From Acadien Nova Scotia to the Republic of Irvingstan by boat

Had a pleasant drive through Acadien Nova Scotia today, all the way from Pubnico to Digby. Those folks have a history that goes back almost 400 years. In spite of lacking any sort of state cohersion of the sort we see in Quebec, and in spite of armed persecution intended to strangle it in its crib, Acadien culture seems to be thriving. The Acadien flag is everywhere. The locals remain fluent in their unique dialect, distinct from that of both France and Quebec. Like much of rural Nova Scotia, once you escape the gravity of the black hole that is Halifax, it largely hews to traditional ways. Farming and fishing and their support industries dominate the economy. There are fish plants all along the Acadien coast. Had lunch in a non-touristy joint in Digby. Digby sports a wiff of the poison that's destroying Halifax; pandering to the tourist dollar. The main problem with the "tourism-as-economic-engine" strategy is it kills what made a place worthwhile to begin with. I've seen it happen in Banff, Muskoka, and now Halifax. The only thing you're gonna see in Halifax these days is friggin' tourists. Our waitress was a gal well into her 60's, sporting a Nirvana T-shirt and various tattoos and piercings. I'm guessing when she got her first Nirvana album she wasn't dreaming of slinging hash in a roadside diner at 60. Life creeps up on ya, don't it honey. Took the Fundy Rose from Digby to Saint John. She's named after Rose Fortune, a woman of Black Loyalist stock to whom we were introduced at the Black Loyalist Museum near Shelburne earlier in the week. One hell of a gal. Had a whole lot of firsts in her life, and it could be said she smashed many of the glass ceilings of her day, as well as a whole lot of "colour barriers." The inveterate whiners and professional victims of the modern era would do well to study her life. "I never saw anybody who looked like me..." has become a catch-all excuse for losers who can't be bothered to make an effort. Among other things, it betrays a truly abysmal lack of imagination. The first thing that catches the eye on the approach to Saint John Harbour is the Irving tank farm out past the Irving oil refinery, Canada's largest. Then you see the smoke-stacks at the NB Power generating station across from what used to be the Irving Shipyard,which is now the Irving Wallboard plant. Rumour has it Jim Irving used to barge into the control room at the power plant to personally monitor the hydro consumption at the shipyard. That's how he found out the welders never really got things going till after morning break, and generally shut 'er down after the afternoon break. Happy to report that Saint John, like most of New Brunswick, seems to be enjoying an uptick in fortune. Irving companies are hiring all over the place. Somebody should tell the dudes who stand at intersections asking for money... Then again, getting a job might require more effort than panhandling.

Tourism is bullshit

Tourism.

Back in the hippy-dippy era I too criss-crossed Europe with a knapsack slung over my shoulder. I bought hashish in Amsterdam and checked out some of those store-fronts with the scantily clad ladies in the window.

I was a tourist.

At some level I suppose I contributed something to the economy. But overall I was an obnoxious know-nothing. All things considered, my hosts would have been better off without me.

I think that holds true for the vast majority of tourists today; the hosts would be better off without you. Mass tourism seems little more than a scheme to keep Boeing and Airbus and a handful of international resort developers in business.

There is certainly a niche for legitimate international tourism. The mountaineer who has already climbed all the most demanding peaks in Europe and America may be excused for wanting to take a crack at Everest. The religious pilgrim who wants to see Jerusalem or Mecca or Bethlehem or Amritsar... I think we can cut them some slack.

But for the folks who are just polluting the skies and the seas in search of an all-you-can-eat all-you-can-drink package vacation, what's the point?

Just stay home and stay drunk for a week!