An idiot abroad

What a great show that is. If you haven't seen it yet, the show is about Karl Pilkington which is sent around the globe by Ricky Gervais and Steven Merchant. Karl is sent to see the worlds seven wonders. Karl likes his home. He likes his home so much he doesn't want to go and see the wonders. He want to camp in Wales instead.
A quite bad description about the show, but I think you should get what I'm on about. It is truly hilarious watching Karl get into a festival full of gays in Brazil, or visiting an ex cannibal tribe in the Amazon jungle on his way to the Machu Picchu.
However. Besides making me laugh so my stomach feels turned upside down, it also makes me think. How do the typical tourist act or behave when presented to a foreign tradition or belief?

What do people actually think when they buy a flight ticket and book a hotel in Rio for £2.000, get there, and then watch one of the world's most famous parades that nowadays is held on a quite short strip of road with spectators sitting on benches on each side, like a theater? Yes of course you're in Brazil and all is lovely. The girls looks like the missing eight wonder of the world, the bars are serving drinks with fresh fruit in them and so on... So you you might think your ticket-booking wasn't that bad after all and you feel like your money is well spent. Or do you?

When I go abroad (An Idiot Abroad) I always expect to much. Just like Karl in a way. When I went to Greece I expected bright blue water, white sand and quiet beaches. It turned out I had booked my holiday at Santorini. What I got was black lava beaches which were simply too hot for bare foots. The beaches were crowded with "salesmen" who insisted I should buy a new pair of sunglasses every five minutes. And the water was bright. Not so blue though...
My stay wasn't that bad to be honest, but still. My expectations did catch me up when I got back. I think we're all like Karl in a way. We like to travel, but after a while we all wants to go home. But Wales? Come on!

Short story today, yes, but at least you get some good reading right?

//Tooner