What's This City Like?

I've often come up with colourful descriptions of cities for those who haven't been so they can get an idea of what it's like. I love to land in a new place and feel the vibe: What are the people like? What is the energy in the city? Are people laid back or rushing around? Are they stylish or don't care about appearances?
There's a lot you can take in based on just how people are conducting themselves.

I realize this might end up being a controversial post, but hopefully you'll also get a laugh.

This is how I describe some places I've been:

Las Vegas:  It's like a really weird acid trip or bad dream. It's kind of like someone picked up a piece of NYC and stuck it in the desert, then replaced all the cool people with dazed, drunk and glossy-eyed people.

Montreal: (this one came from Kelly Edwards) It's like Chicago and NYC had a baby and Europe is the auntie. (I agree!)

Marrakesh: It's like NYC on speed.

NYC: Artsy, electric, eccentric, fast.

Paris: Paris embodies love - love of life, architecture, food, style, everything.

Tokyo: Organized crowds with class and refinement.

Beijing: Pollution and chaos with amazing food.

I could add more, but I'm curious to see what you think or what you'd like to add to the list.
I'll update it if we get some really good ones.

All That You Can Leave Behind

These guys have all their bags

If you know me, you'll know I'm a HUGE U2 fan. I have all their albums - some even in vinyl and cassette format. Oh yes!

No surprise that on the way out the door to my most recent trip to China and Japan, I was thinking about leaving my family behind and humming, "Walk On" by U2.

The only baggage you can bring
Is all that you can't leave behind

You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen

Leave it behind
You've got to leave it behind

Except that, I'm not a person who usually leaves things behind anywhere. I'm not the type to lose stuff. Ok, well there was that one time I left my passport on a restaurant table in Heathrow airport, but um, let's not talk about that right now. So aside from that, I had a good track record for keeping it together. All that failed with this trip.

I left sort of cocky. Oh yeah, this is old hat! I've traveled so much before, this was nothing. I wasn't even nervous.

Everything was pretty good until I left my iPad charger at the hotel in Beijing. I'm pretty sure I left it plugged into the wall. I'm happy I wasn't so out of it that I left my iPad, so it could have been worse, but still! Grrrr.

Then I got to the  Beijing airport and missed my flight. Oh yes! That's a pretty BIG error. So I did what any reasonable adult would do in my situation - I went into a bathroom and cried a bit. lol
Eventually, I found internet access and booked a new flight using Travelocity.

At the same time, I also realized I had lost my departure card for China. Right. I had successfully hung onto it ALL week and somehow lost it on my last day!  Luckily, they provide extras when leaving - I wasn't sure how strict China was about things like this. The back of the card says not to lose it!

Next day, I was in Tokyo and it was raining so I bought an umbrella. I later left that umbrella in a taxi cab.

I swear, there was some sort of strange lost-items karma that was attacking me for getting through childhood and half of adulthood without so much as a lost mitten. I mean for real, I never lost anything!  I can proudly boast at having gotten my own child to the age of three without losing one tiny item of clothing also. This is how on the ball I am!

Oh man. So this trip was all about making me humble or something and leaving everything behind. At least I didn't lose myself :)

Travel Quote of the Day

“When setting out on a journey, do not seek advice from those who have never left home.”

—

Rumi

This times 1000!

5 Ways to Immerse Yourself in Local Culture

Time for another Blog Carnival!

Carol at Girl Gone Travel is the host this time around, so please also check out the other carnival posts! 

I used to teach English as a Second Language and these tips pretty much overlap with what I recommended for my students because the best way to learn anything is to just jump right in and immerse yourself!

Rule #1 - Get Over Yourself

Me in a fez in Marrakesh, Morocco looking ridiculous

Yup, you're going to have to drop your ego off and be prepared to look silly now and then. You're learning/trying new things so you won't fit in right away. However, if you have a really open attitude and not worry about how you look or sound, people recognize and reward effort. You stand a much higher chance of being accepted if you are not uptight or sensitive about everything. Don't try to be perfect - the fact is, no one else is really caring or watching. It's true!



 
Rule #2 - Watch TV from that culture

I always told my students to listen to the radio and watch TV (that's how I won the favorite teacher award! Joke) because not only is it in the target language which helps for learning, but because it provides valuable insight to how those people think. You can learn a lot about the values and humor of a people from their media. Yes, some is over the top and stereotypical, but it still gives you some clue (and it's easy and fun!). Not only that, but you can most likely get a head start by watching from home (on the Internet maybe) before you go, and keep the memories alive after you return.

Rule #3 - Find a lover

That sounds cliche, doesn't it? But it works! Sure, a local friend is good, but nothing makes learning about another culture more fun than a romance! You also automatically get a whole new group of friends to hang out with as well!

These aren't hard to figure out!

 Rule #4 - Go OUT

Don't be shy, be a social butterfly! Go out and ride local transportation, get lost, get out of the tourist zones (consider safety) and try a little of all the local foods you can find. I love going to grocery stores and looking at the products. The less I understand about what it is, the more likely I am to buy it. I'm not even sure what I've eaten and I'm still alive! You don't have to like everything, but you should at least try everything!


Rule #5 - CouchSurf  

Nothing immerses you more in a local culture than actually living with a local family. I highly recommend CouchSurfing for that (tips here and here). On more than one occasion, CouchSurfing has made my travel experience WAY better than anything I could have accomplished on my own. Locals help you avoid the tourist traps and get immersed in the authentic side of daily life.
Even if you're not comfortable staying on a stranger's couch, you can join just to attend public activities/meetings and you'll meet tons of people that way. Often tourists will get together and check out sites as a group, so if you get tired of being a solo woman traveler, you can always join up with a CouchSurfing group for a day.
(One caveat: don't just join Couchsurfing to score a freebie. See if you agree with the whole philosophy and then decide if it's for you or not. Us Couchsurfers really care about our community!)

Will I See You at TBEX?

Hey, I'm going to TBEX Toronto but are you?

Early Bird pricing (a steal at $77!) is ending November 30th, so hurry up and register!

Let me know because it's fun not to always be a Solo Woman Traveler :)