This is the tail end of my trip in South East Asia. I have had such an amazing time, and have met some incredible people from all over the world. Back home, there are certain words that you hear all the time, certain phrases that people say depending on where you are from. Like "Want some "pop"? up north, versus "Here's your "soda" sir" down south. South East Asia is no different, and I'm not going to lie, but I've heard so many things here that I just don't want to hear again lol =). But it's just part of travel, and I am just blessed to experience what other cultures and people say from around the globe. It's a different world out here, and who knows, I might miss some of these word phrases, well maybe not all of them =)
1. TUK TUK? - It doesn't matter where you are in SE Asia, you will never really have any problems finding local transportation (unless you are in a very remote area). These tuk tuk drivers are real hustlers! They can take you places, become your personal tour guide, and provide you with practically anything that you want, legal or illegal. Now not all of them are like this, but most of them are, at least the ones that I have come across. Tuk Tuk drivers are not really all that bad if they aren't ripping you off. If you can act like a local, and show them that you have done your research, you will most likely have a decent experience with them. Let it be no shock to you, that when you're in SE Asia, all you will hear is "Tuk Tuk"? This is their way of asking you if you need a ride somewhere. I do love riding in tuk tuks, and everywhere you go, you will find some pimped out tuk tuks. My favorite one was a Rolls Royce =)
2. MASSAGE? - In SE Asia you can get a massage for as little as $3 US! I honestly think that SE Asia must be the "mecca" of thee massage! They offer every massage that you can think of! Almost everywhere you walk, you will see massage parlors, and what do you hear? "Massage"!!! "I give you good price", "I make you feel good long time". Now there are a lot of really decent places to go to, and there are just as many shady places as well. I was once in Vientiane, Laos and I saw these ladies in bicycles and they were fully equipped with there massage shrapnel. It was actually pretty cool watching the sunset on the Mekong River while watching these ladies give massages and pedicures "you name it, they did everything", right by the Mekong River in Vientiane. In a way, I will miss these cute ladies asking me if I want a massage =). Traveling from country to country, having a massage is something that you should get regularly, and it could really make your travel a very pleasant one.
Sunset Massage along the Mekong River - Vientiane, Laos
3. OH MY BUDDHA! - I think that this is one that I will really miss because every time I heard it, it was because something funny just happened. "Oh my Buddha" is just like saying "OMG" or "WTH" =) Infact, I think I even started saying it, and I will probably continue saying it in the USA, just because heck, it's different! And it reminds me of some really good times that I had in SE Asia!
Good times in South East Asia!
4. OBAMA =) - I didn't hear this at too many places, but I heard it almost everyday when I was in Myanmar. It's like this, when the Burmese people would ask me where I was from, I would say "I'm from the USA", and they would say "Ohhhhhh, yeah Obama!!!! =)" with a big huge smile, like they wanted me to know that they knew something about where I was from. It was especially cute when the kids said it, especially the ones who were always trying to sell me 30 postcards that I would never use =). I guess they were in love with Obama ha ha! Remember the song?
5. WANT SOME BOOM BOOM? - This is actually something that most of the Tuk Tuk drivers would say when you didn't need a ride. It was like they had a full menu of things to sell you. If you didn't need a ride, they wanted to sell you sex (not from them, but from crime syndicates or pimps), if you didn't want that, they would sell you narcotics and so on. The sex trade is so normal in SE Asia, and in some places....totally legal. I do not support the industry because a lot of it supports sex trafficking of young innocent girls, and being that I have a teenage daughter, that is something that I do not want to be a part of. The sex trade is big business in SE Asia, and I don't really care when adults make a decision to make it a part of their profession, that's of course their business, but when it come to kids, that's when I have to voice my opinion on the issue. Let kids be kids, and let adults be adults.
So those are 5 phrases commonly heard while traveling SE Asia. For the most part, it's no different from the things that we say or hear in the USA, or other parts of the world, the words just change, but they almost all the time have the same meaning. During my travels in South East Asia, I've learned that people think and feel the same, and that's pretty much all over the world. We all love, we all hate, we all have dreams, we all crave adventure, we all work hard for what we believe in, and we all want our freedom. I love SE Asia, and I will definitely be back!
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