A BUMP IN THE ROAD

When I woke up Monday morning my laptop did not turn on. This computer has most of my research notes and information, and I've spent the last two days first diagnosing the problem and then deciding what to do about it. It's also been a time of no productivity through the simple sense of defeat this has caused in me.

So I'm back to the grind today, and will get the hard drive extracted as soon as I can.

The first of many setbacks I assume, but I'd rather have "real world" ones. 15 months after purchase a motherboard fries itself. Nice.

Yes, I should have been constantly copying the files somewhere else and/or emailing it to myself to save progress. I know.

FOCUS ON ASIA

I realize a lot (read: most) of my posts to this point have focused on Asian countries and territories to this point. It's simply because I am doing all my research in the direction of my travels. I don't expect to be done by the time I leave, so it is obviously more imperative for me to know what I am getting myself into in the first locations I arrive. I will have plenty of down time, and the facilities to do research along the way. I fully expect to be working ahead on ideas and routes through Africa while I am resting up on train rides or in hotel rooms in Asia.

I'll keep posting my thoughts along the way, as well as photos and tidbits of what I am coming across and the progress that is being made. This blog has already helped me a great deal in making me question my initial thoughts and ideas, so I fully want to keep taking advantage of that during the trip as well. Even if no one was watching I would still do this for myself, to keep the pressure and skepticism on my own preconceptions. Please feel free to question my thoughts here too, as any challenge of good nature will only strengthen the final product that I will eventually write when a book comes out of all of this.

But, if you are already tired of Asia, I promise you there is a change of scenery soon coming...

Thanks for reading!

ETHNIC MINORITY REPORT?

This trip in a way seems to be developing some sort of back-up theme. If Movement is the major of my studies, than ethnic minorities seem to be the minor, at least in Asia. As reported a couple times already, I plan to visit some communities within Vietnam, Laos, and China that are villages of some of the ethnic minorities there. There are also numerous autonomous regions in Siberia that warrant mention and are composed of significant minority populations. I've put together a list of those that I have decided to go to so far:

China:

The Dong peoples in Tongdao county, Hunan and Guizhou provinces.

Hmong in Guizhou and Guangxi provinces.

Yao in Yunnan province.

Vietnam:

Hmong, Tay, and Yao (Dao in Vietnamese) in Lào Cai province.

Laos:

Hmong and Akha in Luang Namtha provinces.

Russia:

Jewish Autonomous province.

Buryat Republic.

I will in the future go into more detail about my plans to visit these places in Siberia, including both of the places above. They each have unique stories and histories that are fascinating to learn about.

If anyone has suggestions for others along my route, please let me know!

JAPA-WHAT?

Apparently there is a phenomenon in Vancouver like no other. It involves street carts, hot dogs, mayonaise, and miso. Wait... miso?

(Image courtesy of japadog.com)

Through a tip from a fellow food-blogger from Vancouver, I've been lucky enough to learn about Japa Dog, a hot dog vendor that attracts celebrities and all sorts of Japanese media. Check out their website at:

http://www.japadog.com/en/index.html

Hell, if Ice Cube loves it, I'm sure I will too!

There are some better photos HERE that you need to check out.

Thanks to Eagranie at The Well-Tempered Chocolatier for the fantastic recommendation. I can't wait! You can be assured that I will be writing about this one as soon as I try it.

NORTHERN VIETNAM AND THE HMONG

A few weeks back I spoke about my plans for northern Vietnam and Laos briefly, and my intentions to visit villages of the Hmong people here. It is an attraction that has been fueled by reading and research, but overcome my usual boundary of not going on cultural tourism.

In the past, I have stayed away from this type of thing simply because I was unsure of how to think about it all. On one hand, these cultures are so different from mine and interesting that I of course would love to meet the people and see their lives outside of books. The reason I stayed away was the simple fact that the opportunity existed solely because of tourism, and would I really be benefitting myself or them by partaking?

(Black Hmong women. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Bob Tubbs)

The more I prepare for something like this, the better I can feel about it all, and the more I can take out of it as well as give into it. In Vietnam for example, my visits to the far north mountains in villages surrounding Sa Pa, Lao Cai, and Bac Ha, I have read about some people employing the services of local Hmong guides that can take you on tours through the valleys and villages on your own. This will afford countless more opportunities to be of as little impact on life as possible, rather than as part of a daytrip or package tour that rolls through town and takes over a village for a brief time period before rolling out just as fast.

I'll be spending about three weeks in the region here, the majority of which will be in and around small Hmong (amongst other ethnic minorities) villages. It shouldn't cost much even to employ the highest-priced guide, so I plan to take advantage of this opportunity the best I can.

(Flower Hmong girls. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Commons/Brian Snelson)

I do not have grand plans for any particular place I am visiting, nor any hypothesis I am trying to prove, but I do think the way a minority group is treated within a country tells a lot about its people. I hope I can see a little of this while there both in these villages and when speaking to majority populations when in transit or elsewhere.