Authentic Travels, or "You Went All the Way To Kuala Lumpur to Eat at Chains?"

Warning! It's another tangent! 

Random food porn because I love this picture. 

I recently spent an hour or so messaging a friend who went to England. (I don't think you read these, but if you do, hi Ericka!!!) She made a comment about how I would have judged her traveling style. And you know what? It pisses me off that a lot of people do. The on-the-surface-harmless conversation that almost all travelers end up having centers around where have you been and where are you going. Safe enough. Hell, could be interesting, and it is certainly refreshing since even though we are all taught as kids to avoid religion and politics in conversation, it's all people discuss outside sports. (It's high school all over again as everyone asserts their individualism by ignoring this conversation rule. At some point in the R/P discussion, one party will draw attention to the topic and point out that it is "important" to have these talks. That they are more Real. I could make this relate to the topic of the day, but I'm gonna skirt this for now. I think my opinion is pretty apparent.)

Holy crap tangent. My point. Let's see if Google can find it with a kayak. 

This is what I feel like while writing this post. Hey, I'm wearing that shirt again, too. 

Oh yeah. Travel snobbery. I've discussed this before but it continues to annoy me. It's not enough to go somewhere you've always wanted to go. For a lot of people I meet, it's like everyday is s chance to gain enlightenment through suffering. The other day when I was talking to a Dutch couple I think I mentioned before, and the husband asked me how I was getting from Vientiane to Siem Reap: I'm flying.  He then proceeded to tell me about taking the bus himself. About how many days it took him because of surprise road closures and landslides. About being denied a visa because his bus went on a different road than normal. About giving his passport to a stranger with a hundred dollars and worrying about not seeing that person again when the dude was two hours late meeting him at a cafe.  About the great adventure he had, and I managed not to ask him, "oh my God. It's a fifty dollar flight. Why didn't you just fly?" I understand the appeal of a great adventure, but just because something is difficult and complicated (and potentially ruinous if the stranger you give your passport to isn't actually a nice guy with a connection) doesn't make it BETTER. Granted, God willing, my journey from V to SR won't be a great story, but is it less real? Less worthy? I'm totally cool with not yet having my "see this scar?" story from travels. 

The red poppies represent soldiers who died during WWI or the number of times someone brought up the Traveler Vs Tourist debate with a perfect stranger in 2014. I can't remember which. 

Ah, here is crucial point I want to voice. I am all for roughing it, at times. I am all for making do, taking the wrong bus, just seeing what happens... But this guy was telling me his story and I felt like he was trying to pitch it. When Jen and I went to Indonesia, we didn't know the impact Independence Day would have on our travel plans whereas I have heard the visa thing into Cambodia or Laos by bus can be a pain. Why is saying how difficult something can be ever a good selling point? 

All this ranting has made me hungry for desserts. I don't know what these are, but it was $1.50 for the plate. 

Put another way, I am American. When I travel in America to somewhere else in America, I don't hitchhike or take the bus from Las Vegas to Richmond. I don't make myself unnecessarily uncomfortable just so I can build my character. I buy a ticket on Spirit Airlines and pack light to avoid checking a bag. Slumming It tourism is just as artificial as any other form. If you are riding in the back of a goat truck with some broke-ass farmers, cool story, Bro, but that is their everyday life and they aren't heading to India next as they finish their Gap year. And please don't assert how "authentic" 

your experiences were over someone else's. 

True Americana right there now. Caption contest, start!

But, still... Tour Bus tours. I am honest enough to admit I am a bit of a hypocrite here and judge those packaged on-and-off the bus tours, but, Hell. Even they aren't soooooo bad. 

It only counts as a Real Experience if, at some point, you were pretty sure you were gonna get mugged and/or raped. 

All this brings me to wonder if I am making excuses for why I am sitting at a mall, playing on my phone, drinking a smoothie (watermelon and lychee. It's pretty damned amazing), and not really in a hurry to go back Outside (Good grief it's muggy). 

What do real locals do? They drink Starbucks. They shop at Zara. They see movies, eat foreign foods, and probably fly to your hometown on vacation. They probably carry selfie sticks (109% likely if they are from certain countries.) and visit the touristy sites. We cut them slack when they visit our hometowns. Why do we treat our experiences differently?

Buying "authentic" bracelets for my mom and sister.