As our cruise travels down the last leg towards Singapore I have time to muse on the success, or otherwise, of this bustling region of South East Asia.
I will loosely describe it as embracing the area from Shanghai to Singapore.
Peter Carr
Firstly the politics. Like it or not the overarching dominance is China, a country that took itself from starvation-driven poverty and waste during the infamous Cultural Revolution to be the (current) economic world leader outside of the United States.
It is shortly to be overtaken by India, one of the 24 world countries who do not live under autocracy. China most certainly does.
Then there is the always-alert Taiwan – ever aware of mainland jet fighters and warships hovering – through to the financial mega centre that is Hong Kong, onto the reawakened, though mainly communist Vietnam, shabby looking Cambodia and the bustle of a successful Thailand.
People in the Temple. Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Photo: Belle Co, www.pixels.com
Taiwan must be in no doubt by now why the idiotic visit of House chair Nancy Pelosi infuriated the Chinese. When she should have taken her pension fund and retired back to California she instead cocked a snoop at the eastern powerhouse. Meanwhile the one country – two systems governance of Hong Kong is somewhat farcical despite the 1997 promise by the big red-flagged country.
Vietnam is a strange melting pot of Confucian believers in the north and a mix of Buddhism and Catholic beliefs south of the dotted line that is the effective 16th parallel joining strip. Regardless of the politics it is clear that prosperity is very evident – but the high number of scooters indicates the per capita wealth level will be relatively low. Crossing a busy road in Da Nang or Saigon is not for the faint-hearted.
Around the southern tip of Vietnam lies Cambodia. This generally Buddhist country, having shaken off French colonialism, is still struggling to recover from the tyranny of communist follower Pol Pot who drove huge numbers or urban dwellers into the countryside to till the soil. He also took a disliking to anyone with a smidgeon of formal education and exterminated almost two million citizens.
Khwaeng Suriya Wong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon, Thailand. Photo: Ingo Joseph, www.pexels.com
In Thailand, Laem Chebang, between Bangkok and Pattaya, is a powerhouse of commercial success. The number of large port container cranes in one place is more than three times the New Zealand total. Thailand has more than 61 million mouths to feed, it has wide, well paved highways with a 120kph limit and 91 octane petrol at $2 a litre. Markets groan with fresh produce – the sticky rice coupled with fresh mango was delicious. It also has a huge – and mainly back on track – tourism industry.
Our ship was the final one of the season, but back in February – on one day – five large cruise liners gobbled up every large bus and tour guide. The only deterrent to visiting this area is the over-powering direct heat of the sun.
Next week it’s back to the reality of quiet Cambridge – and I’ll be happy to be doing so.
