Firstly, Asians have a most disconcerting way of standing right next to you whilst you’re looking at a menu, deciding whether to go into the restaurant. Literally right next to you. And then if you do decide to sit down, they stand there whilst you contemplate the menu again. I’ve given to signalling “two minutes?”. I’m surprised they haven’t cottoned on, because all the other westerners I’ve spoken to about it say it unnerves them, too.
Secondly, there’s no concept of starter, mains and desert here. Well, on the menu there might be, but you order stuff and it comes out when it’s ready. And that usually means soup is last. Even if you order as a table, each person will get their dish when it’s ready, sometimes when the first person has finished eating (we’ve identified this and invite people to start eating when their dish arrives, else it’ll likely be cold if they wait).
Thirdly, once they’ve served your food, they leave you alone. If you signal you need something, they quickly respond, but there’s none of this mid-meal “is everything OK?” (always asked, I note, when you’ve just taken a mouthful, so end up embarrassingly nodding and gesticulating in the hope they’ll go away; I think the timing is part of their training).
Ticket checking
You buy a ticket. And then someone checks it. Only the person checking it is right next to the place you’ve bought it from. Most of the time, they’ve just watched you buy it. I’m assuming unemployment rates round here are really low.
Long fingernails
Yep, it’s a personal grooming thing (I asked a local). Appearance seems to be very important in the Asian culture. I’d fit right in, obviously 😉
Painful thumbs
After a few weeks of intensive thumb-typing on my mobile phone, my thumbs suddenly started to really hurt. Hence why posts stopped being so regular. I like blogging, but the health of my opposable digits trumps everything, so I made a decision to only type blogs on a proper keyboard. This has proved more difficult than expected – whilst many places have access to a computer, the keyboards are often really, really old, slow and sticky. Sometimes, they’re only marginally better than the phone. Sometimes, they’re in Vietnamese.
Swype helps – instead of punching each individual letter (staccato), you move your finger to each letter, keeping your finger in contact with the screen (legato). Not perfect, but much better.
Blogging
“Samantha, you are a blogger?”
An unforeseen benefit (which I’ve mentioned before) of having to use a hotel computer is that, as they’re often situated in the lobby, the staff see me blogging. Without running a test using a parallel universe, I won’t know for sure, but I just sense that they get a touch more helpful. But they’re very helpful anyway (mostly), so it’s difficult to tell.
I’m off the anti-malarial tablets. Still no adverse reactions… #bodyofsteel
Salak
That small, spiky fruit that I posted about in Cambodia is a salak and is indigenous to Thailand. So now you know 😉
How to cross the road
Look all ways (remember, traffic direction is only a suggestion – they could be coming at you from any which way), start when there’s a gap in the first line of traffic and proceed slowly, steadily, confidently and predictably. Traffic will accommodate you. Resist the urge to run. Yes, I know it’s your instinct but suppress it – else you’ll get run over.
Diva cup
When used correctly, the diva cup (google it, ladies) is mildly life-changing. When not used correctly, it’s very, very messy. Even used incorrectly, tampons and towels provide some protection. Not the diva cup. Wrongly inserted, it’s like wearing nothing. So it got messy. I think I’ve now sussed not only how to put it in correctly but also, and more importantly, how to work out whether I’ve done it right. And then my period ended so I didn’t get chance to consolidate my learning. Diva cup success means an end to taking supplies everywhere. Period pains were less too (not sure why this would be, though), just as some others had reported, but the evidence is not yet conclusive as bleeding has been very light. Two light cycles in a row isn’t particularly unusual, but I’ve also noticed that my breasts are smaller. I think I’ve lost weight (it’s too hot to eat, the portions are smaller and the food has less sugar), but I’ve noticed it up top. And that got me wondering whether biology was at work; whilst I’ve known many, and been good friends with quite a few, Asian males, I’ve never been at all sexually attracted to them. And they’re pretty much all I’ve seen for the last seven weeks so, with no mateable material around (biologically speaking, I don’t fancy every Caucasian man I meet, honest), I wonder whether my fertility has taken a holiday, too. The human body is amazing, especially the female’s, so it wouldn’t surprise me. Not enough evidence so far, but I await my next period with interest.
Chairs
“The smaller the chair, the better (and cheaper) the food”. There is a lot of truth in this. And the chairs are sometimes tiny, which maybe part of the reason they’re all so mobile – use or, it lose it.
Vodafone
Vodafone’s incompetence deserves special mention. With a few minor glitches, every other company I’ve dealt with had taken my travels in their stride (eg Nationwide whose online system let me tell them about my travels, but only one country at a time; but a quick call unblocked my credit card for the whole of South East Asia), but Vodafone have not only screwed up at every opportunity, but then also failed to deal with the mess they’ve made. Let me explain briefly. Before I left I contacted Vodafone who confirmed that Cambodia (C), Vietnam (V) and Thailand (T) were in their World Traveller (VWT) package which meant I could pay £5 per day (local time) and access my UK allowance (and I’m on an unlimited package). I double-checked this and signed up. When I arrived in Thailand I received a text detailed their roaming charges. Using Live Chat, I confirmed that this was an error, and I was OK to use VWT. So I called home… and called to check I’d been billed correctly. “David” couldn’t tell because the charges hadn’t hit my account, but advised that all my countries were included in VWT, and made a note on my account that I’ve been told this and I’m to be charged £5 per day of usage. A few days later I check my account and I’ve been billed at the roaming rate. Live Chat again. Everything’s fine, don’t worry. Sure? Yes. A few days later, I get cut off (because my bill is racking up). Live Chat yet again. Told it wasn’t done properly, all is now well, I won’t be cut off and that VWT isn’t applied until bill generation, so charges will continue to rack up. They do. I get cut off again. Live Chat again. Again told it wasn’t done correctly, all is well and that all countries are included. My bill gets generated… it’s £1,140. Live Chat again. I’m told that none of my countries are included in VWT and so I have to pay. What about the notes on my account? He can’t see any notes on my account. Problem is, every time I contact Vodafone, I have to go through security and wait for ten minutes (at least) whilst they read all the notes. Electricity and telephone signals in this part of the world aren’t very reliable. But the end, having been cut off when speaking to the accounts department (who were also saying I’d have to pay), I was really, really upset. It was ruining my holiday, and I’d spent at least three whole days (cumulatively) on Live Chats with them. Eventually, in despair, I give someone else authority to speak to them on my behalf, and it gets sorted (thanks, MC :)). The countries aren’t included, they’ll credit the charges so far. But they still haven’t, so I’ve had to fund over a grand from my trip funds to prevent me going overdrawn. Not impressed, Vodafone. Seriously not impressed. Apart from agreeing to waive the charges (eventually), absolutely everything you’ve done is wrong.
Cable lock
I can put the lock through my backpack’s ring pulls. It gives me piece of mind.
Hello Kitty
“Hello Kitty” is really popular out here… but with the twenty-somethings. It’s a bit strange to see hordes of young ladies in coats and masks with the familiar cartoon cat on them, when I associate it with girls of 7 or 8.
Chinese rudeness
It continues to astonish me. On Marble Mountain, I was man-handled by a man and then a woman. Confusedly, I tried to figure out what was going on – was I in danger? I realised that I was the way of their photo, so instead of asking me to move (this is quite possible even if you don’t speak the same language), they grabbed my arm and shoved me out of the way. I was astonished. And made it clear that I wasn’t happy.
And they never say “thank you” or “sorry”. Giving them right of way, or getting poked in the face with an umbrella results in absolutely no response whatsoever – they act like it never happened. And they’ll push past you without so much as an acknowledgement that you exist. I’m trying not to let it, but it’s starting to irk me.
Black hair
Whilst the sun has been notably absent this past week, since my trip started, my hair has been bleached by the sun. None of the Asians’ has – all have jet black hair. Odd. I assumed that most things, when exposed to the sun, would bleach.
I listen hard, ask questions and take notes. Some people think I’m a journalist. I’ve found this has the unexpected benefit of unofficial semi-VIP service. I won’t be disuading them of the notion.
Learning Vietnamese
Vietnam’s written language was originally visually similar to Chinese, using symbols. In C19, a French missionary called Alexandre de Rhodes, identified that the inaccessibility of the written language meant that only rich, important people could learn to read and write. In an attempt to increase overall literacy, he redesigned the language. As he was French, he used the Latin alphabet. Being English, this is useful. What’s not so easy is that he also used accents. Lots and lots of accents to indicate different pronouciations:
Vietnamese is a tonal language: the pitch of your voice at the start of the syllable, and how it changes during it, can change the meaning of the word completely:
Ostensibly there are six tones, but they can be combined. For speakers of non-tonal languages, this can be a bit daunting. But the best thing is to just get on with it – just as you learn the gender of a noun when learning French, you learn the “musicality” of a word when learning Vietnamese.
Each word is only one syllable, so there’s none of this accent malarkey (for instance, in English the word “content” has two different meanings when you accent either the first or second syllable – this doesn’t happen in Vietnamese). So that’s another way it’s easier. Unfortunately, each “word” can be made up of two different written words. So in English, each collection of letters is a distinct word (mostly), whereas each noun/adjective/verb, etc in Vietnamese can be made up of more than one written word. And there’s no indication when you’ve reached the end of a word – you just have to learn it – which doesn’t help.
But every language has it’s challenges and, once you’ve learnt a few languages, your brain just gets on with it. I’m trying, but have to admit that I’m struggling with the tone thing. Work in progress.
Smoking
Pretty much everyone smokes. And you can smoke pretty much anywhere. Although not like Cambodia. The march of “progress” brings with it smoke-free zones.
Face mask
More people wear dust masks over here (you might have seen them in some of the photos – most scooter drivers wear them). Two reasons: firstly to stop the dust, and secondly to stop the spread of germs if you’re ill. Good idea.
Flip flops
My shoes are attracting attention (along with my phone, but not so much in Vietnam, which is richer), partly because they’re old but good quality, and partly because almost everyone else is wearing flipflops. I was given some flipflops at a massage place, and failed to move in them. Climbing the stairs could have ended messily, so I politely declined. I see this as a positive thing: flip flops are *really* bad for your feet (google Kelly Starrett’s MWOD for further details if you’d like the educated view), so the fact that I can’t walk at all in them I see as a good thing. But it means that I’m constantly tying and untying my shoelaces as it’s polite to remove your shoes when going inside.
Luggage
It’s small. I can keep it with me. Makes me feel safer.
Whilst their icecream and yoghurt is pretty good, their milk is not. There’s no fresh milk available. Suddenly, UHT is desirable… it’s either that, or condensed milk (which I like, but only for dessert).
Construction
Cambodia is in the midst of a development boom. As mentioned, vast swathes of the country are being sold off to line the pockets of the rich few, the trees cut down and sold (to Vietnam) and cash crops, or resorts, erected in their place. Foreign ownership of the key areas means that it’s not even Cambodians benefiting. For instance, the “National Park” east of Sihankouville (“Ream”) and the nearby island has been sold to a Chinese businessman who is planning a tourist resort. Is there really a need for this? Would people really travel here to one of these resorts? I guess I’m not their target audience, but…
Chinese input is also being sought for the economic policies in an attempt to copy their “rags to riches” turnaround (recent events apart). I just kinda get the impression that they’re running before they can walk and are charging ahead without proper due diligence. That’s the consensus of the locals, too (those who I’ve spoken to, anyway): too much, too fast. Slow down, Cambodia. Take your time, and get it right. And it could be amazing.
Reading an interview with Cambodia’s economic minister (I think that was her title), she explained that the injection of billions of US dollars by well-meaning first-world countries caused the Cambodian Riel to devalue overnight. Hence, there’s this weird combination of larger amounts in USD and smaller amounts in KHR – a bit of a headache for visitors, but a nightmare for her as she’s effectively lost control of her own country’s currency.
“Hello”
I thought it was just tourist places, but most Cambodians answer their phone “hello?”. Odd.
Hip flexibility
Even (especially?) the oldsters have hip flexibility that makes me so envious. Concertina’ed up, squatting with their butts touching the floor. I’m sure some of it is due to their diminutive stature, but most of it will be lifestyle – they squat as part of their everyday lives, so not only do they not lose flexibility, but they actually get more flexible!
Scooter accidents
I’ve seen three in four weeks. Only one involved another vehicle, and all were minor. None of the riders were wearing helmets.
Roads
“Why don’t they ever get round to tarmacking the rest of this road?” asked a naive American (a most obnoxious bloke). Because, I wanted to say to him, it’s better to tarmac just the middle, and do more roads. There’s not an awful lot of traffic, so it’s very sensible – everyone uses the middle, sealed stretch and just moves on to the dirt when something’s coming the other way. Wouldn’t work in America, but he seemed to forget that we’re not in America. Dumbass.
Dogs
Dogs are everywhere and, generally, in surprisingly good condition. Even in the sticks. They trot across the road, at least two to each property. They’re not aggressive, just mind their own business.
Shrines
Religion is so much a part of people’s lives, with Buddhist shrines in the most unusual places. Here, a section of the shop floor of a petrol station, has been dedicated:
Cigarette laws
Laws are, it would appear, non-existent. I’ve never seen them stacked along with the other goods in a shop like this little lot:
Eek! Week 4 already. Here are some more observations, just for the record:
Laundry
Whilst in Kratie, I splashed out on some laundry – one kilo for one dollar. One small bag of stuff, plus a pair of very muddy trainers which, I explained, I was happy for them to put into a separate wash. Next morning, I realised that I hadn’t removed the insoles, and was directed downstairs to the laundry section… where I found a woman sat near a floor-sink scrubbing my clothes. OMG. First-world brain. I’d just assumed they’d throw everything in a washing machine. Duh – you silly moo! Felt very uncomfortable with someone else doing my washing. Nat pointed out that it was keeping her in a job, giving her money in return for a valuable service. Still not sure how I feel about it, though.
Sun cream
Thanks to terrorist activity, I was only able to bring one 100ml lot of sun cream (as I travelled hand luggage only). And I’ve been tanking through it. You can buy it here but it’s expensive (as the locals don’t need it) and, more importantly, not as good quality. So I decided to start economising… and got burnt. Stupid idea. Back to slapping it on. I mentioned it to Natalie… who not only had some left over and didn’t want to take all the way home in a week or so, but it was exactly the same stuff that I was using. Result. Thanks, Nat 🙂
Language
Sitting waiting for the boat back from Koh Trong on Thursday, I really wanted to talk to the old lady sat next to me. But I only know three words of Cambodian, so conversation was going to be limited. I’ve been frustrated before at not being able to converse, but suddenly it had crossed the line between “it’s frustrating” and “I’ve got to do something about this.” It makes me feel ignorant and rude. Figuring that with only another week in Cambodia it wasn’t worth starting, I decided to give Vietnamese a go. That lunchtime, the cafe had a second-hand book shop and what should be hiding between the trash fiction and chick lit, but a Vietnamese phrase book, complete with pronunciation guide. Vietnamese lessons have started 🙂
Butterflies
The butterflies here are enormous – more like small birds. And they’re beautiful. Unfortunately, they also don’t alight on anything for very long, hence no photos. Will see what I can do.
Independent children
Children here are independent from a very young age. You see them playing in the street, going swimming together, working in the family business and generally taking responsibility for themselves. A young boy on the boat to Koh Trong was working his way through a bag of lychees. His whole demeanour exuded confidence and maturity. A stark contrast from the cotton-wool of England.
Hard beds
Cambodians like hard beds. I can confirm this.
Electricity
Had quite a few power outages since I’ve been here. And I love the way everyone just gets on with life regardless. Apparently, electricity is supplied by Vietnam (certainly in Sen Monorom where I had this conversation) and when they don’t send enough, the town goes dark. For a few hours. Or until the generators kick in (for those businesses able to afford them). In fact, Natalie had a pizza cooked for two hours in a slowly-getting-colder oven. She said it was great.
Clothes
Fashion for pre-middle-aged and middle-aged women seems to be a matching top/bottom combo. Florals are especially popular.
Vegetables
Five a day? I don’t think I’m even getting my five a week! Veggies aren’t a staple of every plate. Instead of the tripartite carb/protein/veg of English dishes, it’s usually a 70:30 ratio of carb to protein. Veggies only make a cameo appearance, even in veggie dishes.
Most of the seats in Cambodia are hard. Really hard. And my bum hurts. This has been at the top of my brain for much of this week – it’s difficult to concentrate when it feels like your sit bones are being driven into a block of concrete.
Mosquitos
They’re having a field day:
… and I think they’ve told their friends I’m in town. And not just mosquitos either – anything that bites takes a liking to me. The feeling is not mutual.
Food
When you order starter and main in England, you’ll generally expect to get the starter, and then the main, right? Not here. You order what you want and it comes out when it’s ready. For logistical reasons (I assume), the soup often comes last. That it’s usually absolutely delicious is sufficient compensation. And it all ends up in the same place anyway, so I can’t get too fussed about it. Just interesting.
Music and TV
I’ve heard quite a lot of (old) western music (Westlife and Britney Spears seem to be popular), but also quite a lot of local “radio” music. And many smaller places in the sticks have a TV on (as they’re the family’s home, so it’s a bit like sitting in their living room). To my ears and eyes, it’s awful. Sorry, Cambodia, but creative kindred spirits we are not. But let’s have a reality check here – I highly doubt that they have any kind of budget at all, which makes the programmes that look like an episode of Doctor Who from the 1980s shot on a camcorder, really quite impressive.
English really is the universal language, and I’m so lucky that it’s my native tongue, because it means I don’t have to learn it. The two most popular subjects at the monks’ school behind the first Rolous temple were English and computing: they’re seen as a route out of Cambodia and poverty. And I can now see why my previous attempts to at least try the local language wherever I’ve been have been met with surprised looks. Especially as I’m a Brit. Yet, I feel uncomfortable not being able to get by here – will brush up on a few phrases before I hit Vietnam.
Greeting
Bowing slightly with your hands in a prayer position is a lovely greeting, non-aggressive and friendly. And no physical contact, so it feels more comfortable than a handshake when meeting new people. I still like a hug from a friend, though 🙂
Clothes washing
Yes, yes, but it’s important when you’re on the road with two tops and only three spare pairs of pants. The trick is to wash everything in the shower when you get in from the day and hang it up – most of it is dry by morning. It’s really important to look after it. The Dr Bronners rather impressively removed a yellow curry stain, but I’m already running low so I’ve resorted to hotel soap for the day-to-day dirt.
Mosquitos
I hate mosquitos. I really hate mosquitos. They can smell sweet Scandi blood from three miles away. In Florida they were big, loud and heavy – “mosquito bite? It was more like giving a Red Cross blood donation” – but at least you could hear them and feel them land so you had a fighting chance (I once heard that if you wait til they start feeding and then tense the muscle, it forces blood into them and they explode, but instinct took over and I always swatted them before I could try). Here they have stealth mosquitos – small, light and silent. Only upside is that they don’t seem to be able to bite through clothing. But no less irritating. I hate ’em, I really hate ’em.
Tuk-tuks and motos
Am now an expert passenger. Roads here are often dirt tracks and very bumpy. Sports bra required.
Road rules
Everything is subject to what you feel like doing
On a dual-carriageway and your destination is the other side? No problem – take a shortcut down the other carriageway
Horns are used to signal “I’m here!” and are rarely used aggressively
Faster vehicles beep before they overtake slower traffic
Crossroads don’t have conventions, let alone traffic lights: slow down as you approach, and slowly make your way across
Give way to traffic joining the road (because, most of the time, they’ll have assumed you’ll let them in anyway)
It sounds chaotic, but it works – because very few people have cars, and motos drive slower and are more agile. And the main roads are in pretty good nick (let’s save the non-main roads for another post so we can end on a positive note).
This is a random collection of musings from my first full week of travel. It feels like I’ve been on the road for about a month already, but suspect it’s a bit like summer: the first few days linger deliciously, time then passes like time-travel in a sci-fi film, and suddenly it’s time to go back to school again.
Travel light
First and foremost, I’m glad I packed light – it makes checking-out quick, and travelling much more pleasant. Also, when you arrive in a place, it’s not so obvious you’re a newbie. Most of the other packs I’ve seen make my back ache in sympathy.
Missing items
I haven’t found anything I’m missing yet, although I didn’t predict I’d need two outfits a day – it’s so hot that when you get back late afternoon, you need to shower and change before dinner. I’ve invested in some “Thai pants”: ankle-length, cotton, one-size-fits-all (and, for once, it seems to) trousers that will hopefully stop the mozzies having a field day with my legs. My lightweight camping mug would also be useful, and wouldn’t have added much weight/space as I could stuff things inside it.
Be organised
With four dry bags and a few pockets in my backpack, I’m really disciplined about where I store everything. Just throwing it into the main pack is tempting, but I need to know where everything is and be able to find it quickly.
Suncream
Superdrug Solait Baby Factor 50 suncream is seriously impressive. My soft Scandi skin (thanks, Mum 🙂 ) burns easily, but one application lasts all day, despite sweating profusely. A bit worrying that supplies are already getting low…
Chains
Chains: the chains attaching my wallet and phone to my bumbag are genius, though I say so myself (and thanks to Mum for making them for me 🙂 ). They not only stop me accidentally leaving them places, they deter any would-be thieves – it’s pretty difficult to nick any of my stuff without going through me first 😉 Oh, and on the Kwai bridge, someone next to me dropped their phone. We all held our breath as it wedged itself into the gap (just!) instead of falling through. No such worries here. And I don’t constantly worry whether I’ve got my phone like a usually do – the psychological relief is as important as the security aspect.
Dining
No problems with food so far – it’s served piping hot, so if anything’s survived, it deserves to! Also, they don’t clear your plates until you’ve actually gone, so it’s a more relaxing experience. And they’ve sussed spoon design:
Anti-hassle strategies
Walking down the pavement in the opposite direction to the oncoming traffic reduces the number of times drivers beep and shout “tuk-tuk?” at you. A t-shirt with the slogan “No tuk-tuk required” in various languages would be a best-seller.
Massage prices
These are the same all over the area. Sensible.
Smoking
Allowed in restaurants, it’s not actually a problem as it seems not many people smoke, and those who do deliberately sit on the “outside”. It’s appreciated, folks 🙂 Might be different in the bars, I guess – can’t comment 😉
