Early last night while taking a very lovely, very leisurely stroll next to the Mekong 4 women having a picnic asked if I wanted a whiskey... wasn't really interested in the whiskey but they looked like a safe & fun bunch. Apart from being on the sidewalk it was picture perfect, with banana leaves laid down as a blanket & a full smorgasbord of different foods. As everyone does with a guest, they immediately started insisting I eat some of everything & have a shot of whiskey with each bite... I was uncomfortably buzzed in no time... the ladies spoke very little English & to translate they called friends who spoke English & probably to brag they were hanging with an American. When two Westerners walked by, I understood more about the bragging as I proudly sat up a little taller. :)

One of the big reasons people travel is to interact with locals. But that's really not easy. The faces in travel brochures are busy with their own lives... have you ever done more than give a tourist directions? The vast majority of interaction is with hotel owners, shop keepers & taxi drivers... all good people yes, but not a broad representation of the culture.

The locals that do interact with foreigners all have their reasons... hell, the majority of all human actions are motivated by self-interest. Number one reason I'd say is money, from handouts, sponsorship in that person's country or, more commonly, the possibility of marriage. Sex is probably high on the list too... in conservative countries Western women are the ones that aren't against premarital sex & there's a worldwide attraction to light skin & blonde hair. Next is probably social status from being associated with a Westerner & the opportunity to practice their English.

Traveling by yourself it is way easier to meet locals because the whole sex/marriage option looms large. Guys included. But for girls traveling alone, there's also a protection aspect that plays in... and I've always been very lucky to find women & families that want to, I label, adopt me by making sure I get where I'm going safely, understand the significance of what I'm looking at, am well-fed, etc. So I was extremely disappointed when I realized this nice group of women were lesbians trying to hit on me!!