Number of Countries Visited outside US = 6 (Czech Republic, Hungary, Egypt, India, Singapore, China). If transit is included, then 8 (add Switzerland and Slovakia).
Number of Cities Visited outside of US = 15 (Prague, Budapest, Cairo, Alexandria, Mumbai, New Delhi, Agra, Chennai, Bangalore, Mysore, Singapore, Shanghai, Beijing, Dalian, Hong Kong)
Number of Different Beds I Slept In = 22 (as far as I can remember)
Number of Languages Spoken in Places I Visited (other than English) = 10 (Czech, Hungarian, Arabic, Maharastan, Hindi, Tamil, Karnatakan, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese)
Favorite Currency: The Hungarian Forint. Feels good to take 100000 in cash out from an ATM.
Questions from Blog Readers
Aunt Paula and Uncle Bill
1. What were your observations of the quality of health care you received in China? Was it free for you? What other details could you share about your experience at the hospital?
The healthcare I received in China was far from what I believe the locals experience. I went to the urgent care center at a private hospital that was recommended by International SOS. Hong Kong, like many countries, has both public and private hospitals. Upon arrival, I had to put on a mask because of swine flu fears, but I saw a physician almost immediately. She was British-trained and spoke impeccable English. I think the hospital may be where famous people go because there was paparazzi outside when I walked in. Needless to say, they were disappointed when I walked by. All in all, it was a very painless experience, though it was quite expensive.
2. In which country did you hear music played on the streets most frequently? Was it American music? Local music?
India probably had the most music on the streets. People would often have radios sitting outside while they worked or played. There was certainly a surprising amount of American music. I would laugh in Egypt because young men would drive by with thumping bass, playing 50 Cent music. I’m pretty sure they didn’t understand the words. Somehow, I doubt that “crunk” translates well into Arabic. There was lots of local music too. In Hong Kong, they are obsessed with Cantonese pop. I heard quite a bit of that.
3. Which countries had citizens that appeared generally supportive of the U.S.? Generally oppositional?
Everywhere I went, people were very optimistic about the US. Even when a local could speak almost no English, they always were able to say “OBAMA” and give me a big thumbs up. In Egypt, they were particularly good at saying “Bush” with a tone of disgust. I was surprised how few of the common Egyptians I met had heard of Obama’s speech in Cairo. That was a bit disheartening, especially when his message was not meant just for the ears of the elites. For the most part, everyone was pretty supportive of the U.S. Obama’s honeymoon period hasn’t ended yet, but it was interesting to hear people scoff at the American healthcare system. Many people found it absurd that there was not universal coverage in such a developed country. I found myself trying to make excuses for America, but in the end, I would just say “I know, it’s shocking.”
4. What was one of your "aha" moments? What were the circumstances that led you to this insight?
Landing in Singapore to their beautiful airport, complete with friendly staff and futuristic metro made me realize how far America is falling behind in infrastructure. For example, I’m writing this right now from the San Francisco airport, where it took me an hour to make it through security. While I understand that America has more stringent processes, it seems ridiculous how inefficient much of our transportation system has become. As I said in a blog post, we could learn a lot from Asia.
5. Did you ever feel unsafe in any country? Why or why not?
No, I never felt unsafe. In retrospect, I find this pretty amazing. I thought Cairo and Mumbai would be scary places, but I never once felt in danger. There were times when I was quite lost, but I was always able to find my way either by pointing at somewhere on a map, calling a friend who spoke the local language or, worst case, using the GPS on my iPhone. Obviously, there were times when I felt less than perfectly secure, such as walking anywhere in India or Egypt. When there are no sidewalks, people don’t obey traffic laws, and most people refrain from using their headlights, the circumstances are not suited to mindless strolling. I had to tone down my texting while walking habit.
6. What did you learn that you will never forget?
I learned that education really is the most important predictor success; whether for an individual or for a nation. Obviously, infrastructure and natural resources do have a bearing, but education is really what separates those who will benefit in the global economy and those who will be left behind. I also learned that the private sector and the market can’t single-handedly end world poverty. I think I started this trip with a naïve belief that the integration of the global economy through offshoring was the panacea to global poverty. While I do still believe it is an important driver of development, there seems to be a critical mass of education/stability which must be achieved before a country can benefit. Finally, I learned that size matters. The scale of the challenges and opportunities in China and India are beyond anything I had ever seen or saw elsewhere in this trip. Demography may not be destiny, but it sure matters a lot.
7. And, of course, Bill wants to know which country had the most beautiful women.
Czech Republic. Eastern European women were very beautiful, though I obviously only admired from a distance
Meghan McNulty
1. What country had the best beer / drinks / party scene?
Best beer was in Czech Republic… had some delicious local beers, in addition to their national beer Pilsner Urquell. Best drinks is a tough one because Egypt/India/China are at a disadvantage because I didn’t order iced drinks. Had a Singapore Sling, which I thought was going to be much more masculine than it turned out to be. Pink with umbrella and a pineapple slice. Best party scene was in Singapore. You can have a lot of fun even with all those rules!
Pat Peters
1. Where, if at all, did you feel most threatened/intimidated either because you were an American or traveling alone? Do you think it was just your perception or something actually happened to make you form that opinion?
I actually never felt threatened as an American. During the Egypt vs. USA Confederations Cup match I openly cheered for the US in a bar full of Egyptian men and they just laughed and gave me a hard time. They did make jabs at the US, but it was all in good fun. You could tell that for all of their issues with American policy, they did have a respect for the country and the people as a whole. I was intimidated to be traveling alone in Dalian and Chennai because they were two cities which didn’t get many English-speaking tourists. I learned to either have my destination written down (or on my iPhone), or to call my destination and have them guide me (or my taxi driver) there. All in all, the feeling was definitely my own perception. There was nothing more dangerous about Dalian or Chennai. In fact, I was probably safer there than other big cities where they are experienced at targeting tourists. It’s just a weird feeling to not understand ANYONE, or any of the background noise. Even KFC was written in Chinese characters… though definitely still identifiable by the Colonel.
2. Which country would you like to go back to (on your dime) and spend more time exploring and why? Which country would you never go back to and why?
I would like to go back and spend more time in India. There are so many amazing places that I didn’t get a chance to see (Darjeeling, Goa, Kerala, Jaipur, etc.) that I would love to go back and see. It’s definitely like visiting the U.S., you can’t see the whole country in a lifetime, much less a month. There are no countries I wouldn’t go back to, but I do feel like I got plenty of time in Cairo. When I go back to Egypt, I’ll probably try and do the other places (Luxor, Aswan, Dahab, Siwa). Cairo is a fascinating city, but it’s just so hot and dirty. Plus, I really don’t like the feeling of an entire city trying to rip you off. Maybe if I was always with an Arabic speaker…
3. How did your health/physical well being affect your perception of a city/country? Were you disappointed that you couldn't experience it more due to being sick? Did it depress you?
My health definitely had a significant impact on my perception of a city. I was pretty healthy (bar exhaustion) for almost the entire trip. I had two bouts with the infamous “Delhi Belly”, but nothing that a bit of Cipro and generous hospitality didn’t cure. It all came a bit unhinged in Dalian, which is unfortunate because what I saw of the city was very beautiful. You hear Manchuria and you expect frozen tundra and industrial wasteland. But it really is a beautiful city with beaches, hikes and wide roads. I think it’s inevitable that your physical condition affects your perception of a place. More than that though, I think the degree of interaction you have with other people predicts how much you like a place. It’s unsurprising to me in retrospect that the places I liked most are where I made the most friends and places I didn’t enjoy much are where I was most alone.
4. Was the media coverage of the U.S. what you expected? Did you see certain events like former President Clinton negotiating the release of journalists in N. Korea?
The media coverage was pretty fair from what I saw/understood. That said, I didn’t understand a lot of what the local press was writing/talking about so I relied on the Internet to get CNN and NYTimes. One particular memory I have is of a show on the Chinese equivalent of CNBC in which the Chinese host was very aggressively questioning the U.S.’s ability to service its debt. Without getting into a political discussion of how much I think that is true, I distinctly recall her bullying the US guest and accusing him, and the US government, of being delinquents. It was probably just a lot of posturing, but I remember that vividly.
5. Where were you when Michael Jackson died...mid June? How did that country's media coverage cover it?
I remember exactly where I was when I found out. I was sitting in a food court in a mall on Nariman Point in Mumbai eating a dosa off a banana leaf. Looking up at the television, I saw “King of Pop dead” and a picture of MJ. Tons of people were watching the TVs. Overall, the media coverage and public response was pretty tremendous. For the week I was in Delhi, all the malls in Gurgaon had his greatest hits album on a repeat loop. In my hotel in Chennai there were multiple stations covering the funeral service. So claims of his global superstardom were not overstated.
6. What was the most surprising thing you learned either culturally, economically or personally?
Oh man, this is a toughie. I’ll cheat and address all three separately. Culturally, I was surprised to see how tightly-knit the India family was, even in the 21st century. When families buy houses, they borrow from their relatives. When grandparents get old, they always live with their children. It was a social system entirely unique to me. When I said that our elderly often live in retirement homes and people often frown on borrowing from family, Indians were very surprised.
Economically, I was surprised to learn how much more developed China was than India. Comparing Mumbai and Shanghai in terms of development is an absolute joke. That said, because India lags behind, some speculate it is the greater investment opportunity in the long-run.
Personally, I was surprised to learn how much I will pay for convenience. I was willing to work hard and plan to save money on accommodation, but more often than not, I would end up getting taxis because public transportation would’ve taken forever. Also, I found haggling draining, not exciting like some people. At first I would beat myself up about getting ripped off, but then I thought about it economically and told myself that I just paid a premium for convenience. It made me a feel a bit better, until people told me the “bargain” price I had haggled for 15 minutes to get was still 3x too much.
Brian No
1. What was the most awkward/embarrassing moment of your trip?
This was really awkward and just odd. In Beijing, I was sleeping in an eight-person dorm. I was on the top bunk. At 5am on Monday morning, a small Chinese woman crept into our room and poked me with a stick saying, “Wake up call… you miss train.” Disoriented and barely remembering which city I was in, I tried to recall what I had to do that day. Turns out, I had not ordered a wake-up call and didn’t need to wake up for another 3 ½ hours. When I informed her of this, she was like “So sorry” and moved across the room to start poking other travelers.
Another embarrassing moment was when I was at dinner with my host in Bangalore. I was eating with my hands, embracing the Indian cultural norm. About five minutes into the meal he looked at me and was like “Just stop. You’re doing it all wrong. First, wipe off your face. Now, use your ring hand’s four fingers to push the food into a ball and then use the thumb to cleanly put it in your mouth.” This may not seem that embarrassing, except that I had been eating improperly with my hands for three weeks and no one had told me.
Aunt Becky
1. My question to ponder over the Pacific has to do with pollution. Do you think India, China and Egypt will start to decrease the amount of pollution produced as they gain in the global economy? How do they compare with Eastern Europe? How do both areas compare with the Western Europe and the USA?
This was a complicated issue that I thought a lot about during the trip. I think the national leaders of India, China and Egypt (particularly China) realize how much pollution is hurting the quality of life and competitiveness of their countries. At the local level though, I saw very few encouraging signs of reining in the pollution that comes with development. In Egypt there aren’t even trash cans. I had a water bottle and looked for some place to throw it away (recycling was out of the question) for 30 minutes before my friend just told me to throw in on the ground. When cooking, people often just through garbage out of their window on to the buildings next door. You better hope that you live in the tallest building! In India, so many of the trucks and buses dated back to the 70s and just spewed fumes all over the place. Sometimes, I had to hold my breath and close my eyes when walking because it would’ve burned too much. In China, Beijing is in a constant gray fog because of pollution. You can’t even compare the pollution levels to Eastern Europe. Though Eastern Europe may use more older engines than Western Europe/ USA, the level of pollution was far below what I saw in the other countries. A side note on this though is that I didn’t travel to any of the industrial cities where I’m sure the pollution levels would’ve been worse.
While most of my experiences were very disheartening, it was important to remember how the per capita waste and energy consumption of these countries was SO MUCH less than in the West. They may throw their garbage out the window, but their garbage wouldn’t require American Suburbia’s 4 foot trash can that is collected weekly. Most of the locals (from rickshaw drivers to executives) I talked with were adamant about this point. As they get more integrated into the global economy, it’s going to be hard to convince them they should hold themselves back from Western levels of consumption.
Hannah McDonald-Moniz
1. Which city could you see yourself living in for an extended period of time?
Hong Kong, Shanghai or Budapest. In the Chinese cities, you just feel like you’re right on the pulse of the next big thing. Sure they may not have the history of some of the other cities, but there is something exciting about these cities. The Indian cities have amazing cost of living, but it’s too hard to accomplish even the simplest tasks there. Maybe later in my life. Budapest is just a beautiful place.
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