Post-trip note

When our shuttle bus drove us back to the hotel from the airport in the dark evening, my impression of palau was "god... how are we gonna spend A WEEK in this barren land?" (這麼黑, 難不成每天在飯店炒飯?) There's nothing aside the street but only jungles, there's no street lamps nor traffic lights, there're few shops and even few houses. It was not the first time i spent vacation on islands. Despite of Bali- the most favorite island by most tourists, i've also been to Boracay in philippines and Sabah in malaysia. Sabah also doesn't have much stuff, but at least there're street lamps. While Asad and the driver chatted more and more excitedly, i started to plan after-dusk activities for the future 6 days.

The reality proved that i was worrying too much. The days we had in that week was like getting up at 7am, breakfast around 8am, having fun until 5pm, showering & resting for 1 hr, dining around 7pm, a short walk & shopping for 1 hr, then passing out around 9pm. I'd never go to bed at 9pm in normal life, even tho 7am getup sometimes happened. I was also surprised at my body clock. It spontaniously woke up before alarm rang every morning. We were like living in farmer's life in back days- 日出而作, 日入而息, no late tv, no internet, no night market, no clubbing.

The trip everyday was also substantial and full of fun. It never gave you a min to feel bored. The food seemed to be always sufficient for the day and we never felt hungry. What surprised and touched me the most is how local people treasure their environment and their positive mind of preserving their home nature and culture. The most importantly, a lot of them choose to come back to these small islands in young age after educated or travelling overseas, and one of them told us the reason: in palau you never need to worry about 3 meals everyday, cuz at least you have fish...

Being a world traveller sometimes i got to spend in a foreign country for several months with only a luggage of necessity. There had been almost 2 years i got only 2 luggages with me and settled in England. I moved out of my grandma's with only half amount of clothes in my closet, and for the rest half i never wore them again in 5 years.

Material life seems very important if you never live with only 1 luggage of stuff, or with no luggage, and seems a GREAT deal if you live in certain places, hang out with certain groups, and do certain comparison. When i worked in HK, i found 80% of girls (even half of guys) in the street carrying a brand bag: coach, gucci, LV..., 60% of my female coworkers wearing dimond rings or watches, 3 out of 5 male coworkers wearing expensive shoes & carrying most updated mobile phones. After 1 week i convinced myself those brand stuffs are necessity in life, at least everyone should get 1 to show his taste and social class. I started to dream of gucci bags, dior sunglasses, dimond necklace, omega watch... even when i went to SF i still thought of visiting a coach store as US price would be lower than anywhere else...

Then i travelled to palau, this barren island. Walking in the street with t-shirt shorts and flipflops, i kept thinking, would anyone here care if i was wearing prada or carrying gucci bag? (Maybe those yacht owners but they showed up only once in a while.) When we were swimming in the ocean with our hands held, i kept thinking, would it matter that where we live or how much fortune we make? The furture security is more important, or current dream accomplishment? The US tycoon spent the whole life digging fortune to pursue mexican fisherman's life style at the end, which one would i want to be?


The news just reported that the risen globel warming might speed up the extinct of human beings... I guess i'd rather be the mexican fisherman.