A Voyage in the East

By far my favourite expression that I have learned in South East Asia. It is the catch all phrase for any salesperson. Why don't you come to my hotel instead of that hotel, it is same same, but different. Those two meals are same same, but different. When I think back about my time in 'nam, I will consider the country to be same same but different from the rest of South East Asia. I've found the people to be quite aggressive. I certainly have been hassled by more people here than in other country's that I have visited. In fact, I've met many travellers who are at their wits end because of constantly being hassled. My all time favourite episode was when I arrived in Nha Trang. I was on the bus with a Dutch/British couple that I had met earlier in the day at lunch. Upon our arrival in town the bus pulls into a hotel. We'd already identified a couple of hotels that looked acceptable (near the beach and diving shops.) This is a good strategy to avoid the touts. A lady from the hotel gets on the bus to beseech us to stay at her hotel. We politely tell her no. Then we had to withstand the five minute sales job, which included a pitch from the bus driver. She made her run down hotel that was miles from the beach sound very nice. After a couple of minutes we lost our patience and told the bus driver that he was wasting his time and to drop us off where we were told we would be dropped off, which after another minute he politely did. The first hotel that we wanted to stay at was full, so we took to the streets again. Within seconds we were spotted by a tout. His sales job was brilliant. "Follow me, this hotel is cheapest, best hotel in town." He follows us as we walk down the street and walk past his hotel. Then he yells, "WAIT, ALL THE OTHER HOTELS ARE FULL!!!" The guy really should be a politician with logic like that.

The hotel we stayed in was pretty nice. My bed was super comfortable and I slept like a baby every night. I did some diving and relaxed at a nice bar next to the beach. I had a few good meals and conversations with Kim and Gemma. Kim and I had a fair bit in common as he went to law school in Britain and is starting a Masters in Law in the fall. His girlfriend Gemma was intelligent, friendly and stunningly beautiful. I enjoyed their company and it was a welcome respite after a few days by myself.

Today I took a long bus ride from Nha Trang to Saigon. Tomorrow I fly to Laos for a few days. The thought came to me today that the thing that I have enjoyed most is looking out the window of the bus watching life take place on the streets of each country I have visited. The thing that has struck me is the simularities to life in Canada. Despite huge cultural differences, people are just going about their everyday lives: shopping, working, visiting friends and family, going to play sports, going to school or to pray. We really are same same, but different.