I visited Thailand for a few reasons, but definitely being able to afford a lavish vacation was part of the draw. But as it turned out, I got to know a few locals and really fell in love with the country. Sadly, I haven’t had a chance to go back because the flight is so long and expensive.

I was on a sort of cultural tour. Yeah, we visited a clothier and a jewelry store and super-upscale restaurants, but we also visited roadside booths, temples, a school, a Karen tribe, and walking markets. And I’m a bit of an introvert, but I made a real effort to interact with and get to know some of the locals.

Going there changed me. Not in any way that is easy to describe. I didn’t go a nazi and come back a communist or anything. But that experience has kinda echoed forward through the rest of my life. It has reframed my thinking about some things.

Anyway, I would just suggest that while you’re probably largely right, sometimes folks get enlightened by the experience through no intent of their own.