Category Archives: World Hats

Flashback Friday: Shop For A Hat, Get in the Local Paper- Vienna, Austria

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FlashbackFriIt’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted a look back into the past on Michael W Travels with a Flashback Friday.

Today I’ll be posting the first Flashback Friday of 2014. The topic has to do with one of my favorite things to buy while traveling- local & traditional hats. Besides buying a little something for Lucas on our trips, I try to avoid buying souvenirs. The only thing that I will still seek out are hats.

Here is the post:

  • Shop For A Hat, Get in the Local Paper- Vienna, Austria

This post was originally published on April 27, 2012.

a man wearing a hat
Authentic Alpine Hat

Searching For A Songkok- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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a man wearing a black hat

I’m always on the lookout for authentic and local hats to add to my collection.
While visiting Kuala Lumpur, I came across a hat that I had to buy before leaving Malaysia.
Here is the story about how I came across it and went on a little adventure to find it.

After stopping by the Petronas Towers (to buy tickets for a visit to the Sky Bridge & Observation Deck for the following day) we decided to check out the Suria KLCC Shopping Center. The main purpose of the visit was to stop by the food court which we had read about in our guide book.

While our main reason for visiting the Suria was to try the food, we also stopped by a few of the stores. One of them sold local clothing and things of that sort. I tried on a hat that we had seen some locals wearing but it was pretty expensive. I chatted a bit with the clerk and was told how it was a very popular hat among the locals.

Continue reading Searching For A Songkok- Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia →

An Awesome Souvenir: Policia Nacional Helmet- Colombia

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a white helmet with a green emblem
Colombia National Police Helmet

During our trip to Colombia (a few years back), Kim and I spent a few days in Bogota.
We both really liked the city and would’ve liked a bit more time there.

We visited a few museums in Bogota including the National Police Museum.
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The museum was really interesting. There were lots of displays featuring various gear and weapons used by the police over the years. There was also a lot of space devoted to Pablo Escobar, the infamous cocaine drug lord. The best part of the museum is that admission is free and you are given a private tour by a young, local guide serving their mandatory one year of service with the police.The guides seemed to be enjoying their jobs  and told us they were happy to have people to practice their English with.

a police officers standing outside of a building

When we left the museum, we saw lots of small shops selling police paraphernalia.
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One of My Favorite Hats- Thailand

Trip Reports, World Hats,
a black hat with multicolored pom poms

On our trip to Thailand a few years back, Kim and I took a day trip from Chiang Mai to visit the hill tribes. Along the way we stopped at a butterfly sanctuary, an underground temple and another temple or two.

The trip was a long day and the highlight was our visit to see the hill tribes. The visit wasn’t the most authentic feeling but it was still interesting. The area we  visited was basically a crafts village with members of various hill tribes selling their goods and posing for photos.

Shop For A Hat, Get in the Local Paper- Vienna, Austria

Trip Reports, World Hats,
a man wearing a hat
Authentic Alpine Hat
One of my favorite souvenirs to buy while traveling is hats. I wrote about this in my post about my purchase of a Tarboosh in Egypt. (You can read the post here)
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On my trip to Vienna, my must buy souvenir was a Traditional Alpine Hat.
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After visiting a store which sold traditional clothing and hats near Hofburg Palace, I decided that a nice, authentic hat was out of my price range. I’d have to start looking in regular souvenir shops and hope to find a good imitation.

a framed picture of a garment

Continue reading Shop For A Hat, Get in the Local Paper- Vienna, Austria →

The Last Tarboosh (Fez Hat) Maker in Cairo, Egypt

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a group of people posing for a photo
My wife and I with shop owner

One of my favorite souvenirs to buy on a trip is a hat native to the country that I am in. It can be a traditional hat or one popular with locals.

In Egypt, the tarboosh used to be worn by every “effendi” (gentlemen) according to Lonely Planet. It was also worn by the military until 1950. I read in my guide book that there was one shop left in Cairo that makes the tarboosh. The shop is a close walk from the famous Khan Al-Khalili Market & right near Mosque- Madrassa of Al-Ghouri. It is located in the clothes & carpet market at 36 Al-Ghouriyya Street.

I was once offered a Fez hat for my collection but turned it down. All of the hats that I have were purchased or given to me in the countries that they were traditionally worn in.

When I read that Egypt had a Fez hat called a Tarboosh, I had to track down the shop that makes them. I want the real deal, not some touristy version!

Continue reading The Last Tarboosh (Fez Hat) Maker in Cairo, Egypt →