Most of the people that travel around the world are Europeans, Kiwis, Aussies and few Americans. However all of them are white Caucasians. I have lived in San Francisco for 16 years where race, color of your skin etc matters very little. However I am well aware that most of the world is not as liberal as San Francisco, and I would have my share of strange experiences because of my skin color. While I describe these experience, one should know, there is no way in hell I would ever generalize people from a country based on few experiences, there are assholes in every part of the world.

The first of such experience I had in Salta in Backpakcers hostel. I was watching spanish CNN on TV at 6.30AM in the morning, in walked two guys from Israel, looking at my skin color probably thought I work there so they orderd in english two cups of coffee from me! So I decided to play along and I said in spanish its not possible to have tea at this hour, breakfast starts at 7.30. These two bastards spoke with each other saying these spanish people are lazy, why do we have to wait till 7.30 for coffee and sat there watching TV. So after about 1/2 hour I gave them an earfull in English, about how rude they were, but these two bastards never even said sorry, just went to there room.

I am really sorry to say, in my four months of travels in South America I found travellers from Israel to be very rude. In cusco I saw one instance where a guy running internet cafe told two Israeli guys it is 2.50 pesos they only paid 2 pesos and they kept arguing with him that they did pay 2.50, the guy must have hid the 50 centavos somewhere, called him thief, ended up heading out of the internet cafe saying all Peruvians are thieves. Now that is wonderful way of discovering world. Now I undestand all of these kids travel round the world after three year service in the Army, so they might be on the edge a bit, but for me I stayed away from Isralie travellers rest of the time.

Then there was a instance in Cusco where I walked into Mexican restaurant. I asked woman could I sit upstairs, she said in fluent English, the upstairs is closed, okay fine. In about 10 min a white guy walked in and I heard him ask the same question, she showed him upstairs gladly. Then another white couple walked in she showed them seats upstairs. After I finished my crappy dinner, I asked the woman, how is it that she told me upstairs was closed and for other folks it was open? She just looked away. Even in this day and age guess she felt it was her obligation to bow to her European masters?

On one of the hike in Torress del Paine I met couple from Austria, one guy from Germany and one girl from Israel. We talked for close to an hour while we waited for our bus to the trailhead, we talked about lets hike together etc. But when we actually started the hike girl from Israel told me -- four of us just want to hike by ourselves!! So I said it was nice meeting you, good luck and took off. It was not like these other four people knew each other, they had all just met on the bus. It was a very strange experience indeed. Oh well...