If you bring an iPod or mp3 player, use the ear phones only in private. The hordes of people I see wandering exotic locales with their earphones in baffles me! They may see the sites, but they totally miss the total experience which includes the sounds of speech, nature, traffic, people, or even local cops trying to stop you.<p>Also, in SE Asia, for some reason many expats seem to slowly descend into some sort of hippy state of clothing and hair styles, complete with dreds and such. This appearance may signify to like-minded expats how cool or laid back you are, but to the nationals there it is more evidence of how different you are, resulting in less interaction with the real scene. There are always nationals ready to accommodate these types of expats, but overall this scene is a very small part of any country/city/culture.<p>As someone else here suggested about listening more, then talk; watch more, then do likewise. This goes for physical appearance.