But I can't do that just yet! I am merely stumbling upon the dharma and my duty for this life is slowly taking shape. The brilliant thing about being in Leh is all the slow, sunny mountain-scaped moments that you have to contemplate what it is that you should do next.
Therefore ...
I would like to briefly comment on some changes/ideas that I've had for BackpackerJournalsim.com.
Overview: BackpackerJournalism.com (no longer to be an experiment in Mobile Journalism) should become a means to provide a large social network with information about non-profit organizations worldwide.
Here are some reasons that have forced me to reconsider the idea of BackpackerJournalism.com which may in the end push the website to become the aforementioned means.
Number 1 - Tourism Blows:
It is decidedly true that nothing can possibly beat waking up 70 km from the Pakistani border in a small village called Hundar in the Nubra Valley of Northern India, jumping on a motorcycle, blasting the Black Keys' cover of Bob Dylan's Wicked Messenger on your iPod and barreling down the highest road on earth straight into the sun!
Aside from the splendid holy moments that come with traveling abroad, I am stuck with the question - what is tourism? Is it simply a chance to ride double-humped camels? To have pizza in a garden restaurant who serves beer in tea pots cause they don't have a liquor liscenese? What is tourism? Is it a new, aimless pilgramage. For the most part - I don't care for it. I hope many people share this sentiment.
Photo: Men at the Lamayaru gonpa in the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, in the Ladakh region, prepare timber for support beams on a reconstruction project for the Buddhist monks, July 6, 2010.
Number 2 - Lack of Connectivity:
Since I arrived in Leh - I've experienced consistent power outages as well as internet server crashes. While nobody connected to a BackpackerJournalism.com network will have control over such issues, remoteness must be something to consider for future projects.
Photo: The Indus and Zanskar rivers meet at a confluence near the village of Nimmu in Ladakh where rafting trips terminate on the rocky shore.
Too Much to Remain Focused:
How can we keep focused and make the most of our time as backpacker journalists?
There needs to be a network in place to connect journalists to non-profit organizations throughout the world. The idea that a backpacker with journalism skills and a mobile device can serendipitously capture stories is a bit fool-hearted. It may be possible but requires an extremely extroverted person.
Also, not many travelers have time upon arrival (unless you're one of the lucky ones who have quit their job and are bouncing around India for a year!) - to research projects happening in an area.
Therefore, BackpackerJournalism.com's network must be: Backpacker journalists+editors+NGO founders or coordinators+social network (Facebook, Twitter, blog followers, etc.). A shared research effort could be made to expedite the time spent in an area. This is real peaches and cream or should I say mangos and curd? Ahhh ... Somewhere-over-the-rainbow-stuff!
All comments are very welcome!
namaskar
