News Scrapbook 1986

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Wednesday, August 20, 1986 - 9

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Chef) le Besemer/Kaleidoscope Editor

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111g to tour guides overseas and ha begun to build a network of contacts in the places she ha· visited Such guides will usual- ly negotiate their prices . Becker already had rescn·ed a room when she landed in Bangkok But with the help of a local she met at the airport. she found clean, comfortable lodl(· ings for$16 per night. about halt the pnce of the room a travel agent had booked for he1. 'The guides 1\ iII show you the hotel room first." said Becker, so you ri k nothing. ln Hong Kong. Becker ad

r.ultural awarene ·; for traveler· to Mo !em nations is particular]} \ ital. Becker said. You ran uninter twnall) offend people 1fyou ar • not a\\are of a country's cu,to1J1s Saudi men assume a protccti\·c role to- ,1 ard women \\hen11omen(111- cluding mene none J go out, Be<'ker rPlated the) mu. t wear an al.mta a long-sleeved. ankle- length black robe bel'ause the female 11 ure I thought to be enticing Beckt.:r said he was not reql.ired to wear a veil. though he u,rnght one as a ouv n · S111gle women in Saudi Ara- bia may not v, ·1t with single men, Becker rontinucd. and the) cannot drn e or go shop- pin" alone. C1llng other signifi- eant cultural differences. Beck- er aHI it 1. improper for a \I oman to look a Saudi male in the e;e when talkmg to him, and it is c:ons1clered rude to accept more than three cups of coffee from a Saudi host. Oespit(• thE: restrictions. Becker described her stay in Saudi Arabia as a positive ex- perience and admired the emphasis the Saudis place on family umty. "A lot of American travelers make the mistake of wanting to change the culture," said Beck- er. Her aim wa to understand the Saudi point.of new and the cultures of the other countries she visited while overseas. She saw herself a a teacher and a learner One of the benefits of taking the job abroad was the oppor- tunity it afforded her to travel during her time off, and this blonde, blue-eyed American was a curiosity as she ventured unescorted through Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Thai- land. She was often asked where her hu band or boy- friend was. Because she was alone and more approachable, Becker is convinced she met more people and had more varied experiences than if she had been with a companion or on a group tour. "On a tour everything is handled for you so you never learn to cope," she said. Also, tour rates are usually for dou- ble occupancy, so single travel- ers must pay more to go with a group, Becker does recommend talk-

attlctt B( ck,.r Jirrnly b •11 v' lhut when peopl(' pul thl'lll· cln· 111 ne\\ 1tua- twns, they guin from

tht m Though he h 1s always l1kccl to trn1Pl BPtkPt only re-

\\omnn Tra~eler' is set for Thur day Sept 11, at ti 30 pm. 111 Hoom 96 of San D1egu1to ll1gh s h

Staff photos!Tom Riggs Paulette Becker holds a vest, left, she purchased on a recent vacation. Becker finds adventure and culture travel- ing - alone - to foreign countries. Becker, above, wears a veil and an abaya popular in Saudi Arabia. always wanted to go. There are always ways to get out ofit ifyou get stuck,' she said, and will discuss baih 'lg out techniques in her class. In Paulette Becker's view solo traveling provides an ex: cellent way for women to take charge. "It's a wonderful build- er of self-confidence and self- esteem" [I{]

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Staff photos/Tom Riggs

no bigger than Becker's Cardiff dining room, on the seventh story of a building without an elevator. They shared a kitchen and bath with other families and had lived there for 12 years.

They are content and acted as gracious, generous hosts, Beck- er said. She recommends that women travelers "choose some place unfamiliar, a place they have