The local guides program has been one of the most exciting things that has happened to me in the last year, just knowing that there is this community that comprises of normal people like myself who love to explore places is very comforting. I have always looked at the ratings and reviews of a place, be it a restaurant, hotel, amusement park or anything for that matter, on google maps place before deciding to venture there, this helped me a lot to choose the right experience. Now, being a part of that community that contributes to all those reviews (and so much more) through local guides gives me immense pride as I get to help people choose what they want to do, and also suggest them places and experiences that they would not have normally visited or experienced.
I belong to a small town called Ooty in India, my town is a beautiful hill station surrounded by Nilgiri hills on all sides, the setting is picturesque and not to mention green. Owing to all that, it has become a tourist destination. Most people tend to visit the mainstream places in the town, but there are many spots that are not known to many, except the indigenous. I always wanted to bring those niche places into the spotlight, and Local Guides has given me the perfect platform to showcase all the natural beauty of my town, this means a lot.
(A list created by me- Quaint places around Ooty https://maps.app.goo.gl/3ZaoBuHPkowQVhoD6)
Exploring is what I have loved since I was a kid. And whenever I go to a new place, I try to get the best experience from there, the lists created by local guides help me a lot in those situations. One such example is when I visited Coorg (The Scotland of India) I wanted to experience the best of the place and one list from a local guide had pointed out that I visit this peak called Mandalpatti, so I did, and it was perhaps the best experience I have ever had. The list suggested we visit during either the sunrise or sunset. Watching the sun go down from the edge into the distant hills gave me a high which will last forever, the peace I felt watching the sun go down can not be described. That would not have been possible without the list created by a local guide.
Apart from the implications Local Guides have on the society the fact that all the local guides are well rewarded for their efforts makes it all worthwhile. Even getting a pair of socks as a token of gratitude filled me with immense pride and motivated me to keep improving as a local guide.
The number of local guides near me are very few, I hope to inspire more people into becoming local guides and then we can as a group make our town one of the best tourist destinations. And through this platform I do not think why we cannot achieve that.