[mc32]

My take is neither your nor his journey can be representative of another's journey. So, your experience can differ for many different reasons, from bosses to bribes, to group dynamics to personal circumstances, etc.

So, maybe some of the handlers are sticklers others just don't care. No doubt as there are people into ruin porn [like Detroit or the Ruhr] there are people who think it's neat to get a glimpse of what it's like to visit a desperate place --that does not mean the place is not desperate and a devastating place for the locals and for that reason I would not find blame in people taking "pictures everyone else has already taken".

It does not matter the veneer the person touring is looking for, what matters is the subsurface substance and that is the total backwardness and despair these people experience, just as the people of Venezuela experience at the hands of an inept ruler who blames the [American] "imperialists" or whatever accusation for any misfortune and misgovernance.

This is akin to blaming Christopher Anderson for his take on Venezuela.