A restful day, indeed. Breakfast at Buzz in the hotel lobby, the only Westerners (but for one other) in the place, then a swim (perfect water temperature) in the roof deck pool, followed by a second breakfast in the Executive Lounge, lots of reading and a nap --- all before noon!
The remainder of the day went along much the same, although we did step outside the lobby doors for a look-see for a brief few minutes in the midday heat. After a very light supper and a glass of white wine, we watched a bit of television in our room before Heidi fell fast asleep around 9:00 PM local time.
Decades ago all this (non)activity would have taken placa accompanied by a concurrent process of cross-cultural adjustment -- strange food, new language, unfamiliar environment, different customs.
In today's globalized setting, however, we still found ourselves tied to 'home" although half a world away. Wi-Fi brought easy and fast Internet connections to the Plain Dealer, New York Times and Facebook. We could access email accounts and check in on other favorite web sites.
Along the way we did read through the paper version of the local Jakarta daily newspaper and browsed some Indonesian English language magazines; but, overall, we're still more in touch with events in Ohio and the USA in general than we are with local affairs. Even the TV show we watched, an episode of The Amazing Race, kept us firmly rooted in our American life.
Years ago letters home took ten days minimum to reach their destination. Time and Newsweek arrived once a week to keep us abrest of what was happening elsewhere in the world. Local television was unknown altogether; BBC World broadcasts provided our only link to current events. Our "world" shrank accordingly, reduced to focusing on and mastering the intricacies of local "daily life" as best we could.
Our contemporary lifestyle, on the other hand, requires a level of multitasking not present back then. Somehow we seem tied to being two places (minimum) at once even when one of those places is a world away.
Equally true: the world is much more "of a piece" now than half a century ago. Everyone we encounter in our hotel, staff and fellow guests alike, speaks English, be they Indonesian, Malaysian or Korean. Signs throughout the hotel are posted in English as well, the lingua franca of contemporary commerce. Local shops deal in familiar namebrand goods; billboards advertise the latest Galaxy 7 smartphone and American films are ubiquitous. Not much in the way of cultural adjustment seems called for given the circumstances.
In the final analysis, having traveled under both sets of circumstances, Heidi and Lee, while content with the current state of affairs, are equally happy to have had all those earlier experiences of a less connected, less homogenous world those many decades ago. Travel was a REAL adventure back then, believe us!
The remainder of the day went along much the same, although we did step outside the lobby doors for a look-see for a brief few minutes in the midday heat. After a very light supper and a glass of white wine, we watched a bit of television in our room before Heidi fell fast asleep around 9:00 PM local time.
Decades ago all this (non)activity would have taken placa accompanied by a concurrent process of cross-cultural adjustment -- strange food, new language, unfamiliar environment, different customs.
In today's globalized setting, however, we still found ourselves tied to 'home" although half a world away. Wi-Fi brought easy and fast Internet connections to the Plain Dealer, New York Times and Facebook. We could access email accounts and check in on other favorite web sites.
Along the way we did read through the paper version of the local Jakarta daily newspaper and browsed some Indonesian English language magazines; but, overall, we're still more in touch with events in Ohio and the USA in general than we are with local affairs. Even the TV show we watched, an episode of The Amazing Race, kept us firmly rooted in our American life.
Years ago letters home took ten days minimum to reach their destination. Time and Newsweek arrived once a week to keep us abrest of what was happening elsewhere in the world. Local television was unknown altogether; BBC World broadcasts provided our only link to current events. Our "world" shrank accordingly, reduced to focusing on and mastering the intricacies of local "daily life" as best we could.
Our contemporary lifestyle, on the other hand, requires a level of multitasking not present back then. Somehow we seem tied to being two places (minimum) at once even when one of those places is a world away.
Equally true: the world is much more "of a piece" now than half a century ago. Everyone we encounter in our hotel, staff and fellow guests alike, speaks English, be they Indonesian, Malaysian or Korean. Signs throughout the hotel are posted in English as well, the lingua franca of contemporary commerce. Local shops deal in familiar namebrand goods; billboards advertise the latest Galaxy 7 smartphone and American films are ubiquitous. Not much in the way of cultural adjustment seems called for given the circumstances.
In the final analysis, having traveled under both sets of circumstances, Heidi and Lee, while content with the current state of affairs, are equally happy to have had all those earlier experiences of a less connected, less homogenous world those many decades ago. Travel was a REAL adventure back then, believe us!
Great thoughts on how international travel has changed. I remember how comforting having a McDonalds in Tuebingen was. Now it is almost like you can't escape from home! Loving the blog. Remember to post photos with people in them!:)
ReplyDeleteLove reading your travel blog! Photos are gorgeous, and do take a few selfies, too!
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