
A Journey to the Disappointment Islands - tin7in
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190319-a-journey-to-the-disappointment-islands
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jpatokal
Fascinating story -- and the author _really_ lucked out in that the
technicians were there at the same time, because just showing up in places
like this without making arrangements is not a good idea.

For comparison, some thoughts about the opposite end of the spectrum for
Pacific travel:

[https://driftingclouds.net/2019/03/12/manufacturing-bula-
mas...](https://driftingclouds.net/2019/03/12/manufacturing-bula-mass-tourism-
in-fiji/)

~~~
markdown
While it's nice to read a negative review of a Fijian trip for a change, I
wish you'd made it more obvious that your experience was limited to the most
boilerplate tourist resort island (Denarau) and one other aussie-owned resort.

It's a bit like going to Disneyland and complaining about the manufactured
happiness there.

There are 300 other islands in Fiji off the extremely well-beaten path you
walked where your experience could have been very different. Or you could have
just visited a village that isn't part of any pre-packaged travel tour to find
that in fact most rural Fijians will be extremely welcoming, hospitable, and
amazing with kids _without_ any expectation of payment.

~~~
jpatokal
Fair enough, but it's worth pointing out that Denarau & the Mamanuca island
resorts _are_ the "Fiji experience" for the vast majority of visitors to the
island. I need to rewrite that last paragraph though...

~~~
markdown
> Denarau & the Mamanuca island resorts are the "Fiji experience"

Denarau is mostly multinational chain resorts (Accor, Sheraton, etc) so yes
the experiences there are pretty boilerplate and "manufactured".

But there are numerous different resorts of all shapes and sizes in the
Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands. There are resorts owned by foreigners like the
one you went to, resorts owned by locals, resorts for backpackers, resorts run
by their owners, and 5 star resorts. To assume you'll get the same there is
like walking into McDonalds and saying that all restaurant food is crap.

------
snazz
Despite the questionable tactic of forcing oneself uninvited upon the
hospitality of a group who hasn’t seen a visitor in 20 years, the writing was
absolutely wonderful and it’s the first long-form article I’ve found on HN
that I read all the way through in one sitting, which is pretty high praise. I
would like to read a book of similar stories at some point.

~~~
jasonkester
> questionable tactic

Keep in mind that this is what _all_ travel used to be like before tourism
grew to where it is today. Done right, as in this story, it's a net positive
for all involved.

I've done similar things a handful of times over the years, rocking up in
remote places without any infrastructure to deal with tourists, hoping for a
bit of luck in finding a place to sleep.

But here's the thing. It's not like you show up in these places like the
stereotypical loud american demanding things and handing your wheelie duffel
to the first local you see. It's more like the give and take you have when
hitching a ride, essentially paying for your lift with fun conversation and
wild stories, and by being an "interesting thing that happened" in this other
person's life.

There's a little fishing village on the Pacific coast of Columbia with a river
behind it containing fifty zillion perfect skipping rocks, accumulated over
the millennia in front of a population who had never though to try skipping
them. And now there's a batch of kids, teenagers now, who know how to do that
thanks to that "English" couple who rocked up unannounced that one time,
stayed at Linda's house, bought fish from the guys on the beach and sometimes
spent their evenings sharing un-refrigerated beers with the locals in front of
the depósito.

If you ever find yourself just about off the map someplace, I'd recommend
making the effort to step over the edge once in a while to see what's there.

~~~
wyattpeak
It sort of doesn't matter either how things used to be, or how polite you are.

He had the opportunity to make things easier on his hosts. He was even told to
do so by the travel agent. He chose not to. Romantic as you may consider it,
that makes him rude.

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valtism
I despise the attitude of this reporter. Showing up unannounced in this place
without doing research, and not having enough supplies to survive. It seems
arrogant that the community you impose yourself upon will take you in and
support your gallivanting around their homes.

~~~
newnewpdro
Agreed.

This person essentially behaved like a child who couldn't even be bothered to
notify his implicit hosts beforehand of his arrival and extended stay.

Then he writes as if he's doing them a favor not wanting to inconvenience
them. The reality is he's being a lazy selfish jerk.

They literally had to monitor his hydration for him and coddle him like an
invalid.

~~~
Latteland
He was irritating. I cringed on behalf of the people of that island. He also
ignored another important thing, what will happen if the beetles kill off the
coconut trees, that would be horrible for the people on the island.

~~~
peteretep
> I cringed on behalf of the people of that island

From his (entirely believable account) they seemed pretty happy he was there.

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agorabinary
"In fact, Severo said that no-one could recall the last time a non-Polynesian
had come to Tepoto – certainly not in their lifetimes."

I have a feeling this island is about to get quite a few visits from readers
of the BBC...

~~~
snazz
I doubt it. The process of getting to the island sounded prohibitively
difficult for all but the most motivated travelers.

~~~
ocschwar
And potable water is a challenge. When basic necessities require heroic
engineering, tourists go elsewhere.

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zokier
Tourism is one of the great tragedies of the commons, and really tough nut to
crack too.

~~~
FabHK
Yeah. I like to go where few people have gone before, but that's not something
that works when everyone does it. Maybe artificial attractions (Disneyland and
the like) can absorb a large part of tourism, deflecting tragedy.

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fixermark
There's nothing quite so colonialist as jotting down "ISLANDS OF
DISAPPOINTMENT" on your map for generations of future travelers to see because
the locals responded to your desire to pillage their food supply by
threatening you with spears and chucking rocks at your party.

~~~
rdiddly
Hey look, if you threaten to kill me, and chase me off before I can ask you
what the name of your island is, then on the maps for my own people, I get to
name it whatever I want!

~~~
sizzzzlerz
Wouldn’t have mattered, anyway. Being a 18th century Brit and thus totally
lacking any cultural sensitivities, Byron probably would have named the
islands after the King’s favorite fox hunting hound.

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winningcontinue
what a wonderfully well written news story from an organization I don't
normally expect to invest in long form writing. Andrew Evans is a rising
prolific writing journalist.

~~~
dwd
I enjoyed it as well, and then it occurred to me that his buildup and the way
he just dropped in on them and would be stuck for a period of time read like
Ford Prefect researching for the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I was left
wondering if that was planned or something that crossed his mind during the
trip.

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zeristor
So will this be ruined within months?

The BBC has a program called The Travel Show, I’m guessing this might be an
item in the next episode...

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mayormcmatt
Dude, I gotta go see that coconut tree...

~~~
dwd
I'll just leave this here...

[https://www.tahitiheritage.pf/cocotier-a-quatre-tetes-de-
tep...](https://www.tahitiheritage.pf/cocotier-a-quatre-tetes-de-tepoto/)

