Hot answers tagged culture
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In Bulgaria, Russia, former USSR countries and others, it's considered offensive not to drink when you've been invited to, and you might need a good solid excuse if you decide not to drink at all. Expect to be on the receiving end of some good-natured banter if you decide to abstain completely.
Medical reasons are a possibility, although it will be ...
41
I have haggled over the scarfs on the Jemaa el-Fnaa square in Marrakesh. The starting price was usually around 200DH and I was able to buy for 65DH. I was totally unexperienced back then but I made some observations:
Wait to be invited by the shopkeeper. Pretend you are just passing by and stopping for a moment to look at the wares.
Do not express interest ...
27
Yes, TRUE. A good Canadian friend of mine had a Chicago cubs (u.s. baseball team) tattoo on his right arm. Kind of silly, but apparently any tattoo has yakuza (Japanese mafia) undertones, which makes many Japanese, especially older people, uncomfortable. Attitudes seem to be changing and I even knew a few younger Japanese with tattoos, but the perception ...
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I lived in London for four years. Perhaps I just didn't appreciate it, but I can't say I really was that aware of the class system on a day-to-day basis.
Sure, you were aware that in Peckham in South London there tended to be a lower socio-economic 'category' of people than say, Kensington. And yes in Mayfair there were the private members' clubs and ...
26
I was in the unfortunate position of being insistingly encouraged to drink 3 years ago on the Trans-Siberian. I was much worse for wear after that experience, and sought out suggestions (in fact I really shouldn't have had that much considering my meds).
Anyway, this year I returned. And indeed, the best way if you can't just refuse outright, is simply to ...
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As an Iranian I can tell you that breast-feeding in public is NOT a crime (at least in Iran) and you don't need to expect any severe consequences for this. Mothers do feed their children here whenever/wherever needed and it's none of anybody's business to question them why they are feeding their children. It's however usually a good practice for breasts to ...
22
Tattoos or Irezumi as they are called in Japanese were criminalized in the beginning of the Meiji period (some time after 1868) as a way to make a good impression on the west. (A bit ironic in this case...) It was legalized again after the war in 1948 but still retains its image of criminality.
For many years, traditional Japanese tattoos were ...
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(Full resolution)
Traditional Islamic law is known as Sharia. By and large, countries following it or having a dual system of civil law as well as Sharia is depicted in this map. As a traveller, this is something you need to watch out for as a country you're visiting may have laws not commonly found in civil law found in most other countries. What makes ...
19
While saying "No" in Asia is generally different from other countries in western Europe, I made the experience that - depending on how well you know people and in which environment you are - it is much more difficult to find out what the actual situation is in Japan than let's say in China, Singapore etc. I experienced the biggest differences to the Japanese ...
17
I'm a Russian who doesn't drink vodka. If your goal is not to drink at all - just say so and be done with that. If you like to drink a little but just don't want to kill your liver - tell them that you prefer cognac or whiskey (whichever you like the best). Wine will also work but probably raise a couple of "be a man" things.
The goal is to have a drink ...
17
As a Russian and non-drinker, I want to add some info about the culture of drinking in Russia.
First of all: You don't have to drink vodka, even if your partners are. It is ok if you just say: I can't drink alcohol as strong as vodka, I need wine (or cocktails, or whatever you need). Ask women about this - they're more reliable in such situations. But if ...
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The only real way to be successful at this is to start knowing the value you place on the item and never pay more than this. Start your haggling below this price - a good rule of thumb is for your starting price to be around the same amount below your final as the asking price is above.
Some countries like to bargain harder, but at the end of the day, you ...
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While this phenomenon exists, it's not as big a problem as you think, and it affects primarily relationships with people you already know. If you ask a complete stranger for directions, they will say "no" or direct you somewhere else if they can't help you, and if they go out of their way to help you they're doing it entirely voluntarily. Sure, you might ...
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First of all, Saudi is a normal working environment. You can say it is different but surely it is normal :)
Do not believe CNN or any western media regarding Saudi. They simply exaggerate things to the maximum which will give a bad first impression that will be stuck for a long time.
People are touchy. Saudi men do shake hands all the time and it is ...
14
It's a common problem I had in South America - I really wanted to improve my Spanish while travelling as it gives you a much better insight into your travels, and can talk to locals more. But so often they'd just switch to English because they welcomed a chance to learn English themselves.
You can either do the obvious (ask them to speak French so you can ...
14
It has an impact, but it isn't problematic. The Sabbath runs from Friday at sundown to Saturday at sundown, though in practice it could extend from Friday afternoon to Sunday morning. In planning your trip, it is much like planning in other countries where shops are closed on Sundays or museums are only open on certain days. The key thing is to plan your ...
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Background
The Shabbath (pronounced Shabbat in Israeli Hebrew) imposes some travel limitations but offers some exciting experiences. If you plan your trip correctly, you can greatly benefit from it.
The first important thing to know about Shabbat is that its character varies greatly among different areas in Israel. Ultra religous quarters in Jerusalem ...
13
The tour group can't and won't do anything unless what they're doing is illegal, or the guide is really passionate about something.
The one thing you can try sounds painfully obvious, but hey, if it works...
Try saying something to them.
It sounds like a whinge, but some people just don't consider what they're doing or realise they may be being offensive. ...
12
Here's a pretty good compile list of different countries. It obviously doesn't have every country but it should get you started...
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travelbuzz/738653-foreign-tipping-guide-country-region.html
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Clothing restrictions in mosques often vary from country-to-country, and even within mosques in a country. Everyone is asked to take their shoes off at an entrance area. For men, no shorts are allowed; for women, no skirts or bare shoulders, in addition to this some countries also mandate women to wear a scarf.
Those are the basics, but how 'welcoming' a ...
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What do travellers need to know about the British class system? Nothing. It won't come up. Don't believe everything you see on American TV.
The class system in the UK would be quite similar to the class system in the USA, Canada or other countries.
Certainly there are dangerous parts of some cities and expensive 'private members club' in the UK, and USA, ...
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You need two things: 1) a good feeling for the local prices and 2) experience.
Haggling is more than just quoting low prices. It about your complete presentation and attitude.
When they quote me their first price (I will never be the one to call the first price), I usually just smile at them, maybe tell them it is a ridiculous amount etc. So, while not ...
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The Riyadh Women University campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia could qualify as an answer to your question. Its new campus can accommodate 40,000 (female-only) students and 12,000 (female-only) employees. There are only women because of the Saudi laws of sex segregation. Inaugurated in June 2011, it spreads over 8 million square meters (2,800 km²) with 800 ...
12
I am French and I never thought of which cheek should be first kissed! I don't think there is a definite rule. The protocol I identified is:
first protagonist tends his or her cheek (left or right)
second protagonist adapts and tends the same cheek.
if it fails, both smile or laugh and the procedure starts again
As for the number of kisses, when people ...
11
While there are some areas which are distinctly richer or poorer, this is in the same way the some areas in any country, state or city are richer or poorer.
Class just really doesn't come up in normal day-to-day life here, anywhere round the UK. Bond Street isn't particularly high end, it has some nice shops, some less so - you will be welcome to spend ...
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I've stayed in a lot of homestays around the world, and in my experience the best thing to give is something local (to you) and edible. Being a Brit, this usually results in local hand-made fudge. Usually people who provide homestays will receive a good many guests so trinkets are not so good - they just accumulate as clutter. Confectionary is a safe bet, ...
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You need to have a real understanding of what the local currency is worth in your home currency. It's very easy to get blinded by large numbers.
I was in Indonesia, haggling over a set of wicker place mats. The exchange was about 9000 Rupiah to the USD. Starting price was 250,000 Rupiah for a set, about $27.00. We ended up paying 100,000, The price ...
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As Ilmari commented, the recent NY Times travel blog post by "frugaltraveler" is very good. It even mentions my favorite bar, Pub Magneetti. I like his other recommendations too: free concerts & somewhat hippie atmosphere at Alppipuisto; public sauna in Kallio; berry-picking).
Some more ideas below. Many of these may not be "only in Helsinki" things, ...
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Have you tried to visit Jjimjilbang? I seldom go to a public bath, and sometimes I can see a man with tattoo. I think most of Jjimjilbangs will not block you to use it. I am able to say this because I assumed that it will be a small tattoos (i.e. on arms or on neck back.) But with a big tattoo like covered whole your back?.. Let's think about it.
I saw your ...
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Asking if someone speaks your language has several potential pitfalls, and even more so in Japan. There are completely different expectations to assess whether oneself actually speaks a language and a portion of fear what kind of expectations the asking person might have if one confirms.
In Japan on top of this, people feel the expectations towards them are ...
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