The End of Asia
Dear All
Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town...
In a city lined with ping-pong girlie bars, giant glass buildings, and the green grey smoke of the red-blue-black tuk tuk sits your classic traveller whose same same but different t-shirt is worn at the shoulders from where an overused and falling-apart-at-the-seams backpack rubs against it. The streets at night is like daytime but the sky has just emptied its bladder of its afternoon urine and now the starry dark belly is only rashed by the odd clouds. To the left, the sounds of Khaosan ting with hawkers selling ethic minority ornaments, fish hats, flapping flying plastic butterflies as beautiful Thai girls trying to pull you into their bar. From the curbside, the Backpacker sees the drunken newcomers drinking openly on the road that closes to the cars only when the hard drinking begins. The alcohol chews at the lining of their stomachs and soon the demand for 15 Baht street Pad Thai or 10 Baht bag of fresh pinapple draws small disheveled crowds. The sloshed slither out at the one am last call singing bizzare off tone tunes and playng hacky sack with the Khaosan Thai using a wicker ball instead of a harden cushion sack. Here, in the land where all asian rules apply, the bars are temples and God's a she. Because sometimes she is a he. The ladyboys, some annoyingly more sexy than the real thing, amid the Thai girls (warm, sweet like tea), venture into the western oasis of Bangkok to score a few dollars or a free shower or a nice surprise (I get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine!) A friend walks by that the Backpacker hasn't seen since he has been to Laos, some two months ago, and even though they can't remember each others names, they talk through the formula of their adventures beyond the times they first met, non-commitally agree to meet at some point in the future then never see each other again. This happens a few more times in the night until the streets clear and the holidayers, some call them travellers, find their bed, their lover or someone elses. The Backpacker, 11 months into Asia, feeling the sobriety of the comforts of a familiar neighbourhood and the disorientation of completing nearly a year of travel, finds his way into the budget hotel, a yellow stained wall room, tiny enough to fit a single bed and a small table for his gear, and a shared bathroom, sleeps well into the next morning since nothing opens fully until ten am anyways.
I have been cramped in Bangkok for a long time now and have still some time to go. Cancelling my plane ticket to LAX, I purchased a new one which departs in the very early parts of August 22 morning. This has left me with a lot of time to relax in a city that is definately not about chill out, it's about party for most people but for me, Bangkok is about admin. This is the city where you can get your deoderant, new clothes or plane tickets, store the endless tourist crap that you've bought around SE Asia and post some other stuff home. Bangkok is a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pity to be looking at the bored, not looking at the city. Most people use this place as a it's central slingshot - a place to get your shit together then head off in various odd directions. The sightseeing in Bangkok itself is another thing.
Bangkok has become a well developed city for transport. There are endless numbers of ways to get around and the best way to see the major sites is by ferry. for 15 Baht or about 0.40 USD, you can cruise the entire length of the filthy Chao Phraya river, stopping at various exists and simply walking through from wat to wat - the first of which is the Wat Pho.Wat Pho (pronounced Poe, as in Edgar Allen) is the wat with the largest reclining buddha in it. The wat isn't as impressive as the ones in Myanmar as the exteriour design has more of a broken bathroom tile look to it rather than a golden awe. The wat takes only minutes to walk around and get the general idea of it's tourist place. The reclining buddha lies on its right site, has mini dreadlocks and is completely covered in gold foil. The tourist get shuffled through a little lane where you place your shoes then circle the buddha trying in vain to get a decent picture of the beast from around all the pillars that support the ceiling. You can find that perfect place by squeezing into the most crowded area of the wat where all the digital camera are flashing making the indoor lights meaningless. I managed to see this wat in about half an hour. The next destination was the Royal Palace and Emerald Buddha.
I walked to the Royal Palace, looked at the 200 Baht cover charge, stared down at my sandals and walked out. Open toe shoes are forbidden here but the reason I decided not to follow the current of tourists that pile out of their air con buses and shell out the five dollars to do this tourist trap is because I don't care to see any more Thai architechture. The more you travel, the more you know the value of where to spend your money and what to see. This is one of those things that doesn't seem worth it and probably won't be missed. Turning back and nearly bumping into a small group of fashionless Koreans, I headed out and past a bizarre amulet market selling little stone buddhas, vishnus and other rock idols (no Billy Idol though I checked) and onto the next ferry to get to the Forensic Museum.
My love for gore and the twisted is essentially insatiable and I favour it more than those beautiful beaches or landscapes that look like they've been painted by God. The Forensic Museum is placed in the university hospital of Siniraj Hospital and has been moved to a larger exhibition room from the second floor to the first of an entirely different building most likely thanks to the promotion offered in the Thailand LP. The LP claims that there are embalmed bodies of Thai criminals but enbalmed is a misnomer - they are actually dessicated and mummified - almost a prediction of things to come in my travels. The bodies lean off angle in humanly uncomfortable positions as their striated muscles expose through deep brown skin and their mouths open slightly as if to call for help from behind a rectangluar glass box prison. Descriptions of pedophile rape and murder in handwritten and awkward english and Thai is taped to the side of the display case while clothes of their victims are shown in boxes beside them. There are only two criminals in all and three glass boxes. The rest of the museum is a shelving unit style which display piles of bones, fetuses (unborn, deformed and conjoined) and many examples of gunshot wounds one specifically showing a preserved head cut dorsally so that the skull entry and exit points can be seen and, viewing from the side, the half face is still intact. There are even motorcycle accident amputation on display but not for what I can see as forensic use but more as an art gallery show exampling of various real tattoos. One man's arm and hand are on display with a full tattoo of an woman and a sword in a fancy design. Though this was one of the worst maintained exhibits I have been to and there was an out-of-place poster of extacy tabs and their labels included in the odd things to see here, I have to admit that I enjoyed this biological world that used to be a large part of my life once. The last place on my tourist itinerary was The Temple of the Dawn.
This temple is very similar to the other broken bathroom tile temples around Bangkok and so I managed to circle it and see it in its entirety in about twenty minutes. The thing that took the most time was the interviewing by two seperate groups of Korean and Thai high school students using this wat as a place to do a project incorportated into their english program so that most of the questions were very simple and basic. "What is the first thing you think about when I say 'Korea?" the little giggle girl asked. I, without much thought, replied "North Korea" but, in retrospect should have answered "Badly dressed women smelling strongly of garlic and wearing pink and red together with large hats" Maybe next time.
From start to finish, my day of touristing around took about five hours. That's it. Bangkok, oriental setting, has finished all it;s options for me and while waiting for my friend Andy to show up and Celia to return from Chiang Mai, I managed to burn away a week here and another week with their company essentially shopping which is what Bangkok is really good for. With both of them gone, I have a few days left to organise myself before the next epic journey. So what does someone do in Bangkok with little money and too much time?
As August 1st reared around the tourist started to pour in and instantly it became high season and impossible to find a room. Even the Japanese shithole with yellow stained walls stayed at in at maximum occupancy. There are few places to stay here and the streets are straight out chockers. Now I spend my time taking advantage of free movies at specific hotels that don't kick me out if I don't order food and I eat my meals at the same 20 Baht place behind the Burger King that serves me up huge portions. I use Bangkok as my office and I can't wait to leave. My itchy feet have changed from athletes foot to gangreen. I have done all my administration, shopping and now I use the Israeli Guesthouse's free internet service to research my trip through the Middle East. The days float by in a haze of watching TV, watching the Internet and reading my book. I can't wait to see something interesting soon.
I know that I need to appreciate the ease, comfort and safety of SE Asia before I start travelling hard. My next flight is to Cairo, Egypt and I am expecting hard touting, hot weather and Islamic mentality. In my original plan of travel, I was enticed by the idea that I would eventually make it to Africa and I, technically, can now say that I will be there with my plane landing on the western side of the Suez Canal (the Asian-African divide) though in reality and according to the LP, I am in the Middle East - birthplace to all three major religions. I am running out of time and money so the next few countries through the Middle East will be done quickly. My only concern is that my semitic looks may get me into trouble in some of the places I am heading but I will deal with that later (and with am Islamic mustache that I have just started to grow).
Interview
Where was your favorite place in Asia?
Oddly enough, it would have to be India with China as a close second. I met all the best people on this trip during my five months stay in India. Although the country is hard to travel and can drive you crazy sometimes, I use it as the measuring stick against all other countries. I found Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam somewhat boring and predictable, Myanmar was interesting but the food was terrible and Nepal, though a more pleasant version of India, was mostly about trekking and something I'm not into. Funny that during my time in India I never realised how magnificent it was and how its extremes made it unique. I didn't spend enough time in China to really appreciate it but I definately need to return. India taught me a lot about myself and what humans are capable of.
Who are your favorite Asians?
From the ones I met, I think the Burmese are the friendliest and least harassing with the Nepalese as a close second. There is something about the oppression they live in that makes them docile but extroverted. The Indians are business aggressive, the Thais just hate us, the Chinese won't speak to you, the Laos are too shy, the Cambodians and Vietnamese are like the Indians but less of them. The Award for Nicest Asians goes to Myanmar! (Korea, Japan and all those SE Asian island countries pending)
What have you learned from travelling?
I learned that people get along best with their own kind and that concepts like language, economics and culture build walls between us and them. The closer the concepts, the more you'll be able to relate to the other kind. It doesn't mean that integregration is impossible, it just means that it takes time.
The best phrase to learn in a new country isn't "hello" or "thank you" but "How much does it cost?"
The comfort of food is extremely valuable. Without it you can lose the desire to be where you are. Now I understand why then send local foods overseas to soldiers fighting in foreign lands. Without these creature comforts, the place you are can become unbearable.
In a world with nothing, nothing is wasted. In a world with plenty, plenty is wasted.
Tourism changes cultures and people - sometimes for the worst.
People are generally good but the definitions of good vary from culture to culture. It is acceptable to scam a westerner from his money even if "thou shalt not steal" is a fundamental part of the religion they hold dear.
It doesn't do you any good to get angry in Asia. You're on their land, you have no rights here and there are more of them than there are of you. Sometimes it is better to let yourself get scammed for that little bit of money that have to deal with the trouble.
The "principle" is more important than the money. Fighting over a few rupees, baht or shekels may be worth it if the "prinicple" is right though the amount of money you're talking about is trivial. Remember, they need it more than you do as you have the potential to earn more later and travel in ways they can't. Unfortunately, they never seem to realise that many of us go home to being poor and need to work hard to live a normal life. Many people in Asia live good lives in their country with little money - better lives than we do with a similar relatable economy. I see people working less here and relaxing more. They spend more time with their families and can eat better than we can. The only thing is that they are trapped by their limited income but so what? Travelling is a luxury and not a benchmark of happiness.
Sometimes, and only sometimes, the bad things they do to you are the same things they do to each other.
What have you learned about yourself?
There is an endless list of things that I could mention about myself that I've come to understand through travelling. I've become a much stronger person that I though I would be by the end and more adaptable. I have learned a sense of patience and understanding of the world that I never believed existed before I entered the third world. I have learned the importance of companionship and the value of friendship, its fragility and the value of solitude and it's necessity at times. I have come to the unfortunate grip that I am not compatiable with everyone though I try to be understanding, some people are just not meant to be friends and sometimes the effort isn't worth it.
In the same breath, I have also realised that everyone has a breaking point and, with enough time, it gets easier and easier to reach and I have lost my temper at times that seems unneccessary. There was a time when I would let the world roll over me and take what it liked but now the lion that once slept inside would awake and roar. In Asia, as I mentioned, it isn't always a good thing.
Asia has shown me the worlds extremes of generosity, with the Israeli's endless courtousy towards me and each other, and the self interested selfishness, as with the Indian greed and scamming. I have seen what I want to be and what I never want to be. Asia is a great teacher.
Will you ever stop travelling?
My travels have made me realise that there is no perfect place and I have to accept "the next best thing" whatever that may be. I can't keep hunting forever. Israel is my last stop and I will work for a few months there. I will turn 30 during this period and I feel the pressures of a real life on me. It has also made me realise some priority in life. I missed the birth of my niece and nephew and on now do I feel that my selfishness for self improvement could or should have done with a break. It may have bankrupted me and it was a hard debate not to go. Family and friends get compromised on the road especially when you leave for a long time. By the end of the year(s) both you and they are different people. Communication, no matter how small, becomes important to keep bonds together otherwise in a short time friends and family can dissolve Travel is a fantasy - an escape from the real world that accepts you. Living in a place is more real. Live life to its fullest no matter what.
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Next, in a few days, I will be in Cairo staring at one of the wonders of the world and hanging out with the Arabs.
Be well
Oren Jalon
World Traveller
This message is brought to you be Talia - ny newly born niece.
