On red hair, beards, and bamboo hats

Sorry, I’m not gonna pose with that ridiculous hat  … or put flowers in my beard for that matter.

I remembered seeing a ‘worldwide red hair distribution map’ and knew there was a little hot spot somewhere in Russia, Central Asia or the Caucasus, but wasn’t sure if Georgia was part of it (Spoiler: It isn’t). I also noticed that Orthodox priests tend to sport quite the impressive beards, so surely this can’t be that unusual either here (Spoiler: It is).

My guide for my upcoming hiking trip to the Pankisi valley asked me to bring her a bamboo hat from Thailand. Not that people in Thailand wear them, but as it turns out, tourist vendors at the Chatuchak market in Bangkok will happily sell them for 55 THB.

Long story short: Running around with two backpacks, a facial firetruck and a bamboo hat gets people to stare. A lot. I’ve since then been informed that I look like Buddha. Or a ninja. Same, same I guess. Though the most commonly people wonder if I’m Chechen or Wahhabite. But apparently I smile too much for that.

I since re-googled and the red head distribution map: here you go.

Karsten Aichholz

Karsten is a 30-something tech entrepreneur turned writer who finds his travel destinations on CNN. As an active couchsurfer and host he loves to meet new people and find out what makes them tick. He can be bribed with iced coffee and beta accounts for mobile spreadsheet apps.