Conscious travel ...

Well, I sort of lied in an earlier blog post. I said I wasn't going anywhere this year, but I did in fact, sneak away in April after all. It was a working vacation, but it still took me back through St. Martin and on to St. Kitts ... yes ... again!


Not sure when, or if I'll be able to post that trip report, but I must admit, it was an interesting trip. I have remained silent, not knowing how to describe my experience this time. Well, I wasn't so silent on a certain travel forum, and I also kept a detailed journal of my trip. So, I'll say this much for now: The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis is changing. Rapidly. Oh, perhaps on the surface the twin island paradise may still seem like a relatively "undiscovered" couple of pearls on a delicate chain of small islands in the West Indies, but many of us know the other side: crime is rampant, developers are carving up the landscape and the cost of living is skyrocketing.

I can no longer be naive enough to keep coming back here gushing over the serenity, beauty and bounty, when I keep being confronted with and conflicted by the truth. Yes, I have seen the seamy underbelly of the beast and I don't like it one bit. That doesn't mean I am not going back, however. It just means that I am not one of those travellers who can bury her head in the sand, and just go sailing, sunning and eating her way through a visit to the islands. Most of the crime is youth-gang related and, as such, most of it doesn't really impact tourists. And that is why I feel so conflicted. 


 The week that I was in St. Kitts there were three murders. One of the victims was the son of the Commissioner of Police. How's that for a message to the cops? Since, most of my social work career has been in direct practice with youth, and I was working while I was visiting, I couldn't escape the parallels between what is going on in the Federation, and my own experiences with disaffected youth.

How powerless it makes me feel to see the marginalized youth of the Federation embrace American-style criminality, and gangster rules of respect, while well-meaning (?) business people keep saying things like "well, at least the tourists aren't being shot!" Seriously? Like one life is worth more than another. Hmmm, well, I have more to say, but I will leave things right here for now.

I think I need to put more thought into what to do with this blog. I feel like posting lots of thoughts about social justice, sustainable development and the state of my favourite travel destinations, but I am not sure if this is the place to do it. Maybe I'll skim off the last few posts and put them elsewhere, while I keep all the light and fluffy stuff right here. Yes, maybe I shall do that!