Reflection about The Rum Diary

Mr. Paul Kemp: What you like most of Puerto Rico?”

Walt (tourist): “the bowling alley and the casinos”

Kemp: “Have you seen a lot of the island?”

Walt’s wife (Tourist): “We don’t leave the hotel, it’s not    safe”

Kemp: “But you are having fun?”

Walt (Tourist): “Oh yeah, a lot of fun”

                                                  - The Rum Diary 

In this short chat that Kemp had with a couple in a bowling alley, we could see clearly how this couple were being really ignorant about anything that implicate Puerto Rico. They were just having a fun time as ignorant tourists. Kemp is a guy that came to Puerto Rico to take a job as reporter. Nevertheless we can see how Kemp is interested in knowing better the place, knowing the culture, live in places near the people. A completely different attitude if we compare it with Sanderson, the guy that had a turtle with color stones on the turtle’s shell and a private house with his private beach. The movie shows us clearly how Americans saw Puerto Rico: as a gold mine, as the perfect place to invest and to just take all they can of the land, and then go to a different place. However the strike at the beginning of the movie gave us at least a sense that Puerto Ricans don't necessary do everything that Americans told them to do. But it also shows the aggressiveness of Puerto Ricans and the government. Another thing that call my attention was the explicit way the newspaper hide the reality of Puerto Rico and how they want it to present it as the "American dream", a thing that continuous to happen in the present even though The Rum Diary is a movie about the 60’. How Kemp want to present the reality of the kids in Puerto Rico, that they are starving in some parts of it, but instead the news want to present it as the perfect, is something that just make me angry.

The way of being of some North Americans, “gringos”, in the island gives a bad reputation to any other North American visiting the island. Therefore the clear aggressiveness that some Puerto Ricans shows to the “gringos”. The movie shows clearly how some Americans thinks that they own the island, the laws, and the people. How they feel superior to the locals, the Puerto Ricans, the same way English feels about Antigua's citizens in Jamaica Kincaid's book. Kemp want to be the voice of the silent ones and the voice of the subordinates, by his writings. Just the way Kincaid was the voice of the Antigua's citizens. “They knew the price of everything but no the value of nothing.” - Paul Kemp

A day as a tourist in Rincón

Yesterday in the night I arrive in Rincón. Rincón is a town that is two hours far from San Juan, the capital city. Therefore I’m currently staying in a friend’s apartment here, near the beach. I’m so excited because even thought I love beaches, to my surprise there was a surfing contest.  The beach, the lovely sun, the smooth sand, and the beautiful landscape… perfect combination to relax in this paradise. First thing that we, my brother and I, did on Saturday morning was to go to Rincón Bakery and order a “Media Noche” sandwich. I ordered it because its name sounds funny. Nevertheless, it was delicious. The bakery was located inside the town; therefore we visit the “Plaza”. It was a small one, but it was logic, Rincón is not a big town.

Everyone was so nice and kind, that they explain us the way to the contest beach like a thousand times. So on our way to Dome’s beach we buy some “Medallas”, the local beer and munchies. When we arrive to the beach it was really crowded, but we find the perfect spot. We spot our things really close to the shore. The hut was really hot so we needed some extra sun block. For our lucky there was a girl giving free sun block. There was also a guy that was selling Puerto Rican souvenirs for $1.00, so we bought him some. A thing that calls my attention was that the speaker of the surf contest was translating all he was talking in Spanish to English. Therefore it was really easy for me to understand what were the waves scores and the fun facts that they were giving. Their reggae music and all the people chilling there was so relaxing that it never pass through my mind real issues and problems that maybe they were facing. Their educational system is a good one? The health system is universal or is a good one? They want to be part of United States? They feel part of them? But those were questions that I really was not in the mood to get answer or dig about them with the people at my surroundings. Nevertheless the last day of the contest I participate in a free raffle that the prize was a surfboard with all the signatures of the main surfers in the contest. It would never pass through my mind that I will win that raffle, but I won. It just was an amazing and beautiful weekend in Rincón.

I think that Rincón is a tourist destination, not only for foreign travelers, but also for local people living in Puerto Rico. I reach to this conclusion because a lot of the people that were serving in the restaurants were speaking in English. Therefore it was really easy for me to spend there my day/weekend as a tourist.

The view is the most important thing?: Tourist vs. Traveler

The movie A Room with a View, made by E M Foster book, allow me to understand more the concepts of being a tourist and a traveler. The movie shows us a group of British women visiting Florence: Lucy, Charlotte, etc. Right from the start we can see that they were on a vacation trip to Florence with a tourist mind. The first minutes of the movie the main issue was that Lucy and Charlotte, her chaperone, were upset because they do not received the room that they wanted, a room with a view. This might be the first example that shows us the idea of being a tourist and being hardheaded about a simple thing and just wanting a magnificent view of the place.

Later in the movie we confirm that Lucy was visiting Florence as a foolish tourist. When an Italian ask her that if she were traveling as a student of art, and she says: “No, I am afraid not. I’m here as a tourist”. Then the Italian said: “We residents sometime pity you poor tourist not a little. Handed about like a parcel of goods from Venice to Florence, Florence to Rome, quite unconscious of anything outside Baedeker. Their one anxiety to get done and flew and go on elsewhere.” This perspective that the Italian had toward the tourists and Lucy, is the same one that Jamaica Kincaid had toward tourists visiting Antigua. There was a part in the movie were I could see clearly Kincaid expressing her anger and point of view to Ms. Charlotte Bartlett and Ms. Lavish. When both women were walking in the streets of Florence and get lost, and Ms. Lavish said: “Two women lost in Florence, that is what I call an adventure”, a completely act of ignorance. How would they possible think that it would be an adventure and they will get to know better Florence in that way, if they don’t have any minimal background knowledge of the place they were. This was an ignorant act from both parts. Similarly in that part of the movie, Ms. Lavish says a horrible comment toward a local citizen of Italy: “Look at that adorable wine cart. How he stares at us, dear simple soul.” How could she refer to a person in that way, “simple soul”, like if he were something less, like if he wasn’t capable of doing something just by himself. Therefore this reminds us how English and Antigua’s tourist in Jamaica Kincaid book refer to the local citizens.

Contrary to these British women, George Emmerson is more kind of a traveler. We could see through the movie that something is changing insight him, when days passes in Italy. The attitude he had toward the fight in the street, the sweetness that he sees the landscape of Italy, and wanting to walk instead of taking a ride back to their hotel, are things that make us think that he is visiting this country with open-minded and with a different perspective than his group.

This movie resume and explain us very well both concepts: tourist and traveler. Many people think that these concepts are the same thing, but they are very different. The tourist is a person that has no background about the history of the places that are visiting and have an ignorant attitude toward it. Nevertheless a traveler is a person that wants to know more about the history, culture, inside problems and economy of the place that is visiting.