 The first time I ever visited Canada I was fascinated by all the things which were different. The road signs, the occasional sign in French, the metric system, and the different products in the stores. The reason why those things stuck out is because, as much as Canadians hate to admit it, America and Canada are pretty much the same. The things I found different were aberrations (to me) on what was otherwise a very familiar background.
I point this out because humans are pattern seeking animals. We evolved to notice patters in the weather, the environment, migrations of animals, and the stars. When I went to Canada I noticed trivial things because they broke up the patterns I was used to seeing. You can notice similar things as you go from state to state as well. I assume the same would be true of Canadians visiting the US or Germans visiting Austria or people from Beijing visiting Shanghai. What very few differences exist between people from Wisconsin and Minnesota are exaggerated and amplified whenever they get together. (duck duck goose vs duck duck grey duck)
When I visited Japan I had the opposite experience that I had in Canada. Everything was different, so my eye immediately was drawn to those things which I found similar. When I walked in a 7-11, I couldn’t help but notice that they too had Lay’s potato chips (although they had seaweed flavor). If I looked in a cooler I’d notice a bunch of beverages I’d never seen before….and Coke. My eye was drawn to the Coke because that was familiar.
 Sometimes, our attempts at pattern seeking can backfire on us. We can attempt to try to create a pattern where none exists or try to find a pattern using too little data. I’ve met many people in the course of traveling who have had diametrically different views of a place. Some people love Vietnam and some people hate it. Their opinion is usually a result of the unique circumstances they experienced during their trip, but they extrapolate their experience to be a general claim on the entire country. In its worst manifestation, you get stereotyping, which is really just trying to impose a pattern which doesn’t exist on something.
Much of what we see and observe when we travel are subject to these pattern seeking habits we’ve developed. What we come away with when we visit a new place is often a result of these habits we’ve unconsciously developed our whole lives. There is nothing particularly wrong with it, but you should be aware of your own observational limitation lest you come away from a place with an opinion which is shaded too much by what you are trying to look for.
You can also miss things if you don’t know what you should be looking for. Someone from Beijing visiting Hong Kong would notice right away that Hong Kong uses traditional Chineses characters instead of simplified Chinese characters. If you don’t know how to read Chinese, you’d probably never know there was a difference. It would be like a Chinese speaker not noticing that some European languages use an umlaut (ö) and some don’t. If you don’t know the language, there is no way you could know what is different.
I am just as guilty of this as anyone. I constantly ask myself if I can make any larger claims about the places I visit based on my experiences. If I go to Thailand and eat some food, can I then say something about Thai food, or am I really experiencing a regional variation that I am just unaware of? If you have a bad meal, is it the restaurant, the dish or the entire cuisine? Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference.
One of the reasons I like to visit McDonald’s at least once when I visit a country is that is provides a common background that I’m accustom to, so I can more easily see the local variations that stick out. In the same way, someone from China might learn more about America from eating in a Chinese restaurant than they would going to McDonald’s. Knowing Chinese food, you could easily see in what ways it has been changed to adjust to American palates.
The point of this post is this: You are a product of your background. There is no escaping it. Be aware when you are traveling that what you see migh be because you are looking for it, and there might be things you don’t see because you don’t know to look.
Originally posted on the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. Follow me as I travel around the world.
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 Guide and camel, Wadi Rum, Jordan
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 Statues inside the Palace of Versailles, France
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 Fisherman on the Mekong River, Luang Prabang, Laos
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 Rainbow, Mount Field National Park, Tasmania, Australia
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 Fishing Fleet, Mui Ne, Vietnam
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 I’ve been in Singapore for a few days now, marking my third time in the city. I was first here in 1999 and was last here during the 2008 Olympics. (Read my previous thoughts on Singapore from 2008.) When I first visited Singapore in 1999 I became fascinated with the city. I read several books on the history of Singapore and Lee Kwan Yew immediately after leaving Singapore and have always kept an eye on the news from the country.
I like writing about Singapore because it is such an oddball country. It is one of the smallest countries in the world. It is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It is one of the richest countries in the world. It has a government that can only be described as….unique.
If someone from a western country wanted to visit Asia for the first time, and they were not an experienced traveler, I’d probably recommend Singapore. It is the only country in Asia where English is widely spoken. All signage and commerce is done in English. While you can often hear other languages on the street (including Singlish), the vast majority of the population, especially younger people, can speak English.
The other benefit to visiting Singapore as a gateway to Asia is the diversity of the country. Here you can find populations of Chinese, Malay and Indians living together. You can find Christian churches, Moslem mosques, and Buddhist and Hindu temples all over the city. In addition to being the most diverse city in Asia, the diversity arguably makes it the best food city in Asia. You can find cheap, good food at any of the many hawkers stands which dot the city.
 Singapore is currently trying to build up its tourism industry. Being a small country, there isn’t much to see in terms of history or natural attractions, however. They have ripped a page out of the Macau pagebook and have decided to build casinos. There is currently one on the small island of Sentosa and there is currently a massive one under construction near the marina. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. One casino does not a Macau make, but if there is one country that could pull it off in a classy way, it is Singapore.
The two things people mention right away you bring up Singapore are; 1) the fact that you can’t chew gum, and 2) that American kid who got caned years ago. The caning took place 16 years ago, yet still is one of the only things people think of when they think of Singapore. The ban on chewing gum is technically not a ban on the chewing of gum. It is a ban on the sale and importation of gum. (Technically, if you bring a personal stash of gum into the country, that would violate law, but I doubt if you are going to see the gum police come after you.) The reason for the ban is the same reason Disney World doesn’t sell gum on its property: it is a pain to clean. There is an exemption for therapeutic chewing gum if it is prescribed by a doctor or a dentist.
I am often asked by people if I’ve ever visited a place where I would consider living. Singapore is very close to being such a place if not for one thing: the incredibly high cost of real estate. Being a wealthy country on a small island, prices for rent are very high. They seem to be on a par with what you’d find in Manhattan, London, San Francisco or Tokyo.
I’ll be here the rest of the week, and if you are in Singapore I will also be giving a presentation on Friday, March 5 at Amirah’s Grill, Level 2, No.142 Arab Street Opposite Golden Landmark Hotel. You can RSVP on Facebook.
Originally posted on the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. Follow me as I travel around the world.
Related posts: - Final Thoughts on Singapore
- McHawker: McDonald’s in Singapore
- Singapore
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 Prize #1: Echo Laptop Backpack First prize will be the Echo Computer Backpack, an $80 value.
E stands for everything, as in the Echo has it all! This lightweight pack is perfect for travel, work, or school with its pockets for paperwork, pens, and electronic accessories, plus a padded compartment that keeps your computer cradled. The fit is fantastic, and there’s no more scrambling for that buzzing phone with the convenient shoulder strap cell pocket. The easy-wipe bottom helps keep it clean.
 Prize #2: Delta 17 Laptop Sleeve The biggest in our series of laptop sleeves, the 17” Delta gets down to business storing all your work necessities in a lightweight sleeve. The padded interior supports your computer, while the large pocket stores papers, pens, and computer accessories like your power cord and mouse. Speaking of mouse, flip the Delta and on the case you’ll find a built-in mouse pad. So smart!
As usual, entering the contest is easy. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what your favorite piece of travel luggage or bag is. I’ll pick two comments via Random.org and the contest will end on March 7.
Originally posted on the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. Follow me as I travel around the world.
Related posts: - So, I got a new computer
- Against Yellow Fever I Shall Be INVINCIBLE
- My Hawaii Plans
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 When I made up my mind to find a place to work for a few months, I went through a process of trying to figure out what would be the best place. Inside, however, I sort of knew the answer the moment I asked the question: I’d be going to Bangkok.
In the three weeks since I’ve been here I’ve met many expats living in Bangkok and travelers passing through Bangkok who have contacted me via Twitter. While I often meet people in cities I visit, nothing has come close to the volumes of people there are to meet in Bangkok. Every major world city has some expat population, but nothing seems to approach the size of the community I’ve met here in Bangkok. It isn’t just the size of the community either. It seems to have a special draw to bloggers and location independent workers. It is true of Thailand in general, as I know of even more people who are staying in the islands in the south or up in Chiang Mai, but Bangkok is the clearly the center of the action.
As I meet travelers in the region, the one constant in everyone’s itinerary is Bangkok. Khao San road is the perhaps the largest and best known backpacker hub in the world. There is so much tourism in Thailand that when the tsunami hit in 2005, it was the biggest natural disaster in terms of lives lost in the history of ……. Norway. The area around Sukhumvit Avenue where I’m staying has four British/Irish pubs within a one block distance. They should call the area “Little Britain”.
With every day that passes here I keep asking myself the question “Why Bangkok?” There are other great cities in the world, but what makes Bangkok such an attractive location? I’ve come to several reasons:
Bangkok is Cheap
Thailand might not have the lowest cost of living in the world, but compared to North America, Europe, Australia or Japan, Thailand is downright cheap. I’ve talked to people who stay in rooms for as little as $5/night. You can rent a fully furnished studio apartment (in a nice building) with utilities including internet for US$450/month. You can eat street food every day for $1 per meal. If you want to take part in a higher level of food and lodging, there are plenty of places for that as well. If you were starting an online business where you could work from anywhere in the world, keeping your costs low is your first priority. Bangkok is perfect for that. There is no way you could approach your living costs in any OCED country.
Bangkok is Developed
Bangkok is not the most developed city in the world, let alone South East Asia. Kuala Lumpur and Singapore score higher in those areas. Bangkok, however, has passed some threshold where it is developed enough. Malls like Siam Paragon are on a par with what I’ve seen in Dubai. The movie theaters I’ve seen here the best I’ve seen anywhere. The transportation system is far from perfect, but if you live near the BTS (skytrain), you can get around easily enough. Taxis are cheap and you can get to most places in town for under 100TBH (US$3). There are big box retailers and almost every other connivence imaginable.
Bangkok is Clean and Safe
I’ve heard some people say that they thought Bangkok was dirty. They haven’t seen a real dirty city. Maybe everything isn’t brand new like Dubai or Singapore, but you will not find much litter here. The streets are swept every day by hand. Street vendors have an incentive to keep their place of business clean. Outside of pickpockets that you can find in any major city, there is very little major crime. There is almost no graffiti. Thailand has issues with corruption, but it is far from the worst place in the region. If you mostly do business online, you are immune from most of it.
Bangkok is Wired
For a guy like me who spends a lot of his line online, this is huge. Even if money were not part of the equation, I’ve found connectivity to be an issue in places like Australia, New Zealand and Dubai. In Australia it can be slow and in Dubai it is slow and the government filters many legitimate sites like Flickr. In Europe the connection is good, but you almost always have to pay and arm and a leg to get online. Wifi is plentiful in Bangkok and you can often find open wifi just walking down the street. You can get a monthly unlimited wifi plan which covers most of the city for only 800TBH per month.
Bangkok is not the only city in the world that meets these criteria. I think Kuala Lumpur does too and I also considered Panama City, but I had never been there. I’m sure there might be some cities in Eastern Europe that could fit the bill as well.
Bangkok might not be this attractive forever. There are many unresolved political issues which are still simmering. Things could blow up here at some point in the future. It will probably not affect tourists or expats, but it will significantly reduce the appeal of the city.
I’d like to hear from people with more experience in Bangkok. What do you think of where the city has gone and where it is going? Also, what other cities in the world do you think meet the criteria of cheap/developed/wired?
Originally posted on the Everything Everywhere Travel Blog. Follow me as I travel around the world.
Related posts: - Bangkok Days and Bangkok Nights
- Bangkok, Oriental City
- First Night in Bangkok
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