Egypt
If you take a step out of your hotel, the locals will flock to suck money out of you. That is pretty much the only cultural interaction you get in Egypt. Food isn’t interesting, transportation is separated, and there is nothing in common that we share with the people. This country has nothing to offer other than archaeology, and everyone is trying to milk the hell out of this.
If you want to see the pyramids, you have to look through the gauntlet of vendors, camel riders, beggars, and general harassments from people that have nothing better to do. As annoying as it is, it’s an experience that brought to my attention a dire issue on how the world works. It’s a country that is dependent on the past civilization and has nothing in relevance to today. Is it designed to be this way? I can think of a few responsible entities, but I doubt any revolution is going to change this anytime soon. Much of the world suffers from this limbo, and I felt that tourism is the product of it. I went to Egypt to see the pyramids and ended up getting a lesson in the global economy.
Indochina
As soon as I got through the Thailand immigration, I ordered a taxi from a vendor with a huge sign inside the airport terminal. It’s a scam. Very expensive compared to just picking one up with a meter on. It’s not some bad apple tricking people. It’s the every-man-for-himself mentality present in the whole nation, much like in communist China. I don’t think sense-of-decency translates in their languages. Nothing is legit and everything is game.
Elephant sanctuary is a joke. They “rescued” elephants from other places so they can earn some tourist cash themselves. They are simply borrowing these animals and eventually will have to return them to circuses or wherever they came from. So much for “saving” animals from humans. This is tourism at its worst.
There’s just lack of ethics in Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Maybe that’s why these countries are very popular with western tourists and expats. There are spots of wild parties, mostly of white people, which is good and all, but what happened to the locals? I wondered when things went wrong for these people. Colonialism? The war? I sensed no pride in the people there. Everyone seemed to be bitching and whining about a few bucks here and there… They’ve gotten used to living off the leftovers of westerners. No wonder Asians are looked down upon.
MONGOLIA
Interacting with the nomads taught me how humans ought to be. Enter any yurt and you will be accommodated with yak milk and cheese. Life is hard out there; people have to help each other out. Common courtesy is evident. Life is pragmatic. There is a sense of purpose in everything they do. A revelation for a city boy who was raised by a ritualistic city life.
The capitol city of Ulaanbaatar doesn’t have much to offer in my opinion. What do you think of when you hear Ulaanbaatar? Right. Nothing. It’s a city in a third world country just like any other. People have just discovered the convenience of global trade and forgotten who they really are. The common sense is twisted by the new religion called the economy. Youths are imprisoned under parental pressures for education and “the better future.” People look unhealthy and unhappy compared to their nomad cousins. City life is a ruin of human nature, and Ulaanbaatar is a great demonstration of it. There are lots of people, but not a lot of humanity. Being bound by superficial work and inconsequential social media posts have deprived them of precious time to be.
There are a few points of tourism scattered throughout this vast country. Usually temples. Small towns are normally not very welcoming to tourists. I believe this is because they are ashamed to be living like that. Real nomads are proud, and I sensed it every time I met one. The only true way to appreciate Mongolia is to understand the land and the people who live off it.
