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I think the most popular souvenirs from New Mexico are chile ristras and silver and turqoise Native American jewelry. Both are usually authentic and often sold by the artists themselves, so are generally authentic.
Some of the areas that are full of souvenirs that I enjoyed are the Banglamphu section of Bangkok, Thailand, the Thamel section of Kathmandu, Nepal, and the Sunday market in Otavalo, Ecuador.
It is really hard to find souvenirs that aren't made elsewhere. Some of my souvenirs that I bought in my youth hold memories of a place, but I really have no idea where they were made. I didn't pay too much attention then.
I do have a small beautiful wooden box, that is very well made. I bought it in Sorrento, Italy. It says that it was made in Italy, but I don't know if it was made in that area. Still, it reminds me of a wonderful trip.
Now I buy very few souvenirs and if I do I make sure they are made at least in the country I'm visiting.
It is rather discouraging to see tourists visiting B.C. and buying plastic, made in China, totem poles and the like, especially when in the summer months, you may encounter a first nations carver on the street or even the seawall, making small carvings. I'm sure they are more expensive than the plastic ones, but I would think, it would be worth it.
Buying souvenirs is exactly like buying furniture home items, and resembles a subtle form of furniture home shopping.
Owning Souvenirs usually bring a relevant attachment to sense of location. Buying souvenirs is a natural phenomenon when people travel, and wanting to remember areas of the World they visited.
Yeah, I buy only high quality especially unique souvenirs, and they have to look visually impressive, and relevant enough to a country I am visiting. I am highly selective in what I buy.
Those plastic made in China totem poles doesn’t sound authentic. People should buy native, local made carvings of British Columbian totem poles, and get postcards of Vancouver Canada area.
Just about all souvenirs are made in China. I have a few nice locally made things, but none of them were cheap.
Mostly, I collect coffee cups with local pictures, all made in China, but inexpensive, easy to pack, and they get a lot of use once home.
There is tons of souvenir items not made in China at all, especially in some traditional European countries like Czech Republic, Romania, and Slovakia. What is your definition of cheap in souvenirs?
I spent around $259 USD in 30 Souvenir Items from 5 Countries of Europe this past summer, so a total of 30 separate items to equivalent price sounds affordable enough to me. My home feels even better than before to have foreign country objects all over my house. I have no regrets in buying any item, and every item feels unique.
Last "souvenir" I bought was a meat cleaver in Hong Kong. Nothing special, HKD80, bought in a kitchen supplies wholesale. I wanted to buy one for quite some time back in Austria, but most shops here don't have them (or I didn't care to look for it properly...). They are abundant in China, so I got it.
Not a huge fan of tacky magnets or ceramics, though.
I don’t understand why you have negative pessimism about life, and to not realize some souvenirs are worth buying, and very interesting form of furniture home items.
In Vienna Austria right around Innere Stadt, I bought refrigerator magnets representing private rooms inside Palace of Schonbrunn, tons of chandeliers, candles, and golden carved walls in visual image of magnets. I bought extra magnets of complex national Austrian castles, and province symbols. I bought 3 colored plates showing colorful historical architecture of buildings, and castles carved into design of plate. I bought one item corresponding to a musical instrument item, and a small cup with an intense abstract surrealist image on the cup.
I don’t know how anyone sane, and rational can find that tacky? Those are high quality, top notch, souvenir furniture home items.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tone77
Some of the areas that are full of souvenirs that I enjoyed are the Banglamphu section of Bangkok, Thailand, the Thamel section of Kathmandu, Nepal, and the Sunday market in Otavalo, Ecuador.
Nice recommendations of specific souvenir shopping zone destinations in areas of foreign, traditional exotic cities!
Around Europe, I know some of those zones in some stores around Stare Mesto in Bratislava Slovakia, Innere Stadt in Vienna Austria, Stare Mesto & Mala Strana of Prague Czech Republic, and Eforie Nord, Costinesti, and Eforie Sud central village squares of Romania.
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