Archive for September, 2009
What Makes A Third World Country?
The term “Third World” was invented by French demographer Alfred Sauvy in 1952. Although it had political connotations at that time it now simply refers to underdeveloped countries. It is typically thought to signify poverty more than anything else but after our recent trip to South America my wife and I have come to understand it differently.
My wife Ana was born and raised in Ecuador and remembers using buckets of water to take a shower because the city where she lived as a child didn’t have running water in all parts. When we were in Ecuador in October of 2007 we were disappointed to learn that thirty years later there still isn’t running water in many towns. This is particularly sad given the economic boom that has taken place in the country in the last six years.
Third World Equals A Lack Of Basic Services
We bought a small piece of property in San Vicente Ecuador a hundred yards from the ocean. Ana’s grandmother is building a small house on it and we were curious to see how it was going. We were surprised to see that it was almost complete. However the appearance of faucets and a nice shower can be misleading. I turned on the shower and nothing happened.
Relatives that live nearby explained that the city had water only once every week or two for a few hours Thursday mornings we discovered. Fortunately my wife’s grandmother had installed a large cistern that held thousands of gallons of water. When the city water came on this was filled and easily lasted until the next time the water was on. But she was still using buckets to bring that water into the house for showers and dish washing.
We bought a pump and paid to have it installed. Now there was running water all the time except for the occasional hour when the electricity went out. But pumps are stolen quickly we were told even from walled communities so we had to have a cement pump house built with a locking gate. Problem solved.
This got us to thinking. I have never been a fan of higher taxes but that is exactly what came to mind as a necessity. Our property taxes there are something like 25 per year which seemed nice at first but consider the thousands of houses here most with an expensive cistern a pump or a gravityfed system with a tank and a pump house. If the taxes were a little higher could the city have a water system that worked thus avoiding the necessity for all these things? Of course this would also mean that the poorest residents who don’t have a cistern and pump could have running water as well.
The roads were another thing that amazed us. Some politician had come through and build nice new roads almost ten years earlier in both San Vicente and nearby Bahia. But since that time not one penny had been spent repairing them. The result? Traffic goes slow and cars drive all over both sides of the roads to avoid the worst holes. I’m sure there is expensive damage caused to cars as well. Apparently no thought was given to the cost of maintenance or any plan for it when the roads were built.
I should point out that the water and power is always on in Guayaquil or in Quito the capital of Ecuador. In these cities the streets are maintained and people are buying cars and everything else with easy credit just like in the United States. The shopping malls are actually nicer than anything I have seen in the U.S. In other words there is money here. In fact there are even new subdivisions popping up all over with more people than ever buying new homes due to easy financing.
But this development is very uneven to say the least. The smaller cities still have poor roads problems with basic police service don’t leave clothes drying on the line overnight we were told and no regular running water. This lack of basic services we decided is what really sets third world countries apart from the rest.
Interestingly everywhere where private companies are involved things are going great. This means wonderful malls new ways to buy cars and homes and even some nice private parks. Internet service is as fast in the big cities of Ecuador as anywhere in the world.
Anything that is done by the government on the other hand is done poorly. This includes roads parks water and sewage systems and anything else they touch. Perhaps the first thing that a third world country like Ecuador needs to do is start contracting these things out to private companies. Even the poor of Ecuador who can’t afford a thousand dollars to have a cistern and pump can afford to pay a bit more in taxes to have basic services.
Our experience in Ecuador and what we have read about other such “poor” countries that are actually rich in many resources has made us reconsider what it means to be a third world country and what causes this state of affairs. It is a lack of basic services that more accurately defines such countries it seems and it is bad government above all that is the root cause of the problems.
About the writer: Copyright Steve Gillman. For more Information On Ecuador including our latest trip reports and travel tips visit: http://www.EcuadorNow.com
Vitenams First Luxury Tour Operator Keens To Find Luxury Travel Partners At Atf Vietnam
Vietnam is set to host the 28th annual ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 ATF for the first time in 2009 from January 512 in Hanoi. More than 1500 delegates including ministers and leaders of national and international tourism agencies travel companies and the media are expected to attend the special event. www.atf2009vietnam.com
Luxury Travel Vietnam will participate in the ATF 2009 as Exhibitor. The aim is to promote the Vietnamese tourism product in the luxury segment which is addressed to people who want to live a unique experience with personalized service privacy tranquility and simplicity. All this in a different destination combining history culture and cuisine or an exotic destination with an excellent service and unique experience.
Ha Pham founder and CEO of the Luxury Travel Company believes the time is ripe for highend travelers worldwide. They are keen to visit and discover the country in lap of luxury. However many travel companies in Vietnam still sell the same tourism products since 10 years ago and there are no niche products for this upscale market’ www.luxurytravelvietnam.com
According to Vietnam National Administration of Tourism VNAT statistics most foreign luxury travelers come from Western European countries. 170000 French tourists from the UK 100000 and Germany 100000. The upscale market is new has potential for Vietnam tourism but has not been fully tapped.
Luxury Travel Co. Ltd Vietnam is Vietnam’s first luxury tour operator founded in 2004 to catch this new trend and promote niche tourism products to high end travelers. The company’s depth of experience and large infrastructure enable it to create unique itineraries with the operational confidence to fulfill client expectations nothing is impossible in the whole luxury travel meaning.
Last year Luxury Travel Vietnam Company served 10000 satisfied customers. Among Luxury Travel’s clients are ambassadors senators Russian millionaires CEOs and presidents of Oman Oil Company royalty and Oman Royal Government ministers French ministers Deputy Prime Minister of Canadaand others.
‘With our head office in Hanoi ASEAN Tourism Forum 2009 is a golden chance for us to establish our business relationship with all of you who look a reliable full travel service agency and a tour operator in Vietnam and beyond’ Ha adds.
VNAT targets to lure 6 millions of international tourists and 21 millions of domestic tourists in 2010 the Luxury Travel Company only wants 3 of these figures. For further business discussion with Luxury Travel book an appointment in advance at marketingluxurytravelvietnam.com check website at www.luxurytravelvietnam.com or visit the company booth number B13 in Vietnam Section at ATF 2009 Hanoi.
Luxury Travel
26 Dong KHoi Street Dist 1 Saigon
5 NGuyen Truong To Street Ba Dinh Dist Hanoi
Contact Person:
Tony Pham
PR and Marketing Executive
Phone: 84439274120
email: email
Web: www.LuxuryTravelVietnam.com
About the writer: Award Winning Travel Advisors in Asia
Visiting The Vatican City During Your Italy Vacation
One of the most popular destinationsfor those travelling to Italy is thatof Vatican City. Most people do not know that this is a sovereign citystate. This means that it makes its own rules and has its own governing system independent of the Italian system. Vatican City is a walled state within the city of Rome. It is the smallest independent state in the whole world with only a little over 100 acres. It was formed in 1929 under an agreement between the Kingdom of Italy and the Holy See. The Holy See refers to the central governing system of the Catholic Church headed by the Pope. The Pope is also known as the Bishop of Rome. Vatican City houses the official residence of the Pope and it is visited by millions of people each year.
You can enter the Vatican City through the famous St. Peter’s square. This square is characterized by great Baroque architecture from the 1600′s and includes symbols of the church motherly embracing its people in its arms. St. Peter’s Basilica is another place you can visit in the Vatican City while on your Italy vacation because it is also found in St. Peter’s square. It is the most notable building in Vatican City and this church’s dome can be seen for miles around Rome. St. Peter’s Basilica seats 60000 and is said to be the largest building in the Christian church. It is noted for being the burial site of St. Peter who is said to be the founding father of the Catholic Church by being the first Bishop of Rome. The discovery of his tomb was announced in 1950 after a decade of archeological research.
Catholic tradition says that St. Peter is buried under the altar of this Basilica and therefore all the Popes since then have also been buried in the Basilica the most recent being Pope John Paul II in April 2005. At the entrance of the Basilica are statues of Christ St. John the Baptist and 11 of the 12 apostles. You can enter the Basilica for free during your Italian vacation if you are properly dressed with no bare shoulders or knees. If you would like to attend mass you should go to the Basilica on a Sunday.
There are several other places to see here during your Italy vacation. The largest museum in the world is also found in Vatican City. It has over 1400 rooms and galleries that represent 3000 years of art. The Sistine Chapel is also found here and is known for being the private chapel that the cardinals go to when electing a new Pope.
So what is the best way to see all the sights that the Vatican City has to offer during your Italian vacation? There are guided tours available that can be taken for half a day or longer. You can take a guided tour of just the museum or a guided tour to include all the important places of interest in the Vatican City and this will ensure that you don’t miss a thing here on your Italian vacation. Remember for all your vacationand travel needs visit us at myroadtotravel.com.
About the writer: myroadtotravel was created in late 2007 as way for my wife and I to do what we love most…Travel. We love to share our experiences with others and have recently created our first blog myroadtotravelblog.com to help us do just that. Through this blog we offer travel tips our own personal experiences/adventures and photos from our vacations. Please stop by and give us your feedback and remember for all your travel booking needs please visit us at myroadtotravel.com