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| A Statue in the Village |
People and Things are not always what they seem, you have to keep an open mind
At first I didn't want to talk to him, he seemed "unusual" and a little too loud. He was also a know-it-all and had too much to say about everything. Plus he was rather effeminate and wore a lot of jewelry and rings and such.
I tried to avoid him, and just paid attention to my own thing, my own family, and the all the wonderful things there were to see. There were only a few of us on this half-day trip, and this guy was obviously Southeast Asian, but dressed too hip to be a Cambodian. He was traveling with an elderly lady, who turned out to be his mother.
This particular day we were in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and it was a "silk cruise", an inexpensive excursion by boat and horse cart to an island where they make silk. The weather was hot and humid as always but taking a boat on the Mekong River at least kept the air moving and the temperature a few degrees cooler.
The guy was talking a lot and did not talk softly, like so many in this part of the world. He was wearing a Fedora and was very comfortable and informal. He drew attention to himself. He seemed to be around 40 years old, but that's a guess.
We had the chance to take a lot of pictures along the hour-long boat ride and we came to what they said was an island, but I think that was more of a figure of speech, because it appeared to be somehow connected to the mainland. We disembarked on a muddy beach, no dock or pier; and struggled up the bank to a small road.
We made our way to the "factory" where they produce silk all the way from silkworms, to the cocoons, to the silk thread, and finally the finished product. If you haven't seen silk being made, it's a fascinating process. It was a modest facility and the young lady began to explain the methods used in producing silk.
At this point the guy began to talk, he spoke pretty good English. He more-or-less hijacked the conversation and kept interrupting the young woman who was the hostess. He was not entirely inaccurate, in fact he seemed to know his stuff. She didn't particularly object, but the rest of us (well, I can at least speak for myself) were rather annoyed - hey, just shut up and let her finish.
Once the modest tour of the production facility concluded they took us to their shop to (of course) offer us the chance to buy something. Then the guy really got cranked up and really started spouting all kinds of information, pointing out characteristics of the silk and how it was superior to silk from Thailand - which is where we later learned he was from.
"Look at this thread, it is very fine, Cambodian silk is much finer than Thai silk, and this pattern is very special because it is from the royal family and you simply must buy this one!" "Here look! I have one like it!" He pulled out his phone and showed us a picture of him dressed in a similar outfit. He went on and on and the hostess didn't seem to mind. He was knowledgeable and almost transformed into a sales person. He clearly enjoyed the limelight.
Several of the women started shopping, but I quickly got bored and went and sat down with my son Lewis. The shopping went on for some time and I could hear the guy talking the whole time. Not knowing much about silk, it looked like pretty high quality and the prices, well ... like everywhere in Southeast Asia, it was a bargain.
There were several items purchased (a few by my wife Fiona) and the guy spent a bunch of money. "You won't find this cheaper anywhere in the world!" he claimed. He was very flamboyant and spent a few hundred dollars buying stuff and continued to pontificate on all matters of silk.
We finally concluded our little factory tour and went for an adventurous horse cart journey around the nearby small village. It was a lot of fun and very interesting, and quite an eye opener, with some real poverty and stark conditions, sometimes next to a fairly nice house. It was clear that most people had almost no money, while a few others were obviously relatively affluent. In fact, that's a common observation anywhere in the world (unless you go to a place where nobody has any money).
We got back on the boat for the return trip. At this point everyone was more familiar with each other and the guy began to converse with Fiona and Ruby. He talked for quite a while, but I was busy taking pictures and frankly, I was still stand offish toward him. I must say he was a pretty happy person with a perpetual smile on his face, and seemed to enjoy every moment.
The trip home was longer than the trip there, and took a little over an hour. I was just looking around and saw the guy standing by the rail on the other side of the boat. Who is this guy? What's he all about? He was talking to Fiona for quite a while and she had been interested in what he had to say, so he must not have been completely full of gibberish. He certainly knew about silk.
I decided to approach him. By this time I was curious. I thought, ... hey, we're gonna be on this boat for a while, might as well have a chat. I wandered up next to him and just started making small talk. He told me his mother was ill and he was taking her and a little vacation trip.
He was friendly and I began to ask a few questions, and he was certainly talkative. It turns out he had an amazing story and frankly, he was a really interesting person, if a little unusual. You never know what someone's personal story is like ...
I will tell this in chronological order, which is not exactly how it was told. It was a little more meandering, in bits and pieces.
His name was "Ice" - not his real name, but his adopted identity. Ice grew up in poverty, born into a poor family in Thailand somewhere near the border of Laos. He had a very humble and modest childhood, but eventually got a job at a resort in the jungle in the region near his home. He washed dishes and did landscaping, basic stuff until he got a break and landed a position in the kitchen of the place.
Turns out he had a talent for cooking. He learned how to cook, and eventually became a chef, and moved around for a while as better jobs opened up to him. Thailand has some resorts that are quite nice, particularly in the south near the beaches. He learned English in the resorts and learned about the finer things in life, like silk, and jewelry, and wine. He eventually decided to move to Bangkok, the largest city in Thailand and a very global city in many ways.
He got a job in one of the best restaurants in the city, and at that point made a decision. He would open a restaurant of his own in Bangkok. Turns out he also had a talent for business, and presently opened a second restaurant. He began to make a lot of money, and also developed his personality and a certain flair. He became "Ice".
By this time, Ice began to travel, and has been to Europe many times and to New York. His goal is to open a restaurant in New York. I became interested in his story about business, and he and I got excited talking about business. It was a great conversation. I encouraged him to pursue his goals, he is very ambitious and seems to be a real entrepreneur - someone who can identify business opportunities and bring them to fruition. I told him my own business story and he was really interested and asked questions.
He became particularly excited when I told him that I currently work in a winery, producing fine Oregon Pinor Noir - his favorite! He is not only talented, but energetic and very curious. The conversation became very animated. We had a bond.
Before long, we got to the end of the boat journey. We were going to have to go our separate ways, he had to get his mother back to the hotel. We exchanged emails, and promised to keep in touch. Amazing what you can encounter in your travels. I'm grateful for this experience.
------------------------------------------------------
P.S. - There is a little more to the story. Fiona told me later that Ice had won the immigration lottery, and was going to be given a chance move to America!
For those who don't know about this lottery - our country limits the number of people coming here to live. There are so many people around the world who want to immigrate to America that in order to be fair and impartial, our government has created a lottery, where people are chosen by random to be given a chance to move here. Ice had won the lottery. What a life changing event for him.
I hope we can keep in touch. I'm rooting for him to achieve his goal of opening a restaurant in New York City.
This particular day we were in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and it was a "silk cruise", an inexpensive excursion by boat and horse cart to an island where they make silk. The weather was hot and humid as always but taking a boat on the Mekong River at least kept the air moving and the temperature a few degrees cooler.
The guy was talking a lot and did not talk softly, like so many in this part of the world. He was wearing a Fedora and was very comfortable and informal. He drew attention to himself. He seemed to be around 40 years old, but that's a guess.
We had the chance to take a lot of pictures along the hour-long boat ride and we came to what they said was an island, but I think that was more of a figure of speech, because it appeared to be somehow connected to the mainland. We disembarked on a muddy beach, no dock or pier; and struggled up the bank to a small road.
We made our way to the "factory" where they produce silk all the way from silkworms, to the cocoons, to the silk thread, and finally the finished product. If you haven't seen silk being made, it's a fascinating process. It was a modest facility and the young lady began to explain the methods used in producing silk.
At this point the guy began to talk, he spoke pretty good English. He more-or-less hijacked the conversation and kept interrupting the young woman who was the hostess. He was not entirely inaccurate, in fact he seemed to know his stuff. She didn't particularly object, but the rest of us (well, I can at least speak for myself) were rather annoyed - hey, just shut up and let her finish.
Once the modest tour of the production facility concluded they took us to their shop to (of course) offer us the chance to buy something. Then the guy really got cranked up and really started spouting all kinds of information, pointing out characteristics of the silk and how it was superior to silk from Thailand - which is where we later learned he was from.
"Look at this thread, it is very fine, Cambodian silk is much finer than Thai silk, and this pattern is very special because it is from the royal family and you simply must buy this one!" "Here look! I have one like it!" He pulled out his phone and showed us a picture of him dressed in a similar outfit. He went on and on and the hostess didn't seem to mind. He was knowledgeable and almost transformed into a sales person. He clearly enjoyed the limelight.
Several of the women started shopping, but I quickly got bored and went and sat down with my son Lewis. The shopping went on for some time and I could hear the guy talking the whole time. Not knowing much about silk, it looked like pretty high quality and the prices, well ... like everywhere in Southeast Asia, it was a bargain.
There were several items purchased (a few by my wife Fiona) and the guy spent a bunch of money. "You won't find this cheaper anywhere in the world!" he claimed. He was very flamboyant and spent a few hundred dollars buying stuff and continued to pontificate on all matters of silk.
We finally concluded our little factory tour and went for an adventurous horse cart journey around the nearby small village. It was a lot of fun and very interesting, and quite an eye opener, with some real poverty and stark conditions, sometimes next to a fairly nice house. It was clear that most people had almost no money, while a few others were obviously relatively affluent. In fact, that's a common observation anywhere in the world (unless you go to a place where nobody has any money).
We got back on the boat for the return trip. At this point everyone was more familiar with each other and the guy began to converse with Fiona and Ruby. He talked for quite a while, but I was busy taking pictures and frankly, I was still stand offish toward him. I must say he was a pretty happy person with a perpetual smile on his face, and seemed to enjoy every moment.
The trip home was longer than the trip there, and took a little over an hour. I was just looking around and saw the guy standing by the rail on the other side of the boat. Who is this guy? What's he all about? He was talking to Fiona for quite a while and she had been interested in what he had to say, so he must not have been completely full of gibberish. He certainly knew about silk.
I decided to approach him. By this time I was curious. I thought, ... hey, we're gonna be on this boat for a while, might as well have a chat. I wandered up next to him and just started making small talk. He told me his mother was ill and he was taking her and a little vacation trip.
He was friendly and I began to ask a few questions, and he was certainly talkative. It turns out he had an amazing story and frankly, he was a really interesting person, if a little unusual. You never know what someone's personal story is like ...
I will tell this in chronological order, which is not exactly how it was told. It was a little more meandering, in bits and pieces.
His name was "Ice" - not his real name, but his adopted identity. Ice grew up in poverty, born into a poor family in Thailand somewhere near the border of Laos. He had a very humble and modest childhood, but eventually got a job at a resort in the jungle in the region near his home. He washed dishes and did landscaping, basic stuff until he got a break and landed a position in the kitchen of the place.
Turns out he had a talent for cooking. He learned how to cook, and eventually became a chef, and moved around for a while as better jobs opened up to him. Thailand has some resorts that are quite nice, particularly in the south near the beaches. He learned English in the resorts and learned about the finer things in life, like silk, and jewelry, and wine. He eventually decided to move to Bangkok, the largest city in Thailand and a very global city in many ways.
He got a job in one of the best restaurants in the city, and at that point made a decision. He would open a restaurant of his own in Bangkok. Turns out he also had a talent for business, and presently opened a second restaurant. He began to make a lot of money, and also developed his personality and a certain flair. He became "Ice".
By this time, Ice began to travel, and has been to Europe many times and to New York. His goal is to open a restaurant in New York. I became interested in his story about business, and he and I got excited talking about business. It was a great conversation. I encouraged him to pursue his goals, he is very ambitious and seems to be a real entrepreneur - someone who can identify business opportunities and bring them to fruition. I told him my own business story and he was really interested and asked questions.
He became particularly excited when I told him that I currently work in a winery, producing fine Oregon Pinor Noir - his favorite! He is not only talented, but energetic and very curious. The conversation became very animated. We had a bond.
Before long, we got to the end of the boat journey. We were going to have to go our separate ways, he had to get his mother back to the hotel. We exchanged emails, and promised to keep in touch. Amazing what you can encounter in your travels. I'm grateful for this experience.
------------------------------------------------------
P.S. - There is a little more to the story. Fiona told me later that Ice had won the immigration lottery, and was going to be given a chance move to America!
For those who don't know about this lottery - our country limits the number of people coming here to live. There are so many people around the world who want to immigrate to America that in order to be fair and impartial, our government has created a lottery, where people are chosen by random to be given a chance to move here. Ice had won the lottery. What a life changing event for him.
I hope we can keep in touch. I'm rooting for him to achieve his goal of opening a restaurant in New York City.
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