By Jeremy Saum  January 27th, 2010 8:15 am  |  Comments (15)

Malaysia: Home of world's tallest twin towers. And fifth-friendliest people?

I recently got a press release that trumpeted, “Malaysia Ranks 5th Amongst World’s Friendliest Countries.”

The first thing that struck me was how un-American it was to tout being fifth at anything. When was the last time you heard a crowd chanting, “We’re number five! We’re number five!” But ranking fifth among all the countries in the world is pretty good, I’d say. So, go Malaysia!

Then I wondered how “friendliness” was determined. As a traveler, that’s an issue that’s always puzzled me. I’m always suspicious when people come back from a trip raving, “and the people were so friendly.” It’s hard to say this without sounding grumpy, but it bugs me for a couple reasons. First, it’s a stereotype, even if it’s a positive one. You wouldn’t say, “and the people were so ugly.” I’m betting that anywhere you go, there are friendly people and unfriendly people. Second, in many cases, we travelers deal with people who are supposed to be friendly. They work at hotels or restaurants or drive cabs or lead hiking trips. It’s in their interest to be friendly. But I am willing to admit that people in certain countries do give off a warmer vibe than those in other countries. Hence my puzzlement.

Turns out the release was referring to the Expat Explorer Survey conducted by the bank HSBC, which asks expatriates to rate their adopted countries on a range of quality-of-life issues. It’s got some interesting stuff in there. For instance, most expats say their quality of life is better than it would be in their home country. And that while half of expats in Thailand say that they have they found love, only 4 percent of expats in India or Qatar have.

And it turns out things get complicated on the friendliness front. Malaysia actually ranks fourth (not fifth) in “Making Friends” but 14th in “Making Local Friends.” So it’s a good place for expats to make friends with each other–and it’s the best place in the world for finding a school for your expat kids, apparently–but not as good for making friends with Malaysians. Brazil and South Africa are tops on the local friend front.

If you had to rank the friendliest places you’ve been, who wins? Why?

Photo by Ramil Sagun.

By Jeremy Saum  December 23rd, 2009 9:12 am  |  Comments (3)

Dear Santa, I would like a subscription to Afar. And an edible hat.

In the second issue of Afar, on newsstands now, writer Christopher Hall takes readers on a delicious romp through Spain, sampling tapas wherever he goes. His dining companion in Madrid was Alicia Ríos, a woman who has a passionate, creative, wacky relationship with food. She makes hats out of meat, bakes entire cities, and constructs Flemish galleons from fruit. If you’re looking for inspiration or if you’ve just seen one too many holiday fruitcakes, check out Alicia’s Web site, alicia-rios.com. I recommend the Edible Representations page. 

Thanks to all of you who have helped Afar get off to such a great start this year. Happy holidays!

By Jeremy Saum  November 25th, 2009 8:15 am  |  Comments (4)

Two of my favorite things: boots and duct tape

In honor of Thanksgiving (tomorrow in the USA), here’s a list of things for which, as a traveler, I’m thankful. Please add to the list.

Ziploc bags

Reclining bus seats

Wide-brimmed hats

Hostel kittens

Duct tape

Long e-mails from friends back home

Fellow passengers who tell you when you’ve reached your stop

Foreign grocery stores

Birds

The ubiquity of chocolate

Sturdy hiking boots

Mosquito nets

Public restrooms

My wife’s mastery of logistics

Dulce de leche

Photo by Daniel Case.

By Jeremy Saum  November 11th, 2009 9:24 am  |  Comments (1)

Just another lagom day in Sweden.

In Afar’s second issue, which hit newsstands yesterday, you can read about the Swedish word lagom in the Talk department. Here’s an audio file of how to pronounce it.

When I grow up, I want to have that guy’s voice.

Photo by Per Ola Wiberg.

By Jeremy Saum  October 28th, 2009 8:15 am  |  Comments (6)

Argentina loves Pearl Jam. So I love Argentina.

My wife and I were dining on Knorr soup and rice crackers in a hostel in San Martín de los Andes, Argentina, when I heard something surprising. The radio was on, and it was playing some sort of public service announcement. But the background music was an obscure song by Pearl Jam. (The song doesn’t even have a title. It’s indicated by a red dot on the track listing of the “Yield” album.)

For some reason, it made me feel good, and now, years later, I still remember that moment. I don’t think it’s just because I’m a Pearl Jam fan. I think it was because I was suffering from a kind of homesickness, but not the kind that can be sated by a trip to McDonald’s or Starbucks. Hearing an odd song by my favorite band somehow made Argentina feel friendlier. Not that it had ever been unfriendly. But now I thought, this is a place where people like music that I like.

I had a similar feeling when I spotted a bootleg Oakland A’s hat at a street market in Bolivia. I doubt many Bolivians follow the A’s (although the A’s green and gold team colors do make up two thirds of the country’s flag…), but that glimpse of my life at home was somehow comforting.

I’m wondering if other travelers have had this sensation. Not the, “Oh man, I could really use some good New York pizza” homesickness, but the homesickness you weren’t aware of until you got an unexpected taste of home that soothed it. Is it that when we’re traveling, the world can sometimes feel so big and we need reminders that it’s a small world after all? Or is this an affliction that only strikes Pearl Jam/Oakland A’s fans?

Photo by edvill.

By Jeremy Saum  October 14th, 2009 8:30 am  |  Comments (5)

Turkish Toilet Sign

Emily Wax of the Washington Post wrote an interesting story about Indian brides-to-be refusing to get married unless their prospective husband provides them with a toilet. I think most international travelers have a deeper appreciation for toilets than those who haven’t traveled abroad. Once you’ve figured out how to position yourself over one of the those holes with the little footpads on either side, or luxuriated on a high-tech Japanese commode, you never take the toilet for granted again.

Another reason to love toilets: They are inherently funny. The Post story quotes two slogans that have arisen in India: “No toilet, no bride,” and the more poetic, “No loo, no I do.”  (May I suggest,
“No justice, no pee”?)

And my favorite of the many mangled English signs I’ve read hung above a toilet at a truck stop in Thailand. It said, “Please do not drop butt in bowl.”

Good advice, no matter what kind of toilet you’re dealing with.

What’s your best travel toilet story?

Photo by Levork.

By Jeremy Saum  September 30th, 2009 9:46 am  |  Comments (12)

Did Woody Guthrie write America's song?

When I’ve traveled internationally and found myself in the company of travelers who are also away from home, it seems that singing often ensues. Whether we’re sitting around a campfire in the Australian outback or in a rowboat on a tributary of the Yangtze river, there comes a time when everyone sings the song from their country. It’s the one that everyone knows, but it’s not the national anthem. It’s often a children’s song or a soccer fans’ chant. It’s usually simple, happy, pretty, and is often punctuated by an exclamation of some sort.

And then it’s my turn.

My mind races through my personal jukebox: nope, that’s a Beatles song; nope, too hard to sing; nope, that one’s actually a French song that we Americanized.

I’ve ended up with “You Are My Sunshine,” a couple times, which at least meets the happy, simple criteria. Upon reflection, I’ve thought that the best choice might have been “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” It’s got the “one, two, three strikes you’re out!” exclamation going for it. Or maybe “This Land Is Your Land”?

My question for you, American travelers, is this: In these situations, what do you sing? And can we decide on one song that will be published in all the guidebooks so that none of us will have to face this awkward choice again? The nominations for America’s Song are now open.

Photo from the Library of Congress. Taken by Al Aumuller for World Telegram.

By Jeremy Saum  September 16th, 2009 8:30 am  |  Comments (8)

The Devil's Throat in Iguazú Falls, Argentina

While traveling in Argentina, my wife and I stared down into a waterfall known as la Garganta del Diablo: the Devil’s Throat. In Ecuador, we rode a train down the Devil’s Nose. A look at the geographical dictionary reveals a Devil’s Ear Mountain in upstate New York. All of this has me wondering about a possible Devil’s Anatomy Tour. I’m betting there are more stops out there that I haven’t heard of. What Satanic body parts have you encountered in your travels? And can anyone tell me if Ireland’s Devil’s Bit Mountains is an anatomical reference?

Photo: Luca Galuzzi – www.galuzzi.it

By Jeremy Saum  September 2nd, 2009 8:00 am  |  Comments (4)

That's what I'm talking about. Oh, wait. No berets.

“Quaint” is one word you’re unlikely to see on the pages of Afar. We like to ask our writers to find original ways to describe a place, and that word’s been used one thousand too many times to describe destinations. Usually European villages. For me, the word calls to mind stone streets, spires, old men in berets, church bells.

I recently visited  an ersatz European village set at the bottom of a ski hill in Colorado. It had everything a real village would have—even a Quiksilver surf store. From what I can gather, it was built in the late 1960s.  Its planners were clearly going for insta-quaint.

It got me thinking about the essence of quaintness. Can something be quaint from the moment it’s built? Is there a certain number of years a something has to exist before it enters the realm of quaintness? Is a Beijing hutong as quaint as a French village, or is there something European about quaintness?

As I said, you likely won’t find “quaint” in our magazine. So this blog is our only chance to discuss. What does quaint mean to you? What’s the quaintest place you’ve ever been?

Photo by Lynn. CC 3.0.

By Jeremy Saum  August 19th, 2009 8:30 am  |  Comments (2)

Cuzco Airport

For me, the smell of travel is the one I first breathed when I stepped out onto a Cuzco tarmac. It had enough layers to appear on a wine list: wood fire smoke, bus exhaust, a hint of livestock, all floating in a cold, thin air that carried what I imagined to be the scent of Andean snow.

My more recent travels have been to less exotic places, but even those trips have reminded me to stop and smell the—well, to smell wherever I am. Last week, riding my bike past a golf course in Vail, Colorado, the aroma of freshly cut grass, sprinkler water, and privilege transported me to West Bloomfield, Michigan, where I worked my first job, as a caddy at Tam O’Shanter Country Club. Sometimes it takes traveling to remind me that I have five senses, and I should use them all.

What does travel smell like to you? Let us know in the comments below.

Photo by Miguel Vera. CC 2.0.