Friends always ask me when I am bringing my boat back to the USA. My response is probably never.
I am glad to live in the USA for most of the year but I like the Med for a couple of months a year because it is not the USA. Not better but not worse either. It is easy to get around in the states, too easy. Life becomes more interesting and difficult when a monolingual person such as myself starts wandering around other monolinguists of a different tongue. Then nonverbal communication comes in and while I will never get into arguments or political discussions I have always found a way to communicate.
The med is home to hundreds of different micro cultures. Let’s face it the sailing in the Med sucks. The wind is either too strong or too weak. Most the time I end up motoring. Yes I have enjoyed the trade winds of the Caribbean and Tahiti but there is only so much easy sailing that a traveler can take. And I guess that I say traveler because that is what I am. I am a traveler first and a sailor second.
The sailing is a way for me to travel, a very unique and wonderful way. I have sailed in the Caribbean and all the resorts are remarkably similar. They are all designed as tourist resorts they are designed to separate you from your money pure and simple. If it wasn’t for tourism most wouldn’t exist. In the Med its different most of the towns I visit could not care less that I am there. They are living communities, they were there 200 years ago and they will be there in another 100. They are not dependent on my tourist dollars. They have developed cultures and communities. This is what travel is about to me not being pampered at a 5 star hotel but shopping in the open air markets finding a machine shop that can fabricate a part I need. This to me is fun.
In the Med the contrast of cultures is amazing and there is no greater contrast that Greece and Turkey, In Greece woman walk with men and hold hands and show emotion, in Turkey there is a very strict separation of sexes and people are stoic. The Turkish people I have met will go out of their way to assist me the Greeks are indifferent but happy to take my money. Just different and FUN.
Your thoughts?