THE TOURIST ATTITUDE
Kokko has unveiled many islands to me; he offers several concrete reasons to protect marine life for many tourists, translates cultures and allows encounters, dispelling misconceptions before they arise.
Kokko is a great guide, and I was curious to know what his ideal tourist would be. I asked the question and he started laughing. He sounded somewhat nervous, but seriously amused.
Was he surprised because he was never asked that specific question, or was he just reacting to the nature of it? Well, I will never know what his reaction really meant. He did not tell me, and I did not ask.
However, what he did give me as a reply, was an incredibly detailed description of his “ideal”:
“ They must leave their mobile phone at home, take off their shoes – especially if it is a pair of high heels – and, very importantly, they should empty their pockets.”
To this I asked, “Why are the empty pockets so important?”
“Because they have to be ready to jump off the boat, if I ask them to!” he laughed. Always ready for the next unknown adventure.
Kokko would love to be the tour guide of someone who is interested in the coral reefs and wants to look at the native plants and observe the birds and marine life in their natural environment.
Not satisfied, I asked Kokko to further clarify his reasons, and he responded in a way that sounded like a poem:
Kokko’s fan
Kokko is my favourite local guide