Monday, March 07, 2005
Unraveling: The Real Story
I feel that the last couple posts about Vietnam have been superficial at best, and the only excuse that I would have is the lack of time and my craving for the next adventure.
But now that I am sitting comfortably in front of a computer, I get to retell the story in a different light.
First of all, traveling as a single female has its pros and cons. For the time being, I see more advantages, as people have been extremely kind and helpful when the poor Asian girl looks confused. I am also playing the 'Japanese card' (you should be proud of me, Paulie), which also helps me avoid confrontations. Apparently, this helps in negotiating hotel room rates too.
Hotel Staff (HS): "Checking out? How much did we say we charge you?"
Me: "Err... What do you mean?"
HS: "Did we say $15 or $16 to you?"
Me: "$15."
But that's the thing about traveling in Asia altogether. Things are very negotiable.
Vietnam's culture is a little hard to grasp. Maybe because it is going through such tumultous change. Communism is only a name, as the wheels of capitalism roll through the bustling cities. My expectation was deceived, as I was greeted immediately with well-organized tours to every corner of Vietnam. The ethnic minorities have lost some of their traditional lifestyle in exchange for modern comforts.
It is probably hard to grasp from a tourist's point of view as well. If you walk along the streets of Hanoi, most people will smile and ask you for your business. They are smiling, but they are also working hard. Like the calm waters in Halong Bay and the placid moss green look on Hoan Kiem Lake, the Vietnamese culture seems to be one of a peaceful exterior. But underneath it all, they cry for their own identity and declare their here-to-stay attitude. Like many other developing countries, Vietnam struggles to capture and harness the currents of international capitalism without losing itself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I haven't had a day where I didn't meet someone new and interesting. I wake up to the horns on the xe oms (motorcycles) or the rooster crowing. And without exception, I have to ask myself every morning why the ceilings look different.
Most travelers I meet around here are eccentric adventurers who provide an infinite source of amusement. Laotian-American masseuse, French dance company project manager, Austrian student who takes care of Down syndrome people, Israeli backpackers, 3 jolly Italian men, Australian ecologist conducting environmental assessment in Bangladesh, Canadian-Australian couple who have traveled around the globe, a couple of OZs who started a backpacker's hostel in Vietnam, Vietnamese photo stand owner - the list goes on.
Although traveling physically in North Vietnam, my mind has traveled to Seattle, Mersailles (France), Vienna, Israel, Italy, Bangladesh, Uganda, Rwanda, East Germany and even back to Hong Kong. Each anecdote has made my trip richer and more memorable.
One of the most interesting conversations I had throughout the trip was with the 20-somethings who were on board the boat at Halong Bay. 2 Danes, 2 Israelis, 2 Japanese, 1 French and an Austrian. We were all of the adventurous kind, but I posed a question: "How can you travel for so long like this?" They immediately fell into the discussion about finance (e.g. - parents wiring money and then paying them back, getting under-the-table jobs on the road), but what I really wanted to know was: "How can one live a life of a traveler without ever staying long enough to make a network?"
I received a blank stare. And then, "I don't miss home at all. In fact, I feel even closer to my friends because I share my travels with them." I met a new breed of people: adventure backpackers. Highly independent and making decisions depending on the way the wind blows, these adventurers do not worry about the comfort of a close-knit group of friends in the physical realm.
They travel not because they know somebody from that country, but because there is a potential for a new adventure. And I'm quite enjoying such a lifestyle right now as well.
The novelty will wear off after a while though, I'm sure. I look forward to sharing time with people I know and having a more than skin-deep connection. Being an Aiesecer and an adventurous backpacker gives me the option to be both - I love it.
But now that I am sitting comfortably in front of a computer, I get to retell the story in a different light.
First of all, traveling as a single female has its pros and cons. For the time being, I see more advantages, as people have been extremely kind and helpful when the poor Asian girl looks confused. I am also playing the 'Japanese card' (you should be proud of me, Paulie), which also helps me avoid confrontations. Apparently, this helps in negotiating hotel room rates too.
Hotel Staff (HS): "Checking out? How much did we say we charge you?"
Me: "Err... What do you mean?"
HS: "Did we say $15 or $16 to you?"
Me: "$15."
But that's the thing about traveling in Asia altogether. Things are very negotiable.
Vietnam's culture is a little hard to grasp. Maybe because it is going through such tumultous change. Communism is only a name, as the wheels of capitalism roll through the bustling cities. My expectation was deceived, as I was greeted immediately with well-organized tours to every corner of Vietnam. The ethnic minorities have lost some of their traditional lifestyle in exchange for modern comforts.
It is probably hard to grasp from a tourist's point of view as well. If you walk along the streets of Hanoi, most people will smile and ask you for your business. They are smiling, but they are also working hard. Like the calm waters in Halong Bay and the placid moss green look on Hoan Kiem Lake, the Vietnamese culture seems to be one of a peaceful exterior. But underneath it all, they cry for their own identity and declare their here-to-stay attitude. Like many other developing countries, Vietnam struggles to capture and harness the currents of international capitalism without losing itself.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I haven't had a day where I didn't meet someone new and interesting. I wake up to the horns on the xe oms (motorcycles) or the rooster crowing. And without exception, I have to ask myself every morning why the ceilings look different.
Most travelers I meet around here are eccentric adventurers who provide an infinite source of amusement. Laotian-American masseuse, French dance company project manager, Austrian student who takes care of Down syndrome people, Israeli backpackers, 3 jolly Italian men, Australian ecologist conducting environmental assessment in Bangladesh, Canadian-Australian couple who have traveled around the globe, a couple of OZs who started a backpacker's hostel in Vietnam, Vietnamese photo stand owner - the list goes on.
Although traveling physically in North Vietnam, my mind has traveled to Seattle, Mersailles (France), Vienna, Israel, Italy, Bangladesh, Uganda, Rwanda, East Germany and even back to Hong Kong. Each anecdote has made my trip richer and more memorable.
One of the most interesting conversations I had throughout the trip was with the 20-somethings who were on board the boat at Halong Bay. 2 Danes, 2 Israelis, 2 Japanese, 1 French and an Austrian. We were all of the adventurous kind, but I posed a question: "How can you travel for so long like this?" They immediately fell into the discussion about finance (e.g. - parents wiring money and then paying them back, getting under-the-table jobs on the road), but what I really wanted to know was: "How can one live a life of a traveler without ever staying long enough to make a network?"
I received a blank stare. And then, "I don't miss home at all. In fact, I feel even closer to my friends because I share my travels with them." I met a new breed of people: adventure backpackers. Highly independent and making decisions depending on the way the wind blows, these adventurers do not worry about the comfort of a close-knit group of friends in the physical realm.
They travel not because they know somebody from that country, but because there is a potential for a new adventure. And I'm quite enjoying such a lifestyle right now as well.
The novelty will wear off after a while though, I'm sure. I look forward to sharing time with people I know and having a more than skin-deep connection. Being an Aiesecer and an adventurous backpacker gives me the option to be both - I love it.
// posted by sakit @ 2:14 AM 
