The reason I have loved traveling in Asia since the very first time is that it is so completely foreign. In Europe, there's always a sense of deja vu - sometimes it's only a memory from a Western Civilization text or art history class, but sometimes it's a feeling deep in my bones that this is where my DNA originated.
In Asia? Everything is exotic, fresh and exciting - sometimes baffling and annoying as well. Slender, golden people as opposed to pale hairy ones; lush, luxuriant blooms growing out of unfathomable filth; and languages that click and hiss in my normally receptive ears.
When in Bangkok, we saw glittering shrines covered with lotuses and marigolds, wreathed in incense smoke in front of department store windows touting Christmas sales and sporting gigantic Christmas trees and Nutcracker statues. The enormous department stores in Bangkok are shrines to consumerism and conspicuous consumption -fascinating, beautiful and a strange contrast to the country's Buddhist traditions.
On Saturday we went to a Holiday program by the Kathmandu Chroale at The British School - incredible! The Chorale is made up of talented people of every nationality, and they sang beautiful holiday music in English, Nepali, Latin, French, Italian, German and Spanish. The children loved it - primarily for the brownies and hot chocolate served at intermission - but as for me, when the Chorale sang, "I'll Be Home For Christmas", little Assim tapped me on the shoulder and whispered "Auntie, why are you crying?"
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