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Road to Chinle October 17, 2008 |
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Another of my false preconceptions was that we could wander around as we please,
gathering impressions, as I am used to doing in most countries I've visited.
Instead there are fences all along the road, there are few designated areas where we tourists are
allowed to wander around. Indeed almost anything you wish to do on the rez requires a). a permit, which
may take a number of weeks to procure,
and b). a Navajo guide.
Understand, I'm not criticizing. If anything, I'm criticizing my own lack of preparation for the trip. I'm expressing a bit of disappointment. The permit one might view as a sort of visa, issued by the authority of this semi-autonomous region, Navajoland, much like any other visa required by a foreign country. I should have done the research beforehand. And of course we must take into consideration that maybe they simply don't want interference from pesky tourists - and respect that. But we're on a quick romp through the Southwest and don't have time to linger and study anything, anyway. |
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