8/6/25
We watched television all morning. Then we walked to find some soya milk. It turned into a trip to the supermarket, ATM and market. We stocked up on fried tofu. Bought a peeled and segmented pomelo, plums and nectarines. Freshly cracked walnuts and piles of vegetables. Jonathan couldn’t resist buying 6 perfectly peeled mini pineapples.
We found ourselves reflecting on our time in South East Asia. It was almost over. It had been somewhere we always wanted to visit. As such we’d had expectations from what we’d seen and heard. We’d been delighted to have nice fresh tropical fruits on tap. Dragonfruit was a particular favourite of ours. It was cheaper and much sweeter than we could get at home. Watermelons, pineapples and mangos also delighted us. When it came to other vegan food we’d been a bit disappointed, though Vietnam had been an improvement. They were only readily available in tourist spots. The jai restaurants hadn’t been as prolific as we’d hoped. Though it was honestly our language barrier that made it harder.
We were also under the misguided assumption that the heat would be liveable. That the combination of conditions as well as the design of accommodations would make it enjoyable. But the heat is mostly completely unbearable. Even for the locals who regularly pronounced how hot it was and therefore how crazy we were.
Scooters ruin everything. They’re obviously a very useful means of transportation and we aren’t against them. However, nobody walks anywhere. Not even the shortest distances it seems. And they’re used frivolously. Once tourists get on them they’re just an extremely dangerous hazard. Even the “quiet” islands, like Ko Phayam, were trashed by idiots on scooters. A simple bus service would make much more sense.
We were drawn in by the beautiful temples initially but they actually aren’t impressive. It’s just the colours that were alluring. Once we’d seen the ancient temples of the Khmer, we lost all appreciation for the speedily built, poorly crafted, modern pagodas. It’s a shame that more time and effort isn’t taken to produce something beautifully crafted. Then again, this is now a problem the world over.
All in all we didn’t find South East Asia to be the place we were led to believe it was. This isn’t to take away from its charms and beauty. Not at all. But it isn’t paradise. It was far more heavily populated and busy than we’d hoped. Nature was also far more tamed than we’d hoped. There exist so few pockets of untouched land. Our dreams of unspoilt jungle weren’t realised. We are very conscious that we didn’t visit huge swathes of the land though. Even missing out entire countries like Indonesia. We can only go on what we have seen and experienced.
We ate spring rolls for dinner. Lots of fresh vegetables wrapped up in rice paper. We carried on watching Survivors, finished the film we started in the morning, Polite Society. Then while eating our other snacks continued with Your Honor and Your Friends and Neighbours. Perhaps if we watched less tv and spent more time exploring we’d have seen even more of the country. But it was so damn hot and we were very tired!
Surly They Won't Make It 