Culture. What is it? Dictionary.com defines culture as “the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.”, or as “the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another.” Over the past 4 months in Asia I have experienced lots of different cultures as each country that I have been too has its own culture along with a standard (stereotype) Asia culture. Thailand has a very strong cultural influence in Southeast Asia, being as it is the country that everyone associates with this part of the world. Thailand’s influence and culture definitely affects is neighbours. Thailand is mainly Buddhists, has great food (the best and cheapest street food too), has wonderful beaches, mountains and scenery, has friendly people who for the most part speak minimal English, and is very touristy (15 million visitors in 2010). Laos is less discovered than Thailand, so tourists have had less influence on it and that makes it fun to travel as you feel you are getting a more authentic experience. The French colonized Laos so there is French influence in food (tasty baguette sandwiches), architecture and lifestyle. The second language is unofficially French as a good portion of signage is both languages (Laos and French). Laos’s people are also very friendly but are definitely not as well off as Thais. Outside the city they live in thatched house (with their satellite dish) and live off the land. To the other side of Lao is Vietnam which is a small country with 86 million people and most of those people drive a motorcycle (crossing the street is scary in Hanoi and Saigon). Vietnam is heavily influenced by the Chinese in all aspect of life. They are very proud people and are still devastated by the years of war that went on in their country. Further south is Cambodia and it is still trying to find itself after the devastating Khmer Rouge. It operates in US currency (even the ATM’s give you US cash), its food is a combination of Thai and Vietnamese, its people are really nice but also really poor, and it has leased it main tourist attractions (Killing Fields, etc ) to outside sources to run and operate. It does however have Angkor Wat and that is a source of national pride due to the history and the significance of the temple. Malaysia couldn’t be any more different from the other countries. Its people are of Chinese, Indian, Malay and Orang Asli (indigenous people) decent and the country is primarily Muslim. The food is a combination of all the ethnicities and is delicious. The common language is English and the people are exceptionally friendly. The country is well developed as it was on the Indo China trading route so it also has a lot of British influence. Singapore is a highly developed city and country and the cleanest city in Asia. No chewing gum here. Prices in Singapore are similar to prices in Canada for goods and services but you can keep things on the cheap by shopping and eating at the food markets and street stalls in Chinatown and Little India. The country is like Malaysia with a mix of Chinese, Indian and Arab ethnicities with Arabs being the largest population. Indonesia is a character all on its own. Each island has a different ethnicity and religion. The island of Bali is mainly Hindu and while the island of Lombok is mainly Muslim. Lombok’s goal is to build 1,000,000 mosques so mosques are being built everywhere. There are family temples in each family compound and the main food is fired rice, fried noodles or noodle soup. Bali was controlled by the Dutch for awhile and now houses tons of expats living in Ubud and in a around Kuta. Lombok is less developed for tourist compared to Bali but is on its way to being a prime tourist destination as people escape the craziness of Kuta Bali for the relaxed atmosphere of Senggigi and Kuta Lombok. The Philippines is an interesting country as everyone speaks English and they are predominantly Christian. The main form of transport is the jeepney that each driver decorates to his own liking and they are based on old American army jeeps that were modified to have seats in the back. They are as colourful as Filipinos themselves who are so friendly and who talk to you all the time. Crazy, dirty Manila is not a good example of the Philippines and you need to venture off to one of the other cities or islands to get a real feel for the place. The American influence is evident in the main sport of basketball and all the fast-food chains with burgers and fried chicken on every menu. The Spanish influence is noticed in the language that has thousands of Spanish words. Overall, the countries I have mentioned are all unique in their own aspect and in their own culture and as a whole they make up the Asia culture and experience.
My Southeast Asia experience has been so much fun and such a great time. I have done things and experienced things I have never thought I would and am so glad I went on this trip. This part of the world has so many differences (cultural and experiences) from the West but it is that differences that have made my trip so enjoyable. There are few things that I have wanted to comment on for some time so here is list of the funny/quirky/interesting/cultural/annoying things I have come to experience in Southeast Asia.
1. Transportation
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| Legazpi, Philippines |
I don’t even know how many kinds of transport I have been on thus far in the trip but it is a lot (tuk tuks, shared taxis on the back of trucks, ferries, local buses, VIP buses, mini-bus, trains, river boats, longboats, scooters, motos, jeepneys, tricycles etc). Each form of transport is so different and unique and all have good stories with them too. In Indonesia, you will see families of five all sharing the same scooter to get around. Thankfully I have been on them with no more than two people. The VIP buses have toilets and AC which is so cold you need to wear a sweater if not pants too. On one VIP bus, the bathroom was locked and the local Vietnamese man thought it was okay to pee a couple of times on the stairs beside the locked toilet instead of waiting till the bus stopped. It was pretty gross. On my twenty four hour bus to Vientiane, Laos, the bus would stop randomly and everyone would exit for a mass group pee on the side of the road. I was the only tourist on this bus and never seemed to know when these bathroom stops would happen, but the Laotians did. To get from
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| Scootering around Pai, Thailand |
Indonesia to the Manila Airport, I took five forms of transport in one day: taxi, two planes, jeepney, local bus and a tricycle. I should also mention that transport is rarely ever on time and always takes longer than they tell you. Add at least an hour or two to each of your buses and ferry rides. It if is on time or early than consider yourself special. Also, I have had some scary and crazy mini-bus drivers, some extra chatty moto drivers, some taxi cabs whose meters don’t work properly and rip you off, and many other things happen but all of this is all part of the experience though and part of getting around Asia.
2. Men with moles
I have noticed lots of men that have moles on their faces let the hair grow out of the mole so that the mole ends up with whiskers. The whiskers on some older men are very long and prominent. I am not sure if this is a status things or what the reason behind it is but it is definitely an interest cultural thing.
3. Cat calls
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| Indonesian t-shirt |
“Tuk tuk?” “You want massage?” “You buy something?” “You buy from me?” “Moto?” “You want a suit “Transport?” The cat calls in a sing song voice you get asked pretty much every day, if not 50 times a day. I saw someone the other day with a t-shirt that was in English on one side and Thai on the other and it said “No I don’t want a %^&* ing massage, suit or tuk tuk”. There is also an Indonesian version too. Some days I think it would be easier to where such a t-shirt instead of constantly saying “No thanks” to the cat calls. You do get used to them and tune them out but there are some days when it is super irritating.
4. What is your lowest price?
If you love to bargain than Asian markets are for you. It is expected of you to bargain when shopping and it is game between you and stall keeper. The calculator is a handy item in the bargaining game as the stall keeper will type in a price and you type in a price back. I have found that you need to start off with a price well below what you are actually willing to pay and usually you end up at that price or lower. Walking away also works to get the stall keeper to lower the price. Sometimes you end up bargaining over cents which is a bit silly. Also it helps to shop around before you buy anything as what you want will usually be cheaper three stalls down than if you just buy it on impulse.
5. Whitening cream
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| Amy with the cream we at Boots in Chiang Mai, Thailand |
You need to be very careful when you buy body lotion or sunscreen in Asia as most of the products have whitening cream in it. Contrary to the Western culture where we want to get suntanned and bronzed, Asians want to be white. While they naturally have dark skin, they don’t want to become any darker with sun exposure for social status reasons. A person with extra dark skin means that they work outdoors, such as a farmer or construction worker, and therefore have lower social status. By using whitening cream, the Asians try to prevent looking lower class and more upper class and/or Western. On top of this, they cover up head to toe (even if it is 35 degrees and humid out) and use umbrellas for prevent sun rays from touching them. On a funnier side note, it is not only whitening cream that can make you more Western looking as you can buy pink nipple cream in the pharmacies over here.
6. Technology and pop music
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| Justin Bieber in 3D in Legazpi, Philippines |
Absolutely everyone over here has a cell phone. They are cheap and no one has a land lines so cell phones are easy. People are even talking or texting while driving their scooters. They are just on their phones all the time. The ringtones for all these cell phones are usually a pop song. Whether it is an English or a local language pop hit is the question but typically it is a pop song. They love their pop music in Asia! Justin Bieber is a huge hit here and especially in the Philippines. On Apo Island, which is about a 40 minute boat ride from the main island of Negros and has a population 800, I had one kid ask me where I was from and when I said Canada, he said “Where Justin Bieber lives!” Then he asked me if Justin was my brother. Too funny! Not only is Justin Bieber a hit here but you have Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and all the other big pop stars blaring at you from shops and even on buses. On most long distance buses, they have TV screens that show the latest pop videos from around the world but mainly they show that particular country’s biggest pop stars. Those video usually follow the same corny theme of pretty Asian girl falls for sleazy guy, leaving nice boyfriend (the pop star) who in the end tries to win her back and gets hurt or killed. Let me tell you that a six hour bus ride with Asian pop music on repeat is a very long trip. Also, internet cafes are everywhere as well as wifi so you are never without worldly connections. Though where you least expect to find technology, you find giant satellite dishes attached to thatched bamboo houses in the middle of the jungle and Monks with cell phones. The reason they have satellites dishes in the poorest of town is to pick up the soap opera shows that everyone watches. Each country has their own soap operas and they all look same and seem to follow the same story line to American soap operas but with an Asian twist. I guess no matter where you go in the world technology is available and Western influence is every prominent, even if it is just pop music.
7. Western men with Asian ladies
It is something that is always mentioned, especially when it come to Thailand, but in all the countries there a good number of western men with Asian ladies. A lot of these western men are middle aged, grey haired, not in the best shape and in a harsh truth, not the most attractive men, and yet the Asian women they are with are gorgeous and for the most party quite young. It makes you wonder what these pretty ladies see in the men but in reality it is dollar signs, maybe love too but definitely dollar signs. A Western man offer an Asian lady a lot more prospects with money for her and her family than a local man. Plus in Southeast Asia a foreigner can’t own propriety or a business out right without someone who is from that country being the majority owner. Therefore, the wife owns the business and the house that her Western husband has bought. It works out well for her and her family should there be a divorce or death of the husband. While this may not be the main reason why Asian women go for western men, I believe it is and judging by the number of prostitutes and ladies that I have seen in seedy bars with western men it makes sense to me. I should also add that I have heard that local men don’t necessarily treat their partners very well so that could another part of the reason ladies chose to marry older Westerners.
On another note, while I was in Indonesia a few of the men I talked to really wanted to marry a Western woman so they could have blonde hair and light skinned children. I have seen a few couple where the woman is the Western and than man local and I feel that these relationships are based more on love than money.
8. Lady Boys
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| Muay Thai fight in Chiang Mai |
9. Smoking, Garbage and Recycling
Everyone smokes over here. Tourists, locals, lady boys, dive instructors, bus drivers, etc. It is just very socially accepted and there doesn’t seem to be anyone trying to stop people from smoking. Singapore is the sole exception as it is illegal to smoke in all public places there. Despite the
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| Trash on Senggigi Beach, Indonesia |
health risks, the other downside is that everyone tosses their cigarette butts on the ground, in the ocean, or just anywhere. There is a lack of public ash trays to go with the lack public garbage bins. Most of the time it is really hard to find garbage bins over here. You end up just leaving your trash with other trash that is in a pile somewhere. There are piles of trash all over the countries and it is quite ugly to look at or to swim in like at Kuta Beach, Bali. There is also a lack of recycling and with tourist and locals having to buy bottled water to drink, water bottles add up. Now it is hard for me to say clean up your trash and recycle to them when Westerners have been and are just as bad, but the trash issue is definitely more noticeable over here.
10. For the love of Hollywood
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| Leo will take you to "The Beach" |
Well, those are my thoughts and comments on my Asian experiences and on Asia culture. Everything I have mentioned has had an influence in making this trip so great and so special, and without all the differences in cultures and all the funny/quirky/interesting/cultural/annoying experiences the trip wouldn’t be the same. So from the beaches to, the temples and wats, to the markets and local food, and everything in between Southeast Asia is a great place to visit and I have loved spending the last 4.5 months here.
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| 7 Commandoes Beach, Philippines |
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| Angkor Wat, Cambodia |
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| Central Market, Hoi An, Vietnam |
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