On the one hand, the ethnic tourist seeks souvenirs from the source, from the real actual place. And somewhere in between the two is the traveler who buys the same shirt as the ethnic tourist, only from a classy store in the international airport. There may be real meaning in the shirt bought, but it soon dissipates and comes to represent the totality of the journey. It becomes a symbol of your entire tourist encounter. The shirt, postcard and photograph are symbolic measures of travel.
Culture becomes packaged with the emergence of gift shops.
One can wander from Nepal to Thailand to Indonesia in the matter of minutes. Nepal becomes a box of incense, a cheap bracelet, a tapestry. Indonesia becomes a batik, a wood box, a puppet. Thailand is an elephant covered with little mirrors that , if you look closely enough, reflect the real surroundings of Portland. One is able to travel without ever stepping on a plane, bus or boat.