After three and a half weeks of high temperatures and humidity I have finally arrived back in Scotland to cold temperatures and drizzle. What an adventure travelling between Hong Kong, Taiwan, The Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.
We were happily cruising away from the Corona virus, but it was ever present in our minds as we stepped off the ship on excursions. Large numbers of people were wearing masks.
It was a cultural overload due to the different religion, behaviours, beliefs and customs and it was also very humbling to see the contrast between the ‘have and have not ‘subsections of the population.
Perhaps the most impactful experience was travelling from the luxurious surroundings of my 5-star cruise ship to visit the rural areas of Cambodia, where the level of poverty was so stark.
Amputees (no doubt the result of land mines) and young barefoot children were begging in the temples, people were living in makeshift shacks beside the roads and the infrastructure for sewage and sanitation was just not there.
Just beside this poverty big shiny casinos were springing up... the result of foreign investment. It was heartening to see children in uniforms heading to very basic classrooms for their education, as surely prioritising education is ultimately the way out of poverty.
At one level it felt inappropriately voyeuristic to visit these areas of deprivation, but tourism is also one way of bringing additional jobs and income into the economy.
There were so many beautiful tees and pagodas to visit during my trip and so many vibrant colours to inspire my artwork on return home. The fruit market certainly provided ideas for the ceramic candle jar image ideas which I was working on whilst on the ship.
I enjoyed the trip so much that I booked up for next year’s adventure ... Brisbane to Singapore via Kimodo island and Bali. I will be travelling with two new Canadian friends whom I met on the cruise. Becoming a solo traveller for the first time was quite daunting for all of 5 minutes! It is amazing how genuinely nice and inclusive people are when you are travelling on your own.
I was invited to join people for dinner, afternoon tea, quizzes, shopping trips, excursions ... the list is endless. I was even invited to join fellow travellers in the airport lounge ,as their guest , having only met them on the shuttle bus to the airport.
Back home and it was time to get back to business, with a drop off of stock to The Corner cafe , Falkirk , to replenish after recent sales , and now it is time to begin the felting order for The Greengate gallery in Culross . I haven’t felted for months so I am looking forward to it.
While I was away my colleagues at BNI took my quacking duck prop on a networking tour of Ireland. “If you want some art consult the quack “.... a play on the fact that I was a consultant psychiatrist. I received a photo diary of his travels which was quite fun. Back to the early morning breakfast meetings this week.
Rhona x