If you or I were dropped off in a remote corner of the globe, I am sure the people who live there without contact to the rest of the world would look at us just as unfriendly and suspicious. The thing is, that's just not true as a generalisation about all such places.

Some places - small towns, villages, cities, whatever, really are a lot friendlier than others, others are a lot more unfriendly and suspicious. The difference is down to all kinds of reasons, including what's happened in those places in the past.

Some countries are much friendlier than others. Spend some time in Ireland, including big city Dublin, and then come back through Wales and England to London, it's quite a shock. (And that's not denying there are seriosuproblem,s in Dublin and in other parts of Ireland.) They can be friendly enough places, but you have to work a lot harder at bringing that out in the people you meet. And identifying what it is that makes it harder or easier in different situations and places. (Jane Jacobs whom I mentioned is good on that.)

InOBU's pictures suggest he's been doing that kind of work pretty well.