Yes, I had already fashioned a blog post to close out the end of my around the world trip, but since I have lots of time at hotels on my current work trip, I'd like to do another with a different tone. My previous one was a bit snarky, even for me. I will attempt to make this one more traditionally reflective on our actual trip.
It's almost hard to believe at this point, but our journey encountered its first stop in Tokyo. We kept commenting on how it felt like we were in familiar territory. Yes, familiar because we had been there before. We recognized streets, subway stops, knew where to find Starbucks and sandwich places when we got sick of ramen and miso. And this "familiarity" is somewhat shocking. We know virtually no Japanese. We cannot read any text. I had to use a google translate app to figure out how to do simple tasks like changing the settings on the washer/dryer in our hotel room. As I've probably said in the past, Japan is this crazy mix of western comforts combined with just absolute confusion. You cannot simulate this experience anywhere else. There is this simultaneous feeling of hopelessness and relaxation. Not being able to communicate effectively is a huge issue, but the Japanese people are some of the warmest, friendliest, and helpful people I have ever met in my life.
This is an important distinction because we were about to go to a country that would really not be any of these things. Ah, India. It has been described as a feast for all the senses. Lots of horns. Lots of interesting odors. Bright vibrant colors. Smartly dressed men and women walk in front of crumbling buildings. Our welcome was not especially warm. It seemed that everywhere we went, we were treated like morons. My parents had once told me that Indians were extremely friendly. I would be lying if I said I had the same experience.
It goes without saying that the cultural chasm between India and the United States is vast. This is why Nicole and Uma's movie proposal is such an intriguing idea. The separation of men and women in security lines, movie theaters, mall entrances, or in other aspects of life was a bit jarring to us. But that's the way it is. Maybe you have to look at India the way you look at the operations at Newark Airport. People are yelling at you and telling you conflicting instructions that make no sense. "Why?," you protest. That's just the way it is. Did you know the U.S. is one of the only countries in the world to still require the removal of shoes? I could see visitors or non flyers getting into a line and wondering, "Why the hell am I doing this? This makes no sense." Yep. That's the feeling you get in India. When visiting our friend, Uma, her mom graciously prepared us a hearty meal of rice and curry with beets. We ate entirely with our right hand. They were aware that this is not our normal procedure and offered us spoons, but we declined. We were here to experience India, not Epcot.
Yet despite Uma's awareness of our cultural differences, we quickly became aware that there were many things that separated our cultures. On at least three different occasions (that we're aware of), people asked Uma if Nicole and I were a proper couple...as in married. The driver, people on the street, men in shops, it didn't matter. It is evidently frowned upon to be dating, much less galavanting around the world with some floozy. No wonder the hotel staff were so rude when discovering not only did we have different last names, but in some cases Nicole, a woman, had actually booked and paid for the hotel. Scandalous. That's just the way it is. Walking around Uma's neighborhood, a lady stopped to ask Uma some questions. It wasn't, "Who are your friends?, How's your movie?, What have you been up to lately?" It was immediately about my marriage status with Nicole. Uma said we were engaged (a lie, so don't get excited Mom and Dad). Then they asked when the marriage is. Soon? People in the south were more friendly, but within the confines of what they thought was appropriate. Americans might find it all a bit . . . intrusive.
Nicole and I being a bit more progressive-minded found this all a bit jarring. What does it matter if we're married or not? Why doesn't anyone date? What's the point in getting married if you barely know someone? We had lots of questions, but we were the radicals in this country. The newspapers we read were saturated with stories of rape and victim shaming. While not immune to this in the United States, it seems to be an epidemic in India. It makes me wonder if this culture of getting married quick has indirectly led to some of these problems. If it opened up a bit to encourage dating, might we see fewer sexual assaults? I would compare it to Catholic priests in the U.S. They are embroiled in decades-long sex scandals. Perhaps we should have let them date as well? More mixers with the nuns? Maybe they would have those most basic of human needs met. Who knows. Our time in India was brief, but we learned a lot in just a few short days. I think it would take a lifetime to try and make sense of it all. And that goes the other way too. Ask the man who ran up to Nicole just to stare at her.
But now we were off to nearby Sri Lanka. It was less than an hour flight from Cochin Airport; and perhaps in my mind I was expecting to find a landscape similar to the one I had just left. It was not. Cranes and skyscrapers towered over Colombo's skyline. Cars were staying in their lanes on the new highway that connects the airport with downtown Colombo. The hotel staff treated us with respect and did not act surprised when they realized Nicole had made the booking. Nobody ever really talks about going on vacation to Sri Lanka, but they certainly seemed a lot better prepared in the tourism and hospitality industry. As far as tourism goes, Nicole and I were part of the tip of the spear as far as American tourists go. British and French tourists have been coming for some time, and the industry is expected to take off judging by all the development in and around Colombo. The next day we set off for Galle, a beach area to the south of Colombo by using the second of two highways that exist in Sri Lanka. It too had all the trappings of a modern resort area.
But as we worked our way away from the coast, the landscape began to change. No more highways. Journeys that would take less than an hour and a half in the U.S. took almost five. Traffic rules became vague. Tourists became fewer. The terrain transformed into cinematic landscapes of mist-draped green mountains and high plateaus. Due to time constraints, we couldn't stay anywhere for long, so it seemed we spent most of our time eating peanut butter crackers and fruit snacks in the backseat of a small Suzuki hatchback.
It was not the most ideal way to experience a country, but luckily we were rewarded at each stop with a very memorable and unique experience, even if getting there was a bit stressful. It certainly gave us perspective on patience and what constitutes a long drive. Back in April I drove 350 miles from New Orleans to Houston without stopping and it took the same amount of time as it did to drive the 100 miles from Galle to Ella. The whole country is only about the size of South Carolina, so the prospect of an infrastructure overhaul is not unrealistic.
These changes are already taking place at a fast rate and I wonder what effects the development will have upon the culture, especially in the smaller towns. This could result in easier connections to goods and services, but perhaps not everyone is ready for that. As we've seen with the Brexit vote and the election of Trump, many people would prefer to disengage from the outside world. I'd be curious to know what people think of the rise in tourism. It's certainly a moneymaker, but it could also lead to overdevelopment.
Sri Lanka's civil war is still fresh, having ended less than a decade ago. Even Isuru said it was unrecognizable when he returned from flight training. It's the same reaction that journalists I interviewed had when they returned to Vietnam after just a few years. And just as I observed there, Sri Lanka is quickly becoming a land of contradictions, old and new. Isuru was kind enough to pick us up from the airport in a nice Audi and deposited us at a fancy hotel with an infinity pool, but the following day we had to give way to a cow crossing the road. The country is growing very fast, but it will have some growing pains.
Enrique Iglesias performed there recently and it caused quite a stir with the president himself voicing his opinion on the "uncivilized women" who threw their bras at the stage. He further suggested the promoters should be beaten with poisonous stingray tails. It's a bit of predicament when you have a modern pop singer performing club songs in a country where people still catch fish from stilts. There are certainly two very different Sri Lankas, and it will be interesting to see how they interact over the coming decade.
When we finally arrived in Vienna, it became surreal. Where we had been enjoying a beer outside by the beach the day before, we were now huddling inside a tavern drinking dunkel and trying to stay warm. We observed efficiency we had not been used to for some time. An express train took us from the airport to the heart of the city in less than 15 minutes. We had returned to our "comfort zone" and quickly ordered meat. The bookends of our trip, one east, one west, were like our safety zones. Everything in between was very . . . well, foreign.
But as I mentioned in my previous blog post, you have to get out of your comfort zone to gain perspective. You don't reap any of the rewards of new and exciting places if you never go. Sure, there are some challenges. Can I eat this? Do you think there's tap water in that juice? Why is it green? Why does the city smell like it's on fire? But you also have the unique opportunity to be part of something that few others have enjoyed. We saw elephants in the wild, ate with our hands, slept under mosquito netting, gazed at one of the wonders of the world, and huddled next to a thousand year old buddha while it rained. It was all pretty incredible and an experience that neither of us could replicate any time soon. We may have flown around the world, but we have only just scratched its surface.
It's almost hard to believe at this point, but our journey encountered its first stop in Tokyo. We kept commenting on how it felt like we were in familiar territory. Yes, familiar because we had been there before. We recognized streets, subway stops, knew where to find Starbucks and sandwich places when we got sick of ramen and miso. And this "familiarity" is somewhat shocking. We know virtually no Japanese. We cannot read any text. I had to use a google translate app to figure out how to do simple tasks like changing the settings on the washer/dryer in our hotel room. As I've probably said in the past, Japan is this crazy mix of western comforts combined with just absolute confusion. You cannot simulate this experience anywhere else. There is this simultaneous feeling of hopelessness and relaxation. Not being able to communicate effectively is a huge issue, but the Japanese people are some of the warmest, friendliest, and helpful people I have ever met in my life.
This is an important distinction because we were about to go to a country that would really not be any of these things. Ah, India. It has been described as a feast for all the senses. Lots of horns. Lots of interesting odors. Bright vibrant colors. Smartly dressed men and women walk in front of crumbling buildings. Our welcome was not especially warm. It seemed that everywhere we went, we were treated like morons. My parents had once told me that Indians were extremely friendly. I would be lying if I said I had the same experience.
But now we were off to nearby Sri Lanka. It was less than an hour flight from Cochin Airport; and perhaps in my mind I was expecting to find a landscape similar to the one I had just left. It was not. Cranes and skyscrapers towered over Colombo's skyline. Cars were staying in their lanes on the new highway that connects the airport with downtown Colombo. The hotel staff treated us with respect and did not act surprised when they realized Nicole had made the booking. Nobody ever really talks about going on vacation to Sri Lanka, but they certainly seemed a lot better prepared in the tourism and hospitality industry. As far as tourism goes, Nicole and I were part of the tip of the spear as far as American tourists go. British and French tourists have been coming for some time, and the industry is expected to take off judging by all the development in and around Colombo. The next day we set off for Galle, a beach area to the south of Colombo by using the second of two highways that exist in Sri Lanka. It too had all the trappings of a modern resort area.
But as we worked our way away from the coast, the landscape began to change. No more highways. Journeys that would take less than an hour and a half in the U.S. took almost five. Traffic rules became vague. Tourists became fewer. The terrain transformed into cinematic landscapes of mist-draped green mountains and high plateaus. Due to time constraints, we couldn't stay anywhere for long, so it seemed we spent most of our time eating peanut butter crackers and fruit snacks in the backseat of a small Suzuki hatchback.
These changes are already taking place at a fast rate and I wonder what effects the development will have upon the culture, especially in the smaller towns. This could result in easier connections to goods and services, but perhaps not everyone is ready for that. As we've seen with the Brexit vote and the election of Trump, many people would prefer to disengage from the outside world. I'd be curious to know what people think of the rise in tourism. It's certainly a moneymaker, but it could also lead to overdevelopment.
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