BLOG
In the last two weeks I managed to touch with my feet as many as 5 different nations, 7 if we count that shortly I will go back to Italy stopping for a couple hours in Turkey. Every single one of these has left me something incredibly marvelous and unique. Right for this reason I would like to dedicate to each of this countries a different word, instead of simply describing what I did around during this asiatrotting.
For Singapore the word I think better describes the entire experience is perfection. Not a single hair is out of place in this tiny island that since 1960 has become the most modern and innovative city of the world, it’s really incredible. The thing that surprised me the most perhaps I think was the lemon deodorant all over the subway stations. For the rest probably the pictures talk for themselves. Moving on to Thailand: smile. Everyone in this nation smiles when talking to you. I’ve had the impression that talking to any person is considered for them a present and a honor, and this marvelous use transmits a load of optimism to every single person. Magnificent maybe as much the little tiger cubs I cuddled in Chiang Mai, an experience that I will hardly forget. Laos: boh! Considering that I literally spent 30 minutes in Laos visiting just a local market (probably even very turistic), I don’t think I can really judge in any kind this nation, although many travelers I met along the way described it to me as an incredible place (it’s already on my bucket list, do not worry). Cambodia: confusion. Honestly I found Cambodia really weird. Desolation and modern cities alternate each other, seen while traveling on a bus without air conditioning and chickens (alive) on board. It should become famous my answer to Michela’s question “Do you think I can take my shoes off?” being “Michela, there’s a lady traveling with an alive chicken holding it from its legs”. Let’s conclude with what has been my home for more than three months: Malaysia. For the land of tigers I think that the true word is diversity, and I probably already talked about this topic. None of the countries I’ve visited in my 21 years has ever appeared to me as capable and open in accepting diversity like Malaysia did. Because while in the western world the construction of mosque is discussed, in Kuala Lumpur a muslim taxi driver brings me to the airport while telling me about his hindu wife and christian family.
0 Comments
Christmas in Bali. It sounds like the title of one of those cheesy Italian movies more than a reality.
Eventually the adventure of going on vacation with my mom and sister in a scuba diving resort is close to zero. Diving aside. I think that the most relevant highlight of the whole vacation is what happened inside a rain forest populated by monkeys close to Tulamben. I totally do understand the happiness and curiosity of a person meeting for its first time this terrible creatures, but for someone that already had to deal with them more than once (as you might recall from Langkawi), there isn’t a different possible behavior other than looking at them with disgust and superiority. One person particularly curious under this aspect is my sister Giulia. Both for willing to meet and know these animals and (I guess) to highlight the vacation on the social medias, the sis decided to get closer to the monkeys with a certain level of confidence. Done. Now, I am not aware of wether it was the karma, God Hanuman or what, but in response she literally got a slap from the animal just mentioned. SBAM! A real hand hit her right on the cheek, not vaguely. Let them be the evolutionary ancestors of humans, but they sure know the bitch-slapping (internet language) since millions of years. Slaps aside, as quickly mentioned at the beginning of this episode, I found the adventure of this vacation in the scuba diving experience, activity relatively new to this noob right here - aside from a couple dives while in Kenya, back in the far away 2013. Wrecks, sharks, parrot fishes, turtles just to mention a couple of the things that fill a whole world of which 99% of the people is not aware of. And I mean it seriously. I think that looking at the ocean, as beautiful as it can be, in very few actually imagine that hidden underneath its flat and blue surface lies a real different world. Probably that’s the most fascinating thing of going underneath the sea level, as I realize once again how ignorant I am (meaning that I ignore) towards the world that surrounds me, of its vastness and of its diversity. Sometimes this ignorance spurs you to travel and to explore, sometimes just to lie on the beach with a towel and sunbathe. The important to enjoy a great vacation is to balance between the two. |