People in Boxes: The People You Meet Backpacking – Part Deux

Did you miss Part Un (1)? Click here


#2 The “Soulful” Wanderer
Characteristics of the Soulful Wanderer include a gaze that is alternately intense and dreamy, out-of-(shitty bunk)bed/sleeping bag hair, some stubble (if male) and perhaps, small Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around the wrist (particularly if the Soulful Wanderer isn’t actually Buddhist). The prayer beads are often matched, with plain, practical clothing that are worn and crumpled but still smell of the loveliest fabric softener, wet grass and a hint of sweat. Soulful Wanderers will never let stubble grow into a full beard or match the prayer beads with tie-dye pants because they’re fully aware that the Hippie Revolution is over, thank you very much, and their interests lie in the socio-political realities of the here and now. The Soulful Wanderer travels solo and is not afraid to be seen alone or left alone.  It gives them the opportunity to enjoy moments of contemplative silence, to jot down deep thoughts in a Moleskine journal or to finally finish reading that dog-eared copy of Maxim Gorky’s Creatures that Once Were Men which he/she found abandoned at a guesthouse in Mongolia.


While Soulful Wanderer-types may not be overtly vocal or friendly, they possess commendable social skills nonetheless. They often stray from the pack and path of People-Who-Need-a-Visa-to-Be-here, in search of a more “authentic” experience, a Random Friendly Local (please refer to #3) or two to befriend and most importantly, to “find himself”; be it in the eyes of strangers or in the little-known ancient ruins of Choqueqirao, Peru. But alas, the Soulful Wanderer must eventually return to the hostel, or take some kind of minivan or another with other travellers, where he or she may engage you in a late-night talk of life, love and liberty up on the rooftop. This talk will leave you wishing that you had something more profound to add, something other than – Yeah, exactly, EXACTLY, that’s so true, oh my god, yeaaaaah and yeah?  The feeling is not unlike being on LSD and looking at a work by Dali or a song by The Beatles and thinking, “Damn, man, why didn’t I think of that?!” What you may have thought of is this: you’ve never met anyone who is as interesting, as intriguing as the Soulful Wanderer. Alas, you fail to realise that one of your friends back home is actually a Soulful Wanderer. But stripped off the romance of being in a faraway land and mired in familiarity, the Soulful Wanderer, as it turns out, is a real piece of Emo-bore.


#3 The Random Friendly Local 

Ah, what backpacking adventure is complete until you can boast the fact that you “hung out” with the locals. The Random Friendly Local is heavily sought after by those wishing to up their status from “tourist” to “traveller”.  And by locals, we don’t mean - hostel employees, cab drivers, restaurant waiters, tour guides – they don’t count – the Random Friendly Local must be just that; random (that guy sitting next to you at the hawker stall slurping away at his bowl of noodles) Now at the end of the day, the “foreigner” befriending the Random Friendly Local will probably not be able to describe their new friend in great detail, but that’s because they’re not so much interested in the person as they are in earning a new Traveller Merit Badge to show off to their still “tourist” friends back in the hostel. 

#4 The Person Who Came For a Summer Break and Ended Up Sort of Manning The Hostel’s Reception Desk for 5 Years or So 

The Person Who Came for a Summer Break and Ended Up Sort of Manning The Hostel’s Reception Desk for 5 Years or So is always welcoming, chilled-out yet moderately efficient and chances are he/she will be able to communicate with you in English (albeit sometimes with a thick, Scottish brogue – FERRR FERR TTTHEUWWW Pardon? FERR FERR TTTHEUW Again, please? AH SEEEIID the secuuuurehte couahd is FERRR FERR TTHEUWWWW Oh, you mean, the security code is Four Four Two? Yes, theit’s wha ah seiid, FERRR FERRR TTHEUWWW) and will help you steer away from all the tourist traps by recommending some great local hang-outs ....that’s not you know, too local. But secretly, he daydreams about setting you on fire. So what’s this person’s back-story?

Well, once upon a time, there lived a “Soulful Wanderer” who decided to spend the summer after graduation to “find himself” in a far off land. He did in fact, “find himself”. But alas, the “self” that he found sort of manned the reception desk of a hostel on the other side of the world. The “self” he found, had a hard time wrapping his head around the concept of “return ticket”. 5 years down the line, life has pretty much lost all meaning and sense of purpose for the former-soulful wanderer, and he’s absolutely loving it; the way a fat kid loves McDonalds but gets all sensitive when people call him fat.

Alas, while our former-soulful wanderer turned hostel guy may have found himself, back home, two parents mourn for the son they lost. The parents spend all day praying that the kid would come home and get a damn real job already, after all the money they spent on his education. Why, God?!! WHY??!!! He had such a promising future, God, why, God, WHYYYYYYYYYY?!!!!!!!!!!

[......stay tuned for Part Trois (3)]