I spent some hours yesterday with a friend who was visiting Delhi, and she had a bizarre experience (experiences, really) to share. At just about every tourist site she's visited in India (including the Taj Mahal and the Qutub Minar), she's been hijacked by groups of strangers - families, with women and children - who want to be photographed with her. She's American, white, over 45, nice-looking but not spectacular and not famous enough for random people to know. We couldn't figure out why something like this should happen, so were wondering if anyone else out there has gone through the same experience.... my pal says she doesn't mind, these people are really sweet and just want her to feature in their photos, apparently - but why???
-Madhulika
- Reply by Idler on April 1, 2009
This has happened to me a few times traveling around on my own, including in Japan and Eastern Europe. My feeling was that they were temporarily "adopting" me to make me feel more welcome, or perhaps I just seemed different enough - yet accessible and approachable - to pique interest. Something like, "Hey, Kenji, get a loud of this American lady climbing the mountain. Let's take a picture with her!"
That was my take on it, at any rate.
- Reply by Idler on April 1, 2009
(Sorry... that was "get a LOAD")
This is absolutely normal especially in India and I don't mind it one little bit so long as people are up front about it. What I don't like is when you see people slyly trying to sneak a photo but if they come up and ask then it's fine.
I have no idea WHY anyone wants my photo - and generally poor hubby gets pushed to one side because they want me and I'm not even blonde and I'm also over 40 and distinctly unglamorous. The peak of photographic madness was at the Golden Temple in Amritsar where scored of families were bringing their children over to shake our hands, say hello and have their photos taken. We even had guys ask to take our photos on the roof of the temple and had to point out that it wasn't allowed to take photos up there but if we saw them later once we were off the roof we'd be happy to pose with them.
Mostly people are really polite and charming.
When my son was traveling in Japan with a school group, all kinds of people wanted their photo taken with his blond friend. They were less excited about him. It's kind of amusing to be traveling to see the interesting sights and have the locals find you an interesting sight in yourself!
I have seen this happen as well and I am guessing that its mostly locals from the rural areas of India who are visiting the city's tourist attractions as well and get fascinated when they came across foreigners. I am sure to a lot of them its the first time in their lives that they see others who are not like them and its curiosity and excitement. There is nothing wrong with it as long as they are respectful.
This happened to me a lot in Shanghai and Beijing, and it was almost always visitors from more rural parts of the country who wanted photos. A few times it began with proud parents forcing their teenagers to practice their English with me. Everyone was respectful, and it was actually kind of a neat way for some interaction with locals (or almost-locals, anyway).
Michelle
I must blend in where I vacation as it's never happened. Oh wait - it did once while in Alaska wearing my Green Bay Packers' starter parka.
Ah, thank you for all your replies. Greta will be glad to know she's not the only one!
-Madhulika
For me the irony is that wherever I go in Europe or the US, I get stopped by lost people who want to know where things are. I've never worked out if I look universally 'local' or if I just look like someone who knows where she's going.
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