Cool Travellers... and Where They Can Stick It in My Opinion

Having done a fair amount of travelling I have encountered many fellow travellers. And have noticed one thing: They are just so boring!!! I mean, just look at them. Sitting in cafes and bars with their beers, chatting to other people they've met on the way about all the crazy things they've done. It's like a competition. "You think bungee jumping was a rush? Try bungee jumping naked!" Ok, granted, that conversation I heard a while ago, in New Zealand. But it is like they are all out to get one on the other travellers they meet. And it's always the same: Where have you been, where are you from, where are you going, oh, and if you go there you MUST do this and that. Really? Must I? Interesting. 

One part of this is probably that I am much older than I used to be in my old backpacking days. Although, even then this competition of having done the best thing ever was never my thing. Let them have fun, but really, I don't want to hear you bragging about your willie flying in mid-air, to come back to that one story. Even without the explicit descriptions, it just always comes back to the same old need for a rush. And people don't seem to understand that other people, like me, don't feel the urge to see everything in a day or two. I'd rather miss out on a few things, but enjoy the time I spend with the things I choose to see. One of my favourite things to do is just sit in a cafe and watch the world go by. Most travellers don't seem to have the patience. Or the interest. Interesting to them is just where to buy the cheapest accessories and beer. I mean, these things have their virtues too, don't get me wrong, I love a bargain. But that as the focus of your whole time here? What about just chatting to the cafe owner and getting their story? 

You do encounter some interesting people along the way too though, even some young ones actually have something to tell. But somehow I find that these days I have more to talk to people who are way past the 40-line. Maybe it means I'm getting old. Or maybe it means I'm just bitchy and should order another beer while I sit here in this cafe and write this...