Conclusion
I found what I was looking for (in some sense) - something different from Europe. Which were the main differences then?
We will start from easily noticeable things like language, cities (architecture, transport, etc.), climate and ecology.
In Europe I usually can communicate in some language, even if me and person I talk to don´t find any language in common, I can just use some most international words like "bus", "autostop", "google translate".... and I can use those words in every language I know, so that finally my talking partner understands me. Yep, most of European languages are of Indoeuropean origin, so they have many structural and lexical similarities. Well, there are some weirdows like estonian, finnish and hungarian, but as i have learned them a bit, i will still survive. In Taiwan the official language is Chinese, but there were quite many people speaking english in some level, question was how to understand their accent. Well, it was still OK. In Vietnam I was in trouble. Vietnamese, lao, thai and chinese are all tonal languages, so many words are written in almost the same way, but the meaning depends on how they pronounce vocals (rising, falling or waving). Those languages dont have too many similarities with languages I speak and also our cultural background is different enough to not understand each other. Most of people dont speak english or if they do, then usually just in the level which is enough to sell something to tourists. In Taiwan and Thailand people know a bit about western culture and speak some english (or know how to use google translator), so I was able to explain something about what i was doing there.... In Vietnam and Lao it was really complicated. Even though many people had really good phones with fast wifi in Vietnam, they didnt understand "google translate"... probably they pronounce it differntly. In Lao most of people even didnt show any interest in talking to me.
About cities and how they look like I will say that its hard to find that kind of beauty that we are used to see in many cities and towns of Europe. There were no amazing historic centers and architectural heritage in most of places i visited. The center is just the place where there are many shops and a lot of business... some cross road and maybe a big square.Well, in some places its possible to find nice temples, but thats it. Cities look chaotic, full of lights, advertisemets and signs of shops and other businesses. Just pragmatic, not romantic.
Both cities and villages are usually dirty and smelling bad. There seem to be lack of rubish removing services. Lot of trash is just stored in backyards, on streets and under the houses. Environment and conservation of it is not a topic. They have arrived to economic level which allows to buy, consume, have, so why not if they can? In pharmacy its possible to buy antibiotics without any prescription, just like candies. There was something similar here some 20-60 years ago - plastic bags were sign of good financial situation, antibiotics were used against everything and the coolest guy was the one with newest phone.
Continuing with pragmatism it seemed to me that people dont have hobbies, or maybe their hobbies are just really different from ours. Sport or playing some music is not that common. As there is still lot of physical work (in agriculture or textile factories or mines or whatever), they find it stupid to walk or run voluntarily. Even climbing guides dont like climbing actually. If you ask them to go climbing for fun, they will answer: "Why should I? What can I get from that?" For them resting means staying still, eating, drinking beer or whisky, watching TV. Actually its quite the same here, but still leasure time activities are much more popular here. Travelling is also not popular in SE Asia. People are still fighting for food and primary needs, so they dont have enough time and space for curiosity in their thoughts. Travelling is considered to be a hobby for super rich people. For them its much more important "to have", not "to see" or "to expereience".
There is no hitch-hiking culture in SE Asia. They will be really helpful... for example they will buy you a bus ticket, but they dont understand the concept of hitchhiking and traveling freely, alone. White people have money, why is she standing or walking on the road? Why should somebody want to sit in the same car with some stranger? Etc. In Laos and Vietnam hh is really time consuming. There are only a few cars, most of people move by motorbikes and they give you a ride if you pay. Well, I got many rides on motorbikes without paying as well, but it was really hard to explain what i was doing.
To be continued......
The main conclusion: I am happy to be born in Europe and live here
I found what I was looking for (in some sense) - something different from Europe. Which were the main differences then?
We will start from easily noticeable things like language, cities (architecture, transport, etc.), climate and ecology.
In Europe I usually can communicate in some language, even if me and person I talk to don´t find any language in common, I can just use some most international words like "bus", "autostop", "google translate".... and I can use those words in every language I know, so that finally my talking partner understands me. Yep, most of European languages are of Indoeuropean origin, so they have many structural and lexical similarities. Well, there are some weirdows like estonian, finnish and hungarian, but as i have learned them a bit, i will still survive. In Taiwan the official language is Chinese, but there were quite many people speaking english in some level, question was how to understand their accent. Well, it was still OK. In Vietnam I was in trouble. Vietnamese, lao, thai and chinese are all tonal languages, so many words are written in almost the same way, but the meaning depends on how they pronounce vocals (rising, falling or waving). Those languages dont have too many similarities with languages I speak and also our cultural background is different enough to not understand each other. Most of people dont speak english or if they do, then usually just in the level which is enough to sell something to tourists. In Taiwan and Thailand people know a bit about western culture and speak some english (or know how to use google translator), so I was able to explain something about what i was doing there.... In Vietnam and Lao it was really complicated. Even though many people had really good phones with fast wifi in Vietnam, they didnt understand "google translate"... probably they pronounce it differntly. In Lao most of people even didnt show any interest in talking to me.
About cities and how they look like I will say that its hard to find that kind of beauty that we are used to see in many cities and towns of Europe. There were no amazing historic centers and architectural heritage in most of places i visited. The center is just the place where there are many shops and a lot of business... some cross road and maybe a big square.Well, in some places its possible to find nice temples, but thats it. Cities look chaotic, full of lights, advertisemets and signs of shops and other businesses. Just pragmatic, not romantic.
Both cities and villages are usually dirty and smelling bad. There seem to be lack of rubish removing services. Lot of trash is just stored in backyards, on streets and under the houses. Environment and conservation of it is not a topic. They have arrived to economic level which allows to buy, consume, have, so why not if they can? In pharmacy its possible to buy antibiotics without any prescription, just like candies. There was something similar here some 20-60 years ago - plastic bags were sign of good financial situation, antibiotics were used against everything and the coolest guy was the one with newest phone.
Continuing with pragmatism it seemed to me that people dont have hobbies, or maybe their hobbies are just really different from ours. Sport or playing some music is not that common. As there is still lot of physical work (in agriculture or textile factories or mines or whatever), they find it stupid to walk or run voluntarily. Even climbing guides dont like climbing actually. If you ask them to go climbing for fun, they will answer: "Why should I? What can I get from that?" For them resting means staying still, eating, drinking beer or whisky, watching TV. Actually its quite the same here, but still leasure time activities are much more popular here. Travelling is also not popular in SE Asia. People are still fighting for food and primary needs, so they dont have enough time and space for curiosity in their thoughts. Travelling is considered to be a hobby for super rich people. For them its much more important "to have", not "to see" or "to expereience".
There is no hitch-hiking culture in SE Asia. They will be really helpful... for example they will buy you a bus ticket, but they dont understand the concept of hitchhiking and traveling freely, alone. White people have money, why is she standing or walking on the road? Why should somebody want to sit in the same car with some stranger? Etc. In Laos and Vietnam hh is really time consuming. There are only a few cars, most of people move by motorbikes and they give you a ride if you pay. Well, I got many rides on motorbikes without paying as well, but it was really hard to explain what i was doing.
To be continued......
The main conclusion: I am happy to be born in Europe and live here
