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pubLicAtiOns & events:aASIA SURF EXPO{e^ Ditor’s^ note}
In a globalised world, where mobility is increasingly
ubiquitous, it’s sometimes easy to forget what a
privilege it is to travel. Some of us may remember
the first time we set foot outside our home
countries. If the experience was anything like my
own, you may recall that emotional convergence of
shock and exhilaration in finding yourself utterly
displaced. Then, there is that first encounter with
how other cultures stereotype your nationality. It’s
frequently funny, more often than not baffling, and,
occasionally, it knocks the wind out of you.Many a philosophical quote has gone on to gush
how travel allows us to assimilate culture, expand
our minds, challenge our perspectives, and so on.
But, ultimately, I think that travel is an exchange.
Yes, you are challenging your own perceptions
and misconceptions about countries and different
cultures, but really, it should be a two-way street.Tourism is a loaded word. It often sits rather
uncomfortably with many of us given its double-
edged nature, where we stand the risk of taking
more than we give. ‘I’m not a tourist, I’m a traveller’,
I’ve heard some say. Can you define the difference?
This tension is not lost on this issue.Let history be your guide in this special issue of
Passport – pack a punch with the sacred art of Muay
Thai (p28), get inked by a true tattoo master (p62),
leave your shoes at the door and take a pilgrimage
(p72) or watch a mystical river serpent shoot
fireballs above the Mekong (p98) – and share your
own cultural knowledge with those whom you meet
along the way.© Lars Krutak
ALEX CAMPBELL“Tourists don’t know where they’ve been,
travellers don’t know where they’re going”
(Paul Theroux)