Trip review and reflections

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Well, I am back home now, and it will take some time to readjust. It was one of those trips where I felt like I could keep going, but circumstances made me come home.
It’s been 3 months of traveling in South and Southeast Asia. I visited 7 countries, 6 of them new ones for me (all but Thailand). I took a couple dozen flights and stayed in dozens of different hotels/guesthouses and three homestays.
It was a really great trip, and I think there are a few reasons for that. One, I was really ready to get away for a while. Two, nothing bad happened. No serious illness, accident, robbery, etc. Three, I came during the right season, so I had great weather, usually warm without being too hot and almost never rain. Four, except for a week in Bangkok (a place I like), every place was a totally new experience I hadn’t had before, and I didn’t stay in any place long enough to get tired of it. Finally, and perhaps most of all, although I was traveling alone, I met many people along the way, so I rarely felt lonely. The volunteers I met in Sri Lanka, the host family and Polish friends in Nepal, my guides in Bhutan, my street performance crowds in Myanmar, the farmers in the Philippines - all these ensured that I never felt alone very long. So when I did have time alone, I enjoyed it.

Most the countries I visited on this trip have a per capita income of $100 a month or less. So the lack of money and people’s desire, or rather need, for it was one recurring theme. The place I had to pay the most money to visit (Bhutan) is the place where people seemed least concerned about money, where I saw the least poverty, desperation or class divisions. But Bhutan is very small and (unless you’re Bhutanese), pretty irrelevant. In Sri Lanka and Indonesia, as I mentioned before, it felt like people were only interested in my money. In multiple cases, they were willing to lie and cheat to get it. In Nepal, I met some genuine people, and in Myanmar, many people just wanted to know where I was from and say hello. But everywhere, (except Bhutan again) people were trying to sell me things, at times and in places more aggressively than elsewhere. Except for Sri Lanka and Indonesia, it wasn’t too bad. However in every country I visited, it was clear that many people were unemployed or underemployed. I am sure this has been going on for many years, and has little to do with the recent global recession. I met many drivers (taxi, tuk tuk, horse cart, rickshaw and trishaw) who would be lucky to get one or two customers a day. Souvenir and postcard sellers in the same situation. Sometimes sitting around for hours and days, just waiting for the next customer, so they can make $1 or $2. When asked, they all told me some days they have no customers. I really felt bad seeing people who want to work but have few opportunities to make a decent living. The best way to help these people would be to create more jobs in these places. If a factory were to open paying 50 cents an hour, people would be lining up to apply for these jobs in almost every country I visited. And this (which would likely be criticized as exploitation) would probably do more good than all the well meaning volunteers and NGOs. I gave out some small banknotes a couple times, and I was followed for hours in hopes that I would give out more. Likewise, after dropping me off somewhere, drivers would offer to wait hours for me, so they could make another $1 or $2.

Another recurring theme has been multiculturalism/multireligiosm (?). For example, in Sri Lanka, the majority is Buddhist, but there are significant Hindu, Muslim, and Christian minorities. Within a few blocks, you would see Buddhist temples, Hindu ones, mosques and churches. These same four religions, the world’s largest, their temples and followers, co-existed side by side in most countries on this trip. Only the percentages changed. For instance, Indonesia is mostly Muslim but nearly 10% are Christian, and the island of Bali is mostly Hindu. And there are many Buddhists as well. Every country also has multiple ethnic groups and languages. Often these differences have led to violence (Indonesia, Philippines) or even war (Sri Lanka). But for the most part, most of the time, people seem to be getting along. In Nepal, they are proud of the fact they haven’t fought over religious or ethnic differences. Of course, they had a long civil war, and have been fighting over political differences for decades, so they can’t be too proud.

Trip Highlights:
Seeing the tea farms and women tea pickers in Sri Lanka
Selling my used DVD’s to the local vendors in Sri Lanka (who ever heard of a tourist selling to the locals?! I hope they enjoyed watching “Bruno”…)
Snorkeling on Gili Meno (Indonesia) and Boracay (Philippines)
Visiting Borobudur and Prambanan near Yogyakarta (Indonesia)
Paragliding (and puking) in Pokhara (Nepal)
Doing many Mentos and Coke geysers in front of large crowds throughout Nepal, Myanmar, and the Philippines
Seeing the beautiful buildings and forts of Bhutan
Riding a horse cart around Bagan’s ancient temples (Myanmar)

Favorite Quote:
“Brother Jason, I am 48 years old. I have met so many kinds of people in my life. Brother, I have never met anyone like you” - Dawa (my host in Nepal)

Favorite meals:
Fatburger in Jakarta, Thai street food in Bangkok, Israeli food in Bangkok, Fire and Ice Pizzeria in Kathmandu, national dish in Bhutan made of potatoes, cheese and chilis. Homemade garlic lobster tails in Mindoro, Philippines. Overall, though, outside Thailand I’d much rather have even mediocre food at home than the best food in any of the places I visited. There’s also much less chance of it giving me food poisoning or an upset stomach.

Low Points:
Finding out the volunteer organization in Sri Lanka is a for-profit scam. Being scammed by new Sri Lankan “friends” ($20 in gas money for a short ride). And leaving with a bad feeling about the country as a result of these and similar experiences.
Discovering that much of Bali is a huge outdoor shopping mall (with more aggressive vendors than any shopping mall I’ve ever visited!).
Learning that to see the best known and presumably most beautiful places in Nepal I would need to trek several weeks, or pay thousands for a helicopter, neither one a viable option.
Salt in my pineapple juice in Myanmar. WTF?!
Stray dogs roaming the cities at night, in every single country I visited!

Things I won’t be taking for granted now:
Good food, reliable electricity, running water, being able to drink water from the tap, hot water, good roads, fast and reliable internet, being able to communicate in English, being able to use dollar bills even when they’re slightly dirty, marked or worn out, not being hassled or stared at walking down the street.

Things I will miss:
The excitement of discovering new places, the relative ease of making new friends, the VIP treatment I would often get as a foreigner, feeling rich when at home I'm not (not just for selfish reasons, but for the positive impact my money would have), learning something new and expanding my horizons every day.

Overall ratings:
First, let me say I enjoyed my time in every country. Every country has some great places to see and things to experience. Also, in some places people were friendlier than others, in some places more aggressive, but everywhere I went, it wasn’t hard to get a smile out of people. This is definitely another reason I had a great trip. Here I compare to my expectations, which were always reasonably high (or I wouldn’t have gone!) to my actual experiences.

Sri Lanka: Disappointing overall; wouldn’t go back. Loved the tea plantations, though. This was going to be my main destination, so I probably started with too high expectations. Beaches weren’t great, people weren’t great, most “sights” were overrated (e.g. the big rock of Sigiriya hyped as “the 8th wonder of the world”; not even close). Culturally, not half as vibrant or colorful as Nepal or India; scenically, nothing special (except, again, the tea plantations, but that’s a one, or at most two day excursion).
Indonesia: Mixed bag, but not wowed; would go back, only because it’s so big and there’s so much I haven’t seen. Loved Borobudur and Prambanan. Some unique cultural features in both Bali and Java. People too aggressive. Bali was a massive letdown. Overdeveloped and overly commercial. Gilis were nice, but can find same or better islands by the dozen in Thailand.
Nepal: Mixed bag. A bit too much like India (crowded and dirty). Didn’t feel as unique as I expected and hoped. Trekking anywhere good (Anapurna, Everest Base Camp, etc.) takes at least a few weeks. At the time of year I visited, most the landscape was very arid. Terrible infrastructure; lots of political problems (strikes, etc.). Bad hygiene means you will probably get sick (I did, and only here). Nice temples and lovely old towns in Kathmandu Valley. Nicer people than in previous countries. Loved my host family. Might come back.
Bhutan: Great. Loved it, and highly recommend for a unique experience. But 5 days was enough. Small country, and evenings are dead. Might come back.
Bangkok: Thailand is always fun. Will come back. But more for the islands than Bangkok. A week in Bangkok was a couple days too long.
Myanmar: Loved it. 2 weeks was barely enough. Frustrating infrastructure (internet extremely slow and often down, no ATMs or credit cards, power often out) but that’s part of its charm in a way. A step back in time. Nice people, some world-class sights, attractive cities (Yangon and Pyin U Lwin). Highly recommend, but come with patience (and cash!).
Philippines: Liked it. Not very interesting culturally, cities not attractive. But friendly people, and over 7000 islands to explore, so I will probably come back.

These are my opinions and impressions. Others will certainly feel differently.

It was hard, but I selected my two favorite photos from each country, so 14 in all. Here they are.
If any readers of this blog need travel advice, I am always glad to provide.
I will update this blog again when I go on my next big trip, whenever that is… I might even update with a domestic trip if I go somewhere interesting.

In the meantime, all the best and happy travels.

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Comments

[Zaw ni Zaw]

asia travels
happy that you enjoyed visiting all those countries...including mine... should have gone to the chin hills, or kachin state, the scenery there is great there, and if you are in thailand do't stay in Bangkok, go out to the country side, visit the north west part... like Chaingrai, the people and climate there is better, and Bangkok's not Thailand..., food usually and drinks as well, be careful, as it is not usually made to suit your own palate..., like pineapple juice and salt, totally local acquired taste...WTF.. is new to me... thought it was a UN Organisation, or some thing like that...LOL... Look us up when you come around second time...