Matador Network's Blog, page 2201

Disappeared in Kathmandu

Photo: Esmar Abdul Hamid

On the rooftop restaurant of the Alobar1000, whenever a joint gets smoked, a Kathmandu tradition is kept alive. A toke in Kathmandu is like a prayer in Jerusalem.

As an old Westerner whose ’60s generation of spiritual seekers and drug worshipers inspired Nepalese to name a street after them (Freak Street), I’m filled with nostalgia by the ignited weed, despite my lackluster history as a drug user, despite this being my first time ever in Kathmandu.

I find myself looking around for old-timers whose umbilical cords with this city were never severed. I’ve met some who winter in Goa. A little addled, still sweet on the weed, given to choppy notions about spiritual states.

Every now and then, in Thamel, between one flotilla of motorbikes and another, I’ll see a white-haired man like myself and wonder if he was part of that tribe whose migration here may have been little more than a rebellious itch in need of an exotic scratching place.

I invite Manjima Dhakal, a victim of Nepal’s 10-year-long Maoist-led rebellion (1996 – 2006) against King Gyanendra, to the Alobar. At 22, she’s roughly the same age as many of my co-residents on the guesthouse rooftop, eating late brunches after a late night of drinking, talking, texting, making out.

Manjima’s brown eyes are so deep I feel almost as if I can embark on a mini trek in them.

She was seven when the police seized her father, Rajendra Dhakal, a lawyer and human-rights worker, in Gorkha. Accused of being a Maoist, he was taken away and never heard from again. He became one of the thousand or so “disappeared.” The security forces loyal to Gyanendra and the Maoist guerrillas were both guilty of absconding with suspected collaborators or political opponents, sometimes torturing them before killing them and randomly burying their bodies.

I decided to write about Nepal’s disappeared because many years ago, in Bolivia, after Che’s death, I “disappeared.” Plucked out of night by men who stuffed me into an unmarked car and deposited me in a black cell in a La Paz detention center. I felt erased. I felt a momentary emptiness that was quickly filled with fear. Did Manjima’s father feel what I felt as he was being taken away?

“The peace agreement that ended the war in 2006,” Manjima says, “gave a higher priority to the needs of the parties that opposed the monarchy (the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist and the Congress Party) than to the families of the disappeared. After eight years, we are still waiting for our loved ones, or for their remains. We are still waiting for the perpetrators to be arrested and brought to trial.”

The Nepal of lofty mountain passes and prayer flags in the wind gives way in my mind to the pitiless gray space of any post-war society. I know from my interviews that the Maoists resisted having their guerrillas prosecuted, and that Congress was unwilling to have Nepali security forces stand trial.

“What do you remember about your father?” I ask Manjima.

“I remember the poem he wrote me for my birthday when I was little. I can’t recall exactly how old I was. I am afraid there is a lot about him I am now unable to recall. But I have managed to adjust somehow to losing him. I know a girl whose father also disappeared, but she never recovered psychologically.”

In between questions, I catch Manjima stealing quick looks at the Westerners. Shy looks. What does she make of them? Post-political Europeans, they no longer tote around historic burdens the way she does. But it’s Europe she wants to migrate to, disappear into. Europe where progressive politics was born. The politics of Rajendra Dhakal.

Caught between Manjima and the travelers on our periphery talking about Pokhara, Angkor Wat, Bali, I’m seized by my unreliable, geriatric sense of the present tense. The 20-somethings seem as far as they are near. I think of hauling myself down the alleys of Thamel to Freak Street. But what do I need with a shell and its display case of ghosts?

How to piss off a tour guide

Photo: Ryan Grove

1. Give us driving advice.

In an average season, a guide doing overland tours can drive 25,000 miles or more. That’s roughly the entire circumference of the Earth. So I really don’t need any tips on navigating rush-hour traffic, or advice on which way to turn the wheel when I’m backing the trailer. I got this.

2. Be completely unprepared for the tour you’re going on.

It’s not a great start to a tour when our first stop is Walmart to get you a sleeping bag because you didn’t know this was a camping trip. Or when you realize, on the first night of a three-week camping trip, that you absolutely hate camping. Or when you’re shocked to find out that the United States is actually really, really big and that driving the entire way across it means a lot of time in the van.

3. Tell us, “You’re so lucky. You basically get paid to be on vacation all the time.”

Okay. You saw me lounging by the hotel pool that one evening. That’s because after six hours of driving, two hours at an urgent care clinic dealing with someone’s allergic reaction to a bug bite, and three hours of wading through receipts and accounting spreadsheets, I needed a break.

Yes, there are moments when I sit back, shake my head and think “I can’t believe I’m getting paid to be here right now.” But the fact is, tour guides work hard. We’re responsible for every single aspect of the tour. We make all the reservations, drive five to 10 hours a day, plan and help cook the meals, talk people through culture shock and homesickness, mediate whatever conflicts arise between guests, wake up at 2am because someone’s tent fell down, and do a thousand other things to make your vacation awesome.

If we’re lucky, somewhere in between all of that, we manage to find time to stop, take a breath, and enjoy ourselves. But it’s not a vacation.

4. Ask to go to the bathroom immediately after we pass the last one for 80 miles.

Seriously, I begged you not to buy the 42oz slurpee at the last gas station. I announced three times that this was the last chance to use the facilities for at least an hour. But, alas, it’s come to this, and now you’re going to either be miserable for the next hour, or have to pee behind a sage bush.

5. Ask us where the bathroom is at every stop.

Tour guides are pretty knowledgeable. But even we don’t know where the bathroom is in every gas station, museum, visitors center, hotel lobby, supermarket, and campsite between New York and Los Angeles.

6. Disrespect the national parks.

We’re standing at the rim of the Grand Canyon, overlooking one of the most awe-inspiring vistas in the world…and all you can talk about is how excited you are to get to Vegas? We only have one day in Zion, and you decide you’re going to catch up on sleep instead of seeing the park? Our national parks are a major source of pride. So I expect an appropriate amount of awe and reverence.

7. Try to sneakily take your seatbelt off.

Yeah, I can see you in the rearview mirror. You probably don’t know this, but if a cop sees you in my tour van without a seatbelt, I’m the one who gets the ticket. I don’t care how many times you swear you’ll pay it. Please just suck it up and wear your seatbelt.

8. Completely miss the point of the “adventure” in “adventure travel.”

If you think that missing our dinner reservation because the trailer got stuck in the mud is going to ruin the trip, or you’re concerned about whether or not you can buy bottled water in Yellowstone, you’re missing the point.

Travel is about being spontaneous, and finding joy in the unexpected. It’s not the highlights on the itinerary that will make a trip great. It’s the little moments in between; it’s the friendships that form, and the crazy conversations that happen when 12 people from eight different countries are packed in a van for 3,000 miles. It’s the inflatable alien from Roswell that always got its own seat in the van, the freak lightning storm that forced us all to spend the night in a campsite’s arcade room, the drunk Mississippian who brought us a cooler of crayfish and a jug of moonshine at 1am.

It’s about sharing an adventure with an awesome group of people.

8 reasons Indians are the coolest

Photo: Adib Roy

1. We know how to throw a good party.

India has over 1.2 billion people, so there’s a LOT of diversity. No matter when you visit, you’ll come across at least one festival. We have Muslim brothers lighting fireworks on Diwali (the Hindu festival), Muslims and Hindus dancing around the fire at Lohri (the Sikh festival), and Hindus visiting their Muslim friends’ houses to stuff themselves with enormous plates of sewai (rice vermicelli) on Eid, the Muslim Festival of Sacrifice.

If you happen to be in India at an odd time when there are no festivals, there are Indian weddings that last forever — from one week before the wedding day to a few days following it.

2. We dance our hearts out.

We Indians get this crazy kind of rush when we dance. The world disappears. Any gathering is a curse if we can’t dance. And when we dance, it’s like every inch of our bodies wiggle and wobble uncontrollably.

I once went to a lavish wedding for a family friend, and suddenly a 20-something guy wearing a well-fitted suit started slithering across the dance floor, mimicking a snake. It wasn’t long before some other guys joined him. They were sober.

3. We live colourful lives.

Indians are a huge fan of vibrant colours — just check out our costumes from Gujrat, Rajasthan, and Punjab. To liven up our surroundings, we play draw rangoli, a folk art where patterns are created on floors using colored rice, flour, sand, and flower petals.

India is a great place for photographers. You’ll find colorful spices, dyes, temples, mosques, and everything else in its most vivid form. In Rajasthan are Jaipur and Jodhpur, known as “pink city” and “blue city,” respectively. Jaipur has structures made of pink sandstone, and Jodhpur has a section of lively blue-coloured houses near the Mehrangarh fort.

4. We’re excellent at mehmaan nawaazi (hospitality).

When you’re visiting a friend’s house for lunch, get ready to stuff yourself with delicious food until your stomach bursts. And when it does burst, your friend’s mother still won’t stop feeding you. Indians are famous for warm hospitality, and within a few minutes you’ll have become part of the family. Since a guest is traditionally considered god’s messenger, we reserve special bedsheets and cutlery for the occasion.

5. We’re pretty smart.

According to Rediff, American venture capitalist Robert Compton suggests that Indian and Chinese students are spending longer hours studying than the average American student. Half of the H-1B visas to the US are allotted to Indian engineers every year, says EEtimes. Thirty-six percent of NASA scientists are Indians. Apparently, we’re too busy putting our skills to use in other countries to improve our own. But, hey, the world needs us.

6. We know a penny’s worth.

We know the value of hard-earned money. Even a rich Indian family spends wisely. We have some great wit when it comes to prioritizing how to spend on needs and desires. Call us misers, but when a t-shirt gets old, we wear it for Holi, and then use it as a mop or duster until it simply vanishes.

My grandfather, who’s 87 years old, prefers to walk a few miles rather than pay for a rikshaw taxi. And when we ask him why he does such a thing, he tries to pretend it’s all about fitness.

7. We have Bollywood.

In terms of total viewership, Bollywood overtook Hollywood in 2004 and has been leading ever since. According to Hubpages, “Hollywood produces 500 films per year on average and has a worldwide audience of 2.6 billion, whereas Bollywood produces more than 1,000 films every year and has a worldwide audience of 3 billion.”

Chuck the fact and statistics — it’s easy to get addicted to Bollywood. It’s not just about the music, either; the dialogues of Bollywood movies are well acted, even by the child actors. During the release of Ghajini, half the boys in my city copied Aamir Khan’s almost-bald hairstyle, down to the stitch-marks on his head, and girls started wearing geeky glasses like Preity Zinta in Kal Ho Na Ho.

I have a friend who always changes his hair and beard style to match the latest look of Salman Khan. He even wears Khan’s signature blue bracelet.

8. Our struggle for independence has made us strong.

We have Mahatma Gandhi, Rani of Jhasi, Bhagat Singh, and other selfless freedom fighters. Mahatma Gandhi made us believe that even a furiously violent act can be defeated with the power of truth and nonviolence. Bhagat Singh taught us to never bow in front of evil or compromise your self respect. Rani of Jhansi told us that a woman can overtake an entire army of men if she wants to. We’re proud of these heroes, and strive to be strong and brave, too.

#MatUTalks Twitter chat: Sep 18

OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES, “voluntourism” has become a popular and socially recognized phenomenon. One of the most visible forms of this trend has been the emergence of ‘third-world’ volunteer-tourism programs, which aim to incorporate the hedonism of tourism with the altruism of development work. Such programs make the practice of international development knowable, accessible, and doable for young travelers.

It’s easy for these kinds of travel trends to accelerate at such a fast pace that we forget to pause and think about the impact they’re having on our culture and the culture of others. My anthropological thesis was focused on this topic, and I have personally engaged in voluntourism in various countries in South and Southeast Asia. My experiences took me on an emotional roller coaster of hugely rewarding highs and devastating lows where I questioned my personal motivations and morals.

We welcome you to a conversation to discuss this phenomenon and its place in the travel industry. Please join us as we explore the topic in our next #MatUTalks Twitter chat, to be held on Thursday, September 18, at 2:30 EDT.

We will also be giving away a copy of Daniel Baylis’s The Traveller during the chat via a random drawing of participants:

“As Daniel Baylis approached his 30th birthday, he asked himself a tough question: Who’s at the steering wheel of my life? The verdict came back unclear, so he decided to take immediate action. He gave up his job and his rent-controlled apartment to tackle one of his biggest dreams – to travel the world. With an objective to not only see places but also to experience them, Baylis spent an entire year sampling a variety of volunteer positions. From an elementary schoolroom in Peru, to the famous Edinburgh Fringe Fest, to an organic goat farm hidden in the hills of Galilee (and many places and projects in between), he dove headfirst into immersive travel experiences.”

To participate in the chat, follow @MatadorU on Twitter and use the hashtag #MatUTalks to find and respond to the questions. See you there!

14 swanky SoCal hotels and resorts

Hotel Del Coronado. Photo: hoteldelcoronado

1. Hotel Del Coronado (Coronado)

Welcome to the Hotel California. The Del is the prototypical luxury resort of the distinctly Golden State style, with alternating Spanish and Mediterranean features that give it the look of a medieval castle combined with the Emerald City of Oz. And it should — L. Frank Baum did most of his writing here, and stories say he based his creations on the hotel that inspired him. But then again, stories also say the hotel is haunted. So maybe it’s true — you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

2. The Grand Del Mar (San Diego)

The Grand is a bit more modern than the Hotel Del, though it certainly learned a thing or two from the nearby behemoth. But beyond the Mediterranean-inspired architecture, 3-bedroom villas, super-lux spa, and Addison, the on-site AAA Five Diamond restaurant, it’s the resort’s access to a full range of outdoor activities that pushes it to the next level. You’ve got a world-class golf academy, a 4,100-acre nature preserve crisscrossed with hiking and equestrian trails, and chauffeured connections to some of the state’s best surf spots and other attractions on this stretch of South Coast. All combined, it keeps the Grand one of this country’s top-ranked hotels.

3. Le Parker Meridien (Palm Springs)

Le Parker Meridien. Photo via hotel website.

There was a day when Palm Springs played the part of desert Wonderland, where Joan Didion and other sentinels of high class went to sip martinis and get away from it all. It’s become more accessible these days, but Le Parker Meridien (“the Parker”) still harks back to that age. Its expansive grounds make guests feel like Alice looking for the tea party, while the individual patios with hammocks for every room are the perfect place to watch the sun set over the mountains.

4. Montage Laguna Beach (Laguna Beach)

Remember back in the mid-aughts, when the world was enthralled with the lives of privileged teens (real and fake) living in Orange County? Their antics were fun to follow, but the initial draw was the backdrop to their life — the juxtaposition of swank and beach climate that is Laguna Beach. The Montage has all that luxury background with none of the brat pack, so you can relax in the sun (or at the spa, or in a $300/day poolside cabana) without worrying about who slept with who’s boyfriend.

5. The Resort at Pelican Hill (Newport)

When it comes to conveying luxury, there’s no better symbol than building a literal ivory tower at your hotel. But that’s the main structure at the Pelican Hill Resort: a giant, Hearst Castle-esque tower that practically screams five-star swank. The property has it all, from 54 holes of golf that run right along the ocean shore, to an on-site spa and gourmet dining options, to what’s likely one of the most picturesque wedding sites in the entire state.

6. St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort (Dana Point)

St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. Photo: Geoff Livingston

Speaking of weddings, the St. Regis Monarch Beach was practically built to hold them. The hotel itself is wearing enough white to upstage the bride in every hallway, but the sprawling grounds make the whole place a playground for newlyweds and the 700 people who came to witness their nuptials. The spa, golf links, and private beach round out the lux experience.

7. Chateau Marmont (West Hollywood)

Half the people who come to Los Angeles do so wondering where they’ll see a celebrity. The ones who leave successful in that endeavor usually have a story from the Chateau Marmont. Its strict no-picture/no-paparazzi policy has made the hotel an oasis for the Hollywood elite and those seeking to peep them. Just don’t try too hard — the bungalows even sport private pools, so when people want some time alone here, they get it.

8. Sunset Tower Hotel (West Hollywood)

Sure, the Chateau Marmont is about as private as a Hollywood icon can get, but people know it’s there, and they know what they’ll find inside. It’s like any well-trod attraction — there’s a parallel unknown just around the corner. Or just down the road, as luck would have it. The Sunset Tower Hotel is more under-the-radar while still maintaining the flair (Vanity Fair hosted their Oscar party here for years). The super Art Deco design and insane penthouse make it a good alternative when the paparazzi come calling.

9. Beverly Hills Hotel (Los Angeles)

Beverly Hills Hotel. Photo: Alden Jewell

There are certain neighborhoods that don’t need an explanation for their inclusion on a list about swank. Beverly Hills is bar-none the most famous postcode in America, and it didn’t achieve that by skimping on the visitor accommodation. The Beverly Hills Hotel is everything you’d expect it to be: secluded, well-appointed bungalows; acres of on-site gardens; and private plunge pools.

10. Sunset Marquis (West Hollywood)

The Sunset Marquis is one of the most storied hotels in the world, a unique mix of rock n’ roll edge and high-class amenities. Numerous rock stars have graced its villas and suites, from Courtney Love and Eminem to the frontmen of bands like U2 and the Rolling Stones. Featuring a private recording studio in the basement and a bar still frequented by platinum musicians the world over, the Sunset Marquis is a proud monument to the spirit of rock in Southern California.

11. Hotel Bel-Air (Los Angeles)

Bel Air is another neighborhood so fancy they made a television show about it. The Hotel Bel-Air lives up to the hype, dotted with ponds and swans that wander about. At any other hotel, this would feel like it were trying too hard to evoke some kind of regality. But it’s Bel Air. It doesn’t need to try. Wolfgang Puck’s flagship is on the grounds, and the hotel just did a major renovation to make sure anybody who stays here feels like royalty. Fresh royalty, even.

12. Belmond El Encanto (Santa Barbara)

Belmond El Encanto. Photo via hotel website.

Everything old is new again. El Encanto only recently opened in the Riviera in Santa Barbara, but the property itself is historic. It would have to be to score such a prime location, with every single bungalow having some sort of spectacular view. But historic doesn’t have to mean old and don’t-touchy. The entire building has been redone to combine past with present, turning it into a modern spectacle, right up to the authentic Damien Hirst work hanging in the lobby. Well, maybe that one is don’t-touchy.

13. The Biltmore (Santa Barbara)

While usually just called “the Biltmore,” this old hotel was purchased and renamed officially as “The Four Seasons Resort – The Biltmore Santa Barbara.” Regardless of the change of hands, the Biltmore is still one of the coolest places in the city. It sits right on Butterfly Beach, home of a million Instagrammed sunsets, and gives access to the Coral Casino — a beach club so exclusive even sunsets have to fight to get their pictures taken there.

14. Bacara Resort and Spa (Santa Barbara)

Bacara Resort and Spa. Photo: kalicos

One word: Oprah. You may have heard that she has “favorite things,” and one of those favorite things right now is the Bacara Resort and Spa, where she held her birthday this year. With a full range of luxury accommodations from spacious ocean-view rooms to expansive suite “retreats,” it’s the most expensive hotel in Santa Barbara. It’s also one of the few five-diamond properties around — so you definitely get what you’re paying for.

Our friends at Visit California asked Matador how we #dreambig in California. This post is part of a series we’re publishing to answer that question. Click here for more.

Life of a New Zealand gangster

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The Mighty Mongrel Mob is a notorious street gang in New Zealand. News reports about the gang usually have to do with their various crimes — murder, robbery, sex trafficking, extortion — and the fact that their members make up almost a tenth of the country’s prison population.

The short film Skin, however, revolves around the personal life of one of the Mob’s founding members, Martyka “Skin Dog” Brandt. Brandt’s a man who should have been destined to die young, but in the film he explains how having children turned him into a much softer version of himself — though still not the type of person who would leave the Mighty Mongrel Mob.

Sharks, stingrays, at the beach

I NEVER REALIZED how close to the shore sharks could swim, so now of course anytime I go to the beach I’ll be on the lookout for dorsal fins sticking out of the water. Only three out of 11 species of hammerhead sharks are potential threats to humans, and it’s unclear as to which type was caught on camera off the coast of Destin, Florida. But I’m still surprised how close the beach goers got to this creature in the water, especially because it was chasing after a stingray, which could also have hurt them if they somehow avoided messing with the shark.

For more cool tidbits about sharks, check out these articles:

35 surprising facts about sharks

Stunning infographic shows who kills who in sharks vs. humans

4 cool ways people are using drones

Photo: Lima Pix

We’ve officially entered the Drone Age.

Drones are regularly in the news these days, and usually, the news is pretty negative:

The US military is using drones to bomb the crap out of some remote village in Yemen.
Some yahoo crashed his drone-mounted camera into Yellowstone’s Grand Prismatic Spring.
Amazon wants to start using drone octocopters to deliver packages — which would be cool if Amazon weren’t an evil corporation that could totally turn into Skynet.

But on a day-to-day basis, we’re seeing people use drones in far more productive, creative, and responsible ways. The world of travel photography alone has irreversibly changed thanks to the joint appearance of drones and GoPros. We now have footage of a drone flying through exploding fireworks. We can now see what it would be like to swoop through the streets of New York City without having to suffer through the Spider-Man movies. And we can peek into the crevasses of Alaskan glaciers without risking life and limb.

As cool as the drone may be for creating sick content, there are a number of even more creative and interesting ways they’re being used that represent the vanguard of the oncoming drone revolution.

1. Exploring the world’s uncharted places

The New York Times recently published an article detailing how archaeologists in Peru are using small helicopter drones to map out remote archaeological sites at risk of being damaged by looters or land developers. Peru has such a huge amount of archaeological sites that have never been discovered or closely studied, so many of them in remote parts of the Andes or Amazonian jungles that it’s just not feasible for archaeologists to explore them any time soon. Drones are basically helping us map out and protect places we may have never known existed otherwise.

This also opens up the possibility of exploring places not safe for humans. The Amazon rainforest is a great example. Human explorers going deep into the forest risk deadly tropical diseases, animal attacks, or getting lost. Drones — just as they minimize risk to pilots in warfare — can minimize risk to explorers. Gold prospectors in the Yukon have used drones to find gold, while relatively affordable drones are already being put to use for underwater exploration.

2. Protecting endangered species

One of the more negative aspects associated with drones is that they can be used for surveillance, stealthily spying on people regardless of location or international boundaries. The other side of any surveillance argument, of course, is that surveillance can also be used to protect threatened people, wildlife, and places.

A fantastic example in the field of conservation is the World Wildlife Fund’s intention to launch anti-poaching efforts using drone technology. Basically, drones would be deployed over a wide area, and relay information to park rangers to prevent poachers from killing animals.

3. Delivering supplies to remote or disaster-stricken areas

It’s already being suggested that drones could be used to deliver supplies to disaster-stricken and remote, hard-to-reach areas. Delivering food or water in the wake of a natural disaster alone could make aerial drones a lifesaver.

This doesn’t stop with humanitarian situations either. Facebook is currently pursuing an initiative to use solar-powered aerial drones to deliver internet to literally everyone in the world.

Presumably this is because Mark Zuckerberg feels like not enough people are on Facebook already, but the idea is a good one. It could in theory be a way to give the world free wifi.

4. Pursuing remote journalism

Seriously. Some reporters are already using drones to see things others might not want them to see. This means both more comprehensive coverage of things like conflicts and violent protests…and more invasive paparazzi, which is probably inevitable.

Still, drones could provide a new way to force accountability on authorities or armies during conflicts. If police are breaking up a protest and a drone’s hovering overhead and an officer decides to crack a fleeing protester on the skull for no good reason, it no longer becomes a “he-said, she-said” situation in which the protester’s word is pitted against the police officer’s. Instead, the violence will be objectively recorded as it unfolds, thanks to drone technology.

Killer timelapse of Chile + Bolivia

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The surreal deserts, salt flats, and mountains of Chile and Bolivia are a natural subject for photographers and filmmakers.

This timelapse short film, Beyond Nature II, put together by Vimeo user aprilgarden, somehow manages to add even more drama and scale to an already inconceivably beautiful place. Check it out.

Fake images from a trip to Thailand

NOT GOING TO LIE — I think what Zilla van den Born did was hilarious, and brave. In a world where people now judge your travel prowess based on how hardcore your selfies are, it comes as no surprise to me that people will start photoshopping themselves into exotic locations. Zilla, a graphic designs student living in Amsterdam, tricked friends and family into thinking she had taken a 5-week trip to Thailand by staging photos around her neighborhood, or manipulating herself into other people’s photos.

Photo via Zilla van den Born

“I did this to show people that we filter and manipulate what we show on social media…” she said to The Daily Mail. “My goal was to prove how common and easy it is for people to distort reality. Everyone knows that pictures of models are manipulated, but we often overlook the fact that we manipulate reality also in our own lives.”

Photo via Zilla van den Born

It makes me think twice about what we see in travel photography as well — is it the real picture of a place? How has it been modified to look more appealing than it actually is? You can see more of Zilla’s “behind the scenes” photoshop tricks here.