Tuk tuks, temples, and noodle soup....

In a nutshell, tuk tuks, temples and noodle soup represent strong themes experienced throughout my adventures in S.E. Asia. Its interesting because when I really think critically about the places we've been and the people we've encountered....the moments that have impacted me the most seem to barely skim the surface of the complex societies we've been introduced too. I guess that's the difference between passing through somewhere and really settling in for a closer look. I can't help but think that we haven't really dug into the substance of daily life here ....probably 'cause we haven't! 8 countries in 4 months -yyyeeessh!

The GDPs/capita of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam range from $800 to $1000/year, but in reality there are great inequities of distribution -this means that probably the majority of people in these countries live on far less than that, while an elite minority live on far more. For the most part, I've found that people don't let it show. Yes, -if you looked objectively- many homes are quite humble (to put it mildly), children are walking around in rags-by-western-standards and often shoeless, and families of four or five are crammed on to one moto weaving through the crazy traffic. BUT, people also wear smiles and warmly greet us (almost) everywhere we go. People are SO friendly, warm and happy that its easy to stop seeing these things. I wonder how difficult life really is for some of these people once they stop playing host and have to face the realities of their world. Or if its not? Maybe my western eyes are making assumptions that shouldn't be made.

Cambodia is the poorest of the countries we've been too. Unlike Vietnam and Laos, there are many beggars everywhere we go (more predominant, however, in the most touristy places). Our guidebook warns not to give money to children -they don't get to keep it anyway. This leaves you with a heartbreaking dilemna of what to do instead. Little girls walk around carrying their baby brothers/sisters limp in their arms and beg for money. You assume that there's some adult behind the scenes orchestrating this incredibly effective pull at your heart (and hopefully wallet) strings. For a minute, you hate. You hate the person who has sent this child out into the street without shoes, carrying a baby just because they are far more likely to recieve handouts. You hate the child who begs you to buy enfant formula, always holding an empty bottle and baby, because you're pretty sure that he/she is just going to sell it back to the store once you leave. And you hate yourself for being so cynical that even when a child begs you for $1, you stop yourself from handing it over.

It takes a lot of will power to do some important remembering. To remember that we're all human, and that most mothers or fathers would not subject their children to such lives, if not out of complete desperation. To remember that here, there are no social services -no pensions, no welfare, no EI. If that little old lady who can't quite walk properly is sitting on the ground begging for money, chances are she really needs it. Remembering that the kids probably can't afford to go to school and even if they are lucky enough to get an education, high unemployment rates make it difficult, if not impossible, to find a worthwhile job on the other end.

Remembering these things and thinking about them means facing the reality -not blocking it out. It means struggling to grasp the horrendously unjust world we live in without feeling shame for who I am or where I come from. To really do the people of S.E. Asia justice, I think we have to look past the tuk tuks, temples and (delicious) noodle soup...and attempt to see the how such warm and friendly people really live on a daily basis. I think that's probably harder to do than it seems.