INDOCHINA – “The Merchant, Pauper, Preacher, and Apprentice"
I fantasized about visiting Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos for years. The exotic street food, pristine beaches, ancient temples, and frenetic city centers called to me like an alluring siren. Being a leave-starved American, I’ve pushed this trip back several times because I wanted to spend as much time and see as much as possible after flying 20-hours to get there. However, I eventually had to face the fact that I would rather settle for a whirlwind Indochina sampler than no trip at all. With that said, traveling through 4 countries in 17 days is like riding a slip-n-slide down a buffet table: it’s a barrage of flavors and you’re not quite sure what you’ve consumed until you pick through the mess on laundry day. Despite the compressed timeline and logistical challenges, the unique personalities of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos left my mouth tingling and my mind satiated with memories.
MERCHANT
Thailand has become Indochina’s poster child for tourism with its diverse array of activities, developed infrastructure, and backpacker-friendly prices. Whether you’re looking for peace and serenity or chaotic stimulus overload, Thailand can deliver. You can watch the turquoise Malacca Strait gently caress white sand beaches cradled between craggy limestone cliffs, or you can immerse yourself in a cacophony of motorbikes, street touts, and metal spatulas rhythmically scraping spicy noodle-filled woks. Regardless of your destination, all roads in Thailand stretch from the infamous city of Bangkok.
Bangkok is a venerable shit-show of temples, markets, malls, high-rises, and waterways. It’s modern and traditional; chaotic and tranquil; beautiful and grotesque; eccentric and conservative; poor and elite; yet, it maintains a perfect paradoxical balance. The incessant traffic congestion moves like chaotic sludge through a tangled mess of narrow corridors within the city’s center. A gauntlet of vendors lines the sidewalks with everything from fake designer purses to plastic bags of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Bangkok’s reputation as the seedy, no-holds-barred merchant of Indochina is not without reason; if you can think of it, you can probably buy it in Bangkok. Despite its lucrative business savvy culture, Bangkok has managed to find balance between growing financial wealth while maintaining the rich culture and heritage of its people.
Wat Arun - Bangkok
PAUPER
No country in Indochina has suffered more than Cambodia. Between the oppressive regime of the Khmer Rouge and the involvement of the U.S. military, Cambodia has become one of the most disabled countries in the world. To this day there remain 4 to 6 million unexploded ordinances littering the countryside and 40,000 Cambodian amputees. As the Cambodian government has stabilized over the past decade, the tourism industry has accelerated at breakneck speed thanks to Angkor Wat; the largest temple complex in the world.
Until recently, Siem Reap was a dusty little town on the outskirts of Angkor Wat. It was the poorest area in a war-ravaged and piss-poor country. However, gaudy neon lights and western hotels charging up to $1,000 per night now welcome over a million tourists each year. Siem Reap currently ranks as the second wealthiest town in Cambodia. How could this transformation happen so quickly, you might ask? Foreign-owned tour, bank, and hotel organizations are essentially unregulated and unrestricted by the Cambodian government. As a result, the U.S. Dollar is the accepted standard over the Cambodian Riel. Children wander the streets and temples selling cheap generic trinkets to tourists. Massages and prostitutes are as readily available as bottled water. And as the dollars trickle-down to the Cambodians, their culture and heritage erodes from the unchecked flow of foreign investment. Despite the appearance of an economic transformation, Siem Reap remains a pauper wearing a suit made from U.S. dollar bills.
Pub Street - Siem Reap
PREACHER
Vietnam has been carved into the U.S. psyche by the chisels of war and countless Hollywood movies. Beyond the landscape of political prejudice and conflict, peaceful rice paddies nestle between jungle-blanketed mountains while a coastline of towering limestone karsts stretches south towards palm-fringed beaches. Although tourism has risen substantially in recent years, Vietnam has remained grounded in its culture and heritage. Vietnam seduces visitors to stay the night and persuades them to never leave. There is a spiritual energy that grows in the countryside and feeds the cities. As we drove from the airport into Hanoi’s Old Quarter, I quickly realized my appetite would be insatiable.
Life begins just after dawn with the pounding of cleavers down narrow alleyways. Fresh, vividly colored ingredients are loaded onto motorbikes and transported to boiling cauldrons a few blocks away. Along the main streets, the sidewalks are lined with people perched on miniature plastic stools with their faces buried in steamy bowls. No words are exchanged as chopsticks mechanistically manipulate delectable meat and vegetables into mouths that feverishly slurp broth-bathed noodles. Their euphoric bliss is undisturbed by the chaotic frenzy of motorbikes that flow like a turbulent river through the narrow passageways. The food of Hanoi is a religious affair and disciples are devout. There are no fancy advertising or marketing gimmicks, just the savory smoke of charcoal grills, steaming pots of rich dark broth, and dozens of worshipers clamoring for a seat at the altar. The Hanoi cook is a street preacher, and her sermons are a culinary spiritual awakening.
Ho Chi Minh Masoleum - Hanoi
APPRENTICE
Laos is the least visited and recognized country in Indochina. The tourist infrastructure has been slowly growing to provide access to its breathtaking countryside. Conical hats peek out from rich green rice paddy fields and single-lane roads serpent through mountains, jungle, and farmland. Roosters crow and motorbikes purr as a transmission grinds its way to discovering a new gear in the distance. A blue plastic tarp enthusiastically claps against the rusted frame of a tuk tuk; the suspension shuddering and squeaking with every pothole it finds. The sun beats down upon umbrellas that shade uniform-clad children walking along the road; their smiles illuminating innocence and their country’s future. Final destinations become irrelevant, for purpose is found in their journey. Eventually, the golden glint of a temple breaks the horizon and a small town draws near.
Luang Prabang overlooks the banks where the Mekong and Nam Kahn rivers merge. Being home to over 32 Buddhist temples, meditative chants can be heard from every direction throughout its bohemian streets. It’s in this town where the wick of Lao tourism has begun to burn. As the night surrenders to dawn, the murmur of voices and shuffling of footsteps infringe upon the silence of the streets. A thunderous strike of a drum is heard in the distance. Additional strikes follow, quickening in pace and intensity before they suddenly cease, and silence returns. Periodic camera flashes along the dark streets freeze-frame the faces of tourists anticipating their prey. The clanging of bells sounds as hundreds of fiery orange robes begin to stream from temples in the distance. They walk briskly, yet silently in single-file lines, pausing momentarily to slide the lids of their alms pots open and accept small balls of sticky rice from devout locals kneeling along the street. These alms will contribute to the monks’ only two meals of the day. The monks continue their march throughout the town; silent, reverent, and humble. The apprentice might be young and inexperienced, but remains disciplined in his studies and focused upon his development.
Tak Bat (Alms) - Luang Prabang
INDEPENDENCE
Digesting the entirety of Indochina within a single trip is as futile as detailing those experiences in a single essay; tapas style travel with fast food writing. Despite those limitations, I will summarize what I've discovered along the way. I found that decades of experience have helped Thailand balance its economic wealth with the integrity of its culture and heritage. Like the monks of Luang Prabang, Laos humbly accepts alms, yet remains disciplined in developing tourism at a controlled pace. Vietnam welcomes patrons into its temple, but does not waiver in its values or cultural pride. Unfortunately, Cambodia has accepted short-term financial gains over controlled long-term development. It’s my hope that the Cambodian government will soon realize that the surge of foreign investment may eventually wash away their culture.
In the 19th century, French invaders dismissively referred to Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos as “Indochina” because of its location between India and China. Since then, Indochina has grown into a region that has overcome two centuries of colonization, political upheaval, and bloodshed, to establish itself as one of the top travel destinations in the world. I would be an arrogant fool to believe that I fully understand these countries after such a brief visit. However, what I am certain of is this: Indochina has gone from facing invaders armed with guns to those armed with dollars and Euros. Like any war, some will rise to be victorious, while others will be left scarred and defeated.