Interview with Sam Walker
Grand Prize Winner of the Friends of World Heritage 2007 Photo Contest
Last spring, Sam Walker beat out over 600 submissions from more than 70 countries to win the first ever Friends of World Heritage Photo Contest. Sam won an all-inclusive trip for two to Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, home to five World Heritage sites—a grand prize package worth over $10,000 courtesy of Mayaland Resorts and the Mexico Tourism Board.
Sam just came back from his fabulous trip, and we chatted with him about his experience as a responsible traveler.
FoWH: How easy was it to follow the responsible travel tips FoWH sent you before your trip? How did you apply these tips?
SW: Responsible traveling is something I’ve been practicing for a while without even knowing what to call it. What strikes me about it is how very easy and rewarding it is. For example, we picked up every last scrap of garbage during our temple visits, and this required little more than a pocket or plastic bag and almost no energy. With guidance from our Mayan tour guides, it was natural for us to actively engage local operations and culture. It is far more fun and interesting to get a real feel for a place rather than skirt around the sanitized edges as tourists often do.
FoWH: Which World Heritage sites did you visit? What did you see while you were there?
SW: In Chichen Itza, our first stop, we were overwhelmed and enchanted by the size of the main pyramid and breadth of the site itself. Our guide also explained the temple’s astrological significance, and the astonishing mathematical skill that went into every detail of its construction. These aspects, as well as the sheer beauty of the place, gave us an appreciation of the rich and ambitious history of the Mayan civilization.
Uxmal was another impressive site. Unlike Chichen Itza, which is buried deep in the jungle, Uxmal looks out over beautiful beaches of the Yucatan’s eastern coast. Uxmal has its own special blend of astrological significance, intricate religious carvings, and monumental architecture. We loved the feeling of sitting quietly amongst these thousand-year old ruins, surrounded by beautiful panoramas rich with culture, history, and life.
We arrived in Campeche a few days later. There, we were struck more by the destruction caused by Spanish conquest. Along the road to Campeche, we stopped at an old Catholic church where it was said that the Spaniards executed 10,000 Mayans in order to break the Mayans’ will. Putting this dark history aside, we were still able to appreciate the charming Spanish colonial-style architecture, the rainbow of bright pastel houses, and the stories were heard about the town defending itself against waves of marauding pirates.
FoWH: What steps did you take to leave a lighter ecological footprint?
SW: On our first day at Chichen Itza our guide pointed to some graffiti on the temple walls, and complained that areas previously not roped off to tourists were now blocked due to vandalism or erosion. With thousands of visitors trampling on the sites every day, we wanted to leave as small of a footprint as possible. To that end, we never strayed from the path, packed all our garbage with us, and didn’t touch anything when it said not to.
FoWH: What were the advantages of traveling with a local tour operator?
SW: The two best parts of the trip were our guide and driver, Demetrios and Fermin, two locals of Mayan ancestry who worked with Mayaland Tours, who generously donated the tour and lodging package for my trip as part of the Photo Contest. They gave us a local perspective on life in the Yucatan, both from a historical and cultural point of view. While they didn’t mince words when it came to the still-obvious devastation Spanish conquest had wrought on the area’s indigenous populations, they didn’t dwell too much on the past, and enjoyed with us the fascinating mix of cultures in the Yucatan today. And, as locals, they seemed to know just about everyone we saw in some places, could use their own experiences and stories to explain certain things, and always knew the fastest shortcut or the best place to eat. I’ve never had such a dedicated guide for a whole week, and I certainly know now the many advantages of locally-run tourist operations.
FoWH: Did you purchase any locally-made products to take home with you?
SW: One of our favorite stops was a local fruit market, where we stocked up on mangos, our favorite fruit. We loved taking in the bustle of the market, and tried not to call too much attention to ourselves while snapping pictures of the scenes around us.
Our best local purchases, however, were a couple of authentic woven hats which we saw woven in a Mayan family’s backyard. They had carved out their own underground cave in the yard where the palm fronds for the hats could retain their moisture. My hat is now hanging on the wall, ready for a sunny day.
FoWH: As a photographer, what image that you captured was most striking?
SW: I loved the imposing architecture of the Mayan ruins and their incredibly detailed carvings. It’s humbling to think about the decades of back-breaking labor necessary to build the temples. I also enjoyed the Spanish colonial architecture in Campeche and other towns – faded stone churches, colorful houses, and plenty of arches.
I don’t really think I have a favorite picture, but one I really like is of our guide, Demetrios, proudly holding up a giant cricket he found.
