April Dispatch
A monthly recap of this month's posts, notable Substack reads and a preview of what’s coming next month.
Hi friends!
How are you, and how was your month? I am genuinely curious. This month, I gained two paid subscribers, which made me happy because no one has paid for my writing before, and I love writing. The high of being paid for doing something you love is remarkable, and frankly, it is the only real number that has some importance to me because it helps me save money on printing and promotion costs. Thank you for being so supportive; it means a lot!
This month’s post was about a trip to Sumatra in 2020 before the pandemic shut the world down. Sumatra is a beautiful place with the potential threat of overtourism.
I had conflicting thoughts about sharing this because I initially felt like I was criticising something I am participating in. Tourism is becoming a huge problem, something I want to delve deeper into in the coming month. However, as far as I know, Lake Toba is currently not at that stage, and people in Sumatra can do with help from tourism over the alternative incomes they currently have access to. I can’t solve the world’s problems, especially at a systemic level, but I can help shine a light on things that would otherwise go unseen. Or at least that’s what I told myself to give me some peace of mind.
With spring blooming around the world, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to share this fun travel plan to enjoy with little ones. I think that adding the word “toddler” made me lose some people, but becoming an agent of change begins with educating our little ones about respecting other places and people around the world (and respecting pigeons, they are just too fun to chase away, poor things!). I’m a mum, and in the future, I want to share more about the experience of travelling the world with a toddler, so if this is not up your alley, I can understand. I won’t show his face or talk about him, as we are giving him his privacy until he understands what being on the internet means.
Also, I don’t want every post to be deep, a critique, or an observation. For me, a lot of travel is about chasing beauty. Whenever I feel like quitting photography, I remember what a good friend said: There’s too much beauty to quit. She is one of my smartest friends, and she was right. This is a reminder not to get too caught up in profound things. Sometimes, it’s all about seeing and sharing something beautiful.
Ok, I know I’m sending this with a week’s delay, but bare with me as I get the schedule right 🫠
Currently sitting in my drafts, I have the following essays:
The Blackout A recollection of thoughts after experiencing a blackout in the whole Iberian Peninsula for ten hours.
Overtourism Some thoughts I’ve been having on travel, how we travel and the current issues the world faces.
Travel Plans I want to talk about a fun activity to do in Madrid with friends, BUT every time I want to go out and shoot pictures for it, it’s been raining. I’m hopeful that May will be less miserable!
Some Substacks I’ve enjoyed reading this month
This interview with Anthony Bourdain landed via the homepage, and I love the points he makes. Most of his answers could be remarkable quotes, but, since I like to keep the ego in check, this resonated with me:
”Let’s face it, anybody who writes a book or goes on TV with the notion that they have a story worth telling, that people might want to listen to, you already have sort of an abhorrent personality and a monster self-regard, it is a very unreasonable attitude. I have a story that you will want to listen to for ten minutes, and I might make a living from that. That’s not normal, that takes something and, I don’t know, it’s often at odds with being a functioning, well-rounded, good person in the community in the conventional sense, that kind of vanity, narcissism, self-regard, self-importance, cheerful willingness to examine and share your feelings.”
Have a great month!
Ana
We planned to travel to africa or asia with the whole family but I feel pretty guilty to travel while its not good for our planet and while people are starving. Meanwhile to see beauty is like breathing. Thanks for your story Ana!
Future articles look interesting!