I've got to second this -- what makes extended time in other countries so much fun isn't going to a tourist trap and buying kitch. The fun part is getting drunk as hell with a restaurant owner because you're (a) the only foreigner he's ever met, (b) you can say 'thank you' and count to ten, and (c) you ordered the local delicacy.

Or running into a birthday party for a bunch of people you've never met and being invited.

Or sleeping on a park bench because you missed the train.

Or getting yelled at by the check-out lady because you are too stupid to understand the fruit-buying process (thanks for that one, David).

It's the weird stuff and the hardships, the jump outside of your comfort zone, that make time abroad a worthwhile thing.