flotsam and jetsam

Incidentally, can anyone out there enlighten me as to the difference between flotsam and jetsam? Is one on an incoming tide and the other on an outgoing tide? Does one float on the sea's surface and the other just below? Is one composed of natural elements and the other manmade? It's a question I've yet to resolve and any illumination is welcome.


Anyway, where was I? Oh yes. At home, when meeting someone at, say, a cocktail party, the first question is usually "what is your name?" followed by "what do you do?" and then pethaps "did you dress in the dark?", whereas when meeting someone whilst travelling the first question is invariably "where are you from?" (to be polite becuase it's usually pretty obvious where they are from - more on that later) and then "where have you been/are you going?" and "how long have you been travelling?" A long, in depth conversation can be enjoyed without ever finding out the person's name or occupation or marital status - what seems to be of primary importance is whatt someone's is doing at this exact time.


But then I guess that's travel in general. Day-to-day issues are paramount - where to sleep, where to eat, how to get where you want to go - with big, visionary issues such as why are we here and how is this culture similar and/or different to that one and how some truths are universal being slightly below the surface, while all the other issues that seem to be of such importance at home in reality are unnecessary and unimportant and irrelevant once away from that home. World news, when one comes upon it, is often as if from another planet. Politicians and economists and leaders almost look like ants seem from some great height, scurrying around on some activity that seems of great importance to them, but not at all to the eye looking upon them.


We know we will be back in the thick of our old lives before long, but this removal of concern, this change of perspective is actually quite refreshing and not to be dismissed as irresponsible.


For someone who hates making generalities of people based on stereotypes, it is shocking to me how easy it is to guess someone's nationality purely by how they act or what they say, even regardless of their accent. At a beach resort and seeing a large blond family or group of boisterous couples drinking and having a good time? They must be Swedes. A beautiful couple with a smooth-talking male and a distracted female? French. An older couple badly dressed but witty? Brits. A group of young lads drunk and loud? also Brits. Maybe Australians. A group of gals drunk and loud? Australians. A group of gals drunk and quiet? Brits. A really friendly couple that look unusually young? Dutch. Hearing a North American accent - if someone lights up a cigarette they are probably American rather than Canadian. Canadians all have Mountain Equipment Co-op gear. If someone asks you a question about yourself or your own trip - they are definitely Canadian. If they talk exclusively about their own city they must be American . There are never very many Americans travelling actually - the few there are travel in well-heeled family packs or because they work nearby. Swedes travel in packs as do Chinese. Germans used to, but the ones we've seen here travel in couples. Same with Spanish, French, Dutch, Danish, Swiss, Austrian, Malaysian, Singaporian, Brits. Except young Brits who travel in small packs (3 seems the preferred number). Austrailians travel in small packs too. Norwegians travel alone. Of courst this is rubbish - not reality at all - just an observation based on a tiny proportion of subjectively met travellers in 30-odd years of travel.


But things are slightly different based on where you see them. One of the most prominent things about all travellers to this part of the world is the tattoo. It seems everyone has at least one prominent tattoo, and most have many, or a full torso-full of them. It doesn't seem to matter if they are male or female nor where they are from (although practically all the males that sport them seem to be hairless - by choice I'm guessing) and all seem to be in the 20-40 age range, but every single nationally is well represented. I like that you can't guess where someone is from by how they look, but only by their mannerisms (or their voice, but that's too easy).