What I Think About When I Take My Trips

I love everything that goes with travelling: searching for the destination, the means to get there and the accommodation; reading up on the destination and plotting my visits; planning how to get from point A to B in the most cost-effective and time-effective manner; packing and flying; soaking up the atmosphere when I arrive at the destination; exploring the destination; learning as much as I can about the local culture, customs and traditions; picking up some local lingo; trying to blend in; sampling the local food... If anything, I just hate the sorting of what to bring and the associated ironing of clothes.

Besides visiting the attraction sites, I also love to walk around and try to learn as much as I can about the place by observing. I try to listen to the local dialect and tune into conversations around me to try to figure the intonation of speech and the language (how it’s spoken and whether it has any resemblance to other languages. I especially love trying to guess the English language ‘translation’ to any foreign words). I look at the locals and try to figure them out from their hair colour (blonde, dirty blonde, dark brown, brunette – each hair colour can give you some clue to ethnicity), eye colour (similarly eye colour also can give a clue to one’s ethnicity), names (from which you can tell if one is a native or a foreigner in that country), skin complexion (what is the predominant complexion? India borders China but the sight of a fair Indian with Chinese features still took me by surprise) and demography (if the country is populated by aging people or is it mainly a young country?). Also, is the society male- or female-oriented?

Other observations also provide clues: the local restaurants give some clue of the local diet; the local market and shops provide some hint of the main economic activity and the goods produced, and the culture and customs practised; the presence of museums and art galleries may indicate a cultured society; and even the buildings can tell us so much about the history, economic situation (affluent, in a recession or struggling?) and the local passion (for sports, arts, music etc). Some contact with the locals can also shed some light as to their background or history.

Because I hate cigarette smoke, I can’t help observing if the locals smoke a lot. And because I rely on maps to get around, I also tend to notice if the locals are predisposed to helping out strangers or if they’re just boorish and unfriendly (and if they are, I try to think why they are so – is it because of the country’s history or is it simply their nature? Or could it be because they’re not used to seeing someone like me and are also trying to figure out as much about me as I do about them?).

Travelling is indeed a state of mind, of exploring and learning not only about the world but also of ourselves.

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A strong quake hit Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, on Tuesday (its worst quake in two centuries). More than 100,000 people are feared dead. It will take a long time before the country which is already struggling economically to recover. I’ve mentioned before that Haiti already is an environmental disaster and the latest catastrophe will really hurt the Haitians. For pictures go here (some pictures may be disturbing though).

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An old schoolmate whom I was never close to back at school and only reacquainted with recently via Facebook has sent me a message asking if she could borrow some money. I haven’t yet replied. I mean I may consider if it’s someone I’m close to (note the word ‘may’) but I hardly know her. She didn’t mention any timeline either; if there’s a timeline mentioned, that would have provided me some comfort (but it doesn’t mean I will still lend the money). My parents have bad history of lending money to people (usually relatives, unfortunately) – years and decades of money that they lent out is still not paid back. Of course, I’m not saying that she won’t return the money but I don’t want this to be a habit and don’t want her to think she can just ask to borrow money anytime. And if she doesn’t return the money, I don’t want to be put in an awkward situation asking for it back and I don’t think I’ll easily write the debt off just like that. It’s not a considerable sum but enough to enable me to fly somewhere by MAS (what more AirAsia). I can’t solicit for opinion on Facebook because she might read it so I’m asking all three of you out there. What do you think? Should I? I don’t think I want to so how can I tell her nicely?

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Who Says You Can’t Go Home? Sol’s back at Arsenal and has set himself a goal. He’s enjoyed his most successful playing days at Arsenal but will it be an Indian summer for him? Will he be a Sol Survivor? In other news, my baby (he loves Arsenal so much he still thinks it was worth putting himself on the line) and Clichy may be back for Sunday. And apparently Wenger has done it again: signed Bolivian wonderkid Samuel Galindo.