Have you ever wondered what the world would look like if there were no Americans and no Chinese? Come to SE Asia and learn first hand how wonderful it can be.
We just arrived in Phuket Thailand and the only tourists we've encountered are Russians, Brits and a smattering of Koreans. The Yanks and Chinese, supposedly great nations, are afraid of a little virus and are staying home in droves....and the rest of us couldn't be happier.
We took a speed boat to one of the great coral reefs of the world yesterday. It's called Similan Island, a couple of hours off the coast of Thailand. We shared the day with about 15 Russian families, 10 Koreans and 2 Brits. There was one minor incident of pushing/shoving courtesy a young arrogant Russian kid but otherwise, we all enjoyed each other's company by being polite, calm and respectful. No one was loud and obnoxious. No one was disrespectful of others by behaving like they were the only one's on the boat. No one was bragging about how great their country is. No one was hogging all the food.
The day was quite different than the typical large tourist outing that we've been trying to avoid these past few years.
Perhaps the best way to explain this is to think of the U.S. and China as school yard bullies. They disrespect the rest of the planet on all levels, internationally and personally.
Having said this, there is another interesting phenomena happing here in the east.
Phuket Thailand is the Florida of the east, only not quite as tacky and cheap. Sun worshippers crowd the beaches and the streets to enjoy the best weather and oceans in this part of the world. If you live in a cold climate an 8 hour flight away, there's no better place to visit. So, I ask myself, why aren't the seas full of catamarans and sail boats like there are on the shores of North American and in the Mediterranean? Here, they don't exist.
My theory is, this is about security. Perhaps one of the benefits of living near the European community and the United States is that they police the seas making vacationers safe from pirates and desperate locals.
Here in Southeast Asia, China is the only country that has the power and authority to police these waters for rich tourists. The thing is...why would they?