Expectations vs. Reality: what you should know before coming to Caribbean
Hi there my Steemian friends and followers!
I am coming with something special today as I just realized that the Caribbean (or most parts of it, including the place where I live) has been lately turning into what you can probably call a tourist trap and I would like to raise awareness about the issue.
For most tourists and travelers, the Caribbean has always been synonymous with turquoise, crystal clear sea and fine white powdery beaches lined with coconut palm trees. Basically something like this...
...this...
...or this...
Those 3 shots were indeed taken in the Caribbean and they fully match what people coming here for their vacation expect, right? Well, the problem is that those photos are about 2 years old. If you come to the Caribbean now, the chances are your beach will look like this...
...this...
...or this…
Quite a difference, huh? I know. But unfortunately, this is what many places all over the Caribbean actually look very often these days. The whole region (from Florida to northern part of South America) has been struggling with enormous amounts of brown algae known as sargassum. The seaweed decomposes fast, emitting horrible, sewage-like smell and giving the sea a repulsive brownish murky shade.
Scientists are not 100% sure what causes these massive sargassum outbreaks but global warming and water pollution are their most common and probable guesses.
Now the purpose of this post is not to discourage people from traveling to the Caribbean (there are many other great things here to enjoy, I can tell) but rather let them know that the sea and beaches can now look very different from what they expect.
All 6 photos featured in this post were taken by me at different places on the Mayan Riviera, Mexico.
Wow. That is interesting and sad at the same time. Humans are the earth's worst enemy. Hope it gets better somehow soon. 😑
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"Humans are the earth's worst enemy." - I am afraid you are right here. Mother Nature is pissed off and she just starts to strike back... Much worse things are to come if we don´t change our selfish and ruthless behavior towards the planet.
It really is a worry and you right the earth is busy trying to heal itself and will eject anything that does not agree with her. I guess it is up to each individual to make changes. Great post. Made me reflect on what I need to change. Thnx
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My kids were talking about the 'seaweed' on the beach and how their hotel hired people to rake it up and remove it every morning. I just assumed it was a seasonal occurance that would be done in a week or two. I had no idea it was such a massive problem!
That´s exactly why I decided to write this post. Because people have no idea :) I am sure your kids still enjoyed their Mexican holiday though ;)
They did love it and they are still talking about the great food!
Always good to have real expectations! Too bad a huge part of the world's inhabitants still think pollution is not a real problem...
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Exactly. The locals here don´t even realize they are doing something wrong when they just leave their trash on the beach :(
Haha tie prve tri su uplne ako z postov od @liltammy :D
Jo, to je její specialita ;)
Truly people see what the Caribbean before coming to that place. Must really be a cool place to get relaxed and see the beauty all around.
As I explained in the post, it is not that beautiful and relaxing anymore...
all photography is really beautiful. blue Ocean water, blue sky view. Just awesome colour combination.
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The last 3 photos are also beautiful for you?
water population is very common problem, in this time. thanks for your awareness..
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beautiful nature view caught on your camera frame. just wow. thanks for share.
The first photos are 2 years old. You better read the whole post.
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Hiya, @LivingUKTaiwan here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made into our Honorable Mentions in Daily Travel Digest 523.
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