A Change of Guard

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Tuesday 19 June 2012

Leave comfort zone to find pulse of cultures Excursions provide chance to see how others live and stark differences between haves, have-nots

By CARALYN CAMPBELL, 
Vancouver Sun June 18, 2012
A young Vietnamese boat vendor displays his wares. Jon Collier/Special to The Sun
A young Vietnamese boat vendor displays his wares. Jon Collier/Special to The Sun 

One of the many mysteries of travel is the comfort zone; you never know where in your travels it’s going to disappear.
Of course it’s easy to find comfort on-board a Holland America ship. Our 11-day Far East Discovery voyage was on the Zaandam. This mid-sized ship is a luxurious floating hotel, featuring spacious public spaces with fresh floral arrangements and multi-million dollar collections of art and antiques, award-winning restaurants and comfortable staterooms. Most meals and entertainment are included in your cruise, which is priced starting at less than $1,000 in December.
During the voyage (which began in Singapore) we visited Sanya on Hainan Island (the southeasternmost corner of China); Da Nang and Phu My (the port that services Ho Chi Minh City, better known as Saigon), Vietnam; Bangkok and Koh Samui, Thailand; and Sihanoukville, Cambodia, before ending in Hong Kong.
A journey through Southeast Asia is a slap to the senses.

The sights, smells, tastes, noise and crush of people, combined with air so thick it burns your throat and makes your eyes water, is a lot to endure for a soft-skinned Westerner. And then there is the poverty.
On an extremely hot and humid day in Sihanoukville, Cambodia I stepped way out of my comfort zone. Tuk Tuk drivers hoping to attract a fare swarmed our bus in the parking lot outside the central market. When we told one driver we were going to the market first, he took that to mean that we would hire his services afterward and so he followed us. Within minutes others joined in and soon we had an entourage.
By the time we reached the centre aisle of the market, where a row of men maimed by landmines lay begging for handouts, I felt overcome by the despair.
In a couple of the port cities we visited, I found the have/have-not contrast to be overwhelmingly intense.
We were getting a mere glimpse into their world, while being utterly pampered and protected in ours. At times I felt guilty, but also incredibly relieved and grateful to be back in the familiar surrounds of the ship.
“Lower your expectations,” was the warning at a few port city lectures held in the ship’s theatre on the days before embarkation. Obviously not everyone was paying attention.
Eavesdropping at the front desk one evening I heard a woman complaining about the appalling toilet facilities in Cambodia; as if this were all a show arranged by Holland America, who could somehow control the country and make those changes.
Along with those images of poverty, I will also carry images of spectacular temples and stunning natural beauty.
And in the cities, the incredible ballet of movement that transports millions in a day, is a spectacle to behold; add to that four distinct cultures that celebrate food in their own unique way is cause for admiration and hope.
We took a cooking class in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) where in addition to learning new skills, we saw the tremendous pride the Vietnamese have in the culture of food that is so much a part of their lives.
The region is rebounding; they rely on tourism to continue with that growth.
If (in addition to your tourism dollars) you’d like to help support the victims of landmines, there are a number of organizations in Cambodia advocating for people with disabilities.
They include: the Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization; the Association of the Blind in Cambodia; the Cambodian War Amputees Rehabilitation Society; the National Centre of Disabled Persons, and Demine Cambodia.
Non-Cambodian organizations include Action on Disability and Development and the World Rehabilitation Fund’s PACE Project.
If you go
-Getting there: Cathay Pacific Airways has direct flights from Vancouver to Singapore www.cathaypacific.com
Holland America’s next Far East Discovery cruise departs December 10, 2012.Visit www.hollandamerica.com for details.

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