This is the fourth and final section of Road Rash. It focuses on my return to Asia for employment as an English teacher, after few job opportunities were revealed in the United States. My aim in this section is to show the transition from the life of a traveler to that of an expatriate. I also want to explore the politics of being a US citizen in Southeast Asia. (more…)
This story is about my private ritual on Jomtien Beach to honor a friend who had drowned there earlier. It looks at the concepts of faith, ceremony, and spirits. As a side plot, I explore the rapid growth of tourism in Thailand and wonder about the ghosts of the country’s past. (more…)
This story was written shortly after the bombing or the World Trade towers on September 11. Just days afterward, I traveled through former Khmer Rogue strongholds in Cambodia and stayed at Muslim owned hotels. I look at terrorism, the cycle of violence, and impact on tourism. Ultimately, I ask what it means to be a US citizen in a world that is becoming resentful of American actions abroad. (more…)
This story was written shortly after the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. The United States had just invaded Afghanistan, and I was traveling through Lao to see sites that America had heavily bombed during its secret war. Travel warnings were issued to Americans across the globe as anthrax scares proliferated back home. I continue to explore the impact of the tourism industry and my role as a US citizen living abroad. (more…)
This is the grand finale of Road Rash. It looks at the tremendous impact that foreign NGOs and the booming tourism industry have had in Nepal. It asks the questions: Is all this globalization a good thing or is it just destroying traditional cultures? Does this push for widespread global capitalism threaten quintessential elements of the human soul? I look at my own ethnic roots and explore how they are being lost in the great American “melting pot”. As the stroke of the New Year arrives, I race to the top of a building trying to escape numerous attempts to sell me something. (more…)