Do a tourist’s “Confessions” go too far?

Earlier today on the Vivirlatino blog, fellow contributor Maegan la Mala found what she called “a disgusting piece” in yesterday’s Sunday Times (UK). In the latest installment of the “Confessions of a Tourist” series, the author describes his visit to the “dirty, tawdry stinkpot” that is northern Mexico. “Mexico is a great big beautiful country” starts the piece before the author dives into a night of drunken revelry before being part of “hot Mexican love.”
Maegan did not mince words in her opinion on the article:

This piece of shit article published in the travel section of a mainstream media source may have been published as some sort of hipster style joke which is usually just racism with alleged "style" by a man who didn't use his real name, but the message is clear, Mexico and it's women are dirty, primitive and meant to be used by white tourists.

Maegan has a point; after reading other stories in “Confessions of a Tourist” they come off to me as a backpacker’s lame Penthouse Forums. Generally the tales from around the world involve an unexpected situation between a local and a native leading to some degree of shagging. Some of the stories are relatively innocent and could’ve been written in any locale around the world. Yet others like the one cited by Meagan take on a condescending tone that can turn off a reader (so to speak).

Last October alone “Confessions of a Tourist” highlighted stories from Latin America; one involved a “spontaneous, passionate, hot” tryst in Havana after tango lessons. Another involved a tourist who was alone with a Brazilian man after her bus broke down. You can probably figure out what happened next:

The next morning, exultant and a little hungover, I woke to a blazing sun - but no coach. It had gone, with all the other passengers. I was alone in the Amazon with a beautiful Brazilian man. We spent the next few days thoroughly exploring parts of the forest - and of each other.

What do you think? Are “Confessions of a Tourist” racist, sexist stories presented in the guise of a travel article? Or are they fun pieces that shouldn’t be taken too seriously?

Image- Yahoo Travel
Sources- Times Online, Vivirlatino