As for an up-close experience with local ways of life that stuck with me, it'd have to be the floating villages in Ha Long Bay. We took a boat tour through Ha Long Bay and there are countless houses essentially floating on water where fishermen and their families live. Many of them rarely visit land at all, or at least that's what the guide said. Quite a fascinating parallel community to have seen first-hand, and I wish we got to interact with them more rather than just being passive observers.
My father fell in love with Brazil and lived the last half of his life there, 35 years. He went to Rio to meet his third wife’s parents. His wife was the first female lawyer in Brazil, who jump on a cargo ship to America after her arranged marriage.
Favelas are the South American counterpart to the ghettoes of North America and the Caribbean- a lot of the same social and political issues apply to both.
Go to Vietnam and Ha Long Bay 🤣 when i went we also did Cambodia and Angkor Wat (along with lots of other temples). Cambodia is chiller than Vietnam but both were very interesting. Cambodia also has the killing fields which you have to see to believe. India … yeah a week in Hyderabad for work and then my wife came and we did New Delhi -> Agra -> Jaipur aka the golden triangle. Will never go back, won’t eat Indian food to this day, India is a LOT.
I should’ve seen it coming. I went to the dr to get all the shots i needed, etc. for the trip. She was Indian. She stared at me - why are you going to India? I told her for work and to see the sights and she shook her head - crazy white man - and started writing prescriptions. She told me she was going back at the same time to see family. I joked maybe we’d run into each other, she said nope. When I got sick I took all the drugs she’d given me because no way was I going to one of those hospitals I’d seen. I wandered around like a zombie subsisting on weird drinks from nice people at the hotel for 2 days until our flight left
Yeah that's why I mentioned it. Been to SP and Rio too. Came back from SP with the first car of COVID before it was COVID. I also ... used ... to love Indian food
Dang, early covid! Also yikes. My own travels have been more limited: Italy and Brazil, but i fully intend to expand that. I've never been sick during any of those 3 trips, though, and I haven't had so much as a cold in the last decade. I'm afraid I'm well past due.
One trick for tummies in sketch locales us take a proactive Pepto a day and don't drink anything that doesn't come out of a bottle and don't eat any raw veggies. We're going to Mexico next week pray for me 😭
I wrote a very cathartic expose about the whole thing including one of my more traumatic work/travel experiences in India
Brazil is definitely on my to-visit list!
As for an up-close experience with local ways of life that stuck with me, it'd have to be the floating villages in Ha Long Bay. We took a boat tour through Ha Long Bay and there are countless houses essentially floating on water where fishermen and their families live. Many of them rarely visit land at all, or at least that's what the guide said. Quite a fascinating parallel community to have seen first-hand, and I wish we got to interact with them more rather than just being passive observers.
Ha Long Bay sounds incredible! How cool that you got to see these little islets up close(ish). We've been to other worlds.
Very interesting, thank you.
My father fell in love with Brazil and lived the last half of his life there, 35 years. He went to Rio to meet his third wife’s parents. His wife was the first female lawyer in Brazil, who jump on a cargo ship to America after her arranged marriage.
Did you ever get to visit?
Favelas are the South American counterpart to the ghettoes of North America and the Caribbean- a lot of the same social and political issues apply to both.
Agree - very universal lessons here.
In India you see the caste system all around you versus the favelas where it’s pushed out of the city in the foothills
I would love to hear your perspective on this. Have you had a chance to go "boots on the ground" over there yet?
Go to Vietnam and Ha Long Bay 🤣 when i went we also did Cambodia and Angkor Wat (along with lots of other temples). Cambodia is chiller than Vietnam but both were very interesting. Cambodia also has the killing fields which you have to see to believe. India … yeah a week in Hyderabad for work and then my wife came and we did New Delhi -> Agra -> Jaipur aka the golden triangle. Will never go back, won’t eat Indian food to this day, India is a LOT.
I should’ve seen it coming. I went to the dr to get all the shots i needed, etc. for the trip. She was Indian. She stared at me - why are you going to India? I told her for work and to see the sights and she shook her head - crazy white man - and started writing prescriptions. She told me she was going back at the same time to see family. I joked maybe we’d run into each other, she said nope. When I got sick I took all the drugs she’d given me because no way was I going to one of those hospitals I’d seen. I wandered around like a zombie subsisting on weird drinks from nice people at the hotel for 2 days until our flight left
Did you see Daniel Nest's comment already? He talked about Ha Long Bay!
And I really like Indian food, so I might wait a few more years to see the subcontinent. Yikes.
Yeah that's why I mentioned it. Been to SP and Rio too. Came back from SP with the first car of COVID before it was COVID. I also ... used ... to love Indian food
Dang, early covid! Also yikes. My own travels have been more limited: Italy and Brazil, but i fully intend to expand that. I've never been sick during any of those 3 trips, though, and I haven't had so much as a cold in the last decade. I'm afraid I'm well past due.
One trick for tummies in sketch locales us take a proactive Pepto a day and don't drink anything that doesn't come out of a bottle and don't eat any raw veggies. We're going to Mexico next week pray for me 😭
I wrote a very cathartic expose about the whole thing including one of my more traumatic work/travel experiences in India
https://open.substack.com/pub/wirepine/p/i-have-nightmares?r=2fcl4a&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true