Now that Europe is experiencing heath like never before, I felt like sharing some stories about the weather conditions here in SE Asia.
When I arrived to Hanoi in mid June, the city greeted me with a welcoming 41'c. That was the first day of the heath period. Since my arrival, the temperatures have been soaring. The day time temperature has been 38'c on average, passing the 40'c mark every now and then. At night time it has been much cooler, the temperature setting at about 28'c. Usually the rains cool the climate a bit during this time of the year but now, as there has been no rain, there has been no ease.
In theory, the rainy season stars in June and goes on until August-September. Now we are in mid July and it has rained properly only once. And boy did it rain. It was last Monday. This end-of-the-world type rain started in early morning. During 3 hours, from 7am to 10 am, it rained 150mm. 3 people died of electrocution. over 100 fishermen are still missing. Co To island, the place we went to a couple of wees ago, was hit by 7m waves. In Hanoi 79 places were flooded and many places closed from traffic. In a city of 8 million people you can imagine what that causes. The usual morning rush turned into extraordinary morning chaos.
It is somehow expected that having a motor vehicle should be combined with the knowledge of how to use it. Well, here where a car is a status thing more than anything, it is not always clear what the car can take. In the afternoon we were heading to a meeting and the amount of broken down cars was imperssive. Low rise cars, Huyndai, Mercedes, Toyota, were driven through flooded streets at normal speed which eventually led to breaking down of the engine. Also several motorbikes had suffered the same fate.
The floods also caused harm and destruction in the low areas of the city. And, because of building standards in the region, in several apartments the water entered the rooms through windows, walls, roofs, lamps, screws, air conditioning machines, you name it. Several trees fell because of the heavy rain, blocking some streets and cutting powerlines (including the one leading to my hotel).
This weekend a typhoon was supposed to hit Hanoi. From work we received an emergency e-mail encouraging us to stock food, to refrain from traveling and to report to a supervisor on Sunday. Luckily, the storm calmed down before hitting Hanoi so no exciting stories to tell from that. Nevertheless, the nature is brutal here, for me it's mainly interesting. After all, I've never ridden a bike in knee-deep water!
torstai 15. heinäkuuta 2010
maanantai 5. heinäkuuta 2010
The Vietnamese way
This weekend truly gave an insight in the Vietnamese way of traveling. It was a pure coincidence that things happened the way they did so I'll explain everything from the beginning.
When I came to Vietnam, I contacted randomly some people on CouchSurfing. One of the people who answered my message was Huong. We met last Tuesday. That same evening she had a meeting about a trip that weekend and I accompanied her there. The people were surprised to see me at the meeting but welcomed me warmly and asked me to join the trip. Two days later my other plans got cancelled so I signed up.
The trip was organized entirely by private people. The group was gathered on a Vietnamese internet forum where the discussion about backpacking and exploring Vietnam is active. So, on Friday after work, 27 Vietnamese persons between 22 and 29 years of age and I crammed into a bus and drove 5 hours to Van Don. On the way we stopped in a road side restaurant and just like the other days, we ate the traditional way: 6 people around one table sharing 4-8 different courses plus rice and soup. Everybody have a small bowl for rice/soup and the pieces of food are taken with one's own chopsticks.
In Van Don we had hotel rooms booked. 4 people per bed. The 120x200cm bed fit us actually quite nicely and I got luxury treatment by having my own space on the floor. What surprised me (but was obvious afterwards) was that the couples didn't even discuss about sleeping together. The girls had their rooms, the boys had theirs.
After a 3 hour boat ride the next morning we arrived to Co To island at 9 a.m. The boat ride was quite absurd in itself because the Asian people are surprisingly motion sick so many of the passengers were throwing up. Our accomondation was homestay. Two families rented us small rooms with bamboo carpets that were supposed to be our beds. We had lunch and that was about the only thing we did before 4 p.m. You see, the Vietnamese are surprisingly sensitive about the heath so avoiding the sun (and getting tanned) is a good excuse for resting the day. When the sun started setting, we got 3 people on a motorbike and started exploring the small island. In the end we went to the beach. What was maybe most surprising to me was that only a handful of the Vietnamese could swim. A couple of us swam to a boat not far the shore where some soldiers were enjoying their evening off. They were happy to get the company (and have a woman on the boat, I guess) and invited us beer and sausages.
At night the rooms were too hot to sleep in. Therefore, everybody slept on the patio. I had been adopted by a group of 5 people who were amazing and so kind to me, maybe the best thing this weekend. They had reserved me a place in their tent so the bugs didn't bother us. But everybody was sleeping on the hard ground with no pillow. And no one was complaining.
Next morning I woke up at 6.05 am. I was the last one sleeping. Everybody was having breakfast or showering. By 7 am I was sitting on a motorcycle again touring around the island and by 7.45 I was swimming in the sea.
To top it all off, on our way back the boat was packed so we lay on the roof and slept. The boat went through Halong Bay, a world heritage site and one of the 7 new wonders of the world. Think of Avatar and the scenes where the last battle is fought. Add water and you have Halong Bay. So lying there and seeing these incredible rock formations, that was just a perfect end to a nice weekend.
The trip gave me so much and it introduced me to like minded people who I am eager to meet again. Suddenly one more month is not nearly enough in Vietnam.
When I came to Vietnam, I contacted randomly some people on CouchSurfing. One of the people who answered my message was Huong. We met last Tuesday. That same evening she had a meeting about a trip that weekend and I accompanied her there. The people were surprised to see me at the meeting but welcomed me warmly and asked me to join the trip. Two days later my other plans got cancelled so I signed up.
The trip was organized entirely by private people. The group was gathered on a Vietnamese internet forum where the discussion about backpacking and exploring Vietnam is active. So, on Friday after work, 27 Vietnamese persons between 22 and 29 years of age and I crammed into a bus and drove 5 hours to Van Don. On the way we stopped in a road side restaurant and just like the other days, we ate the traditional way: 6 people around one table sharing 4-8 different courses plus rice and soup. Everybody have a small bowl for rice/soup and the pieces of food are taken with one's own chopsticks.
In Van Don we had hotel rooms booked. 4 people per bed. The 120x200cm bed fit us actually quite nicely and I got luxury treatment by having my own space on the floor. What surprised me (but was obvious afterwards) was that the couples didn't even discuss about sleeping together. The girls had their rooms, the boys had theirs.
After a 3 hour boat ride the next morning we arrived to Co To island at 9 a.m. The boat ride was quite absurd in itself because the Asian people are surprisingly motion sick so many of the passengers were throwing up. Our accomondation was homestay. Two families rented us small rooms with bamboo carpets that were supposed to be our beds. We had lunch and that was about the only thing we did before 4 p.m. You see, the Vietnamese are surprisingly sensitive about the heath so avoiding the sun (and getting tanned) is a good excuse for resting the day. When the sun started setting, we got 3 people on a motorbike and started exploring the small island. In the end we went to the beach. What was maybe most surprising to me was that only a handful of the Vietnamese could swim. A couple of us swam to a boat not far the shore where some soldiers were enjoying their evening off. They were happy to get the company (and have a woman on the boat, I guess) and invited us beer and sausages.
At night the rooms were too hot to sleep in. Therefore, everybody slept on the patio. I had been adopted by a group of 5 people who were amazing and so kind to me, maybe the best thing this weekend. They had reserved me a place in their tent so the bugs didn't bother us. But everybody was sleeping on the hard ground with no pillow. And no one was complaining.
Next morning I woke up at 6.05 am. I was the last one sleeping. Everybody was having breakfast or showering. By 7 am I was sitting on a motorcycle again touring around the island and by 7.45 I was swimming in the sea.
To top it all off, on our way back the boat was packed so we lay on the roof and slept. The boat went through Halong Bay, a world heritage site and one of the 7 new wonders of the world. Think of Avatar and the scenes where the last battle is fought. Add water and you have Halong Bay. So lying there and seeing these incredible rock formations, that was just a perfect end to a nice weekend.
The trip gave me so much and it introduced me to like minded people who I am eager to meet again. Suddenly one more month is not nearly enough in Vietnam.
tiistai 29. kesäkuuta 2010
The first glimpse of a foreign business culture
I have attended more meetings here than ever before. Private meetings, business meetings, meetings with the Ministry of Health, advisory sessions, workshops, you name it. All have been very interesting in a professional and a educative way. You see, behavior in the meetings reflects quite well some aspects of the Vietnamese culture.
One common factor for all meetings is tea. Always. The second factor - business cards. In the beginning of a meeting, everybody is presented and business cards are given. Even when I'm a mere observer, I usually walk out with at least 5 business cards.
Some bigger meetings have simultaneous translation (a translator translates a speech or a presentation at the same time the actual representative is talking. The translation can be listened to through headphones). Especially at ministry level, many speak good English and translation is not needed. But, interestingly enough, when a native English speaker is talking, almost everybody reach out for their headphones. In other words, it is easier for the locals to understand the English of a Frenchman, an Indian or a Spaniard and more difficult to understand the Americans, the Brits or the Australians.
With great effectiveness comes also great need for rest. Anywhere, anytime you can find a person sleeping in any position. Also in the meetings. If a topic does not directly concern the person, he is most likely napping in his seat. Sometimes some take a more standard position and rest half of the body on the table. No snoring can be heard though. To balance the one's sleeping, there are always only 1 or 2 people active in the discussion, everybody else seems to be minding their own business.
Different groups of people are quite easily distinguished. If the leader of the group agrees on something, everybody in the group start nodding their heads and saying quietly "Yes, yes, yes..". Actually repeating of phrases is quite funny here. Sometimes a person says something funny 3 times in a row and only after the third time people laugh (I could have a say about the complexity of the minds of the Vietnamese but I continue observing it for now).
Telephones play an active part in the meetings. Not in productive way, though. The nicer your phone is, the more you want to expose it. Touch screen seems to be the "it" in phones now. It doesn't really matter what they do with the phone. Like one of our drivers has a Blackberry. A Blackberry. In the meetings, some play quite openly Tetris etc. Also talking on the phone is the norm and it usually doesn't require for the person to leave the table. In more general terms we can say that, just like everywhere else, disrespect for the person talking is there. Several gossips are being told while the project manager is explaining about new important strategies. Especially women have problems controlling themselves. One colleague said that the women have such a long tradition of gossiping so it's difficult for them to refrain from that. Yes, I know you think that sounds ridiculous but actually, I don't think he's too far from the truth. The amount of gossiping taking place among the Vietnamese women regarding everybody is impressive. Hanoi is like a village, anybody interested can know everything about you. There are eyes everywhere. And what eyes can't see, money can buy.
Tomorrow I will attend a full day seminar at the Ministry of Health. There are great changes taking place with the different UN agencies in Vietnam and now we're mainly briefing the Ministry about those. I'm expecting a long day, lots of discussion and a nice buffet lunch. And all of what was mentioned above.
One common factor for all meetings is tea. Always. The second factor - business cards. In the beginning of a meeting, everybody is presented and business cards are given. Even when I'm a mere observer, I usually walk out with at least 5 business cards.
Some bigger meetings have simultaneous translation (a translator translates a speech or a presentation at the same time the actual representative is talking. The translation can be listened to through headphones). Especially at ministry level, many speak good English and translation is not needed. But, interestingly enough, when a native English speaker is talking, almost everybody reach out for their headphones. In other words, it is easier for the locals to understand the English of a Frenchman, an Indian or a Spaniard and more difficult to understand the Americans, the Brits or the Australians.
With great effectiveness comes also great need for rest. Anywhere, anytime you can find a person sleeping in any position. Also in the meetings. If a topic does not directly concern the person, he is most likely napping in his seat. Sometimes some take a more standard position and rest half of the body on the table. No snoring can be heard though. To balance the one's sleeping, there are always only 1 or 2 people active in the discussion, everybody else seems to be minding their own business.
Different groups of people are quite easily distinguished. If the leader of the group agrees on something, everybody in the group start nodding their heads and saying quietly "Yes, yes, yes..". Actually repeating of phrases is quite funny here. Sometimes a person says something funny 3 times in a row and only after the third time people laugh (I could have a say about the complexity of the minds of the Vietnamese but I continue observing it for now).
Telephones play an active part in the meetings. Not in productive way, though. The nicer your phone is, the more you want to expose it. Touch screen seems to be the "it" in phones now. It doesn't really matter what they do with the phone. Like one of our drivers has a Blackberry. A Blackberry. In the meetings, some play quite openly Tetris etc. Also talking on the phone is the norm and it usually doesn't require for the person to leave the table. In more general terms we can say that, just like everywhere else, disrespect for the person talking is there. Several gossips are being told while the project manager is explaining about new important strategies. Especially women have problems controlling themselves. One colleague said that the women have such a long tradition of gossiping so it's difficult for them to refrain from that. Yes, I know you think that sounds ridiculous but actually, I don't think he's too far from the truth. The amount of gossiping taking place among the Vietnamese women regarding everybody is impressive. Hanoi is like a village, anybody interested can know everything about you. There are eyes everywhere. And what eyes can't see, money can buy.
Tomorrow I will attend a full day seminar at the Ministry of Health. There are great changes taking place with the different UN agencies in Vietnam and now we're mainly briefing the Ministry about those. I'm expecting a long day, lots of discussion and a nice buffet lunch. And all of what was mentioned above.
perjantai 18. kesäkuuta 2010
Here we go
This is a new beginning. The working week is almost over and I am still alive. It has been very interesting to enter the scene and I have been welcomed with eager.
I found a cheap room in the center for 7usd/night incl fan, TV and refridgerator (yes, Hanoi is an expensive city, in other cities I've paid around 4 usd/night). I bought a bicycle and I know where I get food so I'm stationed.
Work has been interesting sofar. Apparently I'm the first intern the WHO Vietnam has had. That explains some of the hassle with my employment. The international staff changes a lot. My supervisor, Sylvain, has been here only for 3 months and he was the one initiating the internship procedure. Sylvain is a funny guy. He is French, a tall version of Mel Gibson. During the past 18 years, he has not stayed in one place for more than 3 years. Now he's already planning where to go next, probably Geneva or Africa. The assistant I share room with, Minh Ly, is giggling all the time but she is very professional. They both work 12h every day, sometimes Sylvain is here weekends as well. Crazy people..
Working here look good at least on the outside. I've already participated in several meetings and we've been driven there by our personal driver in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Naively, I love it when I'm going anywhere in my office clothes and tourists and locals alike stare at me. I love eating at a food stall in my skirt and say no to a motorbike taxi because I have my own transport. Stupid things really, but I love acting local.
You should hear the language they use here. Fine words and abbreviations. Thousands of them! Guess how many 3 letter abbreviations the UN has! 17 576!!! And they are used frequently. So, listening to people can sometimes be difficult because you have no idea what they're talking about. It's like learning a new language, really; trying to learn the most common abbreviations and to use them fluently.
In a good WHO style, condoms for men are distributed everywhere in the WHO building in two sizes as well as the special ones for women. The HIV/AIDS workers have sterile needles surrounding them.
These are the bits and peaces of my first week in Hanoi. During the weekend I'm going to be a tourist and tour around with my new bicycle (the Vietnamese colleagues couldn't understand why I didn't buy a motorbike). Have a nice weekend, guys!
I found a cheap room in the center for 7usd/night incl fan, TV and refridgerator (yes, Hanoi is an expensive city, in other cities I've paid around 4 usd/night). I bought a bicycle and I know where I get food so I'm stationed.
Work has been interesting sofar. Apparently I'm the first intern the WHO Vietnam has had. That explains some of the hassle with my employment. The international staff changes a lot. My supervisor, Sylvain, has been here only for 3 months and he was the one initiating the internship procedure. Sylvain is a funny guy. He is French, a tall version of Mel Gibson. During the past 18 years, he has not stayed in one place for more than 3 years. Now he's already planning where to go next, probably Geneva or Africa. The assistant I share room with, Minh Ly, is giggling all the time but she is very professional. They both work 12h every day, sometimes Sylvain is here weekends as well. Crazy people..
Working here look good at least on the outside. I've already participated in several meetings and we've been driven there by our personal driver in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Naively, I love it when I'm going anywhere in my office clothes and tourists and locals alike stare at me. I love eating at a food stall in my skirt and say no to a motorbike taxi because I have my own transport. Stupid things really, but I love acting local.
You should hear the language they use here. Fine words and abbreviations. Thousands of them! Guess how many 3 letter abbreviations the UN has! 17 576!!! And they are used frequently. So, listening to people can sometimes be difficult because you have no idea what they're talking about. It's like learning a new language, really; trying to learn the most common abbreviations and to use them fluently.
In a good WHO style, condoms for men are distributed everywhere in the WHO building in two sizes as well as the special ones for women. The HIV/AIDS workers have sterile needles surrounding them.
These are the bits and peaces of my first week in Hanoi. During the weekend I'm going to be a tourist and tour around with my new bicycle (the Vietnamese colleagues couldn't understand why I didn't buy a motorbike). Have a nice weekend, guys!
sunnuntai 13. kesäkuuta 2010
Half way through
The time has come. My time for traveling is about to finish. I am sitting in a restaurant in Lao Cai at the border between Vietnam and China. In 2 hours my night train to Hanoi will depart, leading me slowly and inevitably to my new job at the WHO.
Shortly about practicalities. On Monday my plan is to a) find a cheap flat, b) meet Hugo, a Mexican living in Hanoi who has some of my things stored and c) repair my shoes to be office-appropriate again. Then, on Tuesday, it's D-Day. My working time is 8-12 and 13-17, Monday to Friday. My Vietnamese telephone number is +84 1666 544 001 but my Finnish number is working as well (once I buy a new cheap phone, my very old Nokia finally gave up so I only have one phone working right now).
My trip all together went very well. I had enough days to cover what I wanted, I didn't get sick and I only suffered minor scams. I also had the chance to talk to people about Hanoi and Vietnam in general, which almost made me a bit worried.
Vietnam has a terrible reputation among travelers. Ask anybody and he will tell you about the time when he was charged the four double price, when he was kicked you of a bus for not paying extra or when he was pickpocketed by some ladies selling candy. Two couples I met left Vietnam earlier than planned because they couldn't stand it anymore. I am told the Vietnamese are a race in itself. They will frustrate and annoy me and I just have to bear with it.
Hanoi has also got varied feed-back. Some love Hanoi, its old streets and its good food. Some hate Hanoi, the dirt, the noise and the hassle that is there 24/7. I have been asked why on earth I would want to work there. Well, it was Ms. Fortune that dealt me this card and my personal opinion about a place usually varies from the common one so I'm not worried. This is an adventure. We wouldn't want it to become too boring, would we?
I am constantly thinking about subjects I could discuss here. Unfortunately Internet access isn't very common in the more remote areas so posting here has sometimes been a small challenge. From now on, I will be in Hanoi and I will maybe even answer the messages I have received.
Time's up. Wish me luck.
Shortly about practicalities. On Monday my plan is to a) find a cheap flat, b) meet Hugo, a Mexican living in Hanoi who has some of my things stored and c) repair my shoes to be office-appropriate again. Then, on Tuesday, it's D-Day. My working time is 8-12 and 13-17, Monday to Friday. My Vietnamese telephone number is +84 1666 544 001 but my Finnish number is working as well (once I buy a new cheap phone, my very old Nokia finally gave up so I only have one phone working right now).
My trip all together went very well. I had enough days to cover what I wanted, I didn't get sick and I only suffered minor scams. I also had the chance to talk to people about Hanoi and Vietnam in general, which almost made me a bit worried.
Vietnam has a terrible reputation among travelers. Ask anybody and he will tell you about the time when he was charged the four double price, when he was kicked you of a bus for not paying extra or when he was pickpocketed by some ladies selling candy. Two couples I met left Vietnam earlier than planned because they couldn't stand it anymore. I am told the Vietnamese are a race in itself. They will frustrate and annoy me and I just have to bear with it.
Hanoi has also got varied feed-back. Some love Hanoi, its old streets and its good food. Some hate Hanoi, the dirt, the noise and the hassle that is there 24/7. I have been asked why on earth I would want to work there. Well, it was Ms. Fortune that dealt me this card and my personal opinion about a place usually varies from the common one so I'm not worried. This is an adventure. We wouldn't want it to become too boring, would we?
I am constantly thinking about subjects I could discuss here. Unfortunately Internet access isn't very common in the more remote areas so posting here has sometimes been a small challenge. From now on, I will be in Hanoi and I will maybe even answer the messages I have received.
Time's up. Wish me luck.
maanantai 7. kesäkuuta 2010
Lost and found
Hello dear people. You may have your ideas about why I haven't written here in a while. Well, I have been in Laos. After leaving the capital, Vientiane, where I posted my last entry, the Internet has been either very expensive or non-existent. In fact, electricity has been non-existent.
Laos is many tourist's favorite country here in South-East Asia. It has beautiful nature, friendly people, some nice sights and lots of drugs. It was terrible to see the 20-something tourists in the two main tourist cities in Laos, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. The kids were drinking like maniacs, having opium shakes, shouting on the streets and wearing mini-mini-skirts and shirts that show a woman's bra. Especially the thing about clothes surprised me a lot. On every single guide book about Laos the importance of conservative clothing is highlighted. I felt ashamed when the locals were staring at a group of girls with only a bikini covering their upper body. It's one thing to have the liberty to wear what you want and an other thing to make everybody around you uncomfortable. I might add that nowadays I swim with a t-shirt.
What had the most positive impact on me was a little different. There are so many places with no organized tourism. I left the "tourist route" and headed north towards the Vietnamese border, stopping at several places on the way. First I stayed in a picturesque city called Nong Khiew (a city in Laos is a village with a couple of thousand people and one paved road). I loved it there. It was so authentic. Dirty children, animals, bamboo huts, no electricity (the line had broke the previous night), 5 tourists and mountains surrounding it all. The city reminded me a lot of Moyogalpa in Nicaragua, a place that is very special to me, so being in Nong Khiew brought several beautiful memories to me and I was happy.
An other thing that impacted me greatly was a trek that Melanie from Texas and I made in the mountains of Muang Khua. Muang Khua sees some tourists that quickly pass through town. We found a teacher in the city that took us on a two day trek. I can not tell you how amazing it was. We walked IN rivers, it poured with rain, our guide continuously had to cut the vegetation to open the path etc. We passed several villages and we stayed overnight in one. The last time a foreigner had entered the grounds was over one year ago when an Israeli passed some of the villages. Approaching the village was magical in itself. We met the first person about half an hour before the village. Then the mountain almost came alive. The villagers shouted from one rice field to another about our coming and soon we had 20 grown-up's who appeared from nowhere following us. Dogs barked at us. Some children started crying at the sight of us. Old women grabbed our hands. We were asked to heal a man who was coughing blood.
We stayed the night at the chiefs house. The chief and his five brothers' families were the only ones with electricity - they had electric light after nightfall and so the fire was only used for cooking. The children laughed at anything we did. Men made tools out of old bomb shells. We were of course dead tired after the 7 hour trek so we needed to sleep. The chief had been very serious and calm during the hours that we had sat in his house. When preparing for going to bed, I removed my contact lenses. Then suddenly, the chief was next to me, faster than lightning, and he grabbed the lens container from my hands. And so he sat there carefully examining everything I had brought with me. Until 1 a.m.
So many great things have happened during my time here and I still have one more week to go. Tomorrow I'll head towards the "magical" Sapa in northern Vietnam. The unlucky thing is that my camera finally broke. I was counting on that it would work until I reached Hanoi but that didn't happen. The thing is mainly unlucky because the camera broke in Laos, the country that has zero people able to repair a camera (the photo shop keepers keep saying "Thailand, Thailand"). So, I'll try to find a repair shop in Sapa and use my phone in the meantime. I'm not devastated about this camera-thing so no worries. Be good!
Laos is many tourist's favorite country here in South-East Asia. It has beautiful nature, friendly people, some nice sights and lots of drugs. It was terrible to see the 20-something tourists in the two main tourist cities in Laos, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang. The kids were drinking like maniacs, having opium shakes, shouting on the streets and wearing mini-mini-skirts and shirts that show a woman's bra. Especially the thing about clothes surprised me a lot. On every single guide book about Laos the importance of conservative clothing is highlighted. I felt ashamed when the locals were staring at a group of girls with only a bikini covering their upper body. It's one thing to have the liberty to wear what you want and an other thing to make everybody around you uncomfortable. I might add that nowadays I swim with a t-shirt.
What had the most positive impact on me was a little different. There are so many places with no organized tourism. I left the "tourist route" and headed north towards the Vietnamese border, stopping at several places on the way. First I stayed in a picturesque city called Nong Khiew (a city in Laos is a village with a couple of thousand people and one paved road). I loved it there. It was so authentic. Dirty children, animals, bamboo huts, no electricity (the line had broke the previous night), 5 tourists and mountains surrounding it all. The city reminded me a lot of Moyogalpa in Nicaragua, a place that is very special to me, so being in Nong Khiew brought several beautiful memories to me and I was happy.
An other thing that impacted me greatly was a trek that Melanie from Texas and I made in the mountains of Muang Khua. Muang Khua sees some tourists that quickly pass through town. We found a teacher in the city that took us on a two day trek. I can not tell you how amazing it was. We walked IN rivers, it poured with rain, our guide continuously had to cut the vegetation to open the path etc. We passed several villages and we stayed overnight in one. The last time a foreigner had entered the grounds was over one year ago when an Israeli passed some of the villages. Approaching the village was magical in itself. We met the first person about half an hour before the village. Then the mountain almost came alive. The villagers shouted from one rice field to another about our coming and soon we had 20 grown-up's who appeared from nowhere following us. Dogs barked at us. Some children started crying at the sight of us. Old women grabbed our hands. We were asked to heal a man who was coughing blood.
We stayed the night at the chiefs house. The chief and his five brothers' families were the only ones with electricity - they had electric light after nightfall and so the fire was only used for cooking. The children laughed at anything we did. Men made tools out of old bomb shells. We were of course dead tired after the 7 hour trek so we needed to sleep. The chief had been very serious and calm during the hours that we had sat in his house. When preparing for going to bed, I removed my contact lenses. Then suddenly, the chief was next to me, faster than lightning, and he grabbed the lens container from my hands. And so he sat there carefully examining everything I had brought with me. Until 1 a.m.
So many great things have happened during my time here and I still have one more week to go. Tomorrow I'll head towards the "magical" Sapa in northern Vietnam. The unlucky thing is that my camera finally broke. I was counting on that it would work until I reached Hanoi but that didn't happen. The thing is mainly unlucky because the camera broke in Laos, the country that has zero people able to repair a camera (the photo shop keepers keep saying "Thailand, Thailand"). So, I'll try to find a repair shop in Sapa and use my phone in the meantime. I'm not devastated about this camera-thing so no worries. Be good!
torstai 27. toukokuuta 2010
The working girls of Pattaya
Pattaya is the most popular tourist destination of Thailand. Everything got started with the American soldiers looking for a break from the hopeless fighting in Vietnam. Today Pattaya has everything that an average tourist needs - sun, sand and sex.
Pattaya is an incredible place to visit. First of all, I had never seen so many women in a bar. Everywhere I could see middle age men, walking hand in hand with their 20-something girlfriends. Ladyboys, men transformed into women, had higher heels and more perfect bodies than 90 % of the natural women. Silicone and plastic surgery had done wonders. Fortunately, I got acquainted with two Dutch men who were to set up a gogo-bar in Pattaya and they explained a great deal of what happens there. Here are the highligts.
All the bars in Pattaya are a base for prostitutes. Some places are more discrete, some less. All have girls hanging around the bar, waiting for men. The Dutch guys will own a small place and they've hired 25 girls. The bar pays a monthly salary to the girls. If the girl only sits in the bar and talks with the clients, she gets 100euros per month. If she dances, she gets 200 euros. If she can perform or do something special, she earns from 250 euros up per month. The clients that come to the bars buy the girls drinks, from which the girls get a commission. Every drink, every discussion, is a way to ensure a continuation to the evening in the hotel room. If the client wants the girl to come with him, he first pays 10 euros to the bar, then from 20 euros up to the girl, depending on the services given.
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand. So, in order for the bars to be able to operate without problem, the bars pay a "service money" to the police. A small establishment pays 100 euros per month, a big one pays 700 euros. If no payment is made, you're out of business within 2 months.
Sometimes the client likes the girl so much that he decides to stay a longer time with her. The Thai lady feeds him, washes him, massages him, cuts his nails and has simple discussion with him. Just like in a retirement home in Finland. Oh yeah, there's the other activity as well.. Anyway, at some point daily payments are changed to monthly payments of around 250 euros. In addition a sum shall be paid to the family of the girl, around 200 euros a month. If there is affection involved, it is possible that the man e.g only pays the family and not the girl. Naturally the man pays for everything that is done together, including shopping clothes for her.
Pattaya is an experience, a surreal experience. I came across with many interesting things, some not so nice. The Thais don't like what is happening there but it brings in so much money that they can't complain. They won't complain. So they smile.
Pattaya is an incredible place to visit. First of all, I had never seen so many women in a bar. Everywhere I could see middle age men, walking hand in hand with their 20-something girlfriends. Ladyboys, men transformed into women, had higher heels and more perfect bodies than 90 % of the natural women. Silicone and plastic surgery had done wonders. Fortunately, I got acquainted with two Dutch men who were to set up a gogo-bar in Pattaya and they explained a great deal of what happens there. Here are the highligts.
All the bars in Pattaya are a base for prostitutes. Some places are more discrete, some less. All have girls hanging around the bar, waiting for men. The Dutch guys will own a small place and they've hired 25 girls. The bar pays a monthly salary to the girls. If the girl only sits in the bar and talks with the clients, she gets 100euros per month. If she dances, she gets 200 euros. If she can perform or do something special, she earns from 250 euros up per month. The clients that come to the bars buy the girls drinks, from which the girls get a commission. Every drink, every discussion, is a way to ensure a continuation to the evening in the hotel room. If the client wants the girl to come with him, he first pays 10 euros to the bar, then from 20 euros up to the girl, depending on the services given.
Prostitution is illegal in Thailand. So, in order for the bars to be able to operate without problem, the bars pay a "service money" to the police. A small establishment pays 100 euros per month, a big one pays 700 euros. If no payment is made, you're out of business within 2 months.
Sometimes the client likes the girl so much that he decides to stay a longer time with her. The Thai lady feeds him, washes him, massages him, cuts his nails and has simple discussion with him. Just like in a retirement home in Finland. Oh yeah, there's the other activity as well.. Anyway, at some point daily payments are changed to monthly payments of around 250 euros. In addition a sum shall be paid to the family of the girl, around 200 euros a month. If there is affection involved, it is possible that the man e.g only pays the family and not the girl. Naturally the man pays for everything that is done together, including shopping clothes for her.
Pattaya is an experience, a surreal experience. I came across with many interesting things, some not so nice. The Thais don't like what is happening there but it brings in so much money that they can't complain. They won't complain. So they smile.
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