I realize that it is stating the obvious, but actually experiencing a country and its people is a world away from reading or watching something about it. Knowing that after a long hot day dragging through crowded destinations we would return to luxurious accommodations did make it easier to manage the crowds and often disturbing sights of squalid living conditions. Often the contrast between the lives of the majority of the people and the lucky few who had the best of everything was disturbing - though no more so than say in the rougher sections of Baltimore.
That said, the apparent devotion of the Thai people to their king and their religion, the determined struggle of the Cambodians to recover from Pol Pot, and the pride of the Vietnamese in their “liberal communism ” pointed toward openings for future developments that could improve the lives of many. Tourism is clearly an important element of that. I wish we could have spent more time in Hong Kong, as the litle time we did have left me puzzled and curious as to how it all worked.
So, all in all, this was a journey that combined comfort with learning and an unvarnished exposure to the economic and political realities of the countries we experienced. Plus we saw some amazing examples of temples, pagodas, palaces, and sky scrappers, as well as huge markets and traditional local industries like silk weaving and candy manufacturing by hand from coconuts and rice.
Not being a person who enjoys group tours all that much, my favorite tour was in Bangkok where we were able to hire a private tour guide (for just $100 for the whole day) and together craft an itinerary that gave us an in-depth experience of the city.
A few random photos to end with:
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| Ran out of money |
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| Bridge in Ha Long with Cable Car Tower |
Great trip. Glad I went along. Saved me a bunch of money. Lol
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