1. We don’t have to worry what people think of us.

The first time I traveled alone, I was 16-years old and still very much in my own bubble. I lived with my nose in a book and had a panic attack if the phone rang. I would create elaborate illnesses so I didn’t have to do something — like make my own hairdresser’s appointment or post my own letter.

I forced myself to travel to Germany alone. But even in a new country, I couldn’t make eye contact and I still couldn’t talk to people. I spent six weeks wandering around alone without friends or any real human contact. My German got really good, but I didn’t really fix any of my issues.

Two years later I found myself on another solo trip, this time unplanned and in South America. With one year of college under my belt, I had somewhat improved my eye contact and 50 percent of the time when I said words, they actually came out of my mouth. I had an “Ah ha!” moment when I realized — and here’s the kicker — it doesn’t matter what people think of me.

The majority of solo travelers are just happy to have someone talk to them. Even today, I’m not great at unscripted conversation. Sometimes what blurts out of my mouth is weird, like when I asked a woman who had just entered my hostel: “Do you ride horses?” But I know now that if don’t click with someone, I never have to see them again. And if we do click, I have someone to be with and that’s not so bad.

2. We are forced to talk to people.

Even to this day, when I travel with someone else I have a tendency to fade into the background and let them do the talking. We need a room in a hotel? Or tickets somewhere? I instinctively position myself behind my travel companion, and let them take the lead. The same thing happens if we meet someone else on the road. I’ll answer the occasional questions that come my way but other than that, nothing.

For this reason, I naturally gravitate towards traveling with extroverts. They’re not known to call me out on my uncanny ability to become invisible when any sort of human contact situation arises.

If I employed this tactic when traveling alone, I wouldn’t get out of the station — in my hometown. Not only that, but I would get lost because I wouldn’t be able to ask for directions. I wouldn’t have anywhere to sleep because I couldn’t ask around about accommodation. And I’d starve because I wouldn’t order any food. That’s all ridiculous. Traveling alone forces me to get out of my comfort zone and talk to people, quite literally in order to survive, and also for company.

3. We know how to be alone and we like it.

Traveling solo involves a lot of alone time. Sometimes my Couchsurfing host was unable to show me round, other times I’d get to a hostel only to find that everyone there was part of either a couple or a tight-knit group. Hostels can be great places for meeting people, but sometimes they can be a little lonely — reminding you that you came alone. As introverts though, we don’t really care about that.

When I arrived in Taiwan, the first hostel I went to was full of teenage dance groups from China. They practiced all of their routines in the common area and they only moved in packs. At another hostel in Hungary, it was just me and the owners. Both times, I had no choice but to see the city alone.

Other times it would be the travel itself that left me alone, sometimes for days at a time. Long haul flights, overnight trains, and buses between cities and countries are all inescapable necessities of travel. On local transport, often the language barrier alone is enough to stop socialization with other travelers. And sometimes not — like the man on a sweaty bus in Colombia who talked in Spanish at me, showed me a violent music video of Christ being flayed on the cross, and then stripped his shirt off and went to sleep using half of me as a pillow.

While meeting new people is now one of my main sources of pleasure when traveling, I enjoy my time alone immensely. It gives me time to reflect on where I’ve been and where I’m going, and to notice the things I maybe wouldn’t if I was constantly having to focus on another person.

4. We can recharge when we need to.

Traveling with a friend always seems like an amazing idea at first — shared experiences, someone to take photos of me so I don’t have to try and do non-selfie selfies, and someone to halve the panic with when things go wrong. “We should travel together!” I’ve said it so many times.

And then I actually travel with people. And I remember why it’s not for me.

As an introvert, albeit a sociable one, I find sustained human contact tiring. I always have a level of nervous energy when I’m talking to other people, even friends. It’s something that a lot of people don’t understand about me. If they don’t know the feeling, they can even take offense. “But we’re friends, you don’t have to feel that way around me!” It doesn’t matter how close to you I feel, I won’t ever stop feeling a little on edge. It’s why I find living alone easier, for example. Sometimes I just don’t feel up to seeing other people and being switched on.

One of the huge bonuses of traveling alone is that when I need to, I can stop. I don’t need to consider someone else before I decide to take some downtime. I find that after a few weeks, I just want to stay in a city, switch off, and recharge.

This is why I personally prefer Couchsurfing to hostels. If I’m feeling worn down, I at least know what I’m going back to at the end of the day.

5. Solo travel teaches us skills for back home.

Last week I ran into a friend on the street. I told him that just before, I had met a pilot while getting coffee at Starbucks.

“You’re so much more outgoing than I am,” he said.

“But I’m not outgoing,” I replied, as an automatic response. Except I am.

When I came home from traveling round South America, there was a part of me that wanted to keep that feeling alive. So I would talk to people. If I was alone in a coffee shop, and the person or people at the next table seemed nice, I’d chat. In shops, I’d spend a while talking to the sales assistant and holding up the queue. I knew the personal lives of my plumber, my postman, everyone who worked in all the cafes I spent a lot of time in. I spent so much time chatting in a secondhand clothes shop that they offered me a job.

I started getting the comment “Everyone knows you!” Kids I had class with for seven years didn’t know my name when we graduated, and now I’m a person who knows everyone.

The confidence and networking skills given to me by travel got me jobs, helped me organize events, and led to me making some of my best friendships.

6. We can recreate ourselves every day.

I have one friend who has known me for all four years of university, and for all of my trips. We’ve also (briefly) traveled together. She was the first person to point out that there is a travel Amelia and a home Amelia.

Home Amelia is quiet and organized. She gets to bed early, barely drinks, doesn’t do nights out, has a schedule filled well into the next week.

Travel Amelia is something else. She never says no — providing the scenario doesn’t involve hard drugs or physical danger, and isn’t (very) illegal.

The thought that no one knows me is freeing. I have been everything from the life and soul of the party to a world-weary recluse. I have no expectations to maintain, and no fellow traveler to remind me who they think I am.

I’ve partied until 6am on the 40th floor of a hotel in Colombia, and I’ve sat in the jungle playing cards and drinking warm beers with Israelis just out of military service. I’ve hurtled down roads in Crimea on the front of a motorbike, and experienced the weirdness of fetish clubs in Berlin. I’ve taken dance lessons and yoga classes in four different languages on three different continents. I’ve also sat alone in coffee shops and parks all over the world, and just read. Because that’s what I’ve needed then.

Every day is a chance to change who I am, and to forget that people know me as the quiet one. Because there is no one who really knows me, and there’s no pressure to be anything other than what I’m feeling at that moment.

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EASTERN PARAGUAY’S Ciudad del Este, meaning “City of the East,” is the de-facto capital of the Tri-Border Area, where Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil meet.

But South Americans know it more as a sort of Wild West — a place where the rule of law matters little and where drugs, arms and counterfeit goods arrive by the ton. Here’s why it should be on your radar:

1. It’s home to a massive piracy industry.

The piracy trade’s been bustling in Paraguay for decades. Last year, Paraguay was named one of 13 “notorious markets” worldwide engaged in counterfeiting and copyright piracy in a report by the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the agency that advises the president on trade policy.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance also highlighted Paraguay as a global scoundrel in the piracy trade. Software piracy alone in the country was estimated to be worth $73 million in 2012, according to the organization.

Professor James Cooper of California Western School of Law in San Diego, who has extensively researched intellectual property violations in Paraguay, estimated the full value of Ciudad del Este’s piracy trade as far higher.

“Illicit unregulated financial activities make up an alarming part of Paraguay’s economy,” Cooper wrote in an email. “The country and its people deserve better.”

Pirated goods are everywhere in Ciudad del Este. From the ubiquitous DVD stands to cheap knock-offs of European soccer shirts, phonies with names like “Bolex” can be seen on most street corners.

2. And the Paraguayan government does little to nothing about it.

The White House’s trade representative made a scathing assessment of the South American country’s efforts to quell piracy.

“The situation in Ciudad del Este has not improved over the past year or even the past decade,” the representative’s 2013 report states.

The International Intellectual Property Alliance report goes into more detail. The Paraguayan government has comprehensively failed to tackle both the production of pirated goods within Paraguay, or woeful customs enforcement at the borders with Brazil and Argentina at Ciudad de Este, the alliance says. Immediate change is “sorely needed,” it concludes.

3. The government also helps to fund organized crime.

The links between piracy and organized crime in Ciudad del Este have been known for decades.

A 2003 report by the Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress said the Tri-Border Area, or TBA, was an ideal location for organized crime.

“The TBA provides a haven that is geographically, socially, economically, and politically highly conducive for allowing organized crime and the corrupt officials who accept their bribes or payoffs,” the report reads.

As in much of Latin America, the piracy, counterfeiting, and money laundering operations in Ciudad del Este are largely under the control of organized crime groups, the report states.

As such, it concludes, millions if not billions of dollars a year are funneled from the city to crime syndicates.

4. The city’s a haven for drug runners.

Paraguay is a major source of illegal narcotics for much of southern South America.

According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s 2010 World Drug Report, Paraguay is the world’s second-largest marijuana producer after Mexico, and Ciudad del Este is a transportation hub for drugs entering and leaving South America.

Paraguay’s counternarcotics agency reported last year that drug seizures in the country were up by 39 percent. Still, the nation remains susceptible to serious corruption. Those busts only account for a small portion of the illegal drugs originating in, and passing through, Paraguay, according to the United States Embassy in Asuncion.

5. And it’s known for its human traffickers.

The US State Department’s 2013 Trafficking in Persons Report names Paraguay as “a source country for women and children subjected to sex trafficking, and for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor.”

Ciudad del Este is a likely trafficking point, according to the US Embassy.

While the Paraguayan government has made some steps toward combating human trafficking, it’s still not even close to being in full compliance with global standards, the State Department says.

6. Local priests have been accused of molestation.

As we’ve been reporting, Ciudad del Este even has problems within its churches.

In spite of numerous warnings, the city’s diocese offered a top post to Carlos Urrutigoity, a priest accused of molesting young seminarians in the United States. Last month, the Vatican ordered him removed.

But that’s not all. This sin city was also the last hideout for Aldo Omar Vara, an infamous former priest from Argentina who is accused of torturing prisoners during that country’s dictatorship.

7. It might be home to fundraisers for radical Islamic militants.

Numerous reports over the years have said Ciudad del Este is a bastion for extremist Islamic groups such as Hezbollah.

A 2009 book published by the RAND Corporation, “Film Piracy, Organized Crime and Terrorism,” states that in 2004 a Ciudad del Este-based criminal, Assad Ahmad Barakat, was named by intelligence agencies as the key financier for Hezbollah in Latin America.

“The total value of the enterprise is difficult to estimate, but according to intelligence agencies, Barakat provided, and still provides, a large part of the $20 million sent annually from the TBA to finance Hezbollah,” the book states.

That $20 million would account for about one-fifth of Hezbollah’s annual budget.

8. Though that’s debatable.

Several media sources have built on the RAND book and other reports to paint Ciudad del Este as a terrorist hotbed.

But a May 2013 report by Al Jazeera heaped scorn on these accounts.

The Al Jazeera story accused other journalists of hysteria and of manufacturing links between Ciudad del Este and terrorism for the sake of headlines.

“A flourishing contraband industry does not indicate the presence of an Islamic terror den,” wrote Belen Fernandez, a columnist and author of books such as “Coffee with Hezbollah.”

“Nor does potential ideological or financial support among TBA residents for Hezbollah — selectively designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by virtue of its effective opposition to US-Israeli designs in the Middle East — suggest that the personal security of US citizens is at risk.”

By: Will Carless, GlobalPost

This article is syndicated from GlobalPost.

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LAST SUMMER, a huge publication asked if I would write an article for them about how learning languages will help you chat up girls.

As nice as it would have been to be in that big magazine, I said no thanks. Then, since it was just before the World Cup, they made me a counter offer and asked if I could write a piece on how to learn Brazilian Portuguese to Travel to the World Cup. Again, I politely declined.

This story, the story of language learning as essentially a magic potion that turns you into James Bond, is an appealing one. But it’s not the story I want to tell. Because I honestly think the answer is no, becoming a polyglot will not insta-solve your dating problems.

But I will admit that at first, when I was starting out in language learning, I thought the answer to this question was an obvious YES.

The first polyglot I ever came across (who I tried to depict at the start of my first TEDx talk) amazed me. He would flick effortlessly between Spanish, French, Portuguese and English at parties — and the girls were swooning over him. I still remember two girls coming up to me, simply to ask if I could introduce them to him.

His powers of attraction were so strong that even I was getting attention just by being near him…like somehow his polyglot love potion had splashed onto me. I saw this, and I thought, that’s it. I had discovered the secret to romance. My friend was living, breathing, flirting proof.

Years later, I figured out how he was actually receiving all that admiration.

But it took me a while…

THE ULTIMATE PICK-UP LINE: CHECK OUT MY LANGUAGES, BABY!

When you are a single (and insecure) guy, how to impress a girl plagues your mind quite a bit. There is clearly a trick to it — you tell yourself — like sweet pick-up lines that work on anyone, or things you can buy to flaunt (Porsche? Rolex? A 128GB smartphone with an 8 megapixel camera and three-axis gyroscope?) that will guarantee you that alpha male status.

And for a short time, I genuinely thought that Check me out – I speak several languages, would be it. I had seen the evidence, after all!

I already knew that I wanted to travel for a few years when I had finally figured out how to learn my first foreign language (spoiler alert: speak the bloody language), and it seemed like I would get the added bonus of having any girls I meet instantly faint in my presence at how irresistibly sexy I would be if I were a polyglot.

But the damndest thing kept happening. I would meet an interesting girl, and she’d be pretty friendly, and then I’d whip out my own linguistic version of a “muscle t-shirt” and starting flexing my language skills (at the time a solid 2 or 3 languages). Then for some strange reason, she’d not be as friendly any more and would even sometimes roll her eyes! Didn’t she realize that she was supposed to be mega impressed by my polyglot skillz?

So…what was actually happening here may be really obvious to you reading this now. But give me a break! I was young, and when you are the one living it, it’s a lot harder to see outside your thought box that reasons: “To impress a girl, I must show her how impressive I am.”

Wrong.

WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS

I met my polyglot friend again around two years later in his home country of Brazil, and saw the same thing – girls giving him flirty eyes everywhere we went. Only this time he wasn’t flaunting his polyglot powers. He was only speaking one language the whole time. To everyone we met, he could just have easily have been a monoglot.

A little bit of world travel had started to open my mind to how the world works, and I was starting to realize that women (and people in general) weren’t as formulaic as my “If-This-Then-That” engineer mindset would have initially had me believe.

So what was my Brazilian friend doing? What manner of alchemy was he using?

It turns out he was just charming in general.

Huh.

He was a good listener, patient, wise, and a really good friend. You could get all this just from spending a few minutes with him. That made you want to hang out with him if you’re a guy, and wonder if he is single if you’re a girl.

He wasn’t trying to be impressive, and that made him way more impressive. He never had to brag about his achievements; his personality was what made him charming.

As well as that, it turns out that all those girls swooning over him was never a goal for him anyway, because he is gay. It just so happened that his relaxed nature around women made him appear confident and attractive to the opposite sex.

People who are always trying to impress sometimes achieve the opposite of what they set out to do. They accidentally show the world how insecure they are, that underneath their impressive achievements lies a need for approval and praise.

FOCUSING ON LIVING YOUR LIFE, RATHER THAN OBSESSING OVER WHAT OTHERS THINK

Somewhere along the way, I figured out that trying to impress girls (or people in general) is a really weak use of my time, and yours. Life is too short.

I am a Trekkie who speaks Klingon. I insert dramatic pauses into my conversations that some people may not like. I like making cheesy faces for every photo that’s ever taken of me — (I’m intentionally trying to look like I think I’m Johnny Bravo in the image at the top of this post). I don’t drink, but I still go out with people that do.

Should I hide these traits from people? Of course not. That’s just not sustainable. It’s easier and more effective to just accept that life is more fun when you can be comfortable in your own skin around other people.

Over the years, I’ve made it my focus to try to live life by my own terms. Language learning has been my tool to meet people, but using it as a bragging card to woo the ladies is useless. Unless I’m talking about what I do for a living, I pretty much never mention the languages I speak in introductions about myself.

Instead, I focused on what I wanted to do and expanded my horizons to always look for opportunities to learn something new (whether that be languages…a new computer skill…how to use a quirky gadget…a travel trick…or anything that may interest me!) This meant that I could become the person I wanted to be, rather than the person I feel others would want me to be.

And then when I finally met a wonderful girl, I could simply be myself rather than try to impress her. The two of us being ourselves and feeling relaxed, while also getting along amazingly, meant that the relationship was not only fun and natural, but it was sustainable in the long term.

But being a polyglot played no factor for me in finally finding the right girl.

Just look at the numbers. I learned my first new language when I was 21. I didn’t meet the right girl until I was 31. So…in measuring polyglotism over time against success in romance, I’d end up with one terrible looking line graph.

Patience, not polyglottery, is what I’d recommend for success in love. Lots and lots of patience.

WHEN LANGUAGE LEARNING DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE

The fact is, if you’re ultra charming and great with girls in your native language, then yes, those qualities will translate over when you learn new languages.

But if you’re a normal guy whose palms get sweaty and mind goes blank when you meet a nice girl…well, sorry, but becoming a polyglot is not going to change that. Your mind will go just as blank in Spanish or French or Italian as it does in English. And your palms will get just as sweaty.

Having said that, learning languages can increase your chances of meeting Miss Right (or Miss Right Now, whatever your preference may be), in that learning a language requires patience, endurance, and lateral thinking. These are good skills to have in life in general, and they can improve your interpersonal skills. Plus, using those languages with other people can expand your personal and cultural horizons and help you become a “man (or woman) of the world” beyond what you’d learn in the community you may have grown up in.

Of course, you also open up your opportunities by being able to talk to girls in their own languages. But ultimately, being able to speak multiple languages isn’t what makes you half as interesting as being someone who can listen in multiple languages.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.

This article was originally posted on Fluent in 3 Months, and has been re-published here with permission.

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The Earth’s population now sits at around 7.2 billion.

Half of those people, 3.6 billion, live in just a half-dozen countries, according to the United Nations.

China remains the world’s most populous nation at 1.4 billion people, followed by India with 1.3 billion, according to UN figures. The United States, Indonesia, Brazil, and Pakistan combined all have just under 1 billion people. See the map above.

According to Pew Research Center, the world’s population grew at a rapid pace from 1950 to 2010. Globally, the population tripled, and the US population doubled.

But growth is expected to slow down over the next 40 years as the global population ages.

Urbanization

The world’s urban population has also grown rapidly in recent years, with more than half the global population now living in cities. In 1950, 746 million people lived in urban areas compared to 3.9 billion in 2014, according to a new UN report.

By 2050, India is expected to top the charts with 404 million urban inhabitants while China will come second with 292 million urbanites and Nigeria third with 212 million.

Here is an updated list of the world’s most populated cities, according to the UN:

1. Tokyo, Japan (38 million)

2. Delhi, India (25 million)

3. Mexico City, Mumbai and Sao Paulo (21 million)

4. Osaka, Japan (20 million)

5. Beijing, China (just under 20 million)

6. New York-Newark area and Cairo, Egypt (18.5 million)

By Sarah Wolfe, GlobalPost
This article is syndicated from GlobalPost.

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Featured photo by Peter Barwick

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1. Old age doesn’t have to mean less energy.

Exercise is very common among the Chinese elderly. Whether early in the morning or late at night, old women and men run, dance, do tai chi, or play hacky sack outside — anywhere. They don’t need a gym, an iPod, or a special trainer. I even dare to say that I’ve seen more people of age than young ones sweating it off. Maybe this is their secret to an increasing life span?

So tell your Tico grandpa and grandma (or your parents, or yourself) to be more like the Chinese the next time there are complaints about having to walk to the grocery store on the corner.

2. The wisdom of traditional medicine.

I’ve heard of Ticos going to their clinics at work and being prescribed a shot of dexamethasone just because they have a cold. Other Ticos take strong pills for backaches that stem from the fact that they are stressed or just need a bit of exercise. Ticos value time so much, yet we don’t ever seem to have time to get better.

Traditional Chinese Medicine practices, using Chinese herbs and acupuncture, look at the patient in a more holistic way, treating not only the disease but the underlying cause of it. Many Ticos reach for pharmaceuticals with side effects that might cause more damage than good to our bodies. So next time you catch a cold, Ticos, skip the pharmaceuticals and look into taking some natural herbs.

3. Have a good understanding and appreciation for our culture.

The Chinese are very knowledgeable about their customs and traditions. Many can recite famous poems or share old legends. Identifying with your culture keeps it alive. Even though Costa Rica is a small country, we have a lot to rescue from globalization’s brushfire.

Can us Ticos mention at least 3 Costa Rican painters? Writers? Can we name all the aboriginal groups living in our country? Are we familiar with their traditions? Sadly, most of us are more ignorant than the average Chinese person when it comes to local culture.

4. Appreciate the freedoms that you now have.

China’s political system doesn’t allow for its citizens to exercise many of the rights us Ticos take for granted, like freedom of association or demonstration. In Costa Rica we can still openly challenge political views. It’s sometimes sad to see some Ticos shouting not very nice things at demonstrators, not even knowing why they are out on the streets in the first place, but every Tico can exercise their right to protest.

Another right we can enjoy is freedom of speech, and we can use the powerful tools of social media without been prosecuted. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and many other platforms are banned in China — so enjoy what you have easy access to, Costa Rica!

5. Fresh, clean air.

China has some of the most polluted cities worldwide. You might be familiar with the apocalyptic image of people wearing face masks — the Chinese would love to have the air we have in Costa Rica! In Costa Rica, whether you are in the jungle, at the beach, or in the middle of bustling San Jose, you can still open the window and take a deep breath without worrying about the 2.5 PM. So go on, Ticos, breathe your O2 and appreciate how clean our air is here!

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1. The Adventure All-Star

Sun Valley is home base for some of the most hard-core adventurers on the planet. From National Geographic cinematographers to mountain climbers, kayakers, endurance athletes, expedition guides, documentary filmmakers, conservationists, and conflict photographers, the list of Adventure All-Stars is a long one. These people are the true Sun Valley celebrities, and their occasional slideshows or film presentations — usually produced pro bono to benefit one charitable organization or another — routinely fill local theaters. At times animated storytellers, at others quiet with a far-off look in their eyes, the Adventure All-Stars travel all over the world but come home to Sun Valley because of the community here, and the support that community offers.

2. The White Buffalo

Ski legends never die, and there are quite a few legends still skiing Sun Valley. If you’re lucky enough to spot one of these ski heroes, you’ll know it from the flowing long white hair that never sees a hat or helmet no matter how cold it is. An old pair of glacier glasses, long poles, and some narrow skis they designed themselves will help you identify them in the lift line. On the slopes, all you’ll see is a shadow of white stampeding down the bumps under the lift, a huge smile on their face. These are the guys who made Sun Valley cool; make sure you give them a hoot from the chair.

3. The Wall Street Refugee

Burned out by the rat race, the Wall Street Refugee often arrives toting a young family, chasing the dream of small-town mountain life. Their chic city outfits of mostly black stick out amidst the sea of plaid, as do their substandard abilities and enthusiastic attitudes on skis and boards (and road bikes, in season). Always in danger of applying their big-city standards and type-A personalities to their new small-town life, the upside is they keep the local galleries and theaters well supported.

4. The Skittle Thugs

Easily spotted in their bright orange, pink, and yellow helmets, these pint-size rippers descend on the mountain and terrain park every weekend. Skiing in packs at breakneck speeds, hopped up on pizza and candy, the Skittle Thugs aren’t to be trifled with. Keep your eye out for them flying through the air around snow guns and huddled around Irving’s hot dog stand at the base of Warm Springs.

5. The 55-year-old who’s way fitter than you

They start their day with a casual hike up Bald Mountain’s 3,400 vertical feet to watch the sunrise, followed by a dozen or so laps in Sun Valley’s quad-torching bowls, another dozen on Warm Springs, a quick trip to the gym for a two-hour workout, and then swimming a couple miles in the pool. If they can squeeze in 20 or so kilometers of cross-country before dark, they’ll consider it a good day. It can be difficult to get a good look at the 55-and-fitter-than-you crowd, but trust me — here in Sun Valley, 60 is the new 30.

6. The Local Olympian

Like the Adventure All-Stars, these are the real Sun Valley celebrities. There are 56 Olympians that call Bald Mountain home, and while some are higher profile than others, their impact on Sun Valley is a substantial one. This is currently the official Olympic Training Site for Nordic skiing, after all, and international teams from countries like Norway and Sweden come here to train. It’s not uncommon to see US Ski Team gear on the slopes and trails of Sun Valley.

7. The Celebrity A-lister at the table next to you

An old Bald Mountain standby, the A-lister has always been attracted to Sun Valley. Movie stars, politicians, and celebrities of all types have been coming here since Averell Harriman first started offering free trips to Hollywood stars in the ’30s. If you see an A-lister in the Warm Springs Lodge or at the Pioneer Saloon, do them and the rest of us a favor and keep your cellphones and selfie-sticks in your pockets. There’s a long-standing Sun Valley ethos of ignoring or, if you must, politely acknowledging these A-listers. They’re here for the same reason we all are, to play in the mountains; playing paparazzi is probably the least cool thing you can do.

8. The Blue-Collar Ripper

Their gloves are covered in duct tape. Their camo jackets are the same ones they use in hunting season. Their pants are covered with dirt and grime from their construction gigs. Their goggles are years old, along with their skis and boots. But when you see these guys on the hill, they’re absolutely ripping. No frills or fancy tricks, just high-speed, non-stop shredding in any type of snow conditions.

9. The Powder-Stache

This devoted local character can be fairly elusive and difficult to follow. Relying on their intimate knowledge of every nook and cranny on the mountain, they’re somehow able to find powder turns even if it hasn’t snowed for weeks. The only real telltale sign of the Powder-Stache are the bushy caterpillars they keep above their upper lips, forever caked in snow.

10. Employees of the proverbial Playtex Corporation

A bit of an enigma, employees of the Playtex Corporation flutter in and out of Sun Valley constantly. Intentionally vague about what they actually “do,” they always seem to be going someplace exotic or just getting back into town. You’ll find these masters of the leisure lifestyle at the Zenergy Spa, having lunch at upscale restaurants like Cristina’s, sipping lattes at Velocio, or working out and hardly breaking a sweat with their personal trainers.

11. The Baldy Blur

Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain is built for speed, and you’ll find no shortage of fast skiers tearing down runs like Warm Springs, Canyon, and Mid-River on any given day. Truth is, you never really get a good look at the Baldy Blur. The side-by-side train-track trenches their skis leave in the snow is the main evidence of their existence, along with a flash of their mirrored goggle lenses and the back of their helmet.

12. The Perma-Grin Local

This group represents the majority of people you’ll meet in Sun Valley. They come from all walks of life, each with their own story of how they ended up here and what they do in order to stay. They’re the chefs, bartenders and waitresses, lift operators, ski and yoga instructors, and everyone else who works to live here and preferably keeps their days free so they can ski or ride as much of their waking lives as possible. You’ll recognize them by their wide smiles, goggle tans, and that sparkle in their eyes. They’re living the dream; their life is your vacation.

This post is proudly produced in partnership with our friends at Sun Valley Resort.

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Editor’s note: As a lifelong kayaker, I’ve often said that paddling is all about getting access to places you couldn’t reach otherwise: deep box canyons, a single peaceful eddy in the middle of a turbulent boulder garden, remote stretches of river, views from the lip of a waterfall.

A few years ago, however, while in Patagonia, I tried canyoning or “canyoneering” and realized that this was yet another — perhaps even more accessible way. Canyoning is essentially traversing a river canyon or steep creek minus a kayak. Teams use a mix of climbing techniques and equipment, then swim, climb, rappel, scramble, and sometimes jump to descend the terrain. Over the last year, MatadorU alumnus and full-time photographer Rui Romao has traveled to epic gorges in Spain and his native Portugal to bring these 12 views into canyons that few people ever get to see.

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You spend the night drinking on a tiny plastic stool.

If you’ve visited Vietnam, you know. If not, imagine tiny, red or blue plastic chairs arranged on the sidewalk and street like an oversized game of music chairs. You sit and wait for a second, before smelling the cart of dried squid passing by. Then your bia hơi arrives. What’s bia hơi? A beer found all over Vietnam, brewed daily and served up street-side. Big deal, right? Not so fast. Each glass of beer typically costs 15-to-25 cents. Before you know it, you’ll find yourself spending an hour or two nightly on tiny chairs, knocking back bia hơi with friends and strangers alike.

Crossing the street involves dodging no less than 35 motorbikes.

According to Vietnam’s Ministry of Transport, there are 37 million registered motorbikes in the country (compared to roughly two million registered cars). How do you cross the street, you ask? Well, start walking. With confidence. Not too fast. Not too slow. Don’t hesitate. Don’t stop in the middle of the road. Just. Keep. Walking. Drivers will zip past you on their motorbikes, dodging you in the process. The name of the game is trust, because frankly, traffic doesn’t really stop. If you’d prefer not to risk it, well, enjoy your side of the street.

You quickly learn not to bat an eyelash at public urination.

It might be surprising the first or second time you see someone pull their pants down and start using the restroom in a public area (street, square, you name it), but you’ll quickly get over it. And don’t worry — if you’re in Vietnam long enough, you will see it. With that said, you might come across public defecation, too. No word on if you’ll ever get used to it, though.

You manage to offend a local via your broken Vietnamese.

Think the Vietnamese language might be easy because it’s written with the Latin alphabet? Think again. Instead, think diacritical marks, diphthongs, triphthongs, and offglides. Any mark above or below a letter can change the sound or meaning of a word. For that reason, you’ll likely think you can read every street sign, but chances are you’ll pronounce them in a completely incorrect manner. Or you might just happen to make a local’s eyes widen when you make an unsuccessful attempt in telling them in Vietnamese that the pomelo they just offered you was delicious.

You get a haircut on the side of the road.

If you’re in Hanoi and you need a cheap, quick (and good) haircut, you could always go to a nearby barbershop. But who needs barbershops when you have barbers running their businesses street-side? Walk up. Get a haircut. Pay. Walk off. Sure, you might become a tourist attraction for the 10 to 15 minutes that you’re getting your haircut, but it’s worth the experience. Besides, you probably don’t get to enjoy the nice weather while getting a haircut very often back home, do you?

You witness several mattresses being transported — on one motorbike.

If seeing thousands of motorbikes daily wasn’t enough culture shock on your first visit to Vietnam, make sure to take a look at what’s being transported on them (and they’re not giant Harley Davidson bikes, mind you). Several pigs. Several mattress. Tires upon tires. Dozens of goldfish in plastic bags. Entire families. And every time you see something giant being transported via motorbike, you’ll shake your head in disbelief, feeling as if you’re watching a Cirque du Soleil balancing act.

It’s karaoke time. Enough said.

Karaoke is one of the most popular forms of entertainment in Vietnam, but the experience isn’t your typical karaoke night at Applebee’s. You’ll go out, have beers, hang out with some people, and drunkenly belt out tunes all night. You may or may not get to do this on a junk boat in Ha Long Bay. While many of the karaoke bars are awesome, keep an eye out. You might end up hanging out with some cool, friendly girls and having a great time almost by “coincidence,” but you won’t be quite as excited when it’s time to pay the bill.

You’re invited into a local’s home after knowing them for 10 minutes.

If you’re visiting Vietnam for the first time, chances are that you don’t have too many connections within the country. Lucky for you, everyone is pretty damn friendly. Eating a banh mi prepared by a couple as the rest of their family hangs out in the background? Don’t be surprised if you’re offered (yes, offered not sold) tea, fruits, and an impromptu Vietnamese lesson before going on your way. Trying to bargain with the hotel concierge while booking a Ha Long Bay cruise last minute? Well, you might not necessarily get a huge bargain, but you may end up being treated to homemade rice wine, rice liquor, and hot pot by the hotel employees. Not such a bad deal after all.

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Central Laos does not get many travelers, and the tourism office in the provincial capital of Tha Khaek has done a good job of designing treks that alleviate poverty in isolated villages without disrupting local culture.

Travelers get a chance to experience a beautiful part of rural Laos where the locals take pride in hosting foreign guests – a happy balance that does not always exist in more heavily touristed regions of Southeast Asia.

Basics

The two-day trek costs about $65 per person for a group of at least 3 people — more for couples or single travelers. This is a fair price, and much of the money goes to local villagers who guide groups through the mountains and cook delicious meals.

Travelers start out in Tha Khaek, a medium-sized town on the Mekong River that’s about halfway between Vientiane and Pakse.

I would recommend booking the trek in advance at the tourist information centre in Tha Khaek. Guesthouses like the Travel lodge in Tha Khaek can also book it for you.

Remember that the wet season is from July through October. It is best to take on this trek between November and March when the temperatures are pleasant and the weather is dry. April and May bring the hot season, during which the many swimming holes along the way will make the trek very enjoyable.

Phu Hin Bun National Protected Area

The trek explores the Phu Hin Bun National Protected Area (NPA), an isolated region of jagged peaks and clear, turquoise streams that looks like a classical Chinese landscape painting. The sheer mountainsides are refuges for several species of endangered primates, and tigers stalk the deepest parts of the jungle.

The villagers who live in the Phu Hin Bun NPA are largely self-sufficient, growing rice, fruit and vegetables, and raising water buffalo, pigs, chickens, and cows. While many treks in Laos visit ethnic minorities, the villagers here are mostly lowland Lao.

Eat, Walk, Swim

I LOVED the food on this trek. Fresh catfish grilled with garlic over a campfire on the banks of a stream was served alongside sticky rice, mountain vegetables, eggplant, and traditional pastes of herbs and chili.

For dinner we ate water buffalo laap, a Lao dish of minced meat with herbs and spices. Vegetarian options were limited, but available.

The walks through the forest were broken up by frequent stops at spectacular swimming holes, including a sacred wellspring of turquoise water called Khoun Kong Leng.

Other highlights included a cave that links two valleys by cutting straight through a mountain, and an old temple where the prayer bell was made from the shell of a 500-pound bomb. This bombshell was a poignant reminder of the massive U.S. bombing campaign of rural Laos — a war that the White House kept secret from both Congress and the American people.

Cultural Respect

Visiting this part of Central Laos is a privilege, and travelers should take care to respect Lao customs. Understand that Lao people are extremely non-confrontational and place a premium on smooth social interactions.

Be gentle, kind, patient, and appreciative. Showing any sign of frustration or anger is extremely rude in Laos, so if you don’t like something it’s better just to smile and, if you must, gently inquire about alternatives. The head guide will speak reasonable English, but speak slowly and try to learn some Lao words. Everyone will be thrilled to hear you make the effort.

This article was originally published on April 11th, 2009

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