Government Closes Down Leo Dicaprio's "The Beach" in Thailand and it's Devastating!😱
If you've ever seen Leonardo Dicaprio's famous movie "The Beach" you'll be sad to know, it's now been shut down by the Thai government!
See the article here:
What's truly sad is the reason why- you and I... let me explain.
Here's me, wide-eyed Cece, excited her dream to be on the same soil as the man who stole the world's hearts in Titanic, 2 years ago.
I never could have dreamed I would be reading today that it would be closed indefinitely.
This is an animation my poppa bear took of me last December frolicking on the beach of my favorite film's location, Maya Beach, off the coast of Krabi in Thailand.
When the hit movie came out in 2000, being the Leo super-fan I was, I fell in love with the dreamy blues of the water and vowed one day I would visit Thailand to see it myself. Apparently I wasn't the only one!
Armed with a mission to get myself to that beach even if it meant swimming and making my way through the same dangerous path the trio did in the film, flash forward and to this day, I have been here twice. The problem with that is, so has every one and their dog. See, with the movie being so popular and the beach being so gorgeous, everyone wants to come here and whenever everyone comes, so does all their garbage and baggage (in every way possible.)
Tourists flock to the beach to drink, be merry and float around in the see-through, crystal clear waters with inches of toxic sun screen on their bodies that gets into the water and begins this whole rigorous pollution process that is surprise! NO GOOD FOR THE ECOSYSTEM!
Not only that, but as I can tell you first hand, there is an abundance of litter left every which way you turn, cigarette butts basking in the sun, taking up all the good sand to tan on and more than that, the coming and going of boats like it is nobody's business is a nightmare to the coral reef which has suffered an 80% death since this whole shindig began.
I bet Leo never thought that the movie would have such lasting effects!
The 'Indefinite" Closure:
The Beach was/is my favorite movie of all time being the huge Leo fan that I am (have I told you that yet?)! Luckily, I got to visit this beautiful dream island not once, but twice before the government was recently forced to close it down to tourists due to the devastating environmental impact the millions of visitors were causing (without realizing!) Gasoline from boats, sunscreen in the water, garbage left inland..
I know like myself, a lot of you are out exploring the globe so let's try to make sure we're being ethical about our time spent in new countries with customs, cultures and ecosystems we might not understand or be familiar with. It may seem fun and exciting but that doesn't mean it's ethical or responsible to take part in or spend our dollars (purchasing power) on.
Some examples include environmental destruction such as waste/pollution/over consumption, animal exploitation such as riding of elephants/camels/horses, promotion of caged/chained animals etc, expanded increase of economic value which can cause economic crisis for locals with influx of foreign money/expansion and overwhelming investment ETC, ETC.
We want this beautiful planet to survive and for the instagram-able photo-worthy beaches and mountains and forests to stay the way they were when their first online appearance went viral!
Let's all do our part and practice sustainable- nay, regenerative tourism where we bring positive effects to where we visit, not leave behind destruction in our wakes.
Love for you and the planet too,
😘,
Cece
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Enjoy your day and stay creative!
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Just like what is written at so many Australian tourist sites:
"Take only photographs, leave nothing but footprints."
If only people felt the same way about the whole world.
What an ironic waste
That is so sad! 😭😭 We all need to be much more mindful about how we travel, and what effect we have on the locations we visit... Ethical tourism is the only way forward.
I bet older leo, the environment protector would be ok with this. Some places must be protected from mass populice visits. It detroys so much, dunes, beaches and parks in everyway
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