A Trip to Remember

On the train home now, the final leg of the journey. Traveling 1st class which I booked by accident(really) is a great reminder of the incredibly high standard of living we enjoy as well as the ease with which priveledge has come my way as a white, highly educated, male, born in Canada, I have it pretty good. This was so clear to me as I travelled Mainland South East Asia this past month.

In the “things I noticed” category I have to start with these questions:

Do you have a roof over y head? Do you h

Do you have a roof over your head? Do you have walls?

Do you have something other than a dirt floor?

Do you have a “bed” or a horizontal space to sleep?

Do you have clothing? Do you have shoes?

Do you have running water? Is your water drinkable?

Do you have a heat source for cooking?

Do you have a table and chairs?

Do you have a toilet? Do you have a shower?

Do you have electricity?

Do you have a heaand helpful and pleasant

Moving to the “things I missed” category, I will start of with my wife, although she is not a “thing” she certainly does “everything” that and her company were missed, Next on the list is the ability to throw the TP in the toilet. This is followed quickly by the ability to turn a tap on and drink water. I missed the availability of fruit and vegetables. Understanding the language of the people around me. I missed seeing people that looked like me. I missed driving my car and petting my dog. I missed my  cottage and my comfy couch at home. 

On the list of “things I will remember” I must include: being a part of the Hong Kong Protests, getting tear gassed and everything. Sad to think that those young people are subject to up to 10 years in jail for doing what they were doing. Another thing I must include is reconnecting with a long lost friend from 45 years ago. He showed me Hong Kong and Macau like only a native could. The opulence of Macau also gets on the list. It is incredible how much money can be spent in one place! Surviving the Typhoon and narrowly making it off the island only to be denied boarding of my plane due  to a clerical error on dates in my visa. The escort to the hands of the Chinese military was pretty scary. Missing the entire week of “adventure travel” as a result of this was also memorable in an absence of memories sort of way. The perfectly orchestrated chaos of the Vietnamese streets will stay with me whenever I cross a street. I understand what the seconds before being hit by a vehicle feels like! The time we spent teaching English to the students in the orphanage and how welcoming and friendly they were was very memorable. Having my wallet stolen in Saigon was memorable as was the Mekong Detta and Cu Chi tunnels. 21 years they lived in those tunnels. Dam war! Once in Angkor Wat, the tuk tuk driver and theTemple were amazing. My final great memory would have to be the Thai massage. 

Sharing much of this adventure with my daughter was awesome. I think we solidified our relationship or possible just want to kill each other, not sure.

By and large, I recognize the incredible opportunity that I just had. If ever you get the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand, take advantage! It is an eye opening experience and one you will cherish forever!