OznAsia

The Australian government has decided that it will no longer process asylum-seeker applications from Afghanis and Sri Lankans. Australia's Department of Immigration has decided that it is now safe to send them back to their own countries.

What wonderful news I thought. These countries must now be safe for me to travel to. Just to be sure I decided to check the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) website. Unfortunately DFAT does not seem to be aware of the improvement in the situation in these countries. Their site's recommendation (as of 15 April) for Afghanistan is 'Do not travel'. It goes on to say, 'We strongly advise you not to travel to Afghanistan because of the extremely dangerous security situation and the very high threat of terrorist attack. If you are in Afghanistan, you should consider leaving.'

Looks like I need to put off my plans for a holiday in Afghanistan. So, how about Sri Lanka? I'm particularly interested in going to the northern and north-central areas because that is where the asylum seekers have most likely come from and where I assume they'd return to.

For Sri Lanka in general, DFAT says 'We advise you to reconsider your need to travel to Sri Lanka at this time because of the volatile security situation. Sri Lanka remains in a State of Emergency.' And, 'Attacks could occur at any time, anywhere in Sri Lanka.' Specifically on the northern and north-central areas, it says 'We advise you not to travel to the north of Sri Lanka'.

Well, maybe I won't go to Sri Lanka either. I suppose I could always go to Thailand??? Unfortunately for the asylum seekers, they're probably not going to be given that choice.

http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Afghanistan
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Sri_Lanka

Labels: Afghanistan, Asia, asylum seeker, Australia, holiday, refugee, Sri Lanka

A student commented the other evening that there was a case of H1N1 flu at the demonstration high school on campus and asked if I recommended they should wear masks to protect themselves. Dr John has no particular expertise in this area however I had read the advice on the WHO website because I incorporated it in a newsletter article I wrote. It said that there was no evidence that masks reduced infections. It then went on to give advice on how to use masks. I guess because, despite what they advise, there will still be people who use them. I told the student what WHO said and he said that the Thai Health Department advised wearing a mask.

If you have a cold or the flu and you wear a mask WHO advises that when you cough or sneeze, you should replace the mask. If it's disposable, get a new one. If it's washable, put it in the washing. The point seemed to be that we shouldn't wear the same mask all day long. Think about it. If you're coughing and sneezing into that mask over and over it will soon be full of germs. WHO also advised keeping hands away from your mouth and regular washing of hands.

We've just had another of our five-day weekends here in Thailand. If you live in a tourist area that means it gets busy. If you live somewhere like Mahasarakham, that means it virtually dies. The place you usually eat may no longer be open. I went to a different place for lunch on Saturday. The woman who served me was wearing a mask. After she served me she started coughing and automatically put her hand to her mouth. A series of thoughts entered my head: 'How long's she been wearing that mask? Does she have flu? Did she cough before she handled my plate? Did she wash her hands? Did she help to prepare my food? If she's not the cook, does the cook have the flu?'

Living in Asia, I rarely cook my own food but the danger of eating out is that you simply do not know the hygiene standards of the person preparing your food. Will her mask protect me from her flu? Not if she's been wearing it all day. In this case it will aid in the transmission of the germs.

Labels: health, holiday, thailand

I'd prefer to be stuck in 40 degree heat than ten degree cool. For the past six years or more, I've happily avoided temperatures below 15 degrees. And now I find myself in this hill station at the foot of the Himalayas—Mussoorie. The people of Delhi (or at least the well-heeled ones) flock here by the thousands during the heat waves of India's summer months. But I'm not visiting during the summer months. I'm here during early November, the start of India's winter.

My first three days in Mussoorie were spent at Hotel Padmini Nivas which was once the palace (or at least holiday home) of a maharajah. Much of Mussoorie was built on steep hillsides and my room was built to take advantage of excellent views. There is a sun room at the front with floor to ceiling glass. It warms up beautifully during the day and keeps the whole room warm during the night. This hotel also has a reputation for its excellent Gujarati vegetarian food.

Most of the action in Mussoorie centres on The Mall. It's supposed to be for pedestrians and rickshaws only but somehow many motorcycles and a few cars find their way in too. Young guys on motorcycles are not always cautious but they usually sound their horn before they run you down.

Even at this time of the year The Mall is full of tourists, mostly Indians. It also has many vendors and shops selling food, souvenirs, clothing and just about anything else you might need. The Mall winds a bit and goes over a few hills as you might expect here in the mountains. There are also many places to take advantage of the spectacular views.

The booking at Hotel Padmini Nivas was only for three nights because a religious convention was booked in after that. Looking at some other hotels on the mall, Hotel Garhwal Terrace had nice rooms at a better rate than Hotel Padmini Nivas but I think this was only because Garhwal Terrace had already switched to off-peak rates. Hotel Padmini Nivas were due to bring their rates down a week later.

Instead of staying at the Mall, I ended up at Landour, a little further up the mountain. There I found Ivy Bank Guest House and moved in the next day.

This is a wonderful setting. If I feel like immersing myself in the local culture, meeting some of the colourful locals or doing some shopping I walk down the narrow winding road to Landour Bazaar. To immerse myself in nature I walk further up the mountain and enjoy spectacular views including the snow-capped mountains in the distance. I'm told the snow will be coming here too if I stay a little longer.

I love it here. I'd like to stay longer but for the past couple of days the clouds have come in and the temperature has dropped. Ivy Bank Guest House is very cosy but has no heating. I've got thermal underwear, a fleece jacket and a woollen hat with built-in mufflers but this is still too cold for me. I haven't heard what the temperature is but a few days back there were Americans here (from Northern USA) who were commenting on the cold. And now even the locals are wearing their cold-weather gear.

I'd love to come back when it's warmer but then I'd have to contend with crowds and higher prices. We'll see.

As a footnote I'd add that there is a huge range of eating places both in The Mall and Landour Bazaar. Prices are generally reasonable. There are also many hotels and guest houses scattered around both The Mall area and Landour. I gather they fill up in the summer months but if, unlike me, you don't mind the cold there are many to choose from in the off season at very good rates. Like most places here Ivy Bank Guest House has a dining room. They provide Indian style home-cooked meals. For a change, you can get Western style fare at Chhaya Cafe, between the guest house and the Bazaar. Recommended.

Labels: Asia, holiday, hotel, India, travel

No one I spoke to had anything good to say about Delhi but somehow circumstances are such that I've just spent a week there.

I asked my friends with India experience where I should stay in Delhi. It seems they all say Pahar Ganj. No one could actually recommend a place they'd stayed. There was no enthusiasm but no one knew any other options. And online reviews aren't enthusiastic either.

I decided to check local knowledge. I asked Nazia what she thought about Pahar Ganj. 'Don't go there,' she said. 'It's full of touts. It's not a nice place.'

'So, where do I go?'

'I'll find somewhere for you.'

Nazia lives in suburban Delhi but the reality is that locals don't know where you should stay. They never have to look for accommodation in their own town.

Online I tracked down a guesthouse not far from her place. She checked it out and said it didn't look too bad but she had reservations.

I emailled and asked what was their full all-inclusive room rate. They wrote back and said 'refer to our website'. The website quoted 1,000 rupees for a single room and made no mention of seasonal rates. That's not cheap for India. We aren't talking about starred accommodation. Still, I emailled back and asked them to book me in for two nights.

The place wasn't all that bad. It was clean, had air-con, hot running water if you could figure out how it worked and most importantly - the bed was comfortable. They served breakfast and the food was OK. When I checked out two days later, I was presented with a bill for 3,000 rupees. When I questioned them, they said the rate in the website was the off-peak rate and this was the peak period (for one more week). Nazia came along to pick me up and joined in the conversation - in Hindi - which meant I was out of it. The clerk referred her to his boss by telephone. The boss said he couldn't do anything but quoted his boss. I stupidly paid up.

I am not mentioning the guesthouse name because I understand this type of practice is not uncommon in India. I present this anecdote here as a warning to all travellers to India. Don't do what I did. I recommend that you do not accept vague references to a website - ask for a firm price. Don't book unless you get it. If they try to change the price, refuse to pay.

So, where to next? I was prepared to try Pahar Ganj but I wasn't going there if Nazia could help it. I had jotted down a few notes off the internet. Top of my list, because of price, was the International Youth Hostel at Chanakyapuri. Nazia was quite enthusiastic about this because Chanakyapuri is a good area. We took a taxi there and yes, this area is very pleasant - lots of trees, little traffic and quiet. This is the area where you'll find all the foreign embassies.

And the hostel? Well, it's certainly not luxurious but it's clean with basic comforts. There are several options ranging from private rooms with air-con to dorms. But if you turn up on short notice, as I did, you might not get what you are looking for. (Check their website and book ahead.)

For my first three nights, I got a room to myself but had to share the bathroom.
For the rest of my stay, I was in a dorm.

I usually avoid dorms, mainly for security reasons but security here was good. You get a locker to which you can add your own lock. It was big enough to hold my main backpack. If you're fussy, check them out first as you're allocated a specific one. Some are in better condition than others. They also offer secure storage on another floor which looks pretty good. I put my computer bag in there as I wasn't going to be using the computer anyway. As an added precaution, I put a lock on the bag.

Weighing up the differences between a private room and a dorm, there are pluses and minuses to each. If you want quiet, the private room is definitely the way to go as people come and go in the dorms at all times of day and night. Some are considerate of others. Some definitely are not. I've also discovered that Indian men are even worse than Chinese men with the noises they make to clear the phlegm from their throats early in the morning.

What I liked most about the dorm was the opportunity to meet others. I shared my dorm with an interesting range of people, none of whom were Westerners. Among the Indians were a couple of guys who were part of a team working on a new political journal. There was also an (almost) retired professor of political science and an historian working on the period before and after independence from a Muslim perspective. Foreigners included two Afghan students. I also met a young accountant (really nice guy) from Argentina.

There were some superficial renovations taking place during my stay but some major work is also needed. The hostel is advertised as being 'eco-friendly'. The main feature of this is the solar hot water system which only operates in the winter months. At the moment it is stuffed so there's no hot water at all which, of course, is still eco-friendly : )

Both of the bathrooms I used were pretty bad in general. The plumbing challenged my understanding of the laws of physics.

The hostel has a kitchen which serves reasonable (mostly Indian) food. Breakfast is included in the room price. Sometimes the kitchen is open for lunch, sometimes not. You have to book and pay ahead for lunch and dinner. There is a deadline for this which may or may not be enforced depending on the staff member on duty. If you miss out, there is a local 'market' where food is available but the range is limited unless you are looking to dine in a fancy restaurant. (The one I tried is quite good.)

Chanakyapuri is not in the centre of Delhi but it's only ten minutes away from Connaught Place by auto rickshaw (similar to a Thai tuk-tuk). There's usually one or two waiting outside the hostel. They will ask you for a fare of 60 - 100 rupees for this. Offer them 40 and walk away if they mention a figure over 50. There is also a bus for much less than this. The nearest stop is a pleasant ten minute walk from the hostel. They can at times be way overcrowded but pick the right time (as I did) and you'll get a comfortable and maybe interesting ride.

If you want to check out Pahar Ganj (as I also did), it's a walkable distance from Connaught Place or take the metro. It certainly is an interesting place to visit. Vibrant is the word that comes to mind. I'm told there are good restaurants there but I didn't try them. Yes, the touts are there but after six years in Asia I know most of the tricks. Inexperienced travellers should be cautious with people they don't know. Don't be paranoid or you'll miss out on the fun. Just don't believe too much of what he says. (So far I haven't met a female tout in India but I'm open.)

Back to the New Delhi International Youth Hostel, if I haven't turned you off (not my intention), I suggest you check out their website and remember to book ahead.

Labels: Asia, hawker, holiday, India, ripoff, travel

Koh Samui is perhaps Thailand's most popular island resort for good reason. It has many natural attractions and facilities have expanded in recent years to cater to the influx of visitors. This doesn't mean it must cost you and arm and a leg to go there. Yes, there are many upmarket resorts to cater for the well-heeled if that's your bag but if you are travelling on a budget Koh Samui still has a lot to offer.

I arrived on Koh Samui by ferry from the mainland and was met by my friend, Colin, who had hired a motorcycle. We headed off together to a quiet area on the north-eastern shore of the island. There we visited Richard who was staying at a bungalow resort. I took this photo as we sat on the veranda of Richard's 500-baht-a-night bungalow right on the beach. The bungalow is small but has all the basic stuff included. This area is away from the busy-ness of Sumui's east coast. If you want a really quiet spot you couldn't do much better than this. The resort where Richard was staying has its own restaurant with reasonable prices. If you want to chill out there is no reason to leave. And if you want a change there's another restaurant about five minutes walk up the road.

I stayed with Richard while Colin went back to the ferry terminal to pick up Lhi. After they arrived we headed off for the east coast. There was a storm approaching so Colin went alone on the bike and Lhi and I waited for a songtheau. They travel around and across the island at regular intervals and are the usual way for getting around. We managed to keep our luggage dry but the rain got in at the sides of the songtheau so both Lhi and I got our backs wet. It is the rainy season at the moment so you have to expect this from time to time.

Lhi and Colin got themselves a bungalow at Utopia which is on the northern end of Lamai Beach. The place was fairly heavily booked so they were back from the beach but it was only a short walk away. Their cabin was small but comfortable. It was surrounded by other cabins as you can see in this pic taken from their veranda. 500 baht a night included wireless internet access and an all-you-can-eat breakfast for two people. Let's face it, in Australia you'd pay at least that just for the breakfast.

I checked out Lamai Pearl towards the southern end of Lamai. If I didn't have Colin to show me around I don't think I would have found it. It is well off the road and there are no signs. Imagine your grandfather bought some remote seafront land about 30 years ago and built a cabin on it. He built it himself. It was solid but a bit rough and ready. That describes the cabin I got for 250 baht a night. It wouldn't suit everyone. For starters the bed was rather firm. Imagine a concrete block covered with a yoga mat—that's what it felt like but it was a real mattress and I like a firm bed. The place was clean and right on the beach. I was very happy there.


If you don't want to rely on songtheaus to get around you can hire a motorbike. Colin got his at Nathon near the ferry terminal. This meant he was able to use it to get across the island. It cost 150 baht a day and gave him a little trouble. He got a flat tyre. They said he would have to pay to repair it himself. But the tyre repair shop pointed out that it needed a new tyre because the old one was bald. He was close to the hire shop at the time so they gave him a different bike. The same thing happened again. I got my bike (see pic) in Lamai. There are hire places all over the place. Mine cost 125 baht a day, was newer than Colin's, in better condition and gave no trouble. I recommend you check the bike over carefully before you take it. Driving on Samui (or anywhere in Thailand) can be a bit crazy and it pays to have a safe vehicle.

If you'd like to know a little more about what to expect on Koh Samui I suggest you take a look at my earlier blogs and my flickr photo pages. Have fun.

Labels: Asia, holiday, Koh Samui, thailand, travel

I spent a day on Chaweng Beach with a couple of friends. This is an ideal place to relax because you don't have to think of anything. Just about anything you want—from a mat to sit on to your food or a change of clothes—can be bought or hired from a vendor on the beach. Here are a few of them.

The water looks soooooo inviting but you're not too sure about your swimming ability. Don't worry. Just hire one of these swim rings from the vendor on the beach. (The same one who hired us our mat)








As well as snacks this one carries a small bar-b-que so that your gai yang (BBQ chicken) can be heated on the spot.












My friend Gik spent quite some time browsing the vast assortment of jewellery this woman was carrying before selecting a couple of items. Gik had a go at lifting the board with all the jewellery and found it was a struggle to get it off the ground. Most jewellery vendors carry much less than this.











The beach vendors are licensed hence the orange vests. Perhaps there would be even more otherwise. Competition is strong so it pays to have a way of getting attention. This ice-cream vendor is serenading these young woman with a song about the goodness of ice cream. They weren't hungry. He came back later and still no luck.

Labels: Asia, holiday, Koh Samui, travel

My friend Nee has been working on Koh Samui for about five months so it's always been on the cards that I'd visit sometime. When Colin, an Australian friend, said he was heading there I decided it was time to make my trip.

There are many ways to get to Samui. You can fly in but it seems none of the budget airlines go there now. I took the train option. I got a sleeper from Bangkok (Hua Lampong) to Surat Thani and then a bus to the coast and a ferry to the island. Samui is about 20 kilometres wide and 25 from north to south. Roads take you close to the coast rather than straight across. The ferry from the mainland will bring you to Nathon on the west coast. Most of the action is on the resort beach towns of Lamai and Chaweng on the east coast.

For my Australian readers I'd suggest that Samui is like the Gold Coast without the high rise but with a very strong Thai accent. It is very touristy with probably more foreigners there than Thais. If you decide to visit Samui, I suggest you consider flying into Kuala Lumpur rather than Bangkok. You can fly on AirAsia from Coolangatta and save a packet. The train that links KL and Bangkok passes through Surat Thani.

I've started posting my Samui pics on my flickr page and assuming I have time will add a few more blogs on different aspects of Samui so drop back in a day or two for more about Samui.

Labels: Asia, Bangkok, holiday, KL, Koh Samui, Kuala Lumpur, Nee, thailand, travel

One of my inspirations as a traveller is my daughter, Melanie. Mel spent about eight years travelling in Southeast Asia, Europe and Africa. Sometimes I would hear little stories about some of the things she had done and I would wonder, 'Is she aware of the potential dangers or is she blind to them?'

After she'd been gone for about six years I took a trip to England where we met up. We talked non-stop for days and I learned that Mel knew of the dangers but was prepared to take a certain level of risk.

I remember the time, in Switzerland I think, when a group of backpackers, can't remember the details, were all killed on an adventure rafting expedition. At the time I thought of Mel. I thought that perhaps this is the sort of thing that she might have done and I asked myself how I would have felt if she had been one of those to lose her life.

The answer that came back to me was that yes, I would have felt very sad about losing my daughter, sad for me but not for her. By time Mel had reached 30 I believe she had lived as much in those years as others might live in six lifetimes. I would be happy that she had had the courage to put so much into her life. Fortunately Mel continues to live and to experience life to the full. I wonder how many lives she will have lived before she finally dies.

In the Vietnam travel forums there have been a couple of postings about people being robbed. This prompted a few posters to give their rules of how to avoid dangers while travelling. One such rule was 'Don't talk to strangers.'

I wonder what the travel goals of the person who wrote that are? I guess if all you want to see are sights then that's OK. But I love to meet people. Sometimes I go somewhere where I already have a contact and it's easy. Sometimes I go places where I know no one. Unless I'm prepared to talk to strangers I won't meet a soul.

When I'm in Kompong Chhnang in Cambodia, and people everywhere are saying 'hello' to me, of course I answer them back. I notice that most westerners visiting the town don't.

In Vietnam I talked to many people. Most were only talking because they wanted to sell me something. But I'm capable of saying 'no'. I can still have a pleasant chat with them before they go and try someone else. I made a few friends in Vietnam. They were all strangers at first. I don't automatically trust. One such person offered me a lift home the first night we met. I was wary. I declined. But we met again and built a mutual trust. Had we not talked in the first place my time in Vietnam would have been much less enjoyable. This friend proved to be totally trustworthy, just as my friends in Cambodia did. I'm glad I don't have that rule.

On Sunday I arrived in China for the first time. China is very different from anywhere else I've been. Is it dangerous? There are warnings here and there in Lonely Planet guidebook. When I booked into my hotel the receptionist showed me a sheet on which was written three rules, one of which was 'Don't accept a drink from a stranger.' I guess they are telling me people spike drinks in this town in order to rob travellers.

I'm in a town called Nanning and I've notice that there are very few western tourists in the town but my rarity doesn't make me an item of interest. I don't think I've been ignored so much in any part of Asia. When I have engaged people in conversation I have discovered that very few speak English. This does present challenges for me. I usually ask strangers for directions but most here can't understand me. Finding my way around town is not made any easier by the fact that about 99% of signs are in Chinese. They obviously don't feel a need to write bilingual signs which are not uncommon in other parts of Asia.

All this I see as a challenge that I take on with enthusiasm.

On Sunday after I'd booked into my hotel, I went looking for an internet cafe. The only one listed in Lonely Planet appears to have closed down. All that's there now are game machines and none of the staff could understand me. The best I could do that evening was to have a five minute trial on a demo machine at China Telecom. And for a demo machine I might add that the speed was quite slow.

Monday morning I went out determined to find somewhere close to the hotel to eat and an internet cafe. I had my laptop in my backpack. I also had my camera around my neck just in case an opportunity arose.

I hadn't gone far when I found a little hole-in-the wall place where I could see people eating noodles. I looked a bit closer and could also see they were serving congee (rice porridge). With sign language I ordered a bowl of congee with vegetables. The woman serving pointed to the Chinese sign on the wall where the price was listed as 1.50. Since one Australian dollar is roughly equal to 6.5 yuan I could figure out that my breakfast was going to cost me less than 30 cents Australian, not a bad deal. I nodded my confirmation.

While I was eating a young guy came in and ordered some noodles. As he walked past my table he said with the very careful intonation of an English learner, 'How-are-you?'

'Well,-thank-you.-And-you?' I replied with the very careful intonation of an English teacher.

After I'd finished my congee I went to his table and asked, 'Do you speak English?'

'A little.'

'Do you know where I can find an internet cafe?'

He didn't understand. I went back to my table and grabbed my Lonely Planet. I turned to the language section at the back and pointed to the word 'internet'.

'I send you,' he said. Many Asians use the word 'send' where we would say 'take'.

I waited until he'd finished his noodles. He led me a few doors down the street and into a building that had many signs but none in English. He led me down a corridor to the back of the building where there were stairs leading up.

I'm thinking, 'I don't know this guy. I don't know what's up these stairs. Is this safe?' I followed but kept a little distance.

On the next floor was a door. He opened the door and inside I could see many computers. We went in. He spoke to the girl on the counter and told me 'Two yuan an hour. I pay.'

'No,' I said. 'You don't need to pay for me.' I put five yuan down on the counter.

She gave me one yuan back and he told me, 'You have two hours.' He led me to a computer.

I got out my laptop and started to explain to him that I wanted to connect it. He understood and called the guy over. He got out the ethernet cable and I was able to plug it into my computer.

But it didn't work. Usually this computer connects automatically. I fiddled and tried a few things. I knew what I needed to do but I needed help from the guy who was running the place and with the language barrier it was too difficult. I decided to use one of their computers.

At first, my new friend sat beside me looking over my shoulder reading all the emails I wrote. Eventually, he picked up from what I was writing that I needed to go to an internet cafe where they spoke English. He got out his mobile phone and made a call. He told me 'Speak to my friend, he speak good English.'

I spoke to his friend who made a few suggestions.

Parn (that's his name) went off and came back with two Cokes. He'd also booked himself onto the computer next to mine. He got onto the chat lines and contacted a few more of his English-speaking friends and asked their advice.

The upshot of this is that when my time was up we headed off in a taxi to Guangxi University. While we were heading there I was reviewing the situation. I hadn't drunk much of the Coke, only enough to be polite. I don't usually drink Coke. But I had drunk a drink given by a stranger. He could have spiked it before he gave it to me. But it did taste like normal Coke. And now I'm going off in a taxi with him. I can't understand what he says to the taxi driver. He could be taking me anywhere.

But we ended up at a university and Parn, who has told me he doesn't have a job, insists on paying the fare.

At the university, which he is not familiar with, we find the foreign language department and an English teacher. He explains the situation to her and then excuses himself saying he has to go. The English teacher is going to send me to a computer lab with a note explaining what I want to do. But then she rethinks the situation and says I can connect my computer in her office.

I disconnect her ethernet cable, connect it to my computer and it works. I sit down and set to work. While I'm there students and teachers come and go. The teacher who set me up has gone off to a meeting. Others use the computer (without internet) next to me. At one point a student engages me in conversation. She comes from the same province I'll be heading to in a few weeks time. We chat for about half an hour.

I must have ended up spending about three hours connected to their network. The teacher is still at her meeting. I leave a 'thank you' note on her desk and take a taxi back into town.

When I look back, I had an enjoyable and productive day; I met many good, friendly people who wanted to help me, simply because I wasn't paranoid and was prepared to talk to strangers.

Labels: Asia, China, holiday, Nanning, travel, trust

I like to read the online travellers' forums for information that might be useful, particularly when I'm going somewhere that's new to me. There is an interesting thread at the moment about a hotel in Hanoi that made a deal with a customer to cut their price. The following day they kicked them out because they were able to get someone else to take the room at a better price. The customer posted the information not to whinge but to warn others so they didn't fall into the same trap.

Last time I checked, this thread had 47 postings. Many were suggesting that the hotel's behaviour was not bad and that it was OK for business people in poor countries to behave in such ways and that rich westerners have no right to complain. I find this attitude is not uncommon here in Vietnam. It seems some think 'I am poor, you are rich, therefore it's OK for me to rip you off.'

I believe that this attitude will help to keep people poor.

What happens when you go on a holiday? You get home you talk about it, perhaps you blog it or write in travellers' forums. If your experience was a positive one then those who hear what you have to say may be inspired to go to the same destination. If your experience was a negative one others will be less inclined to follow in your footsteps. Sometimes most of the experience might be good and there are one or two negative ones. Unfortunately it is often the negative ones that stick in the memory.

Every time someone in a developing country rips off a traveller they are adding to the negative attitudes that 'rich westerners' have of their country. In such countries tourism is often one of the major export earners. Negative behaviour towards travellers hurts the whole economy of the country. If we hear lots of bad stuff about a country we choose to go somewhere else.

If Vietnam, Cambodia or any other country wants to improve its export income through tourism and thus help the people out of their poverty there needs to be an education campaign to teach those who deal with travellers, from the street vendors and taxi drivers to hotel managers, that treating people badly only hurts themselves in the long run.

I might add that I am staying in a very cheap hotel in Hanoi. Despite this, I am always treated well by staff. They behave with complete integrity. I would like to think this is the way the majority of Vietnamese hotels treat their customers.

Labels: Asia, Cambodia, Hanoi, holiday, money, poverty, ripoff, travel, Vietnam

Today is a public holiday in Thailand. Last night I asked a friend what the holiday celebrated. My friend said 'Constitution Day'. We agreed that this was ironic as there is currently no constitution in Thailand.

Maybe Thai people could celebrate the fact that a new constitution is being written that hopefully will prevent future prime ministers from ripping off the country.

I'm never sure about Thai holidays. If I ask two different Thais, often I get two different answers. I decided to search the internet and found the following information.

Constitution Day, December 10 (guess the holiday was officially yesterday), commemorates the advent of the regime of constitutional monarchy. This came about on June 24, 1932. Previously
Thailand was ruled by absolute monarchy. Not sure why it's celebrated in December when it happened in June but this is Thailand, I often don't understand the way things are done here.

Labels: holiday, thailand