Rhodes

After three days of being in Rhodes, it it quite clear there is a different culture here than there is in Crete. The people living here rely on tourism and their lives are structured around the tourist season. When comparing the two islands, I much prefer Crete. It is slow moving and peaceful there, whereas everything is bustling around in Rhodes.

Even the tourist spots seem to differ. In Rhodes, I feel as though the shops take all the tourists for fools and try to cheat them, whereas in Xanai there seems to be less of a game to play with the shop owner in a way (I'm not sure if I worded that in a way that makes sense). But I know this also has to do with the fact that we are in a major tourist area, not of all Rhodes is like this.

Yesterday, seeing the Bee Museum was a major highlight. I was able to see if from a personal side, as my dad is a beekeeper so I have ben through the honey harvesting process many times. I also learned a lot though. For example, I did not realize the bees dying was primarily a US problem. I thought it was worldwide. So I was able to find positivity in that, that we still do have chances to save the bees.

Even though the spot we are staying in isn't the best, I am still very grateful we have the chance to come to this island. The economy here has been interesting to learn about. I have seen another perspective of tourism from the lectures we have gotten. In Colorado, many locals do not like tourists because the major sites and highways become packed (especially in the mountains). So to see how the Greeks tend to view tourism in a positive light has been an interesting perspective change.