Surely you have already seen in the networks the photograph of Nirmal Purja, in which you can see a long line at the top of the world. And it is that despite what many thought, reaching the top of Mount Everest is not a lonely journey.
Due to the harsh climate on the mountain, people sometimes have a window of opportunity of a week or two to reach the top and do so with relative ease. But when the wind does not allow it and you only have a chance of three days, all the climbers congregate and make huge expeditions that cause that traffic jam at the top.
no place to hide
The Everest photograph shows us one thing: there are no lonely places anymore. While our parents and grandparents can tell us how they visited beaches where there was not a soul for miles around, or trips they took where they found themselves in true paradise, today the reality is very different.
The ease of travel, cheap flights and the change in awareness in people has led them to leave their comfort zone and discover new places, which is perfect, but we have forgotten something along the way: caring for the environment.
Many tourists come to a beautiful place, have fun, eat, drink and do everything they can’t do at home, without worrying about maintaining harmony with the ecosystem. Thus, one by one, they create an imbalance that is increasingly difficult to restore.
digital visits
Another big problem is social media. Sharing our experiences brings us closer to our loved ones, but this, like everything in the digital world, has been distorted into a business in which many travel to show an experience that is often not authentic.
Thus, instead of being the center, the landscape becomes the background of an image that only seeks to have hearts. Many people seek validation from others from the trips they take, looking to hot destinations to show that they too are on top of the trend.
This is how a site becomes popular, and more and more people travel to it to upload those same images. The need to belong has led us to visit destinations and instead of doing it consciously, we do it without taking care of natural resources.
The image of Everest is not a surprise, it is a reality that we live every day, only that it is located beyond 8,000 meters above sea level.
And you, what do you think about this?
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BBC
Science Alert