Men's Second Style

Everyone who has ever travelled to another country knows that feeling. The feeling of being the outsider, the one who doesn’t blend it, that everyone knows is totally outta place. And most of us know that when some tourist shows up in your home town, you feel the exact same way about them. Some try their best to blend in, others don’t care that you laugh at them.
In Second Life, due to the sheer number of people and sims, its inevitable that someday you’ll end up somewhere where you just don’t fit. Stokely Mayfair, who blogs over at From Stokely’s Closet, and I both tried our hands at being stylish tourists for under 3000L.

Express Zenovka – A Taste of India

Since I was a boy and my uncle first read “The Jungle Book” to me, I have always wanted to go to India. We weren’t very well off and our trips to anywhere were far and in between. So when my professor told me the department could fund a trip to India for research, I leapt on the opportunity. It was a sixteen hour flight, so when we finally landed I was the first on my feet, ready to rush off the plane.

We landed late in the afternoon, and I didn’t know much of the local lanuage, but I managed to find my way to the hostel. Come morning, I regretted my decision to sleep in a tshirt. My arms were covered in bug bites! The hostel owner saw my arms and offered me a longsleeved shirt, which I gladly accepted. Since I knew the sun would be beating down soon, I put on my panama hat before taking to the streets. I wanted to take in as much of the rural farmlife as I could. That was, until I smelled my first cow.

In an attempt to forget the stench, I decided to go out shopping. I wandered the streets, eye wears from different vendors. One sari vendor had a few smaller lengths of cloth and called me over as I walked by him. He showed that they were for turbans. After teaching me the trick, he tried to sell me one. I was so excited I almost bought one, until I realized he was probably ripping me off. I started haggling with him and bought the turban at half his final price!

After shopping all morning, I had managed to work up an appetite. While I was eating some dosas at a small restaurant, I noticed that some man had led an elephant and her child to the store across the way, carrying lumber and cloth on their backs. I’d always wanted to ride an elephant, so I scrambled across the street and begged the guy for a ride. A few rupees were exchanged, and I rode the elephant’s head all the way to the local temple. I will admit, the man looked at me strangely as I sang out Colonel Hathi’s march for the first half of the trip.

It was a temple to Ganesha, the elephant headed god. During my studies, I’d learned he was the remover of obstacles and associated with scholarly pursuits, so it was fitting that I visit his temple before I began my research work the next day. The rest of my trip may be in a research library, but but at least I had one day to explore a slice of Indian life.

Stokely Mayfair – European Tourist

A couple of things came to mind when this challenge’s topic was proposed…the main question in my mind being “How do I want to do this?” I struggled a little with doing a sort of high fashion-ish lightweight fabric and khakis thing…sleek sunglasses and a snappy pair of designer sandals etc…very resort, yet very tourist. But then I realized, that’s just not me, and everyone knows it! I decided to take the route in this genre that is more me, and actually base it off of my personal experiences with travel and tourism.

That being said, here’s what my experiences entail…roadtrips, traintrips and backpacking through Europe. We’re talking touring on a budget here, which means you won’t always be in the cleanest of places or most comfortable surroundings…yes, that would indicate the need for comfy casual stuff! Honestly, this is the kind of outfit you could sleep in on an overnight train if need be and still look somewhat together when you disembark to catch a few local sites and a decent hostel to call home for a few days!

And all for under 3000L! There’s a freebie or two hiding in here as well!

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