9 replies to this topic

[the_traveler]

For a laugh out loud read on travel in SEA that actually makes good sense, read http://www.blueapsara.com/?p=334

[olivier]

Very right, and explained in a very funny way...
Planning too thoroughly a trip in such countries is the guarantee that you are going to miss the most important: the interaction with locals.

[Bart Willems]

Professional deformation made me wonder what was so special about travel to Seattle.

[golunvolo]

Thanks Lew! Funny and full of good advise.

[Colin-M]

So you think this is funny? I am currently on week 2 of a 3 week trip around India

A few observations though:
- Item one
Mmm, I might have fallen into this trap...
- Item three
Had to do this when we missed our 15 hour sleeper train to Hyderabad. Luckily we found a flight that got us there 8 hours earlier
(obviously at 3x the original cost)
- Item four
Guess this assumes all readers live in the USA?
Not true otherwise
- Item five
Interestingly, to catch the flight mentioned above, we had to get a 2 hour taxi ride from Itarsi to Bhopal through dense traffic.
The guy was heroic and we made the flight with minutes to spare.
However the trip involved gamed of chicken with oncoming heavy trucks, whilst trying to overtake slow moving tractors, dodging massive potholes etc.
Sometimes two cars would try to overtake a lorry at once, with our driver often going on the inside!
Once it became dark, the cat & mouse tactics became less fun, and needless to say there were no seatbelts.

Aahhh. The joy of travel
It's my first time in "SEA" and so far its been both fun and eye-opening.

[the_traveler]

So you think this is funny? I am currently on week 2 of a 3 week trip around India

It's my first time in "SEA" and so far its been both fun and eye-opening.

I know the author well (my oldest son) and so I know what he means by this.
Think of going hang-gliding, you know it is potentially dangerous, fatal even, yet you give yourself up to the experience. You accept the minor discomforts and unpleasantness, ignoring the small risk of real danger, without much quibble because ultimately the experience will be worth it.

If your expectation of lack of inconvenience is the same as at home in the more developed world, then every day will be a horror. If you just 'go with it', adopt the Buddhist attitude, then every experience will be eventually be another enriching memory. The 7 hours I suffered with diarrhea crouched pent in a loud, freezing train lavatory going from Lao Cai to Hanaoi was horrible then but something to laugh about now.

[AlfIDI]

Thanks for the link,good reading!

I am trying to adopt this kind of attitude while planning a trip to Africa later this year.
With my wife, and a boy of five and two girls under two years of age.
Having kids in tow makes me security cautious, generally, will have to ease off a bit to not kill the joy of exploring.

Edited by AlfIDI, 06 January 2013 - 14:42 .

[Elsa Hoffmann]

Lew - its a lovely piece.

Alfie - where in africa are you going?

[AlfIDI]

Alfie - where in africa are you going?

East coast of Egypt.
But it is not an organised trip, we go by ourselves-renting a house- want to see some museums and the Nile and dive in the Red. I love deserts- really do, so if I get my will there will be an overnight trip of some kind.

Edited by AlfIDI, 19 January 2013 - 17:06 .

[Colin-M]

I know the author well (my oldest son) and so I know what he means by this.

Ahah!
Don't worry Lew, i thought it was a good read, with plenty of food for thought.

If you just 'go with it', adopt the Buddhist attitude, then every experience will be eventually be another enriching memory.
The 7 hours I suffered with diarrhea crouched pent in a loud, freezing train lavatory going from Lao Cai to Hanaoi was horrible then but something to laugh about now.

Completely agree Lew.

And I think i was lucky as somehow I managed to avoid your "7 hour" experience, despite eating quite a bit of street food and adopting the Indian custom of eating with your hands, rather than cutlery (yep, even Dal & rice). Mind you I did see one guy eating his dinner directly from the station platform...don't think I'd go that far!

Since we had a number of overnight sleeper train journeys lasting 10-16 hours on our route, one thing I was not looking forward to was trying to balance squatting on the train toilets. Luckily I escaped with minimal stress.

Did I actually manage to sleep on the "sleepers"?
That's another story

Edited by Colin-M, 19 January 2013 - 15:59 .