I decided today that the best places on earth are those that are civilized without being commercialized. At least, the places that are most civilized and least commercialized, as these days everywhere is getting less civilized and more commercialized.
Pretty much the whole of the U.S. is entirely commercialized so I've just chosen to stay where it's most civil, by which I mean anywhere with decent public transit, late night Thai food and at least one open mic every night. America is a failed state for my criteria though, there is no place safe from silly commercialism and the great evils of our time: cars, guns, television and smart phones. There are, however, places in the world that are civilized without having totally swallowed capitalisms giant, herpetic cock.
Thailand, is one, just to speak of it makes me hungry. Thailand might be the perfect example, it's cleaner than many parts of the U.S, dirt cheap and yet the best food is made by real people on the streets, and US chains are still mostly found in expat neighborhoods in Bangkok. Thailand is the greatest example of this because it easily passes my test for places that are civilized and not over-commercialized. If you talk to a sheltered honkey about Thailand, it will sound really strange and probably freak them out, yet if you talk to a hardcore adventure traveler about it, they will dismiss it as too discovered and point out the abundance of 7-11's. That makes it the perfect medium.
Where some find 7-11's troublesome for an "authentic" experience, I simply appreciate any country where I can get a cold beer every couple of blocks. Besides that I definitely appreciate a country with no Malaria black spots, which is more than you can say for some of Thailand's more "authentic" neighbors.
I guess that's the goal to find places where you can still barter for a cold beer, which is perhaps non-existant today, but at least it's nice to live somewhere that you feel as thought you could almost barter for a cold beer.
Some places that shine on the civ/merch quotient are bound within otherwise merched countries. For example, I went to Naples last year and was impressed by how you could get wine poured from barrels at corner shops for about 2 euros a liter. They would fill up your empty soda bottle. You would drink it on the street as you dodged mopeds and pickpockets on ancient cobblestone streets, yet you were still in the Eurozone. The wine was pretty good too, the kind you pay 15 dollars a glass for in American restaurants.
I worry that places like Naples and Thailand are disappearing and one day the 7-11's will outweigh the charm of street food. The next great destinations will either be places like Laos or Myanmar, that are a little to uncivilized for me now, but will strengthen their infrastructure without sacrificing all of it's cultural uniqueness; or the next great destinations will be once over commercialized places that become failed states and reinvent themselves in a post-commercial economy. Right now, I've got my eyes on Detroit...
Pretty much the whole of the U.S. is entirely commercialized so I've just chosen to stay where it's most civil, by which I mean anywhere with decent public transit, late night Thai food and at least one open mic every night. America is a failed state for my criteria though, there is no place safe from silly commercialism and the great evils of our time: cars, guns, television and smart phones. There are, however, places in the world that are civilized without having totally swallowed capitalisms giant, herpetic cock.
Thailand, is one, just to speak of it makes me hungry. Thailand might be the perfect example, it's cleaner than many parts of the U.S, dirt cheap and yet the best food is made by real people on the streets, and US chains are still mostly found in expat neighborhoods in Bangkok. Thailand is the greatest example of this because it easily passes my test for places that are civilized and not over-commercialized. If you talk to a sheltered honkey about Thailand, it will sound really strange and probably freak them out, yet if you talk to a hardcore adventure traveler about it, they will dismiss it as too discovered and point out the abundance of 7-11's. That makes it the perfect medium.
Where some find 7-11's troublesome for an "authentic" experience, I simply appreciate any country where I can get a cold beer every couple of blocks. Besides that I definitely appreciate a country with no Malaria black spots, which is more than you can say for some of Thailand's more "authentic" neighbors.
I guess that's the goal to find places where you can still barter for a cold beer, which is perhaps non-existant today, but at least it's nice to live somewhere that you feel as thought you could almost barter for a cold beer.
Some places that shine on the civ/merch quotient are bound within otherwise merched countries. For example, I went to Naples last year and was impressed by how you could get wine poured from barrels at corner shops for about 2 euros a liter. They would fill up your empty soda bottle. You would drink it on the street as you dodged mopeds and pickpockets on ancient cobblestone streets, yet you were still in the Eurozone. The wine was pretty good too, the kind you pay 15 dollars a glass for in American restaurants.
I worry that places like Naples and Thailand are disappearing and one day the 7-11's will outweigh the charm of street food. The next great destinations will either be places like Laos or Myanmar, that are a little to uncivilized for me now, but will strengthen their infrastructure without sacrificing all of it's cultural uniqueness; or the next great destinations will be once over commercialized places that become failed states and reinvent themselves in a post-commercial economy. Right now, I've got my eyes on Detroit...
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