Aloha, …I a small world after all!I Its been over a few years since I first stepped out my family home in the suburb of Mexico City and traveled a bit in Mexico, UK, Canada, Panama and Costa Rica. Local guides had left a lasting impression on me. Through them, I discovered each place in a whole new way. They made me feel the vibe and pulse of the place. As if overnight I transformed into the someone who grew up culture I am visiting. I had been taken to grandma’s kitchen to sample scrumptious local treats, invited to a sit down dinner with family members of the guide, taken for a tour around a nursery where exotic orchids are carefully and meticulously nurtured, saw how ukulele’s are hand made, taken to musical venues where street performers spontaneously jamming into a commune musical energizing everyone around. These are some of the treasure trove memories , not for facebook or instagram postings but what made me a better human being and enriched me with so many stories , sights and sounds that I will cherish forever.
The local guide program thus is a unique and possibly only such global local venture. That celebrates the oneness of the underlying humanity while celebrating the diversity. It connects and focuses on day to day life of people’s business. Through this the local guides come together and exchange their ideas and play an important social service - promoting small local business. In the troubled glocbal crisis time of the virus, the local guide program virtually keeps the local guides who become friends and form a team to fight together. And win. Victory will be ours.
