... So here I am again... I'm in Melbourne library getting a bit of free Internet, lovely stuff... so time for a rant:) ... I went to the Shrine today, the big ANZAC war memorial... for people who fought and died in various wars... World wars 1 and 2, Korea, Vietnam etc etc... It suddenly struck me that a lot of the key sights while travelling centre around unnecessary death... I knew I was in a sensitive mood this morning as I walked to the Shrine as I was listening to my fantastic play list and I could feel the music doing something to me... when I'm in 'one of those moods' when certain lyrics get to me and get the old emotions going... the following words from 'I heard it through the grapevine' by Marvin Gaye (who was killed by his father) really get to me when I'm in the mood:
I know a man ain't supposed to cry
But these tears I can't hold inside
... these words get to me some how... and today was no different... I knew I was in 'one of those moods' (feel free to insert your own derogatory interpretation of this;) and so maybe a war memorial wasn't the best place to go... the mood around the shrine really got me and for some reason I had to hold back a few tears... it seems that everywhere I go there is a reminder of these useless wars and abuses of basic human rights... Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos all had their stories to tell and Australia is the same... and one country which seems to always come up (although this country wasn't specifically named at the Shrine today) is Japan... I never realised that this country commanded such extreme emotions in people... even today, but especially in Asia... I need to read more about it before I can really comment with accuracy but it seems they committed some terrible atrocities... When I was in China and I asked our guide David (Chinese but that was his chosen English name... he was incidentally a massive Oasis fan) spoke of their hatred of the Japanese and specifically about the Nanking Massacre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nanking_Massacre ... I know, wiki is not always the most reputable source!) ... In this it is claimed that the Japanese took over the old capital of China and raped and massacred around 300,000 people (soldiers, women and children... that number is apparently a Chinese estimate)... but I've heard that the Japanese either deny a massacre took place (I haven't checked the facts so I apologise if this is not entirely correct... I just want to highlight some aspects of history we miss in Britain) or claim the toll was much smaller (like 30,000... if that is indeed the defence... you're a f**king disgrace... but like many things in history, I'm guessing the true facts will never arrive)... I've heard that there has never even been an official Japanese apology... now I know as a British person I could be accused of hypocrisy for getting on my high horse about this... we at one point controlled a massive amount of this globe (I saw the list of countries in the Commonwealth on a landmark commemorating that 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth games and I'm sure we couldn't have had such an empire without doing some horrible things... Indeed, I think I remember hearing that the English invented the concentration camp during the Boar war (which incidentally both Churchill and Gandhi fought in!))... but all I mean to say is that death and war are factors all over this world... it can get to you a bit... everybody has their enemies and their tragedies... Japanese civilians suffered through the use of the atomic bombs... Vietnamese suffered through the use of Agent Orange... Americans suffered with Pearl Harbour... it can all get a bit overwhelming... and I don't want to pick on Japan... I have a feeling they are like the Asian equivalent of Germany... a country which holds continental scorn because of past atrocities, but in truth it is unfair to judge today's Japan by the actions of yesterday's Japan... Many scars seem to have healed between Europe and Germany and indeed I've not met one German I have disliked... and the same is probably true of Japanese youth, I just unfortunately don't know any Japanese well... ... But Japan has a culture that fascinates me and my favorite novelist is Japanese, Haruki Murakami... he, and other Japanese writers, can write in a way that moves the soul and can really drive your emotions crazy... they write beautifully (also check out Natsumi Soseki)... it's a place I dream to visit... but as you travel and you learn about everybody's view of all these wars and you look at each side of the story and all the lists of dead people it can get a bit overwhelming... it can be very hard to form a rounded opinion and to take everything into account... ... ... I guess my experience in China best sums up how I should approach forming an opinion about a people... everybody has an opinion about China because of all the things we hear about their regime... but when I went there I found beautiful friendly people and a fascinating country... ... ... when travelling you are filled with so much stimulu
... but after my visit to the Shrine, I went to get a KFC (Jesus Christ, I eat so badly here...) and listened to the Ricky Gervais guide to The Earth and laughed off all the crap and the emotions and all that... life's too short... :) ... ... yesterday I met David... this is Australian David, he was on the Vodkatrain tour through Russia and he got caught up in all that shit that led to Joe getting a skull trepanning to release the evil spirits... he had decided to fly home and abandon the tour after all the crap and so I saw him for the first time since the first city I visited during this tour (St.Petersburg)... it was a cool day out we had... he showed me landmarks that I'd never heard about such as the market and the massive library with the armour of Ned Kelly inside (another person I need to read about... apparently a bit of a national hero... another thing to go into the reading list with Japanese history, Mongolian history, etc etc etc...)... it was enjoyable and cool... I always get this kind of nervousness when I (re)meet a travelling friend... I wonder if we'll hit it off again, or if the friendship was of a moment that has passed... but inevitably things pick up where they left off after a short while and it always ends up well and fun... (I had the same nerves before meeting Nikki to sleep on her sofa for 4 nights (I'm back in a hostel now) but we hit it off great again and I think had a cool time... I don't think I destroyed her patience too much... I did buy her the red wine as a gift when I arrived but actually ended up drinking most of the bottle myself (oops!) and so bought her a copy of 'Lord of the Flies' as a gift instead... I can't drink that:) ... ... so now I'm in my last full day in Melbourne... now I have got the Shrine stimulated pensiveness out of my system I can reflect that I really like this city and have had a very cool time here... it is a bit like home, it is interesting, it has everything and I can really understand why people come over here to work... I leave Melbourne for Sydney tomorrow and then fly to Christchurch in New Zealand the day after... so I'm really happy that I'm ending my time in Australia with positive emotions about the country... I arrived in Sydney and in all honesty, I hated it... I understand now that I missed Asia, missed my friends like Khadija, and I am not ready to return to the western world quite yet (don't worry Mum and Dad, I'll come back eventually;)... but Australia has won me over despite its expense, and despite the fact I didn't go out and enjoy the nature... so I'll leave having enjoyed this place and safe in the knowledge that if I ever come back (I think it will be necessary to return as a rich man) there will be some awesome things for me to enjoy... Australia was always just a pit stop between Asia and South America... but it, and my friends I've met here, have served me well:) ... Thanks mate!
... but it's time to soldier on... on to New Zealand... I might have to limp there though because of the ozzie mozzie bite I've got... I got bitten countless times in Asia and it made me itch like I had scabies but I never had a bite like this... a two inch sore patch on my thigh from what I can only guess is a Pygmy tiger bite (they do exist... in my head at least)... So movement is an issue at the moment... but I won't complain (from now on that is... now as in this part of the post onwards, I can't promise what the next post will bring) ... I've been reading like a little devil on the travels so far... I'm up to book number 10! wowzers! ... I'm just starting Lolita... it's meant to be a bit of a classic... I meant to start it before but I decided against it because of the circumstances... I was going to watch a mini-children's play I'd written which was getting performed as part of a big day at the CREATE center in Bristol (sorry, just showing off a bit;)... I wanted to check it out but had to go alone... just me watching a bunch of children's plays alone... I needed a book to read while I was waiting for the plays to begin... I almost took Lolita with me but once I read what the book was about I decided it wasn't entirely appropriate to be seen reading that there... so I took a different book which I later discovered wasn't the most appropriate book either... American Psycho... I couldn't finish that book either, too damned scary... seriously scary stuff!!
OK, I'll go now people... you'll either hear from me next in Sydney or, more likely, in New Zealand... let's see if that country can win me round as successfully as Australia... if it's cheaper then here, half the job's already done;)
... also if there is anyone Japanese reading this blog (I got 21 views from there this week for some reason!) and they take exception to what I wrote please comment... point me in the direction of a good book or website to learn more about your country... I don't want to be unfair and I'm happy to correct myself... please help me learn lovely people:) ... ... I've found that the people are great from most countries, it's just that the nation (whatever that means) can sometimes be a bit chequered... oh, how complicated this ball of water and soil is !!
Love to my family and friends... keep well and keep safe...
Matt:)
... but it's time to soldier on... on to New Zealand... I might have to limp there though because of the ozzie mozzie bite I've got... I got bitten countless times in Asia and it made me itch like I had scabies but I never had a bite like this... a two inch sore patch on my thigh from what I can only guess is a Pygmy tiger bite (they do exist... in my head at least)... So movement is an issue at the moment... but I won't complain (from now on that is... now as in this part of the post onwards, I can't promise what the next post will bring) ... I've been reading like a little devil on the travels so far... I'm up to book number 10! wowzers! ... I'm just starting Lolita... it's meant to be a bit of a classic... I meant to start it before but I decided against it because of the circumstances... I was going to watch a mini-children's play I'd written which was getting performed as part of a big day at the CREATE center in Bristol (sorry, just showing off a bit;)... I wanted to check it out but had to go alone... just me watching a bunch of children's plays alone... I needed a book to read while I was waiting for the plays to begin... I almost took Lolita with me but once I read what the book was about I decided it wasn't entirely appropriate to be seen reading that there... so I took a different book which I later discovered wasn't the most appropriate book either... American Psycho... I couldn't finish that book either, too damned scary... seriously scary stuff!!
OK, I'll go now people... you'll either hear from me next in Sydney or, more likely, in New Zealand... let's see if that country can win me round as successfully as Australia... if it's cheaper then here, half the job's already done;)
... also if there is anyone Japanese reading this blog (I got 21 views from there this week for some reason!) and they take exception to what I wrote please comment... point me in the direction of a good book or website to learn more about your country... I don't want to be unfair and I'm happy to correct myself... please help me learn lovely people:) ... ... I've found that the people are great from most countries, it's just that the nation (whatever that means) can sometimes be a bit chequered... oh, how complicated this ball of water and soil is !!
Love to my family and friends... keep well and keep safe...
Matt:)
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