HK, Cambodia, Vietnam

In mid April, Dad came came over for a ten day, three part
Asia Trip to Hong Kong (to meet Carmen's family and see where I'll be situated next), Siem Riep, Cambodia (The home of the largest Hindu temple in the world, Ankor Wat) and Hanoi, Vietnam (another booming Asian country, startlingly similar to China.)

After one jet lag recovery night in HK, we flew to Siem Riep and eased into a really nice luxury hotel my buddy recommended. The place was probably a little more romantic than what we really needed, what with loads of aromatherapy oil burners everywhere, and mostly couples walking around hand in hand, but it was still the best hotel i've ever been to.

Tourism in the area is built almost entirely around the ancient ruins of Angkor, one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia - mostly temples. Ankor Wat is the biggest temple, but i preferred the small ones deep in the forest that have giant trees growing into them, like the one you see behind my dad in the picture.

One thing which struck me was that there were loads of Chinese mainland people in Siem Riep, both travelers and business people. An Australian guy i spoke with while getting a foot massage at a Chinese run massage parlor mentioned he was starting a travel website directed towards Chinese mainland travelers because they are really starting to travel now and the market for it will be huge.

Then we went to Hanoi, Vietnam, and more things related to China appeared. Both are Communist countries, both of their legendary communist leaders died about 35 years ago, their economies are booming (Vietnam's stock grew faster than any other last year with more than 100% growth); even the languages are remarkably similar. Words like flower, man and woman sound almost the same. This makes a lot of sense, because China tried to colonize Vietnam many times over until the 1800s. Then the French came in, leaving modern Hanoi with loads of balconies and other french architecture, as well as good coffee, chocolate, and bread. The Americans didn't leave much and luckily didn't engender very much long term hate. In fact, Vietnam feels very peaceful and filled with entrepreneurial spirit, and the three groups its probably trading with the most right now are its former colonizers.

The last stop was Hong Kong, a mega city which felt much more difficult to explore just because of its size, and definitely not because of its transportation system, which is state of the art: a team of double decker buses, minibuses, and a brilliantly designed subway system. All of which run frequently, till late at night for cheap. We got to the beach from the center of the city in 30 min for $2. Saw a few other things as well, but i was so hypnotized by the size of the place i hardly remember it. Really looking forward to figuring out HK eventually.

All in all, a perfectly timed trip to three really interesting spots in the world. Oh, and the family meeting went pretty well. Dad and Carmen's mom weren't able to engage very much because of the language barrier, but everyone still had a good time.

Bangkok and Laos

In the last few weeks I've been in Bangkok and Laos and occurrences in both places juxtaposed together really messed with my head, in a good way.

The real highlight came in Bangkok. I met a Chinese Qi Gong master that can generate electricity through his finger tips, and he used his talent to reorder the qi in my body. No joke, he literally had me step on a wet towel, dipped his finger in water, and then wherever he touched my skin, an electrical charge would run into me. My buddy Ryan who was also there had the same thing done. He kept his eyes closed and said when the guy touched his temples he actually saw an electrical current. The Qi Gong master was introduced to us via my boss' wife.

For the rest of the day Ryan and I walked around starry eyed trying to process what just happened. The experience, more than anything else that has ever happened to me, questioned my fundamental view of what is and what is not possible on this earth. An added twist is that this technique is actually a supposed cancer treatment.

I'm so glad I had the memory of this experience floating around in my head when i went to Laos a few days later. I did a trek in the countryside for three days and saw rural life up close. (i.e. kids walking around holding roosters). The experience was a bit weird because the tourism felt quite voyeuristic. Our guides did speak the local language, but the they didn't really talk to anyone. We mostly just walked around the village and took pictures while kids laughed and parents stared. In the evenings we even went to the water hole with everyone else to bathe (everyone bathed together, but everyone was mostly covered).

What affected me the most was the way the people so resembled the domesticated animals wandering around the village. I started thinking about it when i heard a child making perfect bird calls. And then i thought about it again as I watched villagers of all ages cross streams and climb rocks with outrageous dexterity. A log that took me 15 seconds to slowly hop across took the kids 2 seconds. Plus, like the animals, everyone just walked around, sat a bit, and walked around a bit, not really talking that much.

It got me thinking, what it actually going on inside there minds. Do they have other special abilities that the modern person just doesn't?

With that question in mind, I happened to pull a book out of my pack that i'd been meaning to read for a while about speaking to the dead. Most of the ideas in the book were too far fetched for me to digest (detailed descriptions about what the life of the dead is really like) but i did stop and consider the books basic thesis: modern people have forgotten how to connect to the spiritual side of life because we have become obsessed with material things. As such, we spend our days feeding our desires instead of connecting to spiritual side of life.

I like the thesis b/c it attacks science, the creator of technology and all the stuff that follows. Usually we think about science helping us determine true from false, but what if science itself is actually leading us astray by giving us so much stuff in the process that we get distracted and never learn how to connect with god, whatever that means.

The point hit home because i think that's why i was so starry eyed in Bangkok. Science had told me that shooting electricity from your fingertips was impossible, and there science was, being disproved right in front of my eyes. In Laos, it wasn't like the abilities of the villagers was earth shattering, but it was a reminder that one's way of life largely shapes skills and abilities, leaving me wondering what I am personally actually capable of. I guess at the bottom of all this, there is the question, am I capable of healing myself?

I imagine my oncologist would caution me against duping myself. He doesn't even think a healthy diet really has much effect on cancer treatment, so i imagine simply willing it through meditation or whatever is even more far fetched from his perspective. But after seeing science disproved in front of my eyes, I am more hopeful, or at least a little less likely to take my doctor's point of view so seriously.

Apparently the Qi Gong master acquired his x-men like skills by gaining control over his body through meditation. His two kids are already on their way. When entered his house, the two 7 year olds were sitting on the floor in meditation, unperturbed by our arrival. It's high time I take the time to do a little more meditationme myself. If it can give me healing powers that's ideal, but at the very least I'm convinced from this experience that I'm not seeing the whole picture. As such, i thinking turning off my mind, rather than filling it up, seems like an avenue i should explore further.