HOSTEL – the faces, the places
where i stay when i go. a photo essay in black and white (and a bit of red) on backpackers’ hostels and the people who inhabit them.
PART I – THE STAFF
j_, from mexico, staffer, the happy geko hostel, playa del carmen, quintana roo, mexico
s., from australia, staffer, iguana hostel, san cristobal de las casas, chiapas, mexico
m., from mexico, staffer, happy geko hostel, playa del carmen, quintana roo, mexico
m. from slovenia (left) and d. from italy, owners, tribu hostel, holbox island, quintana roo, mexico
r., from germany, resident carpenter, tribu hostel, holbox island, quintana roo, mexico
PART II – THE PLACES
dorm room, mundo joven hostel, cancun, quintana roo, mexico
dorm room, yo mama’s casa, san pedro de la laguna, guatemala
guest kitchen, yo mama’s casa, san pedro de la laguna, guatemala
reading in the shade, yo mama’s casa, san pedro de la laguna, guatemala
checking email, mayflower hostel, puerto escondido, oaxaca, mexico
internet room, mundo joven hostel, cancun, quintana roo, mexico
common area, hostel centro historico regina, mexico city
reception, candelaria hostel, valladolid, yucatan, mexico
tribu hostel, holbox island, quintana roo, mexico
PART III – THE GUESTS
s., from sweden, traveler, iguana hostel, san cristobal de las casas, chiapas, mexico
s., from the usa, guest, k3 hostel, acapulco, guerrero, mexico
travelers enjoying the sunset, iguana hostel, san cristobal de las casas, chiapas, mexico
s., from austria/germany, traveler, nomadas hostel, merida, yucatan, mexico
f., from flanders, belgium, traveler, tribu hostel, holbox island, mexico
n., from scotland, traveler, iguana hostel, san cristobal de las casas, chiapas, mexico
r., from austria, traveler, pool room, yo mama’s casa, san pedro de la laguna, guatemala
PARTING SHOT
you’re from where?, pins in a map, colibri hostel, zipolite, oaxaca, mexico
each and every hostel has it’s own personality. it’s days. it’s moods…
about the guests. any person who enjoys sharing a kitchen, a dormitory, a sink, a drink, a meal and a smoke with other travellers from every corner of the globe can only be a friendly, optimistic, honest, positive person. people tend to smile a lot in hostels. in the good ones, anyway. like the ones suggested by the good people you meet along the way. they are never wrong.
about the hostel staff. about half are locals by now used to crazy gringos and their ways. the rest are travellers who don’t have much cash but have fallen hopelessly in love with some place along the road. so they get a job working a few hours a day in a hostel, and then they stay as long as their heart desires. in the place they love. these, some say, are the wiser ones.
as a traveler, i spend about three months a year in hostels. at the price of 6 to 8 euros (say around ten us dollars), staying in hostels almos seems like it’s cheaper to travel than to stay home. it’s a lot more fun, though…
if i may offer one word of advice, always choose a hostel with a guest kitchen…
pictures taken between december 2011 and february 2012
alessandro ciapanna
I love hostels, especially the ones that don’t feel official. I stayed with friends once in a hostel in Spain, all jammed into a bed filled room with huge windows that let the sun in in the morning. It was great.
absolutely – you have great fun and meet great people. and you go do all your grocery shopping with the locals in wild, faraway places
Hey, three weeks ago I stayed at a hostel called Geko Hostel, but in Paraty, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil!! it was kinda surfer, all colors and beachfront.
it´s crazy.
cool photos, I like the idea of portraying the hostel-lifestyle ha ha!
so glad you enjoyed it. i’d been meaning to do this for a while…
thanks
Hey santicasa! I was in the hostel which is right in front of geko, It is called misti chill, maybe we shared some drinks at the beach bar
alessandro, those are beautiful pics
Hi Alessandro, wonderful pictures, particularly the last two – the pool table shot being a great exercise in colour and portraiture and the map a telling detail. I read your introduction and felt excited by the possibilities of doing some more travelling. I think you have found yourself a documentary project which raises some interesting questions about communal living while on the ‘run’ as it were.
thanks steve
In case anyone is interested my photo doc of a Hostel in London is being exhibited at The Cuming Museum, Southwark UK, in a group show. It depicts a strange little hostel which supports the cheap lifestyles of some longtime residents. You can see it here. http://stevemepstedblog.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/exhibition-hostel/