This resonated deeply with me and actually, I was struck by the simple truth here. I just returned from a trip to Phuket (which I cut short and ran back home) because of three things:1. The Thais seemed very unwelcoming to me - a single, brown woman traveling on a budget.

2. The western tourists (all white, in this case) had an unhealthy distrust toward me for some reason, and they all traveled in packs and did a lot of begpacking and busking where they could. To the point that many “shops" on the main street were clearly selling old t-shirts and used bags and had white salespeople.

3. It was so much more expensive than I had imagined and so, instead of trying to survive by illegitimate means, I chose to return and save myself the embarrassment and stress.

But, the idea that I could call some of my experience a result of prejudice didn’t cross my mind, maybe because I was so focussed on how to fix things. But as a traveler myself, wherever I go, I have to start saving and planning and booking and applying months in advance, because any little glitch or oversight in one of the papers can land me in a bad spot. As an Indian woman, I’ve seen many troubling things on my travels, but this bureaucratic nonsense is the most prejudiced hate crime of a system there is, and I thank you for stating it clearly enough for me to say it too. ☺