Tourism is important

Last month, my wife and I took part in a USA west coast tour organized by Golden Rama travel bureau. On the way to the United States, the group, which comprised 20 persons, spent two days and one night in Honolulu (Hawaii) and went to see a show by the famous magician Furukawa, who was magnificent, and it left an everlasting impression in my mind. No wonder he enjoys an international reputation.

When the tour bus passed a graveyard/cemetery in Honolulu, the travel guide remarked that, unlike Indonesia, where a dead body was buried in a sleeping position, in Honolulu, it is buried in an upright position. When I heard this explanation my mind unconsciously wandered back to the day when, after a religious service in the church, a frustrated grandmother told me in exasperation that her grandsons were so rough and unruly, damaging her expensive furniture. "I might die standing," she said disappointedly. When I related this story to the passengers in the bus all of them guffawed heartily.

Most of the time of the tour was spent in well-known Las Vegas, with its numerous casinos. I used to have the impression that there was only one giant casino for the people to gamble in, but, in fact, each hotel has its own gambling den, where even old people in the sunset of their lives may try their luck. Knowing this, I now strongly believe that tourism is a country's most important foreign exchange earner and this certainly applies also to Indonesia.

A. DJUANA

Jakarta