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Each time I venture into a far off land, I feel as though I'm violating the purity of that culture that I'm visiting. Just as Dr. Livingston and his team altered the cognitive reality of the tribesman they encountered, I feel my presence may cause a direct imposing impact on the people whose lives are altered by our (the tourists) presence. The travelers observation of different lifestyles or behaviors is voyeuristic at a minimum and downright intrusive in fact. I would benefit greatly by immersing in a different cultural if it weren't for the overriding guilt that I eventually feel. It's certainly harmless to visit Venice Beach from Boston, but it's truly a different thing to visit third world countries from our fortunate western homes. I can only buffer my feelings of guilt with the recognition that tourism does provide revenue for food or water or shelter to some of the residents of the country. I love travel but I must always remember to fully respect the owners of the land and have ultimate thanks for them allowing us to share their lives even if for just a moment. My last trip was to the beautiful interior mountains of the Dominican Republic. As would be, my wife and I were fortunate enough to be driven off to a private home in the mountains that comprised of a cinder block dwelling in a picturesque setting that overlooked the sea. Clothes lines were filled with beautifully colored garments and there had to be over 10 small children all playing together in the backyard. As we left the vehicle we were immediately greeted by all the children running from the yard with excitement and words of joy. They escorted us to their mother who was just finishing the laundry and she stopped to welcome us into her home. The block home was meager at best with no windows or doors but rather white linens blowing in the breeze. The kitchen had a wood fire pit for cooking and each of the three bedrooms had one or two pieces of homemade furniture along with the bed frames. The home was immaculate as were each of the outfits the children were wearing. One could tell that the mother took pride in her family and home. At one point in the visit the children walked us out to the back yard under an enormous shade tree. It was there that I began to perform a few slight of hand magic tricks. I kept making dollar bills disappear and appear behind each child's ears. I then received their mothers' permission to allow each child to keep the dollar bill that was part of the trick. When I was getting to the last child I realized one child got back in line and started saying "magic man can I do it again." He couldn't have been older than three or four years old. I asked mother if it was okay to do the magic trick with him again and she approved. This time I made the dollar bill appear under his shoe. I wish I had captured the look on his face after the trick was completed. It was pure innocent astonishment. Needless to say, the little boy never left my side the rest of our visit. He was a pure joy to be around that afternoon. As we got into the open air vehicle to return to town, he began to tear up. I told him someday "magic man" will come back and we'll have fun again -"okay?" He smiled and said goodbye and waved with his tiny little hand as we pulled away. I'll always remember how connected my wife and I felt to the mother and children in that beautiful Dominican home. There is an important reason to experience other cultures beyond just being a voyeur of the unknown. It is to connect in a more meaningful way to people from around the world. It's been often said that no matter how far you go or where you find yourself, we are all very similar and want the same things for our children. But its' truly wonderful to get to experience it firsthand through travel.