Some tourists complain that the Cuna took too much for granted, expecting tourists to adapt immediately and live in bamboo huts without bathrooms.Perhaps I'm reading too much into that line, but that irritates me. The nerve of visiting another place, another culture, and then griping because they don't live like you do... This sense of entitlement to all the comforts of home is something I've encountered among others every time I've left the country, and I always wonder: why did you come here if you were just going to gripe about how it's not like your own country? Sure, it can be uncomfortable at times, but if you're not including a little discomfort into your travel plans, then you don't really have much business traveling, in my opinion. Or even camping, for crying out loud. Would these same people gripe about their tent lacking bathroom facilities if they went camping? Good lord. I suppose this is the difference between the anthropological perspective and the tourist perspective, though: one is genuinely interested in learning
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Personally I totally agree with you. When I travel I like to expereince the lives of the people whose homeland I'm visiting. I feel like if you can't adjust to local circumstances maybe you should just stay put. However after just studied the tourism industry and indigenous-run-ecotourism projects I sadly realised most tourists, even those who like the idea of going off into the jungle, simply aren't willing to move very far out of their comfort zone. Unfourtunetly, if the Cuna want to make enough money from this venture to make it worth while, they will have to work with the people who expect to find an indoor bathroom where ever they go, and not just the small number of low-budget adventurous travellers who don't need luxury in the middle of the rainforest.
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