My personal beliefs: I don't go on vacation to countries that face significant socio-economic problems. I'm uncomfortable when certain oases are created for tourists (good hotels, shops), while locals live in slums. A low standard of living is primarily a violation of the rights of children and women, and poor hygiene. And no amount of natural beauty will drive me there. There is plenty of natural beauty in civilized countries.
I used to do yoga. In those years, trips to India were very popular. Not only among yoga enthusiasts, it was simply a top route. Some went to “oases” – they rested at decent resorts, but did not see real life. Others went to yoga centers, and you can often hear that most of the locals there do not do yoga, and these yoga and retreat centers are made for tourists who think that there are some “places of power” there. I will come back to places of power later. Still others specifically looked for places where it was dirtier, so that later they could be proud of their courage.
Of course, not all exotic islands are wild and dirty. There are some that belong to decent countries. But they are much more expensive there. The Maldives or Bali are more or less accessible to ordinary people.
The main thing to be prepared for when organizing a wedding in the Maldives is that no one there will strive to provide super service, especially if your wedding package is economy class. And not economy, and even on the islands, this is a different category. Let's take ordinary people. What is included in such a “wedding”?
Some kind of meeting with a shower of rose petals – well, they will shower you. It often happens that these will be petals that are not the freshest.
I was really impressed by the real feedback about such a wedding: the newlyweds arrived at the appointed time, some local aunties were sitting there chatting, no one cared about the newlyweds, and they had to beg (!!) to hold the ceremony.
A meeting with traditional drinks – reviews wrote about dirty, stained glasses and some kind of liquid at the bottom. There will be no fabulous, expensive, rich meeting, you are not “dear guests”, but simply guests whose services have already been paid for, and there may be nothing more to gain from you.
It often seems that some locals in such countries do not fully appreciate the natural beauty that attracts tourists. They may not understand that for a Ukrainian or European, this blue ocean and white sand are something special. And if they do not appreciate it, they may not understand why tourists are drawn there, which can sometimes manifest itself in a dismissive attitude or irony.
The ceremony will probably be conducted by a local man dressed as a priest. It is unclear, however, what religion. For an Orthodox wedding, you need to go to a church in your home country. The local religion there is Islam.
I'm not a religious person, but… there's a certain beauty and dignity in a wedding. There's something decent, good, serious about an official ceremony at the registry office.
Oh, I forgot the most important thing. It often seems that these so-called weddings are mostly done for the sake of social networks. We can assume that for many participants in this event, the opportunity to get photos is almost the main motivation.
The photo doesn't show the disdain and indifference of the locals who are holding the ceremony. You can't see the hungry children running around the perimeter of the hotel, you can't see how the bride sweated in the 35-degree heat in a polyester dress and that a local woman had previously applied a sponge to her face, which the booklet called festive makeup.
The photo sometimes doesn't show the longing that can accompany such events, in which perhaps neither soul nor heart is invested.
The culmination of the wedding is a dinner on the beach with all sorts of candles to make it beautiful, and a photographer will be around. That is, the young couple will be actors, or more precisely, models, at their own wedding for their own money.
Oh, girls. I understand everything, but there are different options. The main thing is that at this moment you have close people around you, people who wish you well, or at least are significant to you, whom you value. Who are not there for money.
Shouldn't we pay a little more attention to the essence of the event, and not just the external picture?
And about places of power, as I already said. Also, many people think that there are some special places of romance. Paris, islands, it doesn't matter. Some place where the most romantic feelings awaken (why would that be?). There are, of course, no “places”. We bring everything with us, in our souls. Couples who are good together are good almost everywhere. And vice versa.
No one will sell you love, romance, fun, or an unusual atmosphere for money. They can sell you a backdrop for photos.
PS When Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love got married on the beach, it was a protest and an escape from life. Two people who already had mental problems at the time hid from almost everyone. There were a few guests, he was wearing pajamas, she was wearing some kind of vintage dress. There was no social media back then, there was no show.
And now what? It often turns into a show.
