Whenever I travel to another country, I have some guidelines that I try to follow.
First, I learn some basic expressions of the local language. It’s just arrogance to visit another country and not know how to,
- greet people,
- excuse oneself,
- politely order food and drinks,
- ask where the restrooms are,
- thank them,
- and say goodbye.
This, I believe, is the very minimum that a tourist should learn. Memorize them and try to pronounce them correctly. I usually have a cheat sheet that I carry around. Beyond that, I try to count to ten, say where I’m from, and learn what gesticulations I shouldn’t do. Continue reading An Embarassingly Brief History of Cambodia: Khmer Notes no.3
The Quilting Sword 