Vietnam

Well,I just arrived to Ha Noi.(Regrettably by plane) Still bit under cultural shock as i never been to Vietnam before,this country is unique in its own way. Incredible how every Asian country ,standing next to each other is so different from one another,unlike in Europe. Yesterday I had to take a mini van from airport to Hoan Kiem lake for 40000 dongs. The driver was rude,he went to great extent to fill the van with people with disregard for their comfort.He also filled the van with various goods and packages,one guy sitting there had to keep his legs up in order to sit ,crazy : The driver was hesitant to give full change,i gave him 50000 dong to pay the40000 Dong fare,he only returned 8000,i had to fight for remaining two:) Airport was also bad experience.As i was sitting in longe ,bunch of taxi drivers sitting next to me lighten up their ciggaretes,disregarding the clear sign engraved on a wall that reads:" NO SMOKING' When I pointed to the sign,they were just laughing about it.When will the selfish smokers realize that other people dont need to inhale their freaking poison?Perhaps after gettng clubbed or receiving upper cut punch? Vietnamese in the North act rough,no delicasy,lack of manners,even when well intentioned.They talk loud,quick,constantly interupting,getting physicaly close to the person they are talking to This is legacy of communist rule. The good thing is that hitchhiking in Vietnam appears to be easy and the wording to explain it is so similar to Chinese language!Therefore ,no language barrier as the case was in Thailand. The french,mediteranian original architecture in Old quarter of Hanoi is absolutely admirable. Walking streets of Hanoi it feels I am somewhere in Cote d Azur ,except that I am in the heart of South East Asia.The tall french buildings still stand strong and attractive if not beautiful though, swamped with roots ,dirt and dust ,as Vietnamese failed to properly maintained them since French left half of century ago.Venetian blinds made of wood smiling from top floors though there is no one to open window shade. The legacy of colonial era has definitely its positive elements too.

Why I dislike Philippines

I will get straight to the point why Philippines scores quite low in my travel record: -Garbage everywhere ( Garbage is a common scene in most Asian countries,but Philipines beats them all,moreover that Philipines scenery and nature are riddled in abundancy,Philipino people should be aware of the wealth they posess but they aren't Astray dogs everywhere.Cruising the streets and villages,packed in groups,might become even agressive towards children and elderly.Unlike in neighboring Muslim Indonesia where the amount of dogs with no master is also in extra large quantities,it is in within the culture of Philipinos to catch any dog roaming the streets,slaughtered it and fry it for meal or dinner. Disgusting. Paid toilet everywhere (enforced).In Malaysia also a case,but Philippines goes extra step forward,they charge for peeing even in places like Mc Donalds.They only haven't beaten Netherlands where entry to the paid toilet (yes,even in the restaurant you are a customer) is constantly monitored 24/7 ,with fully operational camera,turnstyle and a guard on duty who might loose his job if he turns the blind eye on you have you not have enough coins to drain your bladder. Security everywhere, even in Mc Donald's,tall security guy welcomes you with a huge calibre gun by opening door for you. Same goes for convenient stores,public beaches,security guards stand on every 100 meters etc. Hitchhiking-hard as hell,(not part of Philippina culture)Even when you clearly explain what you want to do ,still not clear to average Philipino why you wanna ride with him and not taking a bus.Even in the country side! Philipinos dont like their country,they go abroad to Middle East,Europe and N.America to work and live,they don't realize their own potential.Shallow thinking,lack of consistency in people's mentality due general laziness,it has to do with Spanish influence. Lack of order.It is perfectfly acceptable that water tabs on a high speed boat from Bohol to Cebu first class simply dont work and no one is concerned about it. Heartbreaking homelessness.-naked children sleeping on a pavement in Manila at night,some without mother's attention ,the worst city I even been,polluted,dirty,unfriendly. Anti muslim sentiment is heavily present in Philipine society. Philipino citizens of Islamic faith are some sort of outcast in Philpino society,at one occasion they made a comment to me while riding their vehicle: "Muslims are their own world,they have different culture,they are totally different then us,their religion allows them to kill us" Philipines adopted the worst aspects of American life. As my facebook friend Steve Salken said : "the West has already polluted the Phillipines. They are a reflection of our worst desires" >

Silver medal for Indonesia!

As soon as I crossed my foot on to Indonesian soil on the island of Kalimantan from Malaysian side which is called Borneo,I immediately felt the uniques and warmth of Indonesian people. Some say borders shouldn't exist but without borders the world would come in to be one,thus homogeneous it would look boring place to be and not much fun.The border on Kalimantan between Malaysia and Indonesia is a true line cutter of not only two nations but two way of lives and two mentalities,though they have same roots. Needless to say Indonesian people are vice champions in treating foreign traveler.(note how tourist and traveler is not the same thing) The influx of islamic traditions mixed with Asian blood makes it very interesting country to explore and culture to discover.Geographic origin of Islam is located much further then Far East Asian continent and it is plan miracle how inhabitants of South East Asia embraced Islam so tightly to their hearts. The vast majority of Indonesian people want nothing more then to feed you,offer you the best hospitality,hitchhiking is easy as pie,i rarely waited longer then 15 minutes,on few occasions even the bus driver ushered me inside insisting the ride is not to be paid.Twice ,police stopped the car or truck for me. Truly amazing experience.Not to mention how easy is to find free place to sleep.If local family don't invite you home which rarely happens,you can always find fondok ,small wooden huts on the street,coated with bamboo tree,durable ,strong wood,easy to clean from dust and make it good,healthy sleep. Stunning scenery,beautiful beaches ,filled with variety of coconuts of different colors,yellow or greenish. Btw,Indonesian streets are also very safe,comparing to other countries in the world or in region,for instance Indonesia is much more safer then Philipines. People will invite you home as soon as they realize you are backpacker,traveler,foreigner in their land.You will be attraction for their children,neighbors... Muslims,Buddhists,Christians alike all act the same in this regard.It is a national custom to do so and little to do with religion. However,Indonesian people are not without their own shortcomings,just like all other nations in the world. One thing that really pissed me off in Indonesia is smoking . The vast majority of Indonesian men,circa 97% are heavy smokers ,they smoke so heavily ,couple packs a day sometimes while they prohibit women to smoke.(Ironically,this gender discrimination is beneficial for women).The Indonesian man smoke recklessly,without any consideration for people around,in almost all public places,cafes,restaurants,public transportation,buses,trains,business offices. Indonesian high schools it is perfectly acceptable for students as well as their teachers to light up a smoke during class!(Females excluded from the enjoyment though). Go and figure. More then not,I ve seen fathers smoking next to their infants as well as small children.How stupid human mind can get? On my question: -"Why do you do that,you are killing yourself"? The answer I get thru a dum smiley face is: "It looks cool no?-Well no,you my friend,you dont look cool at all,you look stupid as fuk,how could inhaling poison called nicotine ,as well as poisoning others around be cool?" It is beyond my imagination. IMO a porn star with a freshly squeezed dick in her hand looks much more cool then anyone who sucks on a cigarette butt. But again Indonesians dont think so and they will spare no pardon to puff disgusting smell in to you unless you tell them straight up how you don't appreciate that and usually after that they will back off with smile and their sorrow filled with sympathies for you as a victim of aggressive nicotine. Indonesians enjoy loud music from early morning.Maximum volume with highest amount of decibels,you might think you are dreaming but no,it is reality,7-30 in the morning you will be up your feet as your ears won't be able to stand morning party.It is different country indeed. Another thing Indonesian cultivate and have no plans to stop is disrespect for privacy,especially if you are foreigner.It is not uncommon that people might ask what is inside your bag and whenever they feel like,they will go through your back ,searching for anything interesting ,even if you are present right there.You might be frozen in awe standing there witnessing how they tear apart your belongings but for them Indonesians this is perfectly normal practice After all you came to their country-their rule is their reasoning. Hygienic is also on very low level.Dirty toilets,no paper in them,water from the river,full of bacteria and so on,filthy walls,never vacuumed floors etc.Soap is also not always present .After all it is a Third World country. I especially didn't like how Indonesians shake hands to a stranger ,by now they developed immunity to warts probably but foreigner might not and for foreigner it is strange shake hand to every one you meet ,on a very first sight. But,still I enjoy this country,highly recommended and would always return here with pleasure. Out of 40 countries I visited Indonesia wins silver medal.Gold is kept by Taiwan-(Still)

france