1) People Are Friendly.
- No matter where we've been, we've found extraordinarily interesting, courteous, and helpful people. Recently, for example, we met Chandrshakarkrishna (CK) who was working on Danga Bay's wifi network. The next morning, he came by with his wife and son, took us to breakfast, and dropped us off at the terminal to Singapore. It's much harder to find a dishonest person than it is to make a new friend.
2) Pictures Make The World Look Exotic.
- Before leaving on this trip, I pictured the remote and exotic scenery I would encounter. Maybe it's because the transition between countries and cultures is gradual, but looking around, nothing seems out of place to me. Looking through old photos the other day, even recent shots taken in Indonesia look more exotic than I remember them.
3) Bureaucracy Restricts Humanity.
- Many business management books talk about following your 'moral compass' when making decisions. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote that "Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles." It is without a doubt that society requires rules to function, but in so many parts of the world, rules are ill-founded and do more harm than good. India has stifling visa requirements and as a result, we have re-routed our journey. Although India's immigration restrictions are designed to prevent terrorism, they only serve to make it more costly and difficult to visit. Policy and rules need to be enabling; they must allow people to rely on their moral compass and principles to make good decisions.
But the one thing I am continually learning above all, is that the world is an interesting place.