When you travel even if only in your home country you’re bound to see things you just don’t see when you are at home working your 9 to 5. I thought I’d list some of the things I’ve seen during my trips to South East Asia.

The Topless Woman on the Street.

I was walking around Bangkok and trying to find somewhere to rest in the shade for a while, I seemed I was the only person walking along what was a pretty big boulevard except for the person walking towards me, as she got closer I could see it was a woman and she was wearing very little, looking very unkempt and trying to cover herself while tears were running from her eyes. I wondered what got here there in that state but I was just too confused to do anything more than wonder.

Beggars

Ok you can see them anywhere but one stood out to me, all of his limbs had been amputated and he balanced on his torso outside Borobudur in Indonesia in the searing heat with a bag in front of him he looked totally improvised yet completely content and showed a sincere gratification in his eyes to every person who placed whatever small amount of money into his bag. Normally these types have someone to help them around but this guy was alone, at least while he was begging.

Prostitutes

They are almost literally a dime a dozen in SE Asia, if you are male and especially if you are traveling alone you are bound to see it. From Thailand’s GoGo bars to street walkers or Taxi girls, “hostesses” and “massage” houses it can seem like it is everywhere you look and that literally everything is for sale. While many people will demean them they are actually really interesting people to talk to, especially in regards to their trade and how their views of the world differ from the “normal” locals.

Stoned Children

Grabbing a bite to eat outside Heart of Darkness in Phnom Penh, Cambodia I was approached by a kid of about 6-8 years asking for money, I was about to give him some but was stopped by my local friend who tried to explain why he wanted it but with average English it wasn’t easy, the food vendor collared the kid and pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a small tub of either resin or glue. The kid now crying snatched it back got rather angry and covered his face with the bag and started sniffing asking me how I liked it. I felt sorry for the kid at first but when he tried the guilt trip on me I just couldn’t believe how pathetic the situation was, it was really pretty disturbing.

Happiness

Traveling in the developing world amongst all the poverty and sadness in the lives of many people you also see a hell of a lot of smiles. Kids don’t worry about if their clothes are branded, they want to go to school and they still get to be kids. As for the adults, most of them in jobs that bring them in enough income to give them enough of what they need never seem to hate their jobs and they love their home lives. Maybe it’s the higher focus on family in the east, or maybe they just know something we don’t. You might end up reassesing your values after a trip to these countries, I hope you will.