October 2003
 In
an age when people are traveling more than ever before,
Our man in Hanoi has been wondering what exactly it is about
travel that so interests people, if not actually to go,
then to at least express a passing interest, "Oh I've
always wanted to do that" or " I'd absolutely
love to go to ….but we just don't have the time"
While he realizes the issue of why people travel is not
in the same theological or philosophical league as say "Why
are we here?," and he cannot claim to have the answer,
he can let you know what he loves about life on the road
and in foreign climes. So in no particular order:
Sleeping on the clean white freshly laundered linen of a
really good hotel, far far fancier than the clean but drab
sheets your own bed is furnished with; Hammocks; Trains-almost
everything about them, the ever-changing landscape, the
noodles, chicken or rice available at every stop ( as long
as you're quick enough), smoking between carriages, leaning
out of the open doors and letting the wind hit you full
on (you'd probably get jailed for this in much of the "developed
world") and most of all the cute little beds that are
made up, and on which I swear I always get the best nights
sleep as the train's chug chug sings me a lullaby and the
motion rocks me to sleep; Sunglasses; Arriving disorientated
late at night at an unfamiliar guest house or hotel and
waking up the next morning to brilliant sun bouncing of
a blue sea and white sand as you wander dopily on to the
balcony, Yes!; Reading that classic you brought with you
because you deliberately brought nothing fun so as to force
yourself to read it and enjoying it; Beer Laos; Burying
yourself under a mountain of blankets in a top class hotel
and turning the air con on full blast; Coconut trees (corny
I know but doesn't everyone love them?); Being surrounded
by the madness and noise of an outdoor market and just letting
yourself be carried along by the crowd--like a very small
boat floating on a sea of foreign voices, jostling bodies,
sometimes delicious smells and vivid colors; really hearing
a language (you can't do that with your own you know); Finding
out that people really are the same all over the world,
and completely different at the same time; Waking up to
face the prospect of another day at work and then realizing…;Being
invited into someone's house for dinner and to meet the
family even though you only met them ten minutes ago asking
for directions; Bagging a tiger; Not having to wear a watch;
Manyana; Tiny dusty curio shops--not the ones full of tourist
junk-but the ones you can tell are on the verge of closing
down due to lack of sales and which are full of stuff you'd
never imagine buying but maybe under that old picture……;Rice
wine; No worries; Renting a motorbike in less than 5 minutes
and not having to wear a helmet; Nivea After Sun or any
other lotion that cools and soothes your reddened skin;
Almost everything about beaches; Taking a boat trip to go
snorkeling; Taking a boat trip; Learning a few words of
a foreign language and being understood; Trying a beer you've
never tried before; Packing just enough stuff to be comfortable
but not so much so your bag won't fit under a chair or is
too heavy to carry more than a few hundred meters(that one
really takes practice!); A lazy game of chess or cards;
Smoking a cigarette as you come out of the sea and are drying
off; Knowing exactly how much you should pay for something;
Beautiful sunsets; Train stations; Tropical islands viewed
from some kind of peak or high point; House lizards against
white walls; Trying a new kind of food and finding out that
actually it's really not too bad i.e. pig's ear or bamboo
grubs (the grubs taste exactly like fried bacon); Guiltless
daytime drinking; Hearing the sea as you drift off to sleep;
Seeing a storm as it approaches; Hard rain on corrugated
iron roofs; Not knowing any of the news in your home country.
I think I could go on for ever but as this issue is already
late, I'll stop there. What do you love about travel? Answers
to
hotels_in_asia@yahoo.com
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