somehow degraded every time I see another foreigner on the streets.
A lot of travelers feel this way– we want to be where no other tourists go.
Through all my traveling, though, I’ve found an exception. There are certain places, like this island, where local intra-country tourists go, but foreigners don’t. I’ve been to mountains and parks in China, remote islands and temples in Japan, the hill country in Panama, and a nice fjord in Norway. Each of these places is somewhere locals go, but foreigners tend not to.
These places are well developed and accessible, but often feel more substantial than the destinations right on the tourist trail. Rather than spectacles, they’re beautiful natural settings or sites of some cultural significance.
When looking for things to do in foreign countries, ask locals where they like to go. You’ll get to see a lot of places you may not otherwise see, will probably have a more meaningful trip, and will get to interact with locals.
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Photo is of Tiergarten in Berlin. Somehow I failed to take a single picture in Gallno.
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