One of the great things about travel is all the people, both travellers and locals, you meet along the way. Hostel roommates arrive, and you naturally ask where they're from, where they've been, where they're going. You share tips and travel stories and meet some interesting people who also think travel is one of the best things in life. You may share a meal, tag along for a day, or travel together for a week. Inevitably your itineraries diverge, and can't help but laugh when you cross paths again, six weeks and two countries later.
I'm sure I'm missing some, but I've met great folks from:
Austria
Germany
Holland
France
Belgium
Hungary
Slovakia
Lithuania
Poland
Czech Republic
Russia
Estonia
Turkey
Iran
Australia
New Zealand
Morocco
Egypt
Israel
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Switzerland
South Korea
Japan
China
South Africa
England
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Peru
Brazil
Argentina
Chile
Ecuador
Uraguay
Bahamas
Jamaica
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Canada
United States
Texas (listing this separate as nearly everyone says America, and then maybe the state if prompted. But one guy just replied, "Texas!")
Here are just a few:
An investment banker from New York was here in Bangkok between jobs. He stepped on a street dog that he didn't see and it bit him, so he got to experience top notch Thai medical care (rabies shots). Did not recommend the dog bite. Highly recommended Bangkok hospital.
An oil and gas field engineer. They were short handed in Bakersfield so he worked some 70 days straight, resulting in 30 days off, which allowed him to take an extended trip to southeast Asia.
A public health graduate from Seattle was travelling on the Bonderman Travel Fellowship, which funds 8 months of solo travel--"a life-changing experience of total immersion in other places, peoples, and cultures." Billionaire David Bonderman was compelled to start it based on the profound impact international travel had on his life.
A biologist from Israel who was backpacking with a tent and camping along the way. He brought over a hundred personal photographs from his life so far. People he connected with could choose their favorite one to keep. He would tell the story behind it and write his contact info on the back.
An Aussie traveler in Dalat informed me he has never tried a Fosters, it's not even popular there, and he's only seen maybe a few old guys drinking it. So much for "Australian for beer."
A guy from Grand Rapids now teaching in Florida, and traveling around SE Asia for the summer. He misses Founders, but not the cold weather.
I met "Stan, Eminem's biggest fan." I found him running an Indian restaurant near Inle Lake in Myanmar. He was from Nepal but put a lot of effort into his gangster accent. Detroit flags and graffiti covered the walls. While an entertaining host and chef, the food failed to impress, despite rave reviews.
In Bangkok, a night club promoter from Houston. He had a dentist appointment in Bangkok the next morning for some work--which would have cost at least four times as much back home. Medical tourism is big here.
A Malay in Kuala Lumpur, studying Sharia law in Sudan. He highly recommends it as a tourist destination--beautiful pyramids like Egypt without all the crowds.
A Swiss couple on a local bus to Georgetown, Penang, who always packs one essential item on their trips: good chocolate from back home.
An entry on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. He started what was meant to be “Google for Myanmar” because no search engine existed here. But before that gained traction, Facebook entered Myanmar and grew rapidly. When it comes to using the internet here, Facebook is where it's at. Businesses have Facebook pages instead of websites. There's still no Burmese search engine and to this day, the notion of "just Google it" does not exist here. That startup switched gears to software servicing, but these days he's focused on a new project. He sells hardware (Bluetooth receipt printers) and software (smartphone apps) for small restaurants and retail shops. Most places I would get a handwritten receipt that makes accounting a manual task, but he's changing that. While in 2011 Myanmar had the second-lowest cellphone ownership after North Korea, today, over 90 percent are online with their phones. For both tourism and tech, Myanmar is young and booming, and it's an exciting time to be involved.
A Dutch gal who did her undergraduate studies in the States, including North Dakota, Brownsville, TX, and good ole Baytown, TX of all places.
I'm sure I'm missing some, but I've met great folks from:
Austria
Germany
Holland
France
Belgium
Hungary
Slovakia
Lithuania
Poland
Czech Republic
Russia
Estonia
Turkey
Iran
Australia
New Zealand
Morocco
Egypt
Israel
Italy
Spain
Portugal
Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Finland
Switzerland
South Korea
Japan
China
South Africa
England
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Peru
Brazil
Argentina
Chile
Ecuador
Uraguay
Bahamas
Jamaica
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Canada
United States
Texas (listing this separate as nearly everyone says America, and then maybe the state if prompted. But one guy just replied, "Texas!")
Here are just a few:
An investment banker from New York was here in Bangkok between jobs. He stepped on a street dog that he didn't see and it bit him, so he got to experience top notch Thai medical care (rabies shots). Did not recommend the dog bite. Highly recommended Bangkok hospital.
An oil and gas field engineer. They were short handed in Bakersfield so he worked some 70 days straight, resulting in 30 days off, which allowed him to take an extended trip to southeast Asia.
A public health graduate from Seattle was travelling on the Bonderman Travel Fellowship, which funds 8 months of solo travel--"a life-changing experience of total immersion in other places, peoples, and cultures." Billionaire David Bonderman was compelled to start it based on the profound impact international travel had on his life.
A girl trekking the Annapurna Circuit was visual display coordinator for an Anthropologie store in Los Angeles. She has a team that works nonstop designing, creating, building, and installing window displays per the season and and theme. It's incredible what all goes on behind the scenes.
A biologist from Israel who was backpacking with a tent and camping along the way. He brought over a hundred personal photographs from his life so far. People he connected with could choose their favorite one to keep. He would tell the story behind it and write his contact info on the back.
An Aussie traveler in Dalat informed me he has never tried a Fosters, it's not even popular there, and he's only seen maybe a few old guys drinking it. So much for "Australian for beer."
A guy from Grand Rapids now teaching in Florida, and traveling around SE Asia for the summer. He misses Founders, but not the cold weather.
A friendly local outside of Danang, Vietnam. He taught for awhile but the money wasn't enough to support his family so he started a guesthouse just steps from a stunning, secluded beach. I popped in for some great food in a chill atmosphere. One guy was headed home just as I arrived; he came "for an afternoon" six months ago. There was not just a guest book, but a collection of them full of love notes from guests. Vol 29 was in progress.
I met "Stan, Eminem's biggest fan." I found him running an Indian restaurant near Inle Lake in Myanmar. He was from Nepal but put a lot of effort into his gangster accent. Detroit flags and graffiti covered the walls. While an entertaining host and chef, the food failed to impress, despite rave reviews.
In Bangkok, a night club promoter from Houston. He had a dentist appointment in Bangkok the next morning for some work--which would have cost at least four times as much back home. Medical tourism is big here.
An English couple travelling long term. They saved hard, and quit it all at home. Almost two years in, they did a working holiday as Subway Sandwich Artists in Australia, and a couple months cycling Japan.
A German, teaching English in Thakhek, Laos. After I arrived on a late night bus, he let me crash at his traditional Lao house.
A French food engineer in Taman Negara, Malaysia, working in prepared fruits for a yogurt company. He works with marketing, manufacturing, tasters and so on for the full R&D process. His latest design was a lemon organic flavor.
A French food engineer in Taman Negara, Malaysia, working in prepared fruits for a yogurt company. He works with marketing, manufacturing, tasters and so on for the full R&D process. His latest design was a lemon organic flavor.
A couple of amateur photographers from the Czech Republic, hiking the Annapurna Circuit for the third time. Each trip they met locals and took photos. On their next trip they would return with a printed stack of those photos and gift to the same people, and take another photo of that person holding a photo of their younger self. The locals' faces were full of emotion from seeing a photograph of themselves from seven years ago.
I ran into a Swiss couple, currently based in Los Angeles, at the Golden Buddha in Bangkok. We chatted about how travel builds tolerance and everyone could probably learn (and enjoy) something from getting outside their bubble once or twice.
Two French engineering students. Their school requires four months of travelling abroad, which they are spending in southeast Asia. They were two of the many who lost some skin on a motorbike. They pulled up their GoPro footage of the crash and watched it for the first time with me...not pretty, but they came out in one piece.
A Canadian now living in Holland. He's travelling by bicycle, started in Holland, currently in Luang Prabang, headed down to Vang Vieng to cross over to Thailand, and then head down to Kuala Lumpur.
A guy from the Czech Republic on my Taman Negara trek was headed to Svalbard next because he found a cheap flight. It's a Norwegian island near the Arctic circle where you need to pack a rifle--for self defense against wild polar bears.
An employee at my bungalow on Koh Chang moved here from Cambodia with his wife and kids for work. He enjoyed practicing his English (which was good), teaching me Khmer words, and sharing his favorite spots in Cambodia for me to visit.
A Malay in Kuala Lumpur, studying Sharia law in Sudan. He highly recommends it as a tourist destination--beautiful pyramids like Egypt without all the crowds.
An Englishman in Thailand had done a 10 week tour of the US with his mates. One stop was Milton, WI which they absolutely loved (both the town and the cheese curds) and stayed for five weeks. One of his mates fell in love there and the whole gang was headed back to Milton for the wedding.
An Irish guy in Penang whose parents were going to name him Gene after Gene Hackman. Then we was born on Neil Young’s birthday so, being big fans, they named him Neil instead. He also informed me that the largest consumer of Guinness is not Ireland--but Nigeria, which drinks 40% of the world's Guinness.
Tino is one of many tuk tuk drivers around Siem Reap. They're not all honest but he was a good guy. After skipping English class in secondary school, he had a lot of...catching up to do when his university English literature teacher started teaching in English only. He buried himself in TOEFL books and is now fully fluent. After years of driving any tourist he could pick up, he was able to afford a smartphone. He's used that to develop a presence on Facebook, to find customers, and communicate with them. He's a funny guy full of self-taught Angkor and Cambodian history, that made my visit around the Angkor ruins even better.
A Michigander who started a second career in nursing at age 50 after a successful one as a chemist. Recently retired, he was visiting Thailand and Vietnamese for a few weeks with his son who was travelling solo.
On the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal, a Yooper from Iron Mountain, now practicing medicine in Salt Lake City.
In Ayutthaya, one from England quit his job in computers to travel, and his friend came along for a few weeks. His friend loved it so much, after returning home he also quit his job. He's going to get scuba master certified down in the Thai islands.
In Pai, an electrician from Australia quit his job to travel. While in Sri Lanka he landed a job as a tour guide with a global kite surfing company, so he's headed back there in a week to start work.
A Swiss couple on a local bus to Georgetown, Penang, who always packs one essential item on their trips: good chocolate from back home.
A hostel employee from Bangladesh working in Kuala Lumpur for 11 years. His favorite thing about Malaysia? There's no widespread fighting between groups.
Two sisters well into their 60s trekking the Annapurna Circuit. They knew the UP, had canoed through the Portage Canal and the rest of the Great Lakes, and decided to hike the Annapurna Circuit on a whim. Despite pushing 15 miles in a day, they were jolly as could be and laughing the whole way down. That's what I want to be when I grow up, still travelling the world and loving life.
An entry on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. He started what was meant to be “Google for Myanmar” because no search engine existed here. But before that gained traction, Facebook entered Myanmar and grew rapidly. When it comes to using the internet here, Facebook is where it's at. Businesses have Facebook pages instead of websites. There's still no Burmese search engine and to this day, the notion of "just Google it" does not exist here. That startup switched gears to software servicing, but these days he's focused on a new project. He sells hardware (Bluetooth receipt printers) and software (smartphone apps) for small restaurants and retail shops. Most places I would get a handwritten receipt that makes accounting a manual task, but he's changing that. While in 2011 Myanmar had the second-lowest cellphone ownership after North Korea, today, over 90 percent are online with their phones. For both tourism and tech, Myanmar is young and booming, and it's an exciting time to be involved.
A worker at the kitchen in Ang Thong National Marine Park had a friend in New Jersey. I told her I have family there and they have nice beaches, but maybe not quite as nice as Thailand's.
At dinner in the Cameron Highlands, I met a pair of Japanese retirees. One was a former "real estate boss." At 72, he spends two months every summer in Cameron Highlands golfing and trekking. His friend, 62, was a retired residential architect. He is writing a book about learning design from nature (unfortunately, will only be published in Japanese) and will continue to travel.
A Turkish biologist on my Halong Bay cruise: her research group discovered zika-type mosquitoes had arrived in Europe from Asia. Eggs were laid in standing water inside tires; the tires were exported for recycling, and upon arrival, hatched in Europe.
At dinner in the Cameron Highlands, I met a pair of Japanese retirees. One was a former "real estate boss." At 72, he spends two months every summer in Cameron Highlands golfing and trekking. His friend, 62, was a retired residential architect. He is writing a book about learning design from nature (unfortunately, will only be published in Japanese) and will continue to travel.
On the night train from Surat Thani to Bangkok, I met a Thai gentleman who went to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, outside of Pittsburgh for 1.5 years, then on to New York where he worked. New York is one of his favorite places, he said, because people are educated and you can get all sorts of food. Democracy is what he misses most about his time in the States.
The owner of an excellent Thai/Laoatian restaurant in Kampot, Cambodia. Born and raised in Alabama, a southerner through and through, he made for an entertaining host full of stories and opinions. And the food from the Laoatian chef was out of this world.
My tuk tuk to Luang Prabang also picked up a German couple who were on university holiday. She was a exchange student in Hudsonville, MI (outside of Grand Rapids) of all places. Did she like Michigan? "Uh, I mean, well, there wasn't really much to do."
In Bangkok, a Londoner who finished his masters in petroleum engineering and was not having any luck with the job search, so he came here for a few weeks.
An electrical engineer from Wyoming. After working in Alaska, he took a facilities engineer gig in Antarctica for eight months and was now travelling the world.
An electrical engineer from Wyoming. After working in Alaska, he took a facilities engineer gig in Antarctica for eight months and was now travelling the world.
A Turkish biologist on my Halong Bay cruise: her research group discovered zika-type mosquitoes had arrived in Europe from Asia. Eggs were laid in standing water inside tires; the tires were exported for recycling, and upon arrival, hatched in Europe.
An old high school friend, living in Kuala Lumpur as a 3D animator for a video game studio. He showed me around town and we caught up over local food.
In Nepal, a French football player, but not the kind I would expect. He works as a PE teacher and plays American football. It's surprisingly big in France, though some French don't even know the leagues exist. There's a nationwide division I, a north division II, south division II, and through division V. He plays wide receiver in division II but if they win championship, they'll move up to division I. For now some games are just streamed online, but there is a dedicated fan base. Players don't get paid, except a maximum of two American players per team that are sometimes recruited.
A Canadian who just completed the full Camino de Santiago (three months of walking)--for the third time.
A Dutch gal who did her undergraduate studies in the States, including North Dakota, Brownsville, TX, and good ole Baytown, TX of all places.
The guy I met at the Blue Moon Saloon in Lafayette who also backpacked southeast Asia in his 20s said, "more than the traveling itself, it's the other travellers I would meet that I miss." Now I know what he means.