You've got to be physically fit if you want to create that really great tourism experience worthy of your dreams. Tourism, however, demands a lot of hard physical work but most of us seem blind to this reality.
We like to think of tourism as a dreamy, fun-filled escape where we just have to laze around doing practically nothing except eating, drinking and being merry. This activity is rightly called a vacation, or "an extended period of leisure and recreation, especially one spent away from home or in traveling.”
Tourism isn’t this species of beast. Tourism is adventure. It makes you sweat -- a lot. It's tiring. The road trips always seem endless. It's always too hot. You're always thirsty.
Tourism involves far too much walking compared to your daily routine. It torments your leg muscles, especially your calves. Tourism inflicts pain on your frail trapezius as it buckles under the weight of your heavy gear.
It demands your hapless gut quickly adapt to cuisine alien to its experience. If not, you're going to find out first-hand why tourists hate the 10-yard dash to the nearest toilet.
"Crispy chicken nails," anyone? Not for me. How about a steaming demitasse of “civet coffee”? This one I've quaffed and it's the most expensive brew I've tried. Not for nothing did National Geographic call civet coffee "the world’s most expensive coffee." By the way, civet coffee is made from beans plucked from the stool of wild Philippine civet cats, or “musang.”
Given all of these, are you tough enough to take on the "Tourism Challenge?"
Being a couch potato or a fatigued desk jockey likely means you won't have the requisite energy for total outdoor and indoor fun. But you’ll still have something to text about. The sad truth is tourism to the max is for the young. That's why old folks would rather vacation abroad cruise ships. Those with ages in between can boast tongue-in-cheek about the “great time” they had on Facebook.
Which brings us to the point of this story: a tourism experience to treasure demands a strong body and mind. You've got to be really fit if you want to experience the best tours of your life!
Blazing Corregidor
I was invited to join a "Heroes Tour" of Corregidor Island during the past decade when COVID-19 wasn't the tourism killer it ultimately became. Also, aboard the Philippine Coast Guard cutter that sailed from Manila Bay were old veterans of World War 2, all in their 90s, and their excited children, grandchildren and relatives. One hero was 95 years-old and he was on a wheelchair. These people packed a lot of gear they'd later have to tote around under a blazing sun.
This day in April was the wrong one for an outdoor adventure: too hot, too humid, not enough wind and no deep, overhead cloud cover. Astonishingly, very few of these tourists had umbrellas or wore hats. We landed on "The Rock" shortly before lunch. It was blazing hot and most everyone was lugging plastic bottles of mineral water.
Air-conditioned vans took us on a tour of the island. There were loud groans when we had to leave the cool comfort of the van to confront the heat of the torrid afternoon sun. Some people chose to stay inside the vans and not venture out into the heat. Couldn't blame them.
For many of my fellow tourists, the afternoon was spent hopping from shade to shade, if this was available. If not, they had to walk under the merciless sun holding cardboard fans and what have you above their heads. It was a relief leaving the steaming island, but I still had a blast because I'd taken the proper precautions.
Big, Bad Aliens
I'd been to Corregidor twice before, so I knew what to expect. I stayed home the day before the trip. I relaxed, didn't overeat, exercised and slept early. Staying chill paid off and I still recall this Corregidor trip with nostalgia despite its rigors.
Come to think of it, I'd never been on a tour where pain wasn't part of the process. My body complained after my sojourns to Boracay (13 so far), and to Mount Pinatubo in Zambales, Mount Samat in Bataan, The Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, the Callao Cave in Cagayan, the Paoay Sand Dunes in Ilocos Norte, Baguio City, Cebu City, Palawan and other destinations. Touring is tough. But being fit mitigates much of the pain.
Looking through this list of places also means I've never been on a vacation in the accepted sense of the word. I've been doing tourism, instead. As I jokingly say to myself, “Vacations are for people; tourism is for big, bad aliens.”
What Does The Science Say?
Surprisingly, there are clinical studies about the value of being fit and staying fit while you're touring. Research released in 2015 declared you must get plenty of sleep while on tour. It said getting a good night's sleep is critical when it comes to staying healthy on the road, especially if you’re traveling abroad and crossing time zones.
Smart people also say you'd better stay active while you're out there. They contend you'll actually feel better and more rested if you include some physical activity into your day. Walk instead of ride to your destination if this is possible. Visit the hotel gym to pump iron or do cardio.
You've got to sweat because exercise boosts our immune system and floods our body with feel-good endorphins. I make it point to walk from Diniwid Beach in Boracay's north to Station 1 in the south during my visits to this paradise. It takes less than an hour to walk this distance at a leisurely pace. It really feels great trekking that far bathed by cool, water-laden air and stimulated by a multitude of sights and sounds along the way.
I've learned the hard way you need to drink a lot of water on tour. Hydrate as often as you can, especially on hot and humid days. Water is a lifesaver. I've been a victim of heat exhaustion twice and have no intention of flirting with death for a third time.
A corollary to hydrating is to protect your skin from the sun. Wear a hat, use a wide umbrella and lather your exposed skin with sunscreen with an SPF of 30+ to protect you from the sun’s dangerous ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B rays, as well as skin cancer.
I always wear white or light-colored tees on my long walks, and don trousers instead of shorts to conserve my sweat. Perspiration cools our bodies and is the long-walker's friend. I never long-walk under a blazing sun and always bring a big bottle of water with me.
Tourism is hard. That’s why I don’t go on tours no more. The only tourism I want to do now is “sleep tourism.” Can’t wait to get started when it gets to the Philippines.
Comments