Country and Culture Guides

Anyone know of a good place to find lots of info on countries' cultures, not just where to eat and how long to stay without a visa. Something like Wikitravel, except with a smaller percentage of junk. No politicized or incorrect stuff for people with tinfoil hats. I stopped reading the last one when it mentioned that American teenagers primarily hang out at discos.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/ and https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

In reply to Wally:

The Factbook doesn't really go into detail. The first link is better, but it's mostly history-focused and doesn't really tell me how people are going to approach me when I'm there, ex.) what they think of Americans, what they do in their off time, if they often silent or talk non-stop etc... The outlook on the state of the government and civilian population as a whole is really interesting though.

Where are you going? I bet someone on here has been there and could give you their first hand opinion of a place.

I know it sounds corny, but this is exactly where National Geographic comes into play. Your library might have issues of it you could research by country/area.

By all means, tell us where you're thinking of going, and you'll likely get a hands-on response.. some of us have been to distant and bizzare places, and love to talk about it!

TJ wrote: Where are you going? I bet someone on here has been there and could give you their first hand opinion of a place.

Nowhere in particular. I just like reading about other cultures and a guide type-of-deal would be pretty interesting as opposed to a typical documentary or similar, since it'd tell you how to interact as someone from outside that culture and how their approach will differ.

The interaction is so diverse you will have to be more specific. Sometimes you don't have to travel very far for people to be completly different. I may be the only person on this site that can tell you how to behave and prosper on Easter Island. South America has it's simple rules; Suriname is a very poor country with very friendly people and very bad roads. In most of Europe, you will be expected to have manners that mirror their culture, etc., lest you be branded an Ugly American Tourist.

The middle East is altogether different. There, in certain cultures, you have to know which hand to shake with, what you can say, when to smile or frown, etc.

In China, it is a compliment to let out a big belch after a meal, in other cultures, it is rude, and an affront to them.

There is insufficient data to give a meaningful answer to your question. I hate to harp on something, but you should get a subscription to Nat'l Geographic.Some of the most accurate and concise stuff ever written, and the pictures are awsome!

American Express used to have a culture guidebook that was pretty good about etiquette and social nuances - down to pretty small details (dealing with Japanese business - read their business cards when they hand them to you - in Mexico, people want to be polite, will be very agreeable - but not follow through without more negotiation if it wasn't what they wanted...careful about crossing legs and where soles of shoes are pointing in the middle east, hand-holding - yes literally...ranges of personal space/comfort zones)

Be careful with the "OK" hand sign in South America. Best to just NEVER use it at all, lest you be thought to be insulting them.

NYG95GA wrote: The middle East is altogether different. There, in certain cultures, you have to know which hand to shake with, what you can say, when to smile or frown, etc.

Otherwise, they'll cut your head off. It is also considered impolite in this country to criticize this or other little Mid East cultural quirks such as the tendency of the men to blow themselves up near you or to mutilate their daughters' genitalia.

I feel like this thread could threaten the ignore and hotlink threads. If you get a traveler to talk about their travels, you will be there a while.

I know that many of our members have been to strange and wonderful places, and would love to relate their experiences. So let's have at it!

Doc: That's exactly what I'm talking about. You know why they don't shake their right hands, right? It's the hand they wipe with. The infamous Iotolla Khummeni declared that when doing that, as many as 3 rocks could be used, but 2 were sufficient. Imagine a culture where they tell you how to wipe your ...

Rocks, for God's sake. And I thought corn cobs were bad..

In other cultures over there, they name them "Dung Hand" and "Food Hand." I think it's most common for "Dung Hand" to be what we U.S. Americans would call "Left."

I heard of a sister ship to ours that had the entire dock unloading operations shut down when the Chief Mate went "OK" to a dock worker.

Dr. Hess wrote: In other cultures over there, they name them "Dung Hand" and "Food Hand." I think it's most common for "Dung Hand" to be what we U.S. Americans would call "Left."

OOoops. My bad. I had it backwards. Good thing I wasn't over there. I might have had my hootus cut off, al la King Tut..

Actually, the Lonely Planet guides have fairly good cultural background, in addition to the nuts and bolts information.

In addition to the Lonely planet books (exceptional recommendation)

Excellent discussion forums at www.fodors.com... nearly every place and every subject covered...

Good info on slowtrav.com as well

NYG95GA wrote: The interaction is so diverse you will have to be more specific. Sometimes you don't have to travel very far for people to be completly different. I may be the only person on this site that can tell you how to behave and prosper on Easter Island. South America has it's simple rules; Suriname is a very poor country with *very* friendly people and *very* bad roads. In most of Europe, you will be expected to have manners that mirror their culture, etc., lest you be branded an Ugly American Tourist. The middle East is altogether different. There, in certain cultures, you have to know which hand to shake with, what you can say, when to smile or frown, etc. In China, it is a compliment to let out a big belch after a meal, in other cultures, it is rude, and an affront to them. There is insufficient data to give a meaningful answer to your question. I hate to harp on something, but you should get a subscription to Nat'l Geographic.Some of the most accurate and concise stuff ever written, and the pictures are awsome!

That's exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. As I said before I read almost the whole of Wikitravel, but that's always iffy because it's a wiki (rhyme not intended). My girlfriend got me the National Geographic CD that includes every issue from 1888 to 2008, but that's a lot of reading to search for what I'm after. Really interesting though, and worth the 30-some-odd dollars.

I've been to a handful of states and only a few other countries. My family never dug the kind of places I wanted to go (Tanzania, New Zealand, Egypt, Costa Rica etc...) Even if I went to Europe, I'd pick Hungary, Georgia, Serbia... Not that I wouldn't love to go see the Lancia museum in Italy...

I'll add Northern Mexico to that list. I really want to see Northern Mexico. I'm also aware of the drug and human smugglers, though.

One thing I remember of Mexico is to grease palms every chance you get. It doesn't even have to be much, but it's the thought that counts. You can buy border guards, polizia, waiters, vendors, and just about anybody by slipping a couple of bucks discreetly in their hands.

Speaking of "gifts", it's a good idea to carry a bunch of balloons in your pocket. Whenever you see someone with children, approach them in a friendly manner, and hand a balloon to the kid. They absolutely love it! Once you've made friends with the kid, you've made friends with the parents. This is a trick that works almost universally. If you really want to be a hit, take a few smooth pebbles, and put them in the balloon before you let them blow it up. They rattle around and drive the kids crazy with delight. You can buy 100 balloons for next to nothing at the dollar store, and the payback is huge!

Also carry a few small (3x5) spiral notebooks and some new ink pens for the grownups. In many ways they are a proud people, but not so proud as not to accept a gift. If you come off as a friendly, charitable person, they will accept you with open arms. Obviously, this works better with poor folk than well-to-do types, but those are the people that will give you the best true image of the culture. Smile. Don't be defensive, even if you feel like it. Keep a small journal of your mundane experiences, and write in it often. Names, resturants, everything. You will grow to cherish these memories, and our memories sometimes ellude us as we grow older. Refer back to your hastily scribbled notes, close your eyes, and relive it all over again.

Most of all, enjoy.

PS: That NG CD sounds intense, albeit somewhat dated.

In reply to NYG95GA:

I really liked Mexico. I've been to Cancun, which was nice for what it was - a resort town - but I got out to some Mayan ruins and a water park further south that all the locals go to. I'm not big on trying to stay in resorts and experience "little America" when I could be seeing how the rest of the country is. You ought to write a guide. This is the exact kind of stuff missing from them that I'm trying to find. Between everybody, we could build a Grassroots Guide to the World.

10-4 on the Grassroots Guide.. I'm suprised more people haven't weighed in on this thread, 'cuz I know we have folks from all over.

Actually, I likely won't write a guide because that's my father's arena. I can't afford to travel much, but Dad is a certified world traveler (153 countries at last count), and he writes travel journals. He and some of his travel buddies actually incorporated a ficticious travel agency, just for the deep discounts. It's only because of him that I've been able to travel; I'm basically his valet, so I get to ride along basically free for toting his bags.

I like that balloon idea. I am going to the Milan Dragway tonight and might try that with kids that have a hot mom

There's a pretty good book out there called "Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands" that is kind of an international etiquette manual for business. Most of it is how to avoid being unintentionally offensive, like how some countries you should never put a business card in your back pocket as this is very insulting.

Me and 2 friends took the last hand pulled ferry across the Rio Grand on our Harleys in the mid 80's, then rode north along the river, stopped in some town where the Mexicans executed a bunch of Texans that pulled black balls or beans out of a bag, continued on and came back across over some dam. It was phun. Probably way too dangerous today.

I sat next to a woman on a flight somewhere, and she and her boyfriend flew his aircraft down to Mexico. He got a stack of new $1 bills, took them to a printer and had them end glued to a pad, like a notepad, prescription pad, etc. They would stop somewhere and the polizia or customs or whatever would show up. He'd get out his pad of dollar bills, open it up and start tearing off $1 bills. Their eyes would go all big and after a few, they'd say OK and everyone would go on their way.

Dr. Hess wrote: stopped in some town where the Mexicans executed a bunch of Texans that pulled black balls or beans out of a bag

Say what now?

Dunno about pulling black beans out of a bag or dropping pebbles in a balloon, but I did a good bit of research on the Baja dirt bike trips and it seems that down there bribes are not bribes, they are considered part of the income for the bribee- it's just business as usual. So you carry lots of small bills and spread it around discreetly. Otherwise the Mexican po po can and will make your life hell. You also do NOT abandon your bike if it breaks, it will disappear and wind up running someone's irrigation pump etc.

That 'Kiss, Bow or Shake Hands' is supposed to be pretty good.

Yeah, around the world, (dunno about the spelling) "cumshaw" gets you through bureaucracies and is just part of doing business at the lower levels. It seems that here in the U.S., it only applies to upper level of government, not lower (usually), as "piecing off" the po po will usually get you into more trouble. In Egypt, a huge sea going tug goes around to all the ships waiting to tell them in person when they are going through the canal. Like you couldn't do that with a radio. The main thing is to shake down the ships for cigarettes, etc. In Chittagong, the customs and immigration guy left with an extra bottle of hootch and everyone on the ship got a shot card with a cholera shot record.

The black bean thing was from a Texan expeditionary force in the 1800's that went down to Mexico for some reason, I forget all the details, but they got captured and the Mexicans couldn't just let them go, so they put black beans and white beans in a bag and had each Texan draw a bean. The ones that got black beans they lined up against the wall in the village square and shot. The ones that got white beans they let go. We were looking for the wall.