Macpackers

What do you call a backpacker who travels the globe in search of adventure, while also searching for free Wifi?

What do you call a backpacker who wraps a dirty towel around his laptop to protect it on the bumpy bus ride to Lijiang (Yunnan, PRC)?

What do you call a backpacker who is too busy updating Facebook to read tattered novels borrowed from her International Youth Hostel in Prague?

What do you call a backpacker who carries over a thousand dollars' worth of electronic equipment in his bag, but insists on bartering for another 20 cent discount for a t-shirt in Bali?

I call it a Macpacker.


I did my backpacking in my early 20s. The summer before my sophomore year in college I spent my days staring at gummi bears and my evenings in a community theatre. I worked at a factory in Creston, Iowa that made bears, worms, and other fun-shaped candy. I worked overtime whenever possible, saving money to pay for pizzas and other college essentials. After work, my co-workers and I comprised the core cast and crew for Little Shop of Horrors. It was great fun, but I knew I needed to get away from Iowa for awhile. The summer before my junior year was somewhat improved, as it began with a tour of Europe with my chorus. However, it ended like the previous year, with me staring at gummi bears. The only difference was that I did it in Germany. On my weekends, though, I wandered Europe's great cities - Berlin, Munich, Paris, and San Sebastian, Spain, where I stayed longer. I met some backpackers along the way and longed for the adventure.

When I arrived in Hong Kong six months later to begin a study abroad program, I already knew I would spend my summer far from gummi bears. I would be a backpacker and take my time crossing China. I might even visit Tibet. The thrill was not needing to plan ahead and just going with the flow. And I traveled light. I bought a cheap, sturdy backpack in Hong Kong, before continuing to school in Hangzhou. Once school was over, I filled that pack with only the essentials - shorts, socks, underwear, t-shirts, jacket, 35mm pocket camera, 5 rolls of film, Lonely Planet, a towel, and some toiletries. I shipped my gifts home and put all I needed on my shoulders. However, I knew that if I left anything behind, if I was robbed at a hostel, or if the whole pack slipped off the roof of a bus and fell into the Yangtze River, I would not be out much. I could replace everything for less than a hundred dollars, and I would only really miss the photos I had taken.

Because this was the early 90s, of course, the idea of carrying around a computer was beyond comprehension. This was a decade before MySpace and Facebook. There were no wifi hotspots. Hell, there were no internet cafes. I had only begun to use email a few months before, when I was assigned an address by my school. I didn't actually use it. The connection speed was so slow, especially in China, that it was more satisfying to write postcards and letters to friends and loved ones. The internet still chimed when establishing a connection!

When I traveled, I sat on my bag. I used it as a pillow. I stuffed it into spaces that it barely fit. I had it taken from me and strapped to the roof of the bus. It wore into my shoulders and made my back sweat. I loved it and hated it. But I never had anything truly precious in it. Nothing breakable, and nothing really valuable.

Backpacking to me still means throwing some basic (but easily replaceable) necessities in a bag and traveling without a set itinerary. It means eating banana pancakes and pizzas at the backpacker cafes that pop up on backpacker circuits. It means bookshelves full of novels that can be simply replaced with the one you just finished. And it means sharing precious information about must-sees, great deals, and rip-offs over beer and candle light with strangers from around the world. It is a social activity that involves meeting and (dis)trusting strangers and learning about unknown places.

When I see faces lit up by computer screens in the backpacker cafes of Bali and Hanoi, I cannot help but think that these Macpackers - Backpackers carrying around laptops and iPads - have a vastly different experience from what I had. Of course, I am just being nostalgic, but I think something fundamental shifts when a computer and a wifi connection enter the Backpacker world. One can maintain daily contact with home, preventing some of the sense of separation/liberation that I felt. One no longer has to rely as much on the travel advice of strangers and can instead look at online forums for news. I suppose it serves the same function, as a forum for the sharing of information. However, the method lacks an interpersonal element. Is there as much flirting, joking, swapping of horror stories, and sharing of childhood memories over another beer?

And personally, I constantly would be worried about my belongings being stolen. As soon as you pull out a laptop at a cafe, everyone around knows you are carrying something very valuable. I guess all those backpackers with expensive cameras used to feel that way. I still remember traveling a few weeks with a woman from France, whom I met in a cafe. Realizing I didn't have the money to visit Tibet, she convinced me to visit the Giant Buddha at Leshan instead. She had a professional Nikon camera, but she had scratched it and taped it to make it look old and damaged. One cannot do the same with a laptop.

Yes, something about travel is changing. Backpackers are becoming Macpackers, and it is significantly altering the technologies, expectations, and experiences of independent travel.

Happy Holidays!

It's that time of the year - time to wish everyone a Happy New Year and to share some memories from 2011. We will spare you the cheesy letter. We hope to share some fantastic memories with you in 2012!

Disneyland in June with L. and W.

Bridgewater, Iowa's defunct Doris' Department Store - Hisako with our nephew, X, in June.

San Francisco in July with Hisako's parents.

Enjoying Auckland, New Zealand, in November with B.

Hisako with an alpaca friend in New Zealand in November.

Malaysian Paradise

A consistent problem with great destinations is that people cannot wait to share their stories and convince others to visit the same place. Increasing numbers of people visit these places and their reputations continue to spread until, over time, the places are no longer the same. This is not to say that they necessarily deteriorate in quality. However, some vacations are so unforgettable that you want to return to exactly the same place and have exactly the same experience. While this is impossible for any number of reasons, that doesn't make the dream any less real.

So, although I know this is futile, I'm going to write about a recent trip to a wonderful destination, but I'm not going to name the place. Let's call it Turtle Island, Malaysia.

We made this travel plan quite spontaneously, less than a week before leaving. It all came down to accommodations. We had difficulty finding a hotel with room availability. After asking half a dozen hotels, we finally found one that is in the most remote spot on the island. I had heard about this hotel from a friend, but I imagined it to be primarily for divers and not up to H's usual standards - A/C, good food, comfy bed, hot water. Thankfully, it was satisfactory on all accounts - nothing spectacular, but satisfactory.

We needed two flights and a taxi ride to reach our boat to the island, one on a Friday night, the next on a Saturday morning. The worst of the trip, though, was the one-hour boat ride to the island. The waves were just choppy enough to make the ride uncomfortable. I was sitting in the front, and I was slammed up and down the entire hour. 

Our view of the beach as the boat arrives.

Our hotel room - on the right. Clean and simple.

But the trip was worth it. Our boat finally reached the hotel on Turtle Island, showing us a long empty beach and a handful of hotel employees waiting for us to help with our luggage.

Stepping off the boat, we found ourselves with nothing to do. This is exactly what we were hoping for. For three days we sat in hammocks, walked on the beach, read books, and snorkeled. The snorkeling was great - good visibility and warm water. We saw loads (50+ species) of fish and one sea turtle. The number of fish is a wild guess, but they were everywhere and colorful.

The beach.

Beach in the afternoon.

H with her feet in the sand.

Our favorite meal - noodles, salad, fries.

On the way back to the airport, we rode with a woman who had traveled from Cambodia for the diving. She suggested we give the hotel a good review on Trip Advisor, since some people recently gave them some bad marks. I enjoyed my stay, but I enjoyed it too much. I'm afraid if I give it top marks and a terrific review, more people will want to visit, and I'll be unable to visit next time. How selfish of me. The flip side is that if I don't write a review, the hotel may go out of business and not be there for me next time. What is an internet-connected consumer to do?

Ecotourism in Bali

The theme of ecotourism is evident in Bali as well as Japan (see posts from May-June 2011). In fact, I found numerous programs advertised to tourists concerned with their ecological footprint. 

At the AlamKulKul Hotel, I found various awards recognizing the hotel for its green efforts. One was a Best Indonesian Green CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Gold Award, given as part of something called the Indonesia Green Award. This award was proudly displayed near the hotel check-in desk, while another effort was displayed just outside the lobby on a large scroll: One Tree, One Tourist. 

Gold award for Best Indonesian Green CSR 

One Tree, One Tourist program

Award by the Pacific Asia Travel Association to AlamKulKul for the One Tree program.

Another program designed with the adventurous ecotourist in mind is a bicycle tour in the Ubud area. 

The language of the brochure is rich with connections to ecotourism standards like education, authenticity, and rural areas. Framing a photo of several fuzzy cyclists riding past trees and rice fields are the following: "Bali Eco Cycling Tour" "See the Real Bali On Our Famous Eco and Educational Cycling Tour" "The Original and Authentic Eco Cycling Tour" "Experience The Magic And Feel The Spirit Of Rural Bali"

Bali - Kuta

Our second full day in Bali began with a walk on the beach. With the temperature exceeding 90 degrees soon after the sun rises, it is recommended to get in some walking in the early morning hours. We were not the only ones enjoying the cool morning air. We saw families sitting together, kids playing soccer, and runners and walkers taking advantage of the smooth surface where the beach meets the sand. We also saw many of the daily offerings of flowers known as canang. Canang are seen at shop and home entrances, along streets, at temples, and even in the ocean. The flowers are placed in a small square basket made of the leaf form the coconut tree.

A pre-dawn crystal clear sky

Soccer on the beach

Canang placed in the ocean

Fruit, yogurt, coffee, and bread for breakfast

AlamKulKul employee taking fresh flowers to each guestroom

Anniversary in Bali

It may be a cliche to celebrate an anniversary or honeymoon on a tropical island, but we could think of no better way to commemorate 10 years together than to visit the Indonesian island of Bali, where one can find all of the stereotypical elements of paradise: hot climate, palm trees, beaches, stunning sunsets, exotic local culture, live music. Bali was not always so tourist-friendly, nor did it always have these aspects that make it feel like a Hawai'i of SE Asia. Nowadays, even surfing (a Hawai'ian invention) is a common activity in Bali. We indulged in a list of activities that reads like a computer-generated dating service profile. Likes: long walks on the beach, the feeling of waves washing over my feet, great food, long naps by the pool, massage. 

We spent the first two days in Kuta, a neighborhood on the beach just north of the airport. We took an afternoon flight from Singapore - 2.5 hours - and arrived just after the sun went down. Our taxi took us into the growing darkness, though the streets congested with cars, bicycles, horse-drawn wagons, pedestrians, and most numerous, scooters. The greatest impediment to smooth travel was not the sheer volume of traffic but poor urban planning. As we inched toward the hotel, scooters and pedestrians dodged into the narrowest spaces; anything to keep moving forward. Even though the road was one-way, it did not seem to make the trip any smoother. The upside is that we were able to enjoy one of my favorite activities, people watching. There seemed to be an equal mix of tourists and locals, judging by fashion, ethnicity, and accoutrements - cameras and/or backpacks for the tourists, nothing for the locals. The streets were filled mostly with young people, with an older (and often larger) couple visible every now and then. 

Eventually we reached the hotel, checked in, and sat down to Italian food with live music in front of the hotel. The Bintang beer was cold and refreshing, the pasta cooked well, and the music pleasant but not distracting. 

We woke to a bright morning and went straight breakfast. Next, we had a one-hour massage, which was ridiculously inexpensive (around $10). Then we relaxed by the pool, eventually eating lunch there. 

Relaxing poolside.

Nasi goreng: fried rice flavored with seafood and chicken, topped with egg. 

AlamKulKul: our hotel

Morning walk on the beach

Later in the afternoon, we took a taxi north of Kuta, to a bar/restaurant called Ku De Ta, which had been recommended by a friend and referred to as a "scene" not to be missed. The building is an expansive two-story affair with two long wings that extend out toward the beach, leaving a large grassy square in between. At the edge of the beach rest over a dozen lounge sofas that seat three people each. We arrived 45 minutes before sunset, and the seats were already filling, so we were fortunate to find a spot. We ordered drinks - green apple mojito and strawberry smoothie - and an appetizer - hummus set - and waited for the sunset.

Smoothie and green apple mojito

Waiting for sunset

Four kinds of hummus, including one made with beets (the red one).

The crowd gathering at Ku De Ta.

Finally, we walked back in the darkening evening, eventually stopping for a drink at a spot along the beach where the music was good. The view was of starlight and wave crests. It was a very slow day.

Student presentations at the Japan Creative Centre

The inaugural field study to Japan ended with student presentations at the Japan Creative Centre.

While most courses at NUS include some form of student presentations, these presentations are rarely shared with the public. However, in many cases the public might be interested in the knowledge learned by students in the classroom, since these students will become future employees and leaders.

In this spirit, I asked students to give presentations about the field study to a public audience, providing a unique opportunity to share their experiences with the greater Singapore community. This was made possible by the Japan Creative Centre (JCC), Singapore (Facebook page). Part of the cultural arm of the Embassy of Japan, this center hosts creative events of all sorts, including film festivals and art installations. Because of the creative ecotourism efforts we witnessed in Japan, our aims suited the Centre, and they welcomed us.

On Monday June 6, 2011, seven of the ten students shared their experiences in an event called "Green Tourism in Japan: Creative Approaches."

I began the event by describing the origins of the field study, its academic foundations and goals, the itinerary, and the knowledge gained. I also introduced each participant, pointing out each one's unique traits.

Addressing the audience

Describing the itinerary

Then each the student shared her trip experience (all women), building on the theme of creativity in ecotourism. Each student combined personal experience with academic knowledge to create a unique presentation. We used the PechaKucha format of presentation. For those unfamiliar, PechaKucha limits presenters to twenty slides and twenty seconds per slide. This style encourages presenters to choose images carefully and maintain a steadily flowing presentation.

Student presentation 

An engaged audience

Questions from the audience

Student responding to a question

Once the presentations were complete, audience members were encouraged to ask questions, to which the students responded. This made the entire experience, from the field study to the presentations, incredibly real for the students, since they learned that their perspectives on Japan could impact individuals outside the classroom and the university.

The event drew around 70 people, including representatives from the Embassy of Japan, JNTO (Japan National Tourism Organization), JTB (Japan Travel Bureau), JCCI (Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore), and CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations), as well as a number of educational institutions like NUS and NTU (Nanyang Technical University).

Overall, drawing 70 people to a first-time event consisting of student presentations (instead of a famous artist), can only be seen as a stunning success. I was especially proud of the students' role in showing the public the high quality of NUS students and programs. I hope that we can recreate this success in the future.

Incidentally, this is the event summary by the Japan Creative Centre as found on its Facebook page:

From the 17th to 26th May 2011, ten students from the Department of Japanese Studies, National University of Singapore (NUS), attended a field trip to the island of Kyushu with the purpose of researching the complex relationships between tourism and the environment. Visiting sites at the forefront of green tourism in two prefectures, namely Nagasaki and Kumamoto, the students learned from local entrepreneurs and officials who are addressing contemporary environmental concerns through tourism. Sharing with the audience their valuable findings garnered during this trip to Japan, it is hoped that the event will be informative and relevant, especially amid growing awareness to the relation between development and the preservation of the natural environment.

Representatives from JNTO, JCCI and Clair attended the event and contributed to give their thoughts on some of the questions raised providing much valuable information for future groups intending to visit Japan for travel and trips.