There are two types of people visiting South East Asia (SEA).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The backpacker, and the sex tourist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Was machen die BackpackerInnen da eigentlich genau den ganzen Tag?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>One of them is Anna. Hi Anna!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anna is waking up, her head still a bit heavy from yesterday evening. When did she get home again? Around 2:30 probably\u2026 She fumbles to reach to her phone under the pillow. 10:32. All good. She\u2019s not very on fire yet, but manages to put on her clothes. The necklace she bought three days ago at the night market complements her elephant pants perfectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Anna heads down to the lobby where some of her hostel friends are already hanging out. They plan to see a waterfall nearby today and are going to be picked up in half an hour. While part of the group gets some fried rice a few houses down the road, others opt for the garbage breakfast offered by the hostel (burned toast and butter). The last hostel was much better but you never know what you get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A minivan with some dents and no seat belts, but a joyful driver, arrives and they get in. The group has met on Bangkok\u2019s notorious Khao San Road, and while some people have come and gone, it has been relatively stable for the last two weeks. They traveled from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and then to Laos. During the 45 min trip to the waterfall, they discuss what they should do the next days. Simon wants to stay in town because it offers quite a few activities. You can go river tubing, parasailing, swimming in the lagoon and, of course, get hammered in the clubs. Laylah wants to \u201cget out of all this tourism shit\u201d and travel to the next destination where of course no one ever went to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA_MEME.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" data-id=\"559\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA_MEME.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-559\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA_MEME.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA_MEME-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA_MEME-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA_MEME-12x12.jpg 12w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>They arrive at the entrance, pay the fee, look at the stunning waterfall, but are a little annoyed that it\u2019s crowded. Anna wants a good picture and she needs to wait in line for a few minutes for the Instagram spot. #blessed<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As they return from the trip at 4pm, they book a parasailing trip and a bus ticket to the next town. Both can be done in the hostel or in one of the numerous travel agencies that all offer the exact same activities. Simon wonders how it works, someone calls someone and bang - the van is here. It\u2019s kinda opaque but has always worked out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the evening, they hang out a little in the hostel lobby, drinking booze bought at the convenience store. Anna attempts to start a serious conversation about the climate policies in each other\u2019s countries, but it doesn\u2019t catch on and so she gives up. More people from the hostel join the lobby. She has definitely seen the pair in the corner to her left before. Was it in Chiang Mai? Or in Pau when they did the Mae Hong Son loop? She can\u2019t remember but it doesn\u2019t really matter. As the group is growing to a size of about 15 people, they venture out to the town\u2019s \u201cwalking street\u201d, a road lined up with bars and clubs catering to foreigners. They dance the night away to the evergreen classics heard in every club in SEA.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that\u2019s the story of the backpacker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"560\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-560\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00001.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The lobby at 8pm...<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"561\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00002.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">and at 10pm.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>OK OK, this was a bit overblown. But: More often than not, the backpacker crowd has certain social dynamics that are super-interesting to observe. And while \u201cbackpacking\u201d in its barest sense means nothing more or less than traveling with a backpack (hence including e.g. a pilgrimage on the Camino de Santiago), backpacking has become synonymous with a specific style of low-cost travel. It is the romantic idea of getting lost in a foreign country, looking for some kind of \u201cauthentic\u201d, individual travel experience. Doing something truly unique. Finding your inner self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s fine to a point, I guess. The funny thing is that backpackers are propagating this narrative of authenticity while indulging in the exact opposite. It\u2019s especially prevalent among SEA backpackers. Few recognize the irony in their doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heck, there is an entire industry built around it. Hostels, tour agencies, clubs, bars, day trips, all readily available. Travel sites like Lonelyplanet, blogs and, increasingly, Instagram profiles provide tips and cultural cohesion inwards and distribute the narrative outwards. Thus, a shared culture forms among the backpackers. Hostels serve as central socializing hub and form the base for every adventure. Long-running backpackers distinguish themselves from newcomers with more sophisticated backpacker clothing (colorful apparel, accessories, and the dreadful-iconic elephant pants). Also, given the fact that they have lots of stories to tell, the experienced ones often have some kind of higher status, enjoy more talking time and are consulted for every group decision (e.g. where and when to go out). Of course, all this is very informal and individual self-confidence plays a major role as well. Nevertheless, you can\u2019t miss the dynamics if you pay attention. I loved it, because it was an endless playground for group influence games \u2013 without the risk of damaging any important relationship. Sometimes I would compete, and sometimes I would lean back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"565\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-565\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00003.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Having a good time, everybody? \ud83e\udd74<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"563\" src=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-563\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/SOA00004.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Nevertheless: It IS magnificent!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The culture also continuously promotes a set of destinations that are aligned on certain routes like polished pearls on a necklace. Most people start their trip in Bangkok. There, they have to make the first decision: Whether they want to do the Southern Route down to Malaysia, the Northern Route (Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Laos) or the Cambodia Route to Vietnam. Vietnam in turn has its classic trail along the coast. Every route offers a few detours here and there, and people debated passionately which places were more \u201chidden gems\u201d \u2013 but as the options are few (if you don\u2019t want to leave the bubble), none of them are remote or secret in any way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My tip: Try out traveling to a randomly selected place, off the beaten track. A map can help you. You\u2019ll meet less, but very interesting people (travelers and depending on the language barrier locals too). This was happening on the US bike tour that brought me to places simultaneously mundane and stunning. And no one cares about them. Or have you been to Hotchkiss, Colorado?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t take much, sometimes a day is enough: This Laotian village is just outside Luang Prabang, the old Lao capital full of tourists. In the village, on the other hand, people wave to me like never before. Two worlds, eight kilometers apart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Laotian Village\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/85n3gkJLKbI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Anyway, I did the Northern Route, but the \u201cwrong\u201d way \u2013 I landed in Vientiane (Laos), traveled to Luang Prabang and then to Thailand. Which was fun because I bumped into the few people that were traveling in my direction in every city. The stream of people going the opposite way was, no joke, tenfold. In Chiang Mai, you can opt for the Mae Hong Son Loop, a beautiful multi-day road trip that brings you close to the Myanmar border. People talked about it excitedly as \u201cthe real thing\u201d and \u201caway from the masses\u201d. Haha. The ones who returned from it had an aura of adventurers, they \u201cmade it\u201d. A rite of passage. I forwent it though. A mistake? Was I even in Thailand?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interaction with locals is scarce and transactional, partly due to the language barrier, but more so because the backpackers mostly want to engage among themselves, even though they say otherwise. Locals are also exoticized by some (fortunately not by all) and described as either \u201csimple but happy\u201d or \u201cthey all just want to goddamn rip off the tourists\u201d. Uhm\u2026 maybe they are just fellow human beings living their lives like everyone else? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And then there are all the New Age folks who tour around with their peace shirts and five necklaces and Buddha tattoos, popping pills and talking about their chakras and \"how happy the people in Asia are even though they have nothing.\" oof.. what a bullshit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think you got the message by now. Maybe you\u2019re yawning already. Whatever authentic travel means, the backpacking culture hasn't got it. At least the crowds are having fun. YOLO!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Vang Vieng Hill Hike\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/TwOF5WdljUk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Boat ride from Luang Prabang to Ban Houayxay\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ng9JUo-OaLI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Es gibt zwei Arten von Leuten, die in S\u00fcdostasien (SOA) Ferien machen. Die Backpackerin und den Sextouristen. Was machen die BackpackerInnen da eigentlich genau den ganzen Tag? Eine davon ist Anna. Hallo Anna! Anna wacht auf, ihr Kopf ist vom gestrigen Abend noch etwas schwer. Wann kam sie schon wieder nach Hause? Wahrscheinlich so um […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":560,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":641,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555\/revisions\/641"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.globusfahrer.ch\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}