I never really wanted to be a full-on celebrity. They might have more money and groupies than I do, but it comes at a cost. That’s a lifestyle I have very little interest in nor understanding of.
Sure, I ended up in a Taiwanese tabloid or two (I know, I KNOW, I still haven’t grown the huevos to tell that story), and am writing this public blog right here and now, but the lack of privacy, inability to go out in sweat pants without makeup on without being photographed, and being recognized at all the wrong times just don’t rank high on my list of lifelong desires.
Hordes of adoring fans, though? That I can jive with.
I remember getting stared at in Taiwan back when I lived there at age 21. I remember people almost walking into things while watching me on the mass rapid transit because omigawd there is an awkwardly tall and clumsy white girl and where did she come from?!
Then I came home and was entirely normal again and I couldn’t help but miss the feeling of uniqueness in Asia. Upon returning to Southeast Asia, it came back again. Here are the places where I felt most unique and, every now and then, like a bonafide celebrity:
5) Bolaven Plateau, Laos
I'll never forget the drive by bananas. I was motorbiking along the Bolaven plateau in Southern Laos — an area that many tourists skip over — with some friends when, out of nowhere, we drove by a banana truck and some of the locals in the bed gestured with bananas. As we rode by, we stuck our hands out and he handed us each a few.
I couldn’t stop laughing. How often are you gifted bananas while on a drive? It’s a memory I'll cherish forever, along with all the cute kids who stuck out a had to wave as we rode by.
4) Sumatra, Indonesia
The amount of times I was asked to take pictures with locals or to help them practice English made me feel like a hot commodity. That, along with the amazing people of Bukit Lawang who never forgot my name nor anything about myself that I had told them, make this a contender on the list.
3) Borneo, Malaysia
Though there was a lot of intrigue and guesthouse owners asking to take pictures together all over Borneo, the strongest example of feeling like a real guest/celebrity was at the harvest festival in Kota Kinabalu. I was there with a couple of friends from my motorbiking trip, along with some English teachers from the UK who we ran into, and I'll never forget the reception we got.
We were invited to drink rice wine, dance in a circle, were begged to sing karaoke, and asked to take pictures with the locals there. A few even handed us their babies asking for photos.
Then, the mad rush to leave after the festival ended left us a little stunned. A local came up to us and offered a free ride back to the town. He didn’t have to do that, and I'll always appreciate the warm welcome the locals provided. It wasn’t just then, either. I would regularly be told, “welcome!” upon entering a new town with my backpack on. There was no follow-up, no request to buy a tour or anything else. They just wanted me to genuinely feel welcomed.
And I did.
2) Northeastern Mindanao (Camiguin), Philippines
There was an excited group of kids running around the day following Christmas. They were on their holiday break and gingerly made their way over to me, the most outspoken in the group asking me the questions that everyone else whispered to him:
“Where are you from? What’s your name? What’s your last name? What’s your mom’s name? Can you tell us about what you’re reading? Do you have a boyfriend? Where does he live?”
They stayed with me for a couple of hours that afternoon, simply asking if it was OK to sit together. It was incredibly touching. To make things even more welcoming, the locals all called out, “Hello! Merry Christmas!” when I walked by that night on my way to dinner. It really felt like Christmas to me, even far from home.
1) Kratie, Cambodia
Kratie easily takes the number one spot due to one thing and one thing only: the amazing children who live there. Take a bicycle out and ride along the dirt roads along the Mekong, past the shacks and tiny little towns and prepare for a barrage of excited little kids running after you screaming out, “Hello! Hello! Hello!”
I truly did feel like a celebrity that day, in my Chang tank top, dirty red hat and even dirtier feet and legs from the road dust and rain. It still remains a favorite memory of mine over a year later. If you ever get the chance, go there.
What all these places have in common is they’re rather off the beaten path. It seems to be a running theme that where there are fewer tourists, there’s more intrigue.
Why do you think I love off the beaten path travel so much? Cat’s out of the bag and now, you know!
Copyright © 2014 by Be My Travel Muse. This article was written by Kristin Addis and originally published at bemytravelmuse.com
