It’s done. It’s over. It’s the end. After 37 weeks of awesomeness I’m back in the Netherlands and damn – it looks like a boring place. The last months in Nanning were great. Living in the new up and coming Chinese city (looking around you can see at least 60 high rise buildings being build) gives a new perspective on China. The two week teaching stint did the same – the huge differences in educational systems are really visible when you’re into it yourself. But now all that remains are stories, photos and a lot of sweet, sweet memories.
I’ll see you in a pub and share them there with you.
So I’ve been in Nanning for about a month now to get some stuff sorted and work a bit. I definitely enjoyed the teaching the past two weeks (though the kids are lazy…they do remind me of myself in a way but I don’t belief I was that apathic) and am glad to be in one place for a longer period of time. The same bed, the same living room, the same bathroom. All of it a big and welcome change after running around for 7 months. However, having only 30 days on my visa I needed to renew it today (or haul ass to Hong Kong tomorrow for fear of overstaying) and ran into the craziest bureaucracy so far.
After enjoying my time in Singapore and Hong Kong I’m back in China. Singapore was a blast, couchsurfed with someone I had met earlier in Chengdu in October and partied it up with one of the guys from Langkawi. And apart of having fun catching up with people it’s just a great place, warm with a cooling sea breeze, clean and there’s enough to do. And it’s great to go out in Western style and have bangers and mash while knowing that you’re looking at another 2 months of noodles and rice. One thing though, it is very very organized. For example, there is no segregation along racial lines but forced integration as there are racial quotas for government provided housing, a quota on car ownership and huge fines for littering and smoking in public places. Talk about a controlled society.
Some photos on Malaysia, it’s jungle, Chinese new year, beach and some of my own underwater shots. Apart from the last all shot with that new shiny camera of mine and I think you can tell the difference, definitely on the macro shots.
After enjoying the beaches and some diving on Langkawi I decided that my last days in Malaysia should be spent on a tropical island. I’m afraid it will be quite some time before I get back to one of those. I picked Pulau Tioman for general quietness, relative secludedness and the possibility of diving. Not wanting to spend more than 200 ringgit I of course signed up for an advanced course and some fun dives dishing out the grand total of a 1000. I love my ability to stick to a budget… However, it was totally worth it, especially the diving at night, a totally different experience from diving during the day.
Leaving Myanmar was a sad occasion, the last night in Yangon I spent on the street and shot the following video. The song is one of the most popular songs these days in Myanmar, you hear it for hours on buses, with the music video blazing from the huge LCD screens, and everywhere on the streets. It has been burned into my brain and I love it. The video also shows how busy it is on one of the main streets in the capital around 9pm. And check out the longyi being worn by several men, traditional clothing which resembles a skirt.
Though sad about moving on I felt heartened by the fact I’d see some friends in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. And a great treat to look forward to was to see my parents again in Malaysia, travel around with them for a few days and watching them explore a country which is totally different from what they have seen so far. Later on, hearing them talk enthusiastically about Chinese temples, different architecture and places I hadn’t seen has made me realize I might have been here too long already as the stuff just doesn’t excite me that much anymore. But what I do enjoy, and especially after not seeing one for 8 weeks or so, is the beach.
Before I left I promised one of my friends to put a report on his parting gift here. That’s because he gave me a cheeseburger. In a can. And yes, it is as ridiculous as it sounds. Anyway – I opened the can and ate the cheeseburger after I left that village near Kyaupadaung. It wasn’t remotely tasty, which was exactly what I expected.
