February 15: So Long SE Asia

As I sit here in the Singapore airport (the biggest, cleanest, brightest airport I’ve ever seen), enroute to Sydney, I thought I might take a moment to reflect on my 6 weeks in SE Asia. As I began this trip on January 5, I had no real pre-conceived ideas of what I might encounter and what it might be like. I decided to take each day as it came and try to absorb and be in the moment throughout. I mostly succeeded with this objective. With no “to do” list and such dramatically different surroundings it was almost easy to be in the now and go with the flow (such old school metaphors)! I believe that my first post even quoted Rudyard Kipling’s “east is east and west is west..” to describe how very different things seemed. And that was true at the beginning. As I became accustomed to the way things are done and work in this part of the world it all seemed to simply be.

I’ve already summarized Vietnam and Cambodia, and my 4 weeks there. The last 2 weeks in Thailand were “same same, but different”. Thailand is significantly more modern and advanced than Vietnam or Cambodia (with the exception of Hanoi, which seems to be becoming more metropolitan). Bangkok is a huge city with interesting architecture and tall buildings as far as the eye can see. And then, in the shadows will be a street market in an alley, with food being cooked on the street, and raw meat being sold along with fresh fruits and vegetables along the sidewalk. So much like in Vietnam, but among these enormous skyscrapers. And then the modern sky train juxtaposed against the public ferry, with people crowded on board for 15 Baht to travel up and down the river rather than navigate the traffic in the streets. Thailand in general was cleaner than it’s two neighbors — less trash on the street and in the rivers — still some evident, but clearly the country is working towards cleaning it up.

Chiang Mai has retained it’s old world charm in the old town, but with modern restaurants in addition to street vendors. And Chiang Rai is a sprawling city with no discernible town center. And the hill tribes in the north still rely on farming and now tourism, and the poverty is much more evident. The beach islands and towns in the south are where people flock for sun — from France and Hungary and Brazil and Argentina and Australia. Thailand is a very diverse country geographically and very commercial in terms of how it has blended with the West in business. But the commonality across all of the Thai people I encountered was how friendly everyone was — big smiles and greetings and offers to help. And English was widely spoken. And every single Thai person is still mourning and commenting on the death of their King (Rama IV) in October. He was revered and did much to make Thailand a better place for it’s people.

All three countries suffer from some sort of internal political intrigue/corruption/issue. Cambodia seems to be the worst of them, and the poverty was much more pronounced there too. And this entire region is benefitting from tourism — not just from the West, but also from China and Korea and Japan. Clearly the big temples and palaces were a draw, especially during the Lunar New Year, but in general you got the sense that the tourist economy is recognized as being valuable. The toilet facilities across the area are similar, and the need to put TP in the bin instead of in the bowl is a requirement I will not miss. I began to enjoy the stir fry, noodles, spring rolls and of course, rice, but am looking forward to a change in diet. The food felt safer in Thailand, again it seems that this country is ahead of the other two by 30 – 40 years. Perhaps because while they had their own internal political strife, Thailand was not really affected by the American/Vietnam war.

It has been eye-opening and heart-opening and at moments utterly exhausting. So many people! A wonderful and enlightening experience.

And here I will share some of the most interesting posted signs that I encountered along the way in all three places… Enjoy!