100 strangers to friends

Eindhoven Heroes

2011-08-26T02:12:00.000-07:00

Eindhoven Heroes

This is a new project to create opportunities for me to speak Dutch. It’s early stages at the moment and from the first outing I definitely need more practice speaking Dutch. The people who stop and talk Dutch with me are Heroes in my mind because they are helping some one.

Here are the Heroes.

Yoram

Yoram

Yoram helped make my Dutch more comprehensible by reviewing some of the questions I wrote. He was also patience and spoke Dutch most of the time with me.

Eindhoven Hero

Dennis

Dennis

Dennis had just got some dancing shoes. He lives in Eindhoven and I think he was just going to some dance practice. He really likes dancing. Dennis also helped me rephrase a sentence.

Eindhoven Hero

Naomi and Eileen were out together. They live very close to the centre of Eindhoven and they like the atmosphere and life of the Eindhoven. It’s smaller than other cities, so the dynamics are different. Everyone, is interconnected in some way and that’s great. They were just going to do some shopping.

Naomi

Naomi

Eindhoven Hero

Eileen

Eileen

Eindhoven Hero

I’ve got someone to look over my questions again. So the Dutch will be better next time. This is just the start, so I don’t mind that the conversations reverted to English but as time goes on, I want the conversations to stay in Dutch. That’s something that I’ve got to work on.

Thanks to all the Heroes.

Tot ziens.

Original Eindhoven Heroes Idea

Dancer - Traditional Dance Day in Antwerp

2011-07-13T00:06:00.000-07:00

French Dancer, from near Toulouse

These are from a weekend in Antwerp. My girlfriend had taken me to a bar on the Grote Markt. In the square, a group of people was attracting attention. People were getting their photos taken with people dressed in traditional costume. I thought it was an Antwerp thing.

Later, when I talked with them, they told me that they are part of a folk dance festival. They came from the mountains in SW France, somewhere near Toulouse. Their costumes look gorgeous!

And they loved having their photos taken, especially the young woman

French Dancers, Antwerp

Matador pictures.

2011-07-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

The Homeless Man

The Actor

The Falun Gong supporter

The Bin Man

The Musician two

The Gay Man

The Musician

The Mormon Follower

The Convenient Store Worker

The Pool Player

The Mystery of Strangers

2011-06-29T03:41:00.001-07:00

The Pool Player - Taipei 101 series

What do you know about him?

What is he like?

What does he do well?

What can’t he do?

What are his beliefs?

These questions can never be answered satisfactory, unless you actually made some sort of contact with the stranger. It can be fun to wonder about strangers. Crazy stories can be invented about them but they won’t answer the above questions. The only way to start answering those questions is to talk to them and then, and only gradually will some of those answers reveal themselves to you.

Eindhoven and collaboration with 'the Dossier'

2011-06-03T01:16:00.000-07:00

Jenny and Nicole

This Wednesday I teamed up with Jane from ‘the Dossier – Dutch Creative Files’ to meet strangers on the streets of Eindhoven.

Jane runs ‘the Dossier – Dutch Creative Files’, which is a web magazine on creative people and happenings in Eindhoven. Jane wants to make the site more interactive and is experimenting on ways to do this. Meeting strangers on the street is one way she wants to explore.

Jane is also looking at other avenues to make ‘the Dossiers’ more interactive, such as events and meetups. So if you live in the Eindhoven area and are into ‘creativity’ keep an eye on ‘the Dossier’.

For the interviews click here.

Levi

Martijn

More Strangers from Taipei 101

2011-05-26T06:10:00.000-07:00

The Jiu Bar Owner

Here are some more strangers from the Taipei 101 project that took place last year.

The photos remind me of the adventures we had doing the project. The first guy is an owner of a jiu bar (brothel) in Linsen North road. This area is famous for being a redlight district and we met this guy at a roadside restaurant in the area.

He was with mates and they were having a big seafood dinner with beer and whiskey. In the photo he is receiving a gift that Lewis donated. He gave us a lighter from his 'jiu bar'. There was some tense when we did the interview. We also met a Japanese architect who was with the party. He introduce us to the 'oldest' whore of the area, who was also at the restaurant. Unfortunely, she didn't want to be part of the project.

The Betelnut Girl

Betelnut girls are famous in Taiwan for wearing next to nothing. Unfortunately, we were in Taipei and they have laws against this (only for Betelnut girls, normal girls can be as sexy as they like). This one couldn't stop laughing at us. She thought we were mad.

The Coffee Shop Worker

A very helpful and friendly girl.

The Bus Driver receiving a gift

A very happy bus driver who made both Lewis and I laugh a lot.

The Bus Driver and Lewis

My first British Stranger

2011-05-23T01:59:00.000-07:00

Mary

“As we left Christchurch, the roads were cracked and looking back, we saw fires burning there”

Mary was in Christchurch when the big one struck. Luckily she survived to tell the story and more importantly for us, to open her guesthouse.

Mary is a genuinely warm and charming woman, very chatty and worldly. She’s also a great cook and we loved her English breakfast. She runs the Gladstone Guesthouse, a homely place away from home. My girlfriend loved the room we stayed in, full of comfort and not at all like the sterile rooms you can get in some hotels.

If you ever need a place to stay in Faversham, Kent, than I'll definitely recommend the Gladstone Guesthouse for comfort and for Mary.

Queens Day and the Royals.

2011-05-06T05:41:00.001-07:00

Diane

Unfortunately, I had to go to England on Queen's Day but because my girlfriend had such a time last year on Queen's Day I wanted to find out more.

Diane who runs a small coffee bar behind the town hall in Venlo, said that she had heard from the news that there’s a group in the UK who are against the Royal Family and have been banned from going out during the wedding. I said I didn’t know anything about them but in general most people don’t care. Though, the wedding might change this. I asked Diane ‘Are there many people who don’t like the Royal Family in the Netherlands, “No, there a small number who don’t like them but there are always people who don’t like something. It’s ok, it’s their life.”

Diane went on to say that she didn’t think Queen’s day had changed that much since she was a child. “There are still markets, parties and lots of fun.” Venlo will also have a party in the Markt, the square in front of the town hall for Queen’s night. This sounded more preferable to Diane than then the huge parties that will be in Amsterdam.

She also said that children play lots of games, including the sack race.

Diane is working on Queen’s day so she won’t be wearing orange.

Pieter, who I've met before, runs the Petite Four cafe in Venlo and he said “What I like about Queen’s day is the tradition that you can setup stores on the street. You don’t need a licence to setup up a store. There are less rules and it’s easy to express yourself.”

Will you setup a store this year? No, it’s not for shops, children can setup stores and sell things, like old toys and cakes they make. Street musicians will play music and put out a hat and some children will do the same, or dance.

As a first timer to the Queen’s Day, is there anything I must know? “It’ll be good if you wear orange and you must try ‘oranje tompouces’, it’s a cake with icing on top and cream in the middle, normally it’s pink but on Queen’s day it’s orange.”

Has it changed over the years? Queen’s night, the night before Queen’s day and the big parties in Amsterdam are the main changes. Traditionally, it was very local and mainly for children and families, though we used to go to Amsterdam when we were kids.

Carnival Strangers

2011-03-29T00:40:00.000-07:00

Some strangers from the carnival held earlier this month in Venlo. I love the creative touch from the first two. The hair is a stroke of genius, to me anyway and the egg shell on the nose is something that I might use in the future. Also, with these two, I felt the carnival atmosphere as I was invited to beer and jagermeister.

Overall, I was impressed with carnival, especially the extent that people dressed up.

This guy always does something special with is nose and this year it was egg shells

Another creative touch from the carnival! Love the hair, brilliantly creative!

Carnival Stranger

Carnival Stranger

Carnival Stranger

Chinese Pictures for Sale

2011-03-25T03:24:00.001-07:00

This is not part of the 100 strangers series. I'm sorry but I need a place on the net to show off some Chinese pictures.

Bird and Moon on Red background. 2 in stock. 38cm * 24cm

Flowers on Red background. 2 in stock. 38cm * 24cm

Chinese carriage. 2 in stock. 23cm * 18.5cm

2 stocks in Landscape. 25cm * 18.5cm

Birds flying. 25cm * 18.5cm

Yellow rose like flowers. 25cm * 18.5cm

Ducks on water, under a tree. 25cm * 18.5cm

Stocks standing on a tree. Red background. 25cm * 18.5cm

We have many more Chinese pictures. They will be put up over the next few weeks. If you're interested in any of the pictures. You can email christopher_rawlins@yahoo.co.uk

Aziz and Fatima - Malaccan Travel Helpers

2011-03-02T01:28:00.000-08:00

Aziz and Fatima

Jonker 88 (restaurant with traditional Malaccan food) was full of Chinese but it also proved Jason right. On my table I was first joined by a Malay Tourist guide called ‘Andrew’ and a Hong Kongese tourist. After they had finished, two Malay students joined the table and the next leg of my Malaccan journey opened up.

Aziz and Fatima had a car and they showed me a Malay experience called ‘jalan, jalan’. I was staying at a hostel called ‘Jalan, jalan’ and I translated it as ‘road, road’ and then ‘crossroad’. They laughed. Like the sounds, ‘jalan, jalan’ is fun and describes many a traveller, whilst Aziz and Fatima also used it for ‘window-shopping’. To me, it meant travel for fun, without purpose.

Aziz drove us to the seaside first where lots of Malay were flying kites and then onto a beach. It was cooler and more spacious than the city. Aziz and Fatima were very bubbly and asked lots of questions about London. They both want to travel when they finished university.

Milik Ahmed, owner of the house

After, Aziz took us to a Malay Kampong (village) that’s within Malacca. We drove round and found an extraordinarily cute house. There, the house owner took us round his house, which was more like a living museum.

It was a fun few hours driving around with Aziz and Fatima.

Later that evening, I went to the weekend night market and ended up sitting at the karaoke end of Jonker Street. Next to me was a man who’s Gan Chinese (from SE China originally). He was an old guy who shared his satay and some Gan snacks. We talked about Malacca, life and China, to a backdrop of old Mandarin, Hakka, and Taiwanese songs sang live.

Life on the street is something that I miss, now I’m back in Europe. The UK is famed for its nightlife but it can be one-dimensional, based on drink and mostly for 20-30 somethings but the streets of Asia are for everyone, from the youngest kid to grandpas and grandmas. There’s food, games, shopping, lights and even some drink too, but I guess Asia has the weather for this kind of nightlife.

Traditional Malay House

Me sitting in a cute Malay house

Eindhoven Hereos

2011-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Looking for Heroes

This is a new project where strangers I meet help me with Dutch. They talk about the surrounds and things that we can see. I listen and ask them questions in English. I use English because at the moment I'm learning the 'silent' way. So, I want lots of understandable listening input.

The people who help me are on the Hero's list. They're Heroes because they're took the time to help someone.

This is a BIG thank to the HEROES of Eindhoven

Jeromen, also learnt from him about the competition between Brabant and Limburg over who's more 'bourgondisch'

Sascha was having a break from work and took the time to help

Magdalong was on her way to the train station to go home.

Steye, is the TV presenter of the Dutch version of 'Man Liberation Front,' which will be out in a couple of months on Veronica. He's also a natural at describing the surrounds.

Jason Yoong - The Third Helper in Malacca

2011-02-08T10:03:00.000-08:00

Jason didn't wanted to be photographed, which is surprising as he's handsome and has an intelligent look. Anyway, no portrait but some pictures from the city he loves - Malacca
Jason knows his stuff. Jason's history of Malacca came with dates, people's name and even the names of various treaties that have been made over the centuries. This went well beyond the average person. He knew the date that the Chinese temple was built, when the Dutch arrived and the start and end period of British military rule and many, many more things.

He even told me that a Chinese junk from 600 AD was discovered in 1999 off the coast of Java and speculated that the Chinese have been at the very least, trading in this area since those times. He also added, to my admittedly stretchy knowledge of Cheng He, that he was chosen because he was a Muslim. This would make trade negotiations between the Chinese and Javanese/Malay easier because Muslims see other Muslims as brothers and are able to relate to them better and quicker.

As we talked more Jason shared with me his views on modern Malaysia and in particular Malacca. He said “I believe that our forefathers wanted integration (between the races) and I think it has worked, especially here in Malacca. Malacca’s a unique case as this integration and mixing of races has been going on for five hundred years. Malacca’s too small a place for the races to remain separate.”

I then asked Jason, what makes this mixing of races so success, he said “Respect for each other is what’s brings us together” then he stopped and thought about it more “What’s the most important thing…… Yes, it’s respect!”

Jason was very proud of Malacca’s UNESCO’s status and felt that even people in Malacca didn’t really know what an achievement this is. He wants more people in Malacca to understand this. I really enjoyed talking with Jason. He knew his stuff and he spoke with passion. The next day at the museum on Malacca’s history I was more enthusiastic than normal about a place’s history and I believe that was thanks to Jason.

Interior of a Nyonya House - Baboon House in this case

I was getting hungry, so I said “Jason, I’m hungry. Can you recommend somewhere for me to eat?
“Can you eat spicy?”
“Yes, well, a bit.”
“Jonker 88, still makes traditional Nyonya food.”
“Can you recommend a dish?”
“Baba Laksa, do you want spicy or sour?”
“I’ll go for spicy.”
“Be quick, they close at five.”
Jason gave me the card for the place. That’s was the last time I saw Jason but our conversation will last a long time in my memory. Also on his business card it has 'Melaka Intangible Cultural Heritage', perhaps that's another reason why Jason's history is so good. He's certainly the right man for the job.

Meetup and one new Stranger

2011-02-03T01:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Leon and Pieter for coming on Sunday, and off course Thalassa for being the host. Pieter came for Lina, as she had to go to the Hague for University.

Pieter is the chef for Petit Four, a restaurant at Klaasstraat 23B. We've met before when he was persuading people to come to his restaurant. He did a good job because I went there the next day.

Pieter outside Milk and Cookies

Venlo Strangers - Day four

2011-01-30T00:29:00.000-08:00

These are photos from day four and the final day of this stage of the project. I'll think up some new questions and change a few things around. Thanks to everyone who participated so far. I learnt a lot about the Dutch and Limburgers. If you want to get in contact with me (if you want an electronic copy of your photo) - you can me email on christopher_rawlins@yahoo.co.uk

Wendy

Wendy had just finished her shopping and was about to cycle off. She has excellent English and was very smily. She goes most years to London, mainly to go to the shops.

Me - What are Dutch people like?
Wendy - Ignorant,
M - I havent' hear that one before. Why do you say they are ignorant?
W - Because they don't listen to other people. They believe that their opinion is the best, there's no need for them to listen.
M - Are you a Limburger?
W - Yes
M - Are there any differences between Limburgers and other Dutch people?
W - Yes, we are bourgondisch, more so in the south, which is where I'm from. We love to eat and drink. We love partying.
M - What do you enjoy doing?
W - Daytrips, going out to the park with my 16 month old daughter, mmm, travel and off course shopping.

Evelien and Joost

Evelien and Joost were fun to talk with and they seem to know someone at Milk and Cookies.

Me - Can you tell me something about the Dutch character?
Joost/Evelien - People are different from different parts of the Netherlands. The main one, is between the north and the south. There are three main rivers that divide the country, the Maas, the Rhine and the Scheldt.
M - What are people like from the North?
E - Direct
J - Blunt
M - And what about the south?
E - They are 'bourgondisch', how do you say that in English? They love good food, wine, to party.
M - Are you Limburgers?
J & E - Yes
M - Are you also different to other Dutch people?
J & E - Yes
E - Especially in the south, they're very hard to get in touch with. In the north we are more open-minded.
M - I enjoy photography. What do you enjoy doing?
E - Me too, I don't have much time now, I love painting too.
J - Running, drinking beer
E - He brews his own beer too.
M - Really, like which ones?
J - I've done 5-6 so far. The results are usually surprising.

Dominic

I met Dominic in Hapas. He was chasing after his energetic daughter. He was very charming and full of jokes.

Me - What's the Dutch character? For example, some would say that the British drink too much.
Dominic - Yes, we like to drink too.
M - Are there any differences between Limburgers and other Dutch people?
Dominic - Yes, we are more 'bourgondisch'; more like the French. We enjoy ourselves more.
M - What do you enjoy doing?
D - Playing with my kids.

Wendy

Wendy was the 20th and last person for this part of Venlo Strangers.

M - What are Dutch people like? For example, people think that the British are polite, quiet or now drunks.
Wendy - Yes, people are different of course, but in general, they're simple, direct, and not polite, not like the British.
Me - Are there any differences between Limburgers and other Dutch people?
W - Yes, we are different. We are not like the northers, not so direct, we are..., how do you say in English?
M - causal, laidback
W - Yes, that kind of thing
M - What do you like doing?
W - Horseriding

Venlo Strangers - part three

2011-01-29T10:05:00.000-08:00

Femmy

Day three in Venlo and I first bumped into Femmy and her co-worker. They were on their lunch break but they still gave me some time.

Me - What are Dutch people like?
Femmy - They are cautious with strangers but more welcoming once they get to know them.
M - Are there any differences between Limburgers and other Dutch people?
F - Yes, I think Limburg has an inferiority complex. They feel looked down upon by the people from the Randstad, you know the four big cities in the Netherlands. We are more like France, Belgium and even Germany. People in the Randstad consider us to be foreign.

M - What do you like to do in your freetime?
F - I like to go out drinking with my friends?
M - Is that beer or tea?
F - These days I don't drink beer everyday, more often it's tea.

Martel

Me - Hi, I'm doing a project where I ask strangers some questions and then take their photo. Is this ok?
Martel - Well, I don't have much time.
M - Ok, there's only four questions, just give me a one word answer. My first question - What's your name?
Martel - Martel
M - Can you tell me some about the Dutch personality?
Martel - Open-minded
M - What's different about Limburgers?
Martel - Not open-minded
M - What do you like to do?
Martel - Art

Martel, I can't read your web address - www.galeri-elaly.com (that's how I read it but it's not recognised)

Leon

Leon owns Purity Photography, a place where you can get professional studio portraits taken. He's friendly and I believe he's great at his job.

Me - Is there a difference between Limburgers and other Dutch people.
Leon 'Yes, there's a difference. People in Amsterdam are very international. There's a big difference, it's like two groups of people in this country.

M - What do you enjoy doing?
L - This, photography. I love it. And traveling, unfortunately it's expensive, so we can't do it that often. This picture (of a monkey) was taken in Bornea. We went with the WWF (World Wildlife Fund)

Renee - for some reason, I forgot to take your photo - sorry

For some reason, I forgot to photograph Renee, I believe it was because I was taking notes (for once).

Me - Can you tell me something that's typical about Dutch people?
Renee - They pay for themselves. They are self-centred (I believe Renee meant self-reliant)
M - Are you a Limburger?
R - Yes, but I study in Rotterdam at the moment.
M - Are Limburgers different to other Dutch people?
R - Yes, they're sweeter. We care more about other people. Here, everyone knows each other. In the rest of the Netherlands, it's me, me, me.
M - What do you like doing?
R - I'm at an art academy, I love drawing, building things, art stuff
M - Buildng things, do you mean sculptures.
R - Yes, I could't remember the word, thanks

Max

Max and Lucas were shooting a mini-video with an Indian theme. They had an Indian model and were shooting in one of the main shopping streets in Venlo. They're at the university and they really like the Dutch.

Lucas

Me - What are Dutch people like?
Lucas - Open-minded, friendly.
Max - Yes, tolerant is the word. You cross the border and the culture is different. We're only five minutes away from Germany here, but there's a big difference.
L - Yes, in the university in Germany if you have a deadline. That's it. No work handed in, no score. But here it's much better. You can say, it's my birthday, can I hand it a day later, the professors will agree.
Max - Yes, they are much more humane here.

Lina

Lina was working in a restaurant that I had lunch in. She has excellent English and later I saw her on the street and stop her, despite being short of time, she helped out. Lina is from the Hague.

Me - What's typical about the Dutch character?
Lina - They are open-minded, they don't take bullshit well and they are direct.
M - Are there any differences between other Dutch people and Limburgers?
L - There's a big difference. We like apple pie, they don't, we have cold food for lunch, they have hot. Other Dutch people are more direct, whilst here, they are politer. They are more laidback here. Also, I really have to listen hard as their accent is very different to what I'm used to.
M - What do you like to do?
L - creative things, meeting new people, I really like writing, the arts.

Strangers in Venlo - Day two

2011-01-28T01:09:00.001-08:00

Gerry

It was a cold day in Venlo but the streets were much busier than Tuesday, especially where the Saturday market is held.

I went to the Limburg Museum at first, since one of my questions is about the Limburg character, I thought this is a must go place.

I met Gerry there, who volunteers one day a week to work at the museum. She's originally from Overloon - Noord Brabant and she knows about blogs because her daughter runs a blog too. Gerry also introduce me to a new Dutch word 'ruimdenliend'.

Me - 'Can you tell me something that's typical of the Dutch?'
Gerry - 'Yes, they're friendly and ruimdenliend, how do you say that in English? They don't mind what other people do.'
M - 'They're are open-minded'
G - 'Yes, they're open-minded, it doesn't matter whether you are a woman, gay, black'
M - 'They let people be what they want to be?'
G - 'Yes, they let people be what they want to be.'

M - 'How are Limburgers different from other Dutch people?'
G - 'They are 'bourdondisch', they like to eat and drink, they like to enjoy themselves, but this is more so in the south.'
M - 'Do you think this is a true reflection on the people in Limburg?'
G - 'Yes, but less so here. It's more in the South.'

Unfortunately, Gerry won't be here on Sunday but she might send someone else along.

Kaber at his shop

Kaber owns a Doner Kebab store in the big market square. He's laidback and friendly.

M - 'What are Dutch people like?'
Kaber - 'They're very kind people.'
M - 'Do you think there's any difference between Limburgers and other Dutch people?'
K - 'There's a difference in the language and the accent but other things, mmm, no not really, mmm, well, they're kinder.'

Rick and Floor outside Cafe Central

I met Rick and Floor in the square outside the townhall. I was surprised at the name 'Floor' and Rick did say that it's the same spelling as the 'floor'. They both like meeting up with friends and Rick is very into his sports, especially hockey and tennis.

M - 'How would you describe Dutch people?'
Rick - 'They are open to their friends but less so to strangers. We don't go up to people and ask them questions like you.'
M - 'I think most British people don't do this either.'
Rick - 'Ok, yeah, we are not like the Spanish, Italians and Greeks, they're open to everyone. They talk with everyone.'

Rick and Gerry also did a Limburg pose, which made me laugh.

Strangers in Venlo

2011-01-26T00:49:00.000-08:00

Thalassa from Milk and Cookies

Finally started to meet some strangers in Venlo.

This time I want to meet at least some of the strangers again, so I needed to a find a venue. I decided to go with Milk and Cookie, at Parade 22, Venlo. This is where I met my first Venlo stranger, Thalassa. Thalassa opened Milk and Cookies with her business partner last June.

Thalassa is from Southwest Netherlands, she graduated last year and ever since has been hard at work at Milk and Cookies. She's very approachable and easy to talk with.

Me - "What's a typical Dutch characheristic?"

Thalassa - "Oh, that's 'nuchler', you know?"

M - "No"

T - "Mmm, sober, in the sense of common-sense. We do the right things and get things down"

M - "I understand that Limburger's are different, how is their character different to the rest of the Netherlands?"

T - "I'm not from here originally, but I'm from the south, you know, below the 'river', and close to Belgium, so we are more like Limburgers. We enjoy life, we like to drink and eat. We are more 'bourgondisch', in the north they are more 'nuchler'.

Thalassa enjoys playing with creative ideas and concepts. Milk and Cookies is one of those concepts and her and her partner hope to build this concept by eventually opening more 'Milk and Cookies'.

Since she's working on Sunday, she'll be giving her invite to a friend. So, there'll be at least one mystery guess on Sunday.

Thea

I met Thea and Annie where Venlo has its Saturday market. They were heading towards town, my guess towards a cafe but I didn't ask. Thea did most of the talking because I have no Dutch and she has reasonable English.

M - What are the Dutch like?

T - Friendly, helpful.

Annie

M - And what about Limburgers?

T (ask Annie in Dutch) They enjoy life a lot. They love talking, they're good to guests and the carnival is big here. Everyone loves it.

M - What do you do for enjoyment?

T - We like going to cafes.

Frans from Pieter Breughel Art Shop

Frans is the owner of the Pieter Breughel Art Shop
, which sells modern paintings and sculptures. He's enjoyable to talk to, likes to play golf because it gives him pleasure and enjoys going out restaurants and for some drinks. He also wished me much success, which I liked.

Me - "Are you from Limburg?"
Frans - "Yes, I'm from Venlo."
M - "Do people from the Netherlands have a special characteristic? You know, like the British are considered to be gentlemen, they like to drink etc."
F - "They are humorous, I like English humour. Yes, the Dutch are friendly, and they're open-minded."
M "Yes, the British consider the Dutch to be open-minded that way so many of them like coming here. You're from Limburg. Do you think they are different to other Dutch people?"
F - "Yes, Limburgers like the good things in life, we like to eat and drink, we like to talk and there's the carnival too. Also, now means now in the north but here it could mean in 15 mins"
M - "Why do you think there's a difference?"
F - "Limburg is made up of a lot of small places. Each of those places has their own orchestra and carnival group."
M - "Yes, I kinda know this. In Stejl they have something like this, in English they're called 'Circle of Friends' and they have a red flag with a devil on it. I don't understand why they use the devil?"
F - "I don't really know either, you'll have to ask people in Stejl but they are well known and they're the only one like this in the whole of Limburg.

Travel without a Guide Book - Thomas

2011-01-24T00:45:00.000-08:00

This is Thomas, my second guide to Melaka

Perhaps I ate the toast the wrong way. The man at the next table had his feet up and dunked buttered toast into milky tea. He looked very cosy, anyway, the toast was ok but not fulling enough, so I ordered some minced pork noodles from a guy called Thomas.

I liked himself straight away as he continued to chat in Chinese while I ordered breakfast. He also agreed to answer some questions after I'd finished breakfast.

Thomas, originally from Kuala Lumpur, has been retired for 15 years and now lives most of the time in Malaka but still also has a house in KL. He runs a small noodle stall at a coffee shop with his wife.

Thomas "It's more relaxing in Melaka, free time is concentrated into coffee shops as there's not much in the way of nightlife."

Me "What's do you enjoy about Melaka?'

Thomas "There's more good than not good. The people are friendier, you spend less and the races mix much more. Here, you always see Indians in Chinese places and Malay in Indian places and so on."

Me "Why does that happen more here?"

Thomas "I think it's because the communities are smaller here. In KL they all have big communities, so there's less need to go outside their community but here, because the communities are smaller, people mix more."

Thomas next to his noodle stall - food's very cheap here

Thomas really liked his life in Melaka. He recommanded that I should go to the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple as its the oldest Chinese Temple in Southeast Asia.

Woman burning incense sticks - in the week of Guanyin's Birthday

At the Cheng Hoon Teng Temple, things were really busy. I talked to the woman (and her family) in the picture. She was here because on the following Tuesday was Guanyin's Birthday (the God of Mercy). She strongly recommend that I come here early on Tuesday morning.

Photos and memorial plaques for the dead

I meet another man called Thomas, and his family in the room with the memorial plaques for the dead. He had come to pay respect to his dead relatives. This place in the temple is replacing traditional Chinese graves as they're cheaper and they don't take up so much land. Thomas brought his young children with him so that they can learn more about their culture.

Birds being released at the Temple

Taipei 101 - more portraits

2011-01-21T00:14:00.000-08:00

Most of these portraits are from the 'underground city' under Taipei Main Railway Station. It's a fascinating place, lit in half light, it's easy to forgot the time of day and the heat outside. The place is always packed with students, shoppers, travellers and the homeless. They constantly flows and ebbs down the corridors and in and out of shops. I always wanted to do an around the clock here - you know 24 hours of life in the underground city but I was never brave enough.

The Fortune Teller

As part of the Taipei 101 project, we labeled the people we wanted to meet. We did this, because we felt that after five years in Taipei we still only knew people from a very limited social background - the main ones being English teachers and Taiwanese who could speak good English.

One of the things me and Lewis learned from the labeling was that it wasn't a very good measure of a person. When you label someone with a job or a status, your mind usually comes up with a picture, often a very inaccurate one. The main thing we learned was that we shouldn't take too much notice of the label, it's the person that matters - and people are very good at surprising. Still, if we hadn't labeled people for this project, we wouldn't had met the variety of people we did.

The Pregnant Woman

The pregnant woman was fun to talk to. She was happy and she joked a lot. She found what we were doing interesting and seemed to enjoy the interview, the present swapping and recieving a thank you card.

The Person who practices on the street

The guy was part of a yoyo team. He had been part of it for five years. They loved the underground city as it's dry and they can continue to yoyo even when the weather was wet outside. The guy worked in a factory, though we didn't understand exactly what he did.

The underground city has it's gaming areas and it's students but it's also home to a lot of traditional Chinese practices too. There's fortune tellers, people selling traditional things but the place I liked the most was the one where the masseuses used meat cleavers to massage. This was my opportunity. I had 10 minutes of meat cleavers chopping up my body. It felt great! The woman in the picture below was the one who chopped me up.

The Masseuse who uses a meat cleaver

The student is holding up some Indian money and a invitation to India. It's a joke or a start, depending on how you see it. Lewis had the idea to do a present swap for all the people we met. His idea was that the present will help link the people together. This present was one I put together but some people were very generous in their present giving. One lad gave a shirt, another a T-shirt she had designed, a pawn broker gave us a crazy Japanese ornament and so on. I really didn't think this part of project would work but it did and it was a great feeling giving out the presents and we were always excited to see what people would give in return.

The Student

First Helper in Malacca

2011-01-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

Ray, outside Red Handicraft

It was eight thirty and left to my own devices I found myself in a trendy cafe bar called Limau Limau.

My habits ruled and my nose took me to coffee. I decided not to eat breakfast here but to ask the owner instead for suggestions.

Jasmine, the owner, suggested I talk with Ray, her most loyal customer. Jasmine has only lived in Malacca for five years and felt that I needed to speak to a real Malaccan.

Ray was tucking into a healthy fruit salad breakfast. He's probably in his 30's and runs a shop called 'Red Handicraft' (Blog with photos of Ray and his shop)which specializes in papercuts.

"My favourite place, a place where I take friends is Jalan Bunga Raya, in the old cinema area. I always take my friends from China there. They do great 'doygan' (soyabean cakes). It's a simple setup, just on the side of a street."

Shellfish at the roadside place Ray recommended

The crowd at the roadside cafe

Later in the week, Ray took me here and also to the Portuguese area of town, where we had a Portuguese style meal. The people still speak Portuguese but in a 17th dialect.

The subject of food took Ray on to traditional food.

"This place used to be full of traditional food and cheap it was too. Not like now. The traditional ways are going, sadly and in more ways then one. It used to be very safe here. There was no need to lock your doors but now, break-ins are common. People get into house through the airwells looking for antiques."

Antique dealers and migrants got much of the blame for this change in Malacca's fortunes.
Jasmine and Ray also talked about streets names. I remember Jasmine said about Goolie Street and that it was the place for very cheap labour. Oh, so Koolie is a Malay word.

We talked a lot but my stomach got the better of me. I asked for a breakfast suggestion.

Ray "Here's great. The food's healthy and delicious."
Me "Yes, this does look great! But I want to eat what locals eat. Do you have any suggestions for a more traditional breakfast"
Ray "Ok, toast and jam."

Ray gave me the directions. It was only a couple of minutes away. Unfortuately, I didn't record the name of the place but it's on the corner of Jalan Kampung Kuli and Lorong Hang Jebat.

More Taipei 101 portraits

2010-12-07T11:12:00.000-08:00

More portraits from the Taipei 101 portrait series. These are mainly from August, so going back some time. It reminds me very much of Taiwan and I miss the warmth of the place. Wales is absolutely freezing!

The cosmetic girl with a present from King Kong, the musician

The Musician - King Kong

King Kong was the only person we interviewed that we bumped into again. Like the first time, he was sitting outside drinking beer with his band mates.

The Police Man

Things are different in Taiwan, even police men have time to help some hapless foreigners pursue their crazy projects.

The Falun Dada follower

The Falun Dada follower was, surprisingly, one of our favourite interviews.

The Artist

For the interview with the Artist, click here.

Travel Through People

2010-11-29T09:16:00.001-08:00

Cowboy Lim - the first famous trishaw driver in Malaka

It was simple, NO TRAVEL GUIDE! Also no looking up travel information on the web either. I was going to Malaysia and Singapore, two countries where most people speak English and I’ve been travelling for twenty years, so wasn’t it time I did something different.

Don’t get me wrong. I think travel books are great! They’re motivational and inspirational, encouraging wayward spenders to forsake some excesses and save for a dream holiday. I remember the magic of buying a Lonely Planet to India and reading about rat temples, Shiva and the countless Indian gods, Varanasi, the Himalayas and countless other exotic and exciting Indiapeadia. But travel books can give you too much information!

Mother and son releasing birds on Guanyin's Birthday

Many travellers end up in the same hotels and restaurants, go to the same tourist sights and experience nearly the same experiences because of travel guides. Obviously, this is very sociable and a great way to make friends but most of this socializing is with people from similar backgrounds. Thanks to guide books, many people don’t need to talk to people in the country they’re visiting; hotel workers, waiters and travel agents being the exceptions. Add in modern devices such as Ipods, GPS, laptops, Wifi and this result is multiplied.

Me and Tan Hoon Keong at La salle's St Joseph School

So to inject ‘the need to communicate’ into my travels I ditched the travel guide for a two week trip to Malaysia. I had been there before and I knew that English and Chinese was widely spoken and in general Malaysia was a medium cost and easy country to get around. It wasn’t that radical but the results were, especially in Malacca, the place where I‘ve never been before and had no contacts.

Some school children taking photos at St Paul's Church

In Malacca, I kept meeting people and I built up an impression of Malaka that extended beyond places. The history came alive as different people gave their version of it and not only the history of Malaka but personal history too. I met some people a few times and got taken to places that I think I’d have gone with a guide book.

But the best part was how warm and generous people were with their time.

A woman visiting a temple for Guanyin's birthday

Updates on Strangers

2010-11-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

The Gay Man - from the Taipei 101 series

No blogs, no pictures and no updates would suggest that the '100 strangers to friends' blog had died. But this isn't the case.

I've been busy on a collaboration with my good friend Lewis. We foolishly started Taipei 101; a project where we were to hunt down 101 people of different backgrounds and interview them about Taipei. Most of the interview were in Chinese, so they're still mostly untranslated and we've ended very behind in getting the interviews up on the 'Taipei 101' blog. In the end Taipei 101 has turned out to be Taipei 48.

The Spicy Boy; from the Taipei 101 series

Despite not completing this project, it was great fun and we ended up learning lots about Taipei that we didn't know before. Also we both felt that people in general are incredibly nice and tolerant. At first we were surprised at how co-operative people were and then as it continued we became to expect it.

The Betelnut Girl - from the Taipei 101 series

Adding in the strangers from the 'Taipei 101' series, I'm now up to 118 strangers. Also, I took some more strangers on a recent trip to Malaysia. I decided to travel without a travel guide book, so that I'll be forced to talk with strangers. It worked!

The Bin Man - from the Taipei 101 series

For interviews: The Bin Man, worth a read, especially what he says about protecting his wife. The Spicy Boy. The Gay Man

I'll write more about this project in my next post.

Malaysian Strangers

2010-10-08T04:32:00.001-07:00

Hi

Xinyi, outside the Sun Yat Sen Museum

This post is long overdue. I met these people back in June/July when I went to Malaysia for six weeks.

Two of the strangers are mother and daughter, Jessie and Xinyi. They both work at the Sun Yat Sen Museum in Penang. I learned lots of things there, like Sun Yat Sen was kidnapped in London and that he was a bit of a fugitive, moving around alot and I get the sense that he had a women here and there.

The museum itself is in a beautiful old Chinese townhouse on Armenia Street. The house is very long as frontage was taxable and incorporated several feng shui elements into its design. There's a an airwell that lets in wind and water, satisfying the feng shui as the Chinese believe that water flowing in, means wealth coming to the family and it also cools down the house. The Penang Convention was staged here, this led to the Guangzhou upraising in China and eventually the fall of dynastry rule in China. Pretty monumental historical event, eh.

Jessie and Xinyi

Xinyi, the daughter, is a very cheerful and charming girl. She took me around the museum explaining the history of the man and the place. She speaks English, Malay and Chinese, and works at the museum on Sundays. She thinks Europe is very romantic and its her dream to travel Europe one day - go girl, I'm sure you'll be in Europe sooner than you think.

Jessie, told me about the feng shui elements of the house and showed me a video of Sun Yat Sen's life (probably where I got the idea that he had a few women in his life). Like her daughter she's very helpful and cheerful.

Kheng

Kheng works at 79 Travellers Lodge in Penang. He's an incredibly kind and helpful man. All the people I met at the hostel loved him because of his consideration to people's needs. I enjoyed chatting with him, especially as he entertained my Chinese.

I have passed a 100 strangers already but I haven't posted them yet. More on this soon.