quaint |kwānt| adjective: attractively unusual or old-fashioned.

A funny little travel thought: Many things most American’s find quaint, rare and cool are how people in the developing world live everyday.

1. Farmers Markets

Parking lot gatherings of small, local fresh veggies and fruit sellers are all the rage in America these days, especially for the yuppie, slow food, whole food crowd.  Every town in America is trying to organize and grow these ‘Farmer’s Markets’ to add to their hip, creative class vibe.  Organic is in.

Elsewhere in the world, these types of markets are the only places to buy food, unless you want to hunt down much more expensive food at the supermarkets in a distant big city.   Plus, all the produce at many of these markets in Africa are likely 100% naturally organic (mostly cause they can’t get fertilizers).  [Photo of a pepper seller from a market in Chang Mai, Thailand]

2. Overland Train Journeys

There’s only a handful of epic passenger train routes across America still remaining today, and our obsession with cars will likely bring an end to these ol’ passenger lines one day.  The image of staring out across vast open spaces through a wide train  window as it ‘clickity-clacks’ down the tracks seems so 19th century to us.

Well, in Asia and Africa the BEST and cheapest way to travel is just like that, and most people use trains to travel, over the more expensive airplanes.  I’ve crossed India north to south and east to west via trains and the 2-day epic train ride from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia is probably my favorite single journey of my 3 year trip around-the-world trip.  Trains are my absolute favorite way to travel.  [Photo from the train journey from Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia, taken somewhere in Tanzania]

3. Coke in Glass Bottles

Coca-Cola is an American invention and it’s iconic curved glass bottle logo is likely the world’s most famous trademark.  Yet, when most Americans come across a proper glass bottle of Coke, they usually pause before taking the first sip to admire the look and feel of the “good ol’ days.” Old glass Coke bottles sell as collector’s items on eBay for ridiculous sums of money.

Elsewhere in the world, the only way to get a Coke is from a worn-out, scuffed-up glass bottle with a tight fitting bottle cap top.  They’re cheap (probably averaging 20-30 US cents a bottle, often times cheaper than water), plentiful (you can get Coke everywhere, and I mean everywhere in the world), and I’m certain Coke tastes better in a glass bottle. [Bottles in Shanghai, China. Photo courtesy of Gregory Perez]