Sadly, all those American kids with Canadian flags on their backpacks are doing it for a reason. They otherwise find that on occasion some bias creeps into the way they are treated in comparison to other travellers. It took me while to figure out, but on my last trip I noticed that sometimes people were initially a little cooler, more distant than in previous trips. Not all places, but after a while I figured out that it was because my current bike has US plates and that is enough to trigger a bias if someone happens to have one. It goes away soon enough, when they figure out that you are not American as in my case or when they separate the individual from government foreign policy as mentioned by previous posters. It serves as a reminder of the far reaching implications of foreign policy and that we serve as ambassadors of our countries when travelling overseas.

Yanks, I bloody love,em.As a bar owner in Ecuador all I can say is that they come in have a great time,spend loads of cash,drink like fish,eat like horses,pay their bill without complaint!!! leave a bloody great tip for the waitresses and say we,ll be back tomorrow and actually come back and do it all again.
God save the good ol USA and all who sail in her,I,ve seen a load of people from a lot of nations at their best and worst in the pub business and in general the Yanks are better behaved than most.Long may they continue to get pissed as rats and leaving big tips
Albert,The Turtles Head,Quito Ecuador.

It's not the Americians per sae but their Governments Foreign Policy.

If anyone asks, I'm an American. From the USA.....whatever. What difference does it make. I deliver, via ships, food cargoes for WFP(World Food Program), USAID, CARE, Feed The Children, Catholic Charities, World Vision, UNICEF, The Menonites,.... and so on. We never ask for thanks, and don't expect any. We work directly with the locals and rarely encounter any hostilities. We're just a bunch of average Joes doing our thing. Even in countries that supposedly target the US politically. It doesn't stop the flow of food. I can only say, like "Popeye the Sailor" would say in the old cartoons " I Yams what I Yams and dats all that I Yams".....unquote. I could never pretend to be another nationality for whatever reason. Whatever policies the US has is the burden US travelers bear (regardless of their policies). I've always found that when it comes down to it, most people I've talked to think their governments suck in one way or another. Be it corruption or ridiculous politicians or policies.....and such is life. Now and historically. If you're a good person, good people will seek you out. "Always keep your front wheel in front of you"... Good ridin... Smitty

Sadly, this thread turns into a political thread.

There are also some other Americans who deliver, via ships (or plane) guns, bullets, bombs, tears, sorrow, etc for some reasons..

Local people knows why you are there and what are you looking for. If you are on a motorbike with dirty clotes they know that you are there just to see the other side of the hill, and, they know that you are an adventurer who wants to know about the world.

I dont want to involve such a political discussion. This is a traveler website. Only who loves travel and seeing places are here.

No one wants to hear if you are proud or not about your nations. We have to be proud just because we are human, and, help for human.

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ozhan u.
website under construction

Ozhanu, you are right that this is not a political forum. But remember this-

..you may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in YOU.

You cannot ignore it, even if you'd like to. Many countries, including mine and yours, have a nasty history. If you're not aware of politics/history, then you will say the wrong thing somewhere, and land in trouble. In your case, I suggest that you be politically aware when talking to Armenians or Kurds or Greeks. If you think you can travel yet be unaware of poilitics then you are heading for trouble...

Good roads

Caminando,

I did not say (or write) that I am not interested in politics. I have just said that i dont want to be involved such a political discussion, but, unfortunately i am in for last time.

If you live in Turkiye, if you are Turkish and if you have graduated from a university (and did PhD in the UK) you have to have an idea about the nations and their problems all over world, and you have to interested in politics, read history what the other nations done in Middle East, Central Asia, Far East, Australia, New Zeland, South Africa, why and how Greeks attacks to Turks at the end of first world war, where the guns and money come to Kurdish terrorist group PKK, etc..

Yes, I am interested in politics, but, only in the right time and right place! Not in a traveler forum. On my previous thread I have just pointed out that this is a traveler website and there is no need to go in politics deeply.

"Getting information about political situation "and "writing something patriotic - politic" are compelety different things. So, in your case, I suggests you to that not to mix the apples with pears.

ride safely.

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ozhan u.
website under construction

Albert, I'd like to check your joint out next time in Quito. Do you happen to know Pat Dunn. We were partners in a Bar in Costa Rica a number of years back. He had a place "Nashville South" in Ecuador. I heard he got wacked by robbers last year. They were trying to get his body back to San Jose. Just wondered if you knew him. Smitty

We have it coming.

We (the USA) are the last of the super powers. We bully the rest of the world around. We tell them how to run them selves. We invade, in force no fly zones, knowing destroy infrastructure that hurts civilians not there government or military. Impose rulers on them they did not vote for then tell them we want them to vote.

If the rolls were reversed we will be hating on them.

We tell them its for the safety of the world, that if the USA stepped in sooner WW2 may well have never happened. And the CIA was built to do just that. And all we are doing is to help. The USA is the worlds police? I don't remember voting that in, I don't see that in the UN charter.

So many people hate the USA but most don't hate people from there.

As far as not being "political" hate to tell you but world travel for Americans is ALWAYS political. Americans need to watch what they say, what they do.
I live 60 miles or so miles from Canada every time I go there I here about something people don't like about me, Bush, USA health care, USA education, redneck hicks, or some other things they seem to want to talk about. Even at the HU meeting there. I smile try to explain I didn't do it, I hate them to, and don't care I'm out on a ride and if they have any ideas on cool places to go (works on even the worst of people there) No there is no way for the American to get out of the political crap.

Yep I heard some rumors about this guy but I never met him,but I know his bar was in the costal city of Manta and that it had a bit of a reputation for being a wild place,Manta in general isn,t to dangerous place,so I guess he pissed off the wrong people.

Quite surprised that this thread is still running; It has quite a few posts so it is, therefore, very likely that everything that can be said, has been said -- perhaps that is why threads seem to turn toward politics as such rather than how politics impacts on bike riding?

Anyway, I don't normally get involved in this type of discussion; similarly to other posts here, we can get all the politics that we can handle elsewhere and there is no need for such on this forum, IMHO.

But, as a reality check, the USA is the world's policeman just as the UK was a century or more ago and the Romans were a couple of thousand years ago; the real world problems will occur when the US chooses to give up on this essential task or declines in status etc etc to the point where that nation has no other choice in the matter.

I prefer to have the US as the current super-power than, say, Russia (check out Putin in todays news) or China.
No need to "apologise" for USA foreign policy DLbiten (and I don't think you are in fact) - someone has to be the worlds policeman, and pay for it!!!
Democracy is a pretty flawed type of Government, until you see the alternatives (loosely quoting WS Churchill).

That's me finished with politics on here!!

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Dave

I have travelled and lived all around the world. I have never hidden that I was an American, but didn't necessarily go out of my way to let people know either. One thing for sure is that people around the world understand that you can't choose where you are from, only how you act. If treated with respect/friendship almost without exception they will reciprocate.

Bad people look for any difference as an excuse. In our own countries being a different color, social class, religion can be just as dangerous (physically or mentally) as in most of the world.

I feel bad for those that want to hide who/what they are. Take the opportunity to be an ambassador for what you want Americans to be seen as.