Wanderlust Heaven!

‘Before I was enlightened, I chopped wood and carried water. After I was enlightened, I chopped wood and carried water.’
–Old Buddhist Proverb

My last few days in Saigon were a mixed bag. I was feeling the odd yet usual anxieties that accompany the wooing of a younger foreign woman; much lost in translation, uncertainty about where she spends her time and what she’s doing, concern that she’s more after my wallet than my personality. I recognize that some of those feelings aren’t unique to the Westerner/non-Westerner milieu…but they do tend to be magnified here.

To clear the head, I walked around Saigon for hours on end. And I found some surprisingly enjoyable pockets of peace in the crazed city…places where motorbikes feared to tread and postcard vendors saw no business. To boot, the city was gearing up for Christmas; note that it was already early December, at least they had waited that long. I understand that Xmas in the States now begins in August. Retailers will stop at nothing.

I doubt that Uncle Ho would approve of the Xmas decorations in his namesake city – they were pretty gaudy, and represented (at least as I interpreted them) a confluence of commercialism and religion, not two of old Ho’s preferred (or tolerated) pastimes. But I thought it was just fine…at least Vietnam is becoming a fairly normal place, i.e. somewhere where greed rules and everything else falls into place. Hallelujah!

I realize that I haven’t shown any photos in recent weeks – photos that might do a better job than my mere words at illustrating my points. That’s largely because my camera has stayed in my bag; I guess that I’m much more inclined to take pictures in a new place, even though the best shots are often those of everyday life and not monuments. I’ll get my act together soon and resume the posting of a few pics each week…

Took Phuong out on Thursday night. We went to a very nice Vietnamese restaurant, then over to the Sheraton’s Level 23 Club to hear some Canadian band. It didn’t seem there would be much dancing at first, but pretty soon the wine was flowing and everyone was on the floor (dance floor, that is). Phuong is an avid dancer, and a yogi as well, and knows her way around the dance floor. I just tried to keep up…although I do pride myself on being one of the better Jewish dancers around.

Phuong’s younger sister showed up. We sat together and talked when the music wasn’t blaring. The conversation was quite amusing – the girls would talk, then Phuong would turn to me and say something like ‘Younger sister say you very big shoulder.’ I’m not sure I ever heard Younger Sister’s name…it was a very Asian encounter. It was good fun and afterward we went out to eat and blew a lot of money on in-season hairy crabs. My money, of course. ‘Taking the sister out’ is as mandatory and regular an exercise out here as is the running of the bulls in Pamplona. Younger (or Older) Sister must be impressed with the foreigner; Older (or Younger) Sister must gain face/status by accepting bounteous gifts from said wealthy foreigner. Anyway, one thing I’ve learned is that it doesn’t pay to be cheap…you just have to grin and try to have some fun with it.

Random street scenes in Saigon:

1. Old Westerner wandering around the shops wearing a Boston Red Sox cap. I didn’t strike up a conversation, but should have. I suppose I was still recovering from my recent encounter with the Slarzes in Mapusa, Goa…

2. A local girl wandered by in full surgical mask (good idea, given the scooter fumes). The mask had a small USA flag on it. Man, would Uncle Ho be pissed!

3. Many stores seem to be official outlets, but I wonder. Near my hotel I saw a ‘Levi’s Store’ that looked a lot like those in the West…and I saw a ‘Benetton’ store as well. Are these sanctioned outlets or are they knock-offs?

Caught up on some podcasts that have been stacking up in my iPod. One was from The New Yorker, and featured a geneticist discussing what we can learn from ‘defeated viruses’ that have left residual ‘junk DNA’ in us. One bit I found fascinating: chimps can get HIV, but it’s not lethal for them. Another virus, name forgotten, is the converse – we can handle it, but chimps cannot. What science has learned is that a protein which both humans and chimps have acts against of these two viruses…but can’t take them both out, just one. Interpretation/implication: the chimp-lethal virus was eventually overcome (far in the past) by chimps who evolved resistance to it, and these chimps eventually evolved into humans. In the process, the key protein fought off the chimp virus…but was then spent and is now no use combating HIV. Humans are wide open to HIV…whereas chimps’ immune systems easily take out HIV, but are useless against the other virus. I thought that was absolutely gripping stuff – and you can probably use that analysis to ‘prove’ evolution. Not that it really needs any additional data, but I’d sure like to see it presented to various Republican Presidential candidates.

Speaking of that…Mike Huckabee, an ex-preacher with otherwise fairly normal-sounding (almost Clintonian) practical ideas, doesn’t believe in evolution. What’s in his drinking water? The only people who don’t believe in evolution – most Muslims, and 50% of Americans. Throw in other data points – the death penalty, etc. – and we come off looking like shit.

Another podcast lent credence to that thought. PBS/NOW had a podcast about anti-voter registration efforts in the US. There are still extensive efforts – 95% by Republicans – to deny the vote to minorities and the poor, via redistricting (whoops – you’re not registered to vote in this district), ID card requirements (believe it or not, 20% of Americans don’t have a photo ID), etc. And the Bush Admin.’s Justice Dept. has been the worst offender – historically, the Justice Dept.’s Civil Rights area has fought these sorts of dirty tricks. But not now – now, they’re in the ‘vanguard’ and have filed zero lawsuits against local governments. Does the US have true democracy? After listening to this podcast (and another, on faulty voting machines), I wonder.

Didn’t bother to do much sight-seeing in Saigon this time…I’d seen all the key places on my first visit. At some point I would like to head to Mui Ne Beach, or down to the Mekong Delta, but given that this trip was a short one, to see Phuong, I just stuck around town. I think I’ve gone through my allowance of sight-seeing for 2007, and will perk up again a few months into next year…

As such, I spent a fair bit of time doing computer stuff. Finally uploaded Suunto’s Dive Manager software. It’s cool – it reads dive profile info straight off the dive watch.computer and shows graphical overview of the dive. But now I need to get the USB cable for the watch – that will take me a while, methinks. I also downloaded a trial version of Reef Log, an e-logbook for the Palm OS. You can log your dives on this and keep them around forever. Problem? On the actual dives you probably want to carry a paper log, to have the divemaster sign and to avoid getting your Palm wet. And having two sets of ‘books’ can be a pain…so in the end I suspect I’ll just try Reef Log, but stick with a paper log.

Downloaded some classical music on the advice of a friend who’s very knowledgeable about the topic. Got Brahms’s Rhapdosy for Alto Opera 53, and a few Mozart Symphonies. Will try to digest those and move on. Any ideas for other classical stuff, let me know.

Had to call the US on Skype a few times. Am always slightly anxious about doing so for ‘business calls.’ This time I had to call my health insurance company and a credit-card-issuing bank. I always worry that the call quality will stink, or that it will hang up halfway through a tricky call. So far the latter hasn’t happened, but I’ve had some poor-quality calls and it’s been dicey getting through. Anyway, took care of the health insurance bit – they were raising rates 20% and I downshifted to a cheaper plan; then I had to sort it so that they’d automatically withdraw from my checking account each month. Not as easy as it should be. Then spoke with the bank – I’m slowly rotating my credit cards in order to get ones with better travel offerings – and guess what? If you have decent credit these days, despite the ‘credit crunch’ you still get pre-approved offers and very good terms. In fact, they went me one better and offered me a ‘small business card’ based on my assertion that I am self-employed (which I am – I just don’t work and earn no income). I said OK to that offer, they asked me some softball questions about my ‘business,’ which amounted to my saying that I do some contract consulting work and file taxes as an individual/sole proprietor. The agent gave me the answer options and pretty much baby-stepped me through the checklist – no problem. So now I have a great new card coming with excellent terms. If you have a great credit card I should know about, please clue me in.

These, then, are the complications in my life. Not that bad…but they do keep me quite busy. Most activity seems to be centered on my monthly mail drop – when I go through that, a few things pop up that need quick attention. Then I turn my attention to the magazines in the package, and I’m busy with those for 10 days or so. The joys of a simple life…should I feel badly about wanting to keep things uncomplicated? Either way, I can’t help who I am. I prefer reading to talking…I prefer writing to playing cards and other games…I prefer virtually anything to working. That’s my manifesto and I’m sticking with it.

Heard about the farcical coup in Manila. I do feel badly for the Peninsula Hotel Manila…it’s a lovely place and I’ve enjoyed many nights there. Saw a few pics of the shattered lobby and I hope the Filipino government is picking up the tab. Oh, my poor Philippines…it’s a wonderful place and the people are top-notch. I think they need to be more ruthless about traitors – this coup was led by a former coup plotter who is still in prison AND was just elected Senator. I’m sorry, but if you’re behind bars, even if not yet convicted, you should not be eligible to run for office. And the previous coup was in 2003, I think – by this point the fellow (Trillanes) should have been tried and either shot or released. I wonder how many biz trips and deals were iced because of this coup…

Was getting a bit tired of the street action in Saigon. The Vietnamese are unrelelentingly commercial and are always on you to buy books, postcards, a moto ride, and darker offerings. And Phuong and I were starting to get on each other’s nerves…probably because I was taking off, again, and we hadn’t resolved much re the future. She’d already sniffed out my operating style, I’m afraid…complete fear about commitment and a general yearning to put off anything serious in order to wander the globe aimlessly. Guilty as charged. So was happy enough to head back to Goa, the land where the locals don’t bother to tout because they’re too busy sleeping or hammered on cashew feni.

Had to fly through KL to get back to Mumbai. Had another lengthy layover at KLIA, considered another session in the airport hotel. But had spent a lot in Saigon and decided to practice penury for a few days. Instead of sleeping, I found a wall socket and watched a couple DVDs I’d picked up in Saigon. Shawshank Redemption and Blood Diamonds. Both quite good, both movies I’d intended to see for a long time. Walked around KLIA for a while, it’s a great airport with lots of shops and restaurants. Saw Greenspan’s new book in a bookstore window. Really, this is the Age of Turbulence? I would have thought the 1940s, or the 1960s, or the 1970s were far more turbulent. Maybe he’s comparing the current stretch to 1993-1999. That’s far-sightedness for you…

Went to Burger King for my final beef fix of the trip. In front of me in line were three fellows in Muslim garb – skullcap and djellabah. Two of the three boys looked Causcasian – or maybe they were albino Semites. But they were probably Western boys looking for a burger fix. I also saw a Muslim woman, fully veiled, eating at another table – she lifted her veil whenever she took a bit of her Whopper. Surreal. Later I saw this gang go into a Nike shop – modern Muslim pilgrims, perhaps. The veiled woman was with them – evidently she had to eat at a separate table from them at Burger King. Charming.

Ate a Whopper and savored the taste of the flame-broiled beef, then got on my plane to India. It had been an odd trip…I had enjoyed most of it, and had learned a few things, but was still unsure where things stood with Phuong, and felt some insecurity as a result. Oh well…I need to stop being so self-critical, despite the benefits this trait brings.

On the flight I listened to a CD of Churchill speeches from the 1930s/40s. Brilliant in every way. And I despaired that his peculiar mix of foresight and wisdom is just no longer with us. He made his mistakes too (Gallipoli, etc.), but he was the #1 figure of the 20th century in my humble opinion. If only our current leaders understood that being strong and being smart are not mutually exclusive…

Landed in Mumbai. The usual chaos – not this belt, that one. Not that form, this one. My bag was one of the last ones off the plane, so stood there for 20 minutes. I always feel great relief when my bag comes down the belt. I have a green and black duffel that I cover my backpack with, courtesy of my sister. The resulting unit is large and I call it the green submarine. Nothing else remotely resembles it and it’s so large that I don’t worry much about somehow just grabbing it and running. Of course, in Africa I might feel a bit differently. Ask me that story sometime…

Got in a taxi and got to my hotel, Royal Castle, in Beach Candy/Kemp’s Corner. Another attempt to find a decent hotel in Mumbai. This one was actually all right. 1800 rupees per night, clean enough, big room, aircon. And the ‘hood is right near where I used to live. I dumped my pack, then wandered around for an hour. Came to my old building, the Meherabad. Saw that the ground-floor shop had changed. For decades it was a sculpture/outdoor furniture shop, with very cool Hindu religion figures. Once, when I had just moved into my flat upstairs, I was ‘summoned’ by the sculpture shop owner and berated because my aircon unit had dripped water on his stuff. Not a very nice welcome to the building. Now this shop was gone, replaced by some clothing shop called ‘Gas.’ And the little café Under the Over (so called because it was under the overpass) was gone too. I used to eat buffalo wings there – they were by no means authentic, but a taste of home for me during that weird and disorienting summer of 1992. Changes had come to Breach Candy…I was almost sad.

I was dead tired – fell asleep around 2 a.m. and didn’t arise till 11 next morning. Checked out. The owner was at the front desk now, and he asked me about my stay, gave me a receipt, and handed me a card and brochure for his hotel. I hadn’t ever seen this place before, it’s been around for 17 years (or so he said) but is off the main drag and not that easy to spot. Anyway, the usual front desk service in these hotels is diffident or abrasive, so this was a breath of fresh air. I might just stay there again next time I’m in Mumbai. The place could be cleaner – I noticed in the bathroom that the walls that are not in plain sight are a bit grotty, and there are random debris on the bedroom floor and under the bed. The place is not new, for sure – but Indian labor is cheap and my belief is that once you let things get a bit out of hand, there’s a snowball effect. They really should sandblast the rooms one day per year and then raise their rates…

Was starving by the time I reached the domestic airport. Checked in, then inhaled a large chicken burger at Coffee Day café. This place does pretty solid sandwiches. Was so hungry I ate a regular chicken sandwich for ‘dessert.’ Then ate a batata wada (potato puff) before boarding the flight. Made a mental note to hit the gym that night to make up for the gluttony. One benefit of being here is that there’s really no gut-stuffing in November/December, at least if you don’t make an effort to overeat.

Got back to Bean Me Up. Was like I had never left. I was happy to see the gang, they seemed happy to have me back. Went to the gym, had dinner, a few drinks, read a bit. Was warm – got on my motorbike and rode for 20 minutes to clear my head. Saw two dogs at a small fire at the side of the road, they were make incursions to try to get something edible in there. Rode on…saw a cow with its legs up against the side of a building. Wasn’t sure what was going on there – mad cow might have reached Goa? The night air was wonderfully cool and I felt cleansed of toxins and stress.

Back to yoga the next morning. I felt pretty good and flexible, I had practiced a few times in Saigon so wasn’t too stiff. And the class now had a few newbies, Italian fellows, who were as lame as I with yoga. It was good to have some brothers in arms amidst all the flexi-babes. I might just be able to stick it out a few more weeks…

Lisa at BMU is considering a New Year’s Eve party. That might be good – I have a couple friends coming from London, and given the level of nighttime mayhem in Goa, it may be best to stay on premise that night. Lisa’s friend is a well-known DJ and has offered to play the gig, so that’s set. We’ll see what she decides.

Lisa and Richard are planning to get married this month, after 20-plus years together. Wouldn’t you know it, they’re only doing so for tax/health/pension reasons. Anyway, they asked me to be a witness and I’m happy to accept. This would be my third wedding this year – one in Cebu, one in San Francisco, and now one in Goa. Random.

The Mennen Speed Stick deodorant I bought on September 27th in Phnom Penh at Pharmacie de la Gare is still going strong. I don’t know if that’s an indictment on me or a pitch for Mennen, but I’m content either way.

Received a brochure for my new health insurance policy. Mostly boring crap, but read it through anyway to check for glaring loopholes. The policy looks fine, but I did notice a footnote under the ‘Mental Health and Substance Abuse Treatment’ section that was, at the very least, rather insensitive. It read ‘Treatment for rape-related mental or emotional disorders and treatment for children under age 19 are covered to the same extent as biologically-based conditions.’ That is to say, the out-of-pocket cost is zero, but placing the separate line-items of rape and being a child under 19 side-by-side struck me as a very bad kluge. Blue Cross should’ve gone to the trouble of having a separate footer for each…

Woke up this morning to go to yoga class. A large cockroach was scurrying around my bathroom. Gave it a good kick and seemed to have mortally wounded it. Nice prelude to yoga, huh? Insect-killing, then calm Zen meditation and vigorous poses. Came back from class, the corpse of the roach was now a few feet away. I was surprised that it had been able to move – then I noticed it was swaming with hungry ants. Ugh. Took the hose and washed them all away into the drain. Fitting epilogue to that day’s practice.

I’ve now surpassed 500 cumulative pages in this slog. Many thanks to those of who who have stuck with me from the beginning, or from anywhere along the path. I do appreciate it – but would love to hear more from you, so get your insults and death threats in order. I mulled using this blog entry to detail some sort of list compiled from my travels – memorable experiences, great restaurants, close calls, you name it – but will instead be more thoughtful and do something towards year-end, which I find a more natural time for reflection than any page-count. I think the only thing I’ll say right now is that the past year and a half, mostly in Asia, has been invigorating and would be hard to match. I worked in Asia for many years before quitting, and in some ways traveling in Asia (albeit to many new places within Asia) has meant keeping within my knowledge and comfort zone. I think I needed this amount of ‘free time’ out here to expand my Asian experience; Asia speaks to my soul in so many ways, and I hope that my writings have helped to communicate that to you. At the same time, the world is large and there’s still much more to see and learn, and I need to get outside my comfort zone – so in 2008, I plan to continue my journeys, heading west to Turkey and the Middle East, perhaps to Russia, Eastern Europe, and the east coast of Africa. I heard about an outfitter that does trips from Cairo to Cape Town. What I wouldn’t give to return to the Cape for a long stretch – and why can’t I do it? It’s really all a question, as economists would say, of opportunity cost. I could be here today, or I could be there. But my constraints are few – I have the time, barring any unforeseen disaster striking. And I mean to spend the time seeing what I want to see, and telling you all about it. So keep tuning in every week and let’s continue our global communion, dear readers. Over and out.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 2:00 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.