The one thing I have learned while travelling in Southeast Asia is that your expectations, for everything, change dramatically. For instance the other night Lindy and some new friends of ours met for dinner at a relatively nice restaurant in Hue. Not more than 5 minutes after we ordered a six inch rat starts screaming as it saunters through the restaurant. Immediately the staff rush over and corner the small creature. Normally in the US my first instinct would be to immediatley leave the restaurant for its highly unsanitary conditions, but here all I could think was "I really hope they don't hurt the little fella".
Or there are the times Lindy and I have visited the street markets and I have sampled the local cuisine. Mainly, as I like to call them, "protein popsicles". Any number of given meats skewered and broiled to perfection. However when you are picking your popsicle it is common for flys and any other number of bugs to be taking a nibble as well. In my head I think, "well it is going back in the fire to be warmed so that probably kills anything that could harm me." Although I highly doubt that is the case....but hey that is why I got so many shots right?!?!?!
Your expectations don't just change in terms of food but travel as well. Hotels/buses/trains/boats all vary GREATLY from the pictures that are shown. For a society that is highly organized in so many aspects the amount of disorder and confusion is alarming. I understand that part of the chaos is on purpose, as it enables them to extract extra money from tourists, but a majority of the time it takes a large quorum (at least 2/3 of the country by my estimation) for anyone to decide on a course of action. The only weapon you have is the word "No". You either learn to wield that word with authority or be prepared to get ripped off and be extremely uncomfortable. Also sometimes there are just simply no words which will save you from your circumstances. Like when we found ourselves on a relatively pleasant overnight train only to be awoken at 6AM sharp by traditional Vietnamese music cranked to about 2,000,000 decibels. Though I can appreciate the music as an artform, even on a good day it is only slightly better than a swift kick to the head.
Or there are the times Lindy and I have visited the street markets and I have sampled the local cuisine. Mainly, as I like to call them, "protein popsicles". Any number of given meats skewered and broiled to perfection. However when you are picking your popsicle it is common for flys and any other number of bugs to be taking a nibble as well. In my head I think, "well it is going back in the fire to be warmed so that probably kills anything that could harm me." Although I highly doubt that is the case....but hey that is why I got so many shots right?!?!?!
Your expectations don't just change in terms of food but travel as well. Hotels/buses/trains/boats all vary GREATLY from the pictures that are shown. For a society that is highly organized in so many aspects the amount of disorder and confusion is alarming. I understand that part of the chaos is on purpose, as it enables them to extract extra money from tourists, but a majority of the time it takes a large quorum (at least 2/3 of the country by my estimation) for anyone to decide on a course of action. The only weapon you have is the word "No". You either learn to wield that word with authority or be prepared to get ripped off and be extremely uncomfortable. Also sometimes there are just simply no words which will save you from your circumstances. Like when we found ourselves on a relatively pleasant overnight train only to be awoken at 6AM sharp by traditional Vietnamese music cranked to about 2,000,000 decibels. Though I can appreciate the music as an artform, even on a good day it is only slightly better than a swift kick to the head.
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