My next trip - Taiwan - Part I

It is time to pack my bag and travel. Time to leave and discover something new. Well, not that new actually because I am going to Taiwan. I have been there during my Asia trip but at that time bad luck was chasing us and made it rain all the time. I hope that this time it will be better, I am sure that it will be an incredible trip.

Taiwan’s capital city is Taipei and has approximately 2.6 million inhabitants, roughly 10% of Taiwan’s total population. Under the colonization, the island used to be called Formosa, which means beautiful.

Some 30,000 years ago the first people discovered this beautiful place for the first time; at least it is the oldest proof of human settlement in this region. Taiwan has always been a place of highest strategic interest. In 1544 Taiwan was named Ilha Formosa by Portuguese settlers, taken over by the Dutch in 1624. They established trade hubs on the island with the main hub being Tayoan. Just two years after, Spain conquered northern Taiwan and stayed there till 1642. Today you still can see some of the old Western buildings set up by the colonization north of Taipei. The Japanese tried to conquer the island since 1592. After the First Sino-Japanese War Taiwan was handed over to Japan. Only in 1945, after the Second World War, was Taiwan freed from the Japanese rule.

Taiwan’s history is far from being boring. Even after its liberation from Japanese rule it enters again into new turbulences, with Chiang Kai-shek retreating during the Chinese Civil War from Nanjing To Taipei.

Political liberalization started in 1984 with the arrival of Chiang Ching-kuo. The rapid development could no longer be stopped. Today, Taiwan has a GDP of USD18,600 per capita with an expected growth rate of 5.5% in 2010.

Countries to visit - Part I: Vietnam

So many people have asked me about Vietnam. So often already I explained where they should go to, what they absolutely had to see and how to travel from city to city. It seems to me as if more and more people want to discover this country. It is definitely worth going there.

Here is therefore a little introduction to the main places to see.

You can start from two locations, either Hanoi, Vietnam’s capital city, or Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), Vietnam’s economic heart. Last year we have started from Hanoi. Hanoi is a cute city, with some famous lakes and sites to visit. You’ll see that Hanoi is totally different from Saigon. Both cities are busy, you’ll have troubles crossing streets and you’ll wonder how they manage not to have accidents with their motorcycles (they actually do of course, but it is amazing to see their driving skills).

You need three days for Hanoi, it will enable you to see the necessary things, such as the Mausoleum, Hoa Kiem and to attend a water puppet show. From Hanoi you can do trips to the Ha Long bay and Sapa. I haven’t been to Sapa but heard that it is extremely beautiful. I have been to Ha Long and it is a must see. The best is to rent a boat (your hotel will organize that for you, or you take organized tours with famous travel agencies such as Sinh Café) and ship through the rocks. If you’re lucky you will witness a breathtaking sunset.

From there we have taken the boat to Cat Ba Island. If you like it remote it is the place to go to. The island has a big National Park, but you need to pay a guide to hike there. We just rented bikes and drove through the village and along the coast. That’s a lot of fun already. But don’t spend more than two nights here, you’ll get bored quickly, except if you plan on paying for the guide and the National Park.

Our next stop was Haiphong but personally I was quite disappointed. The city has few things to offer. Walk around at night, walk through the markets, that’s all you can do. The beach is unspectacular. You can skip Haiphong without feeling guilty.

We returned to Hanoi in order to take the night train to Hue, the emperor’s capital city. You have the choice between two trains. One leaving at around noon and the other one leaving in the evening. I suggest that you take the one leaving at noon. Why? Because you’ll see parts of the landscape. I am not saying that the landscape is so amazing that you should not miss it, but it is still nice to see the rural areas. You’ll also see that the train passes through the streets, it passes so closely to the buildings, that you have the impression driving through the people’s shops and homes. If you leave at noon you’ll arrive in Hue at around 1am.

Hue is a fantastic city. You witness the former might of the Vietnamese emperors. The best thing to do is to rent a bicycle and ride from site to site. You can leave the bikes at the guarded parking areas and visit the pagodas and Forbidden City. For the tombs you better rent a motorcycle because they are a little bit out of Hue. You might get lost a couple of times, because the maps are not very precise but that’s part of the adventure. Don’t get desperate if it is raining, we have had lots of fun driving in the rain and through the enormous puddles.

If the weather is good you can go from Hue to Danang and to the nearby National Park. But we were unlucky, so we continued to Hoi An. Hoi An is a small picturesque village, famous for its silk. I think that you don’t need to spend too much time here but you definitely should arrange for a trip to My Son (an old grass-grown Hindu village). You can rent a motorcycle and drive there on your own or you can go there by bus with other tourists. To be honest, going there on your own is not so easy (the map was not precise enough) but it is a lot of fun. It was especially amazing to stop and walk through the fields and take pictures from the numerous water buffaloes. They are everywhere, you just need to stop and take your camera.

From Hoi An you’ll take the night bus to Nha Trang. This city is famous for its beaches; you can spend there a couple of days, relax and enjoy the time.

Then you can take the bus to Dalat. Dalat is not that far, on the map it looks pretty close but in reality it is quite a long drive. This is due to the fact that Dalat is way up in the mountains. It used to be the French’s favorite vacation place during the colonization. Therefore you can witness French architecture. Rent a motorcycle and drive through the mountains, visit the coffee plantations and the villages around. Personally, I think that Dalat is one of the absolute greatest places in Vietnam.

Dalat-Saigon by bus or plane, you will enter into the pulse of Vietnam. Here you can feel the dynamism, the speed, the desire to achieve something. Saigon is a modern city, full of bars, clubs and cafés. There aren’t many things to see here, you’ll take a room in Bui Vien street and enjoy the night life. You can do day trips to the Cu Chi tunnels or to the Mekong Delta. The latter one is a must.

If you want to spend more time at the sea, you can drive to Vung Tau or Mui Ne.

To finish your visit, take the plane to Phu Quoc and enjoy.

Travel thoughts I

Each sunray seems to disappear in the dust's thickness. Or is the light just an illusion and is in reality just the extinction of the flame, slowly losing its power to survive? Is it a crestfallen try or a mere fear? Is there anything like a "simple fear"? Each feeling is something special; it makes a human being unique because it can't be copied. It is what makes us different from machines.

Feelings are also the reason why humans can't be rational. Rationality is a rather unconvincing concept which can't be applied to the human race. Each feeling makes rationality impossible. It results in the fact that we can't understand some humans, sometimes we can't even understand ourselves.

How can we explain that? Do we have to explain that? The try to unveil the secret of our feelings, to descent into the deep cave ofour thoughts with the aim to bring in some light and understanding, is foredoomed. Because I interpret my feelings in a different way and react differently to them than my neighbour would probably do. If my neighbour would be me for some minutes, he would act totally different, but he is not me and thus we can never know how he/she would react in this situation. I can only assume that their action would be different from mine. This is why it is wrong, arduous and misleading to summarize certain evolutions in mathematical formulas.

I rather don't express anything than to set up a false thesis. What is the benefit of a thesis being based on false assumptions? The argument that this is better than nothing is not consequent and not logical. I rather think and reflect carefully before I knowingly do a mistake. I do not build up a dream castle to make my formula work.

We are not living in a perfect world because perfection is a concept which hardly makes sense. If there would be anything perfect it would probably destroy all the remaining things, due to the lack of perfection of all other materials, substances or living beings. Perfection is furthermore something so subjective that you can't apply it to a general concept. There is no such thing as a perfect thought and thus human constructions cannot be perfect. Nature isn't perfect either, because if it would be perfect it wouldn't need evolution.

If nature would be perfect, why would it continue to change? Why is my dog still chasing wasps although she must have realised that they burr and hurt her? It shows that animals can also be "stupid" or irrational and this highlights that Mother Nature isn't perfect either. She tries her best but can't reach the state of perfection. Every human being defines "perfection" according to his/her own perception. Each one of us strives towards our own definition of perfection without ever reaching this state though.

It is this drive that pushes us towards change. If we lose our self confidence, the vision of perfection seems to disappear in a huge cover of mental dust. We are temporarily lost and without orientation. The way towards our perfection seems unclear. As soon as our confidence returns, the mental dusts leaves and the vision of our perfection reappears, making it possible to follow it again.

But how can I win my confidence back?How can I get up? On the first sight it seems impossible. On the second sight we discover that all depends on us. It is our assertiveness and our will that brings us back on track. We have to implement short and middle term objectives. They make it easier for us to follow our long-term vision and they enable us to not lose orientation, to grasp them and remain focused. Those objectives have to be challenging because if they are not challenging enough we lose our motivation and of course they have to correspond to our desire because if not we do not sufficiently identify with them.

Our surrounding is also crucial. If we do not have the social support we would need to achieve our objectives then we need to move to a place where we could get this support. We have to leave the place where we are isolated to go to a region where we can prosper. You can receive help via distance but it comes combined with huge efforts and might make you feel tired after a while. If there is a place on earth where you feel well and where you receive this support, you should go there, no matter how far away it is. Being there will dissolve your mental dust.

Play of imagination - part III (real story)

His family comes from a poor province; his siblings still live there and work on the fields. His father works for the government but still has to take on several jobs next to his official one. They just have rice he tells me, not so many things more.

Many children just go to elementary school, the other schools, like high-schools are often too far away for them. And universities are way too expensive anyways. For some the advantages of receiving an education are not clear. Some do not seem to be convinced that education is leading to somewhere, thus they do not send their children to school. Many of them have to work on farms.

He thinks that Siem Reap is an expensive place to live in compared to his home province. To pay $2 per meal is nothing for us Europeans but for him it is much more. He works for our hostel as tuktuk driver in order to pay for his studies. He usually has no time to go back and see his family. He sees them once a year. To study costs a lot here, only 40% of the young people have the opportunity to study, many more have to work.

What does he think of the neighboring countries? Thai people are very unfriendly towards Cambodians. Many Cambodians who go to Thailand have problems; they are victims of violence, robbery and discrimination. Thai people consider themselves as a superior race and treat Cambodians as slaves. He is happy that his government has opposed the Thai army and reacted to the border conflicts in a tough way. The relationship towards the Vietnamese is better. But here problems start to arise as well. Maybe the wealthiness has turned the Vietnamese into arrogant neighbors. Only the relationship towards Laos is good. The Cambodians consider the Laos people as their brothers and sisters. Is poverty creating links?

He would like to be able to travel. He wants to share his trips with others; he regards it as a way to show off. When I try to explain him that travel is much more than just to show off, he does not seem to understand. Maybe one day he will discover what travelling means. Each trip shows me that France is my home. But that is impossible to him…Cambodia better than other countries? Impossible!

Play of imagination - part II

It is a hot day, the sun is shining, and there is almost no shadow. She has spent her day with her family at home. Usually, when she doesn’t go to school, she just hangs around, plays with her dogs or walks though the fields where her father is harvesting.

Today is different; it is a special day for the family. They are celebrating her mother’s birthday. To prepare the celebration, her father sent her out to look for some berries. The heat didn’t disturb her, she went joyful through the fields, to the woods. She climbed up the hills and looked for berries.

On her way back she met too strange looking people. They were taller than her dad, much taller than she was. And they had a strange face. She had seen some of them already, but usually they were on motorbikes or in busses. But these two just walked around like her.

She was curious; she wanted to know more about them. But she didn’t speak any foreign language and she also was a little afraid. What were they doing here? She didn’t know how the world out of Laos looked like but she was sure that there were so many other places to see. So why were they here?

What were they doing in their real life? She meant, when they were not in Laos? Were they also farmers like her dad? Or maybe dressmakers? She knew the village’s dressmaker; he always looked so busy, although there weren’t any dresses to make. But sometimes, foreigners came and bought some of his clothes.

Oh she had so many questions and she was so curious. How did it look like at their place? Was it different?

She promised herself to work hard and go to the place where the two foreigners were coming from. And then she ran to her parent’s place to deliver the berries. She was happy now, it was an exciting day.

Play of imagination - part I

They had been waiting for a couple of minutes already. She knew that she still would have to wait a bit longer. She only had little money and no car would take her, she had to wait for a nice driver, willing to take her to her home town for the little money she had left. She tried to look confident. Her daughter should not realize how worried she was in reality. She was worried that they could catch her. That they would catch her and bring her back to the city. To the place she had escaped from.

She looked down at her daughter. Her daughter looked confident and a little too mature for her age. But who could blame her? She had seen her mother suffer, she had been helpless and had to watch how her mother was beaten and humiliated.

Initially, when they came to town, it all seemed like a happy story, a success, and an improvement. They could leave their poor and remote village and join parts of their family in the big city. Oh, the big city. She had heard so many great stories. She heard of people coming to the city and getting rich in the twinkling of an eye. It was supposed to be the place of progress.

A rich uncle paid them the trip to the city. He told her that she would have to work during the first months to pay off her debt and she was happy to do so, because she didn’t want to live on his pocket. Her daughter went to school while she went to clean the streets. She still earned more than she would have earned in her home village. She was happy.

One day, just a couple of weeks after she arrived in the city, she met a guy. He was good looking and stopped by to talk to her. He came every day and talked to her, while she was cleaning. After a couple of days, he invited her for a drink. The day after for dinner. She felt that she was starting to feel something for that stranger.

He asked her to marry him. She accepted and so she moved to his place with her daughter. The first days were wonderful, she felt like in heaven. Shortly after they married, he asked her to get a new job and introduced her to one of his friends. The friend took her to an isolated neighborhood; he drove so quickly that she couldn’t remember the way back. He stopped in front of a house and let her in. Kindly he gave her something to drink. Suddenly she started to feel dizzy and her eyes shut.

When she woke up, she was lying on a bed in a small room. Her head hurt and she didn’t know where she was. The door was locked. She knocked the door and suddenly someone turned the key and it opened. A man came in, he looked at her, hit her and threw her on the bed. There he ripped off her clothes and violated her. She felt so much pain, she felt so humiliated and as soon as he left she started to cry. But the next man came and she had to suffer again. It seemed to keep on going like this forever. She wanted to die. But there was nothing which could help her escape this cruel world.

She didn’t remember how many days had passed. But one day, she managed to escape from her room, she could get to a street and a man was driving her, kindly, to the city center from where she managed to find her husband’s apartment. She thought that he would be relieved and endlessly happy to see her again. She thought that he must have worried.

But when she entered the apartment her husband slapped her, yelled at her and kicked her. The moment she wanted to start crying from pain, she saw from the corner of her eye that her daughter was silently watching. She retained her tears, she had to be strong.

After some minutes her husband left. Although everything was hurting she took her daughter, grabbed some clothes, put them into their luggage and left the apartment. The first night, they slept on the street. The second night, they could find a safe backyard where almost no one could see them.

During the day she went begging. She begged for food and for some money to return to her home village.

After four days on the street, she came to the gas station, the place where cars pick up travelers. There she was waiting now. She was waiting and hoped that someone would accept her in the car and accept that she couldn’t pay for the trip. She was waiting and tried to look calm, making her daughter feel secure.

A pure play of imagination

It is a sunny day. It is hot and you’re sitting in your room. You don’t know what to do. You’d probably go online, spend your time on facebook, or chat with friends. You chat with them. You post some thoughts on your wall and you make some comments on your friends’ pictures. It is a standard day.


Close your computer. Grab a picture, a random picture and look at it. Try to remember every detail. Close your eyes, relax. Let your mind be empty, get rid of your thoughts, just relax. Now, remember the picture. You see it in your head.


Imagine standing there, taking the picture. Now you put the camera down and look at what is around you. You see the people, the surrounding, you hear the sounds around you, the noise, you smell everything. You are there.


Walk now and look at the people. Who are they? What are they doing? What is their life like? Imagine how it would be to talk to them, to get to know them. Imagine their life, imagine their stories. What have they seen? What have they thought? Are they happy?

Imagine!

Shadowside - A-ha

The shadowside
You say I have
Is making everything
Go bad

You say I don’t
Care enough
For all the things that
I have got

But I do
And I will

I don’t want to see myself descend
Into the shadowside again
If you ever let me go again
In the shadowside I’ll end

The shadowside
Where I go
I’m never where
I’m needed so

You say I don’t
Give enough
That I don’t care for
All I’ve got

But I do
And I will

I don’t want to see myself descend
Into the shadowside again
If you’re letting go of me again
In the shadowside I’ll end

Taking a plane is more than just a formality to get to the desired place. Taking a plane is more for me. More, because I have a very special hobby: I like to look at clouds from above. From ground they do look boring indeed but if you fly way above them, I feel free. My mind seems to be outside of the plane, I seem to walk around in the magnificent landscape formed by the clouds. I have the impression that their shape means something, that they transmit a message. Of course they don’t, but the impression persists and while looking at them, I feel that everything is possible. And why shouldn’t it be? Why should something be impossible to us and possible to others? Believe in it and you will succeed. Your dreams are not unrealistic, work hard, pursue your dreams, you'll never reach them totally, cause they are dreams and they'll evolve and they adapt to your current situation but they persist in your mind and they are worth the effort. Go for them and don't hesitate.