Trinkets and Souvenirs

According to trusty Wikipedia, a "souvenir" is a memento or keepsake or object a traveler brings home for the memories associated with it. Fair enough I suppose. The definition listed above though is a bit trite in my opinion. After all, the summary makes it sounds like a random peach pit someone might choke on in Madrid, could fit the definition. We all know though, this isn't the case. Souvenir's tend to be those really lame things you can find in gift shops around the world: T-shirts, local "cultural" items, shot glasses etc etc. They are all of those things one brings home from a vacation and shows off to friends. Half the time, the "souvenir" could probably be flipped over to reveal a "Made in China" tag despite where you bought the thing... I mention this because I have developed a sort-of fascination over the years with the "souvenirs" foreign cultures think tourists will want to buy, the gullible people that purchase them, and the real gems that exist in these locations.

For instance, the Egyptians think that the golden ticket for tourist purchases is alabaster. Could be anything, just as long as it is alabaster, and made to look pretty old. Really, if it looks to be any sort of ancient trinket, people buy it. I must say too, the salesman in Egypt are way up the aggressive scale. You practically have to spray yourself with skunk odor to get these folks to leave you alone. I love their approach too:

Random tourist: How much for the alabaster pot?
Random gift-shop owner: $320! Original! Bery Old!
Random tourist: I'll give you $4 for it...
Random gift-shop owner: Make it $4.50...

And off someone walks with their "1000 year old alabaster pot". Everything is always "original" in foreign destinations as well. I was once in Luxor, and was taken to "the finest hand-made alabaster shop in the country" according to a guide. We were driven to a two-story factory in the middle of nowhere that had the alabaster on the second floor. The first floor was were it was all made "original". As we walked up there was a scene on the left side of the shop that I found hysterical. Five men in traditional clothing were sitting around holding all of the right tools with huge uncut pieces of alabaster. As we got out of the car, someone yelled to them and they quickly scrambled to start chipping away at the alabaster, drilling holes in it, one guy was even throwing water over it. The moment we walked inside, they all stopped and left their stations to resume whatever they were really there to do.

Anyhow, Egypt has it's alabaster, Jerusalem their wooden ornaments, Thailand it's suits, Guatemala their rugs and on and on. I say this to point out that there are in fact, great souvenirs from the places we visit that are original, do show local craftsmanship, and are one of a kind. A couple of pointers:

1. Anything found in the hotel, restaurant, or monument you are visiting is not unique.
2. When you go to a market, notice that 95% of the stalls sell the exact same things. Look for the one booth in the whole place that has different craft, and that's a good place to start.
3. Try to buy your souvenirs in the most back-alley, out of the way places you can find.
4. Art is usually a great purchase with loads of local influence and originality.
5. If you are a cruise-taker, any shop within a half mile of where the ship docks has a 500% mark-up on very standard goods.