Goodbye Asia
Trip Start
May 30, 2006
1
37
78
Trip End
May 31, 2007
Singapore,
Singapore
Friday, September 1, 2006
what will i take away from the place? what impressions have i gleamed from my time here and what do i regret not doing whilst i've been here and what would i do again???
Well, despite the up and down time i had in Beijing, i would love to go back sometime in the future, preferably after the olymics when hopefully there will be less scaffolding over the place and a few more western toilets may have been fitted. or at least the squatters cleaned at least daily.
Asia, and China certainly, is a place of vast contrast. All aspiring to get a piece of the new capitalist cake.. though i'm slightly worried that they're going at it the wrong way. Places like Thailand have some wonderful and super modern facilities, but as soon as you move from the main drag, there's a plethora of market style stalls poverflowing onto the pavements. if a street had say 20 stores, you could bet 15 of them were selling exactly the same stuff as the rest.. and most of that is usually knocked off dvds and souverneirs. it'd be nice to see a more traditional, non tourist orientated way forward, if it still exists in these countries?
then of course they have Hong Kong, and Singapore, the two ex british colonies, like London abroad, though i feel london has a lot to learn from Singapore. No crime, no racism, little polution, traffic congestion and it's only a 42 year old city state. How have they got it right in such a short time whilst london has been on the go since the Romans were on the move. They do have one thing in common though, and that is that they are phenominally expensive, and like most metropolis' they show very little of the culture that made them in todays world. Places like china town and little india in singapore are aimed atthe tourists which is a pitty because there is so much cultural diversity, but its all becoming bland and pre packaged for the marketplace. the only exception to this across asia are the Hawker markets where you can eat for next to nothing and experience homemade flavours from all the different stalls around.
My only regret has been not getting to Indonesia, but that is something i can leave for a latertime, and maybe stop in Beijing en-route!
I've enjoyed it very much. The people are great and all want to talk and help you (despite the malaysians not wanting to take money off you in stores). The general climate in terms of the welcome you receive is unreal.
