It's widely claimed that the next few decades will see hundreds of millions of Asians pulled out of poverty by world trade, technology, economic growth and better education. In this context, Asia is often equated with a billion people in each of China and India rather than the relatively-developed Japan or South Korea. By these standards and numbers, it's easy to argue the rest of Asia does not matter much. But what are my impressions from three weeks in Sri Lanka, Bali and Singapore? It's a tiny snapshot with quick judgements on a small part of the continent, more travelogue than any claim to special economic and social insights.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka will be very different 10 years from now. 'Visit before it changes' is said for many Asian countries, although our travels last year in Burma (Myanmar) still felt a long way from the majority of people joining a global prosperity trend. Even Yangon (the old Rangoon, once one of the wealthiest cities in the world) showed few signs of gain for most, and its formerly splendid public buildings were falling apart with little effort to retain them.
Not so in Sri Lanka. It's hard to believe this country was still racked by civil war as recently as 2009, when it took the sacrifice of 40,000 Tamil supporters to bring an horrendous end to decades of internal conflict. While not condoning such destruction of life, the locals we spoke to argue it was a necessary step to end the military insurgency that was destroying the country. Now, there is a pride in Sri Lanka and great hopes for its future. Parts of the capital of Colombo which only a year ago were closed to the public are now open. There is no security fear on the streets. Public buildings are undergoing proud restorations and being offered on long leases rather than sold, ensuring they remain in public ownership for locals and tourists to see forever, unlike their Burmese equivalents.
There's a good chance that a decade from now, Colombo will be a vibrant city on the hot list of places to see, alongside the great iconic cities of the world. The hotel industry has already recognised this, with almost every major intersection in the city now the site of a grand new hotel from an international chain. Go out at 11:30 at night, when it's difficult to find anywhere decent to eat or drink in Sydney, and Colombo is still buzzing. Of course, the balmy temperature and a culture of eating late both help, but it's amazing to see restaurants full of people in the middle of their meals at midnight, when our city restaurants are more worried about lock-out laws.
Of course, wealth spreads to the vast majority slowly. For the moment, it's still possible to jump in a three-wheeler 'tuck-tuck' for a few dollars and take a harum-scarum ride across the city. As a tourist, it puts the entire city at your fingertips in the way an efficient underground system does in first world cities. Obviously, the poor sod driving the tuck-tuck is still doing it tough in his world of diesel fumes and truck tyres higher than his roof, but there are a lot of tourist and business dollars now on the street.
It's the same for the thousands of car drivers who show people around the island. Sri Lanka is perfectly set up for this one form of transport, and arguably only one, for the tourist. The unique experience goes like this. Plan your circular trip around the island, usually starting at the only international airport in Colombo, and heading clockwise around the island, taking in Negombo, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Kandalama, Sigiriya, Galle, Sinagawa and back to Colombo, or further north if you have time. This covers vibrant cities, spectacular beaches, verdant scenery with cascading waterfalls and tea plantations in the high country. Send your schedule to a driver and he will pick you up from the airport and deposit you back to the same spot a couple of weeks later. Every night he will find his own accommodation, and pick you up every morning. The deal will cost about USD70 a day for driver and car. If you're prepared to pay, Sri Lanka already has amazing hotels across all these destinations - this trip is not a struggle through an impoverished country. It is travel with the best of everything laid on, provided you’re prepared to eat spicy and unique Sri Lankan fare. And maybe because Sri Lankans love their cricket, or because many locals have family or friends there, Australians are popular everywhere.
Bali
On to Bali for the first time for us in 30 years. Top of mind instinct was that it's the place of Australians drinking too much Bintang, pestering massages on the beach, red skin from a harsh sun, cheap T-shirts from shouting street sellers, drugs smuggled in surfboard bags and just about everything anyone over 40 wants to avoid. Right? Wrong. The Bali we hear about in the news obviously exists if you want to find it, but the other Bali is an island almost as interesting as Sri Lanka with arguably better food in the right places.
On arrival at Denpassar, instead of heading for the dreaded Kuta of the bars and beers, we are driven up the coast to a remote spot near the temple of Tanah Lot. The waves roll in like in a surfing movie, the nearby fields are for the moment still rice paddies, it claims the best golf course in Asia and it's only 15 minutes to the still unspoilt Canggu. Regular visitors tell us this place has changed in the last year or two, and chances are in five years, it will be one long development from Kuta north. But for now, there are enough new restaurants to raise the standard of eating without suffocating the place. This part of the trip is long lazy days by the pool then a quick taxi ride to a local eatery, but not a T-shirt shop or noisy Australian in sight. This other side of Bali remains relatively cheap for the Australian traveller shocked by European prices, but a long way from the $1 DVDs and $2 wood carvings in Kuta.
One disappointment was Ubud, renowned for its meditation, Buddha and writing festivals. No third world village can sustain such innocence faced with thousands of moneyed visitors every day, and it's now crowded with surf shops, tourists, taxi drivers and traffic. No doubt there is still a good side of this busy town, but if aiming for seclusion in the countryside, find the next Ubud. Stock up on board shorts and you're fine, and the massages are cheap, but it'll be hard work finding mindfulness and peace in a place the west has well and truly swamped.
Singapore
And on to Singapore, the place that Lee Kuan Yew built. He made no apology for the techniques he imposed on the nation to drag it out of poverty:
“I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.”
The Singapore we visited 20 years ago seemed stifled by this dogma, limiting freedom and imagination in its desperation to grow as a first world destination and manufacturer. A visitor in the 1980s and 1990s found a sterile place, with little of the old retained and not much of the new to boast about. The mediocre theme park of Sentosa was a poor substitute for old authenticity of a genuine China town, hotels like Raffles and drinks like Singapore slings.
It's as if Singapore realised the error of its business-only approach, and started to make the city worth visiting. Gardens by the Bay is one of the world's great reconstructed waterfronts, even if the biggest trees are man-made. In fact, the SuperTree Grove works well in the waterfront gardens, with the skywalk a delight for something that could be so kitsch. The laser water shows each night attract the crowds, and a walk around the harbour on any evening, with its balmy weather and much to see, make it a rival to any late night saunter.
Not far from the water is Lau Pa Sat, or the Telok Ayer Market, a decent competitor for Newton Circus, and recommended by a local as the real thing and 'not air-conditioned'. Hundreds of food vendors of all global styles demand attention. At 7 o’clock each night, a street is closed off and tables and chairs instantly appear by the dozen as sate sellers churn out thousands of pieces of meat and fish cooked over charcoal. The beer flows, the night is warm, and the meat is smokey. Hard to beat.
Singapore has made itself worthy of two to three days for any Aussie on the way to Europe, while not quite a tourist destination in its own right. Unlike most other parts of Asia, it seems to set new standards for accessibility, with all the new developments perfectly flat for anyone using a wheelchair or stroller, and a cleaner and more accessible underground train network than anything Paris, New York or London has managed to build. Designers of Sydney's transport system should take a look before they build any more inaccessible stations.
It's every bit a financial centre like the global cities of the west. The financial district is big and glassy and commands the city and its harbour, shouting the names of the banks and insurance companies across the water. Young people dress smart, laugh in optimistic groups, eat at expensive restaurants, exercise vigorously, buy the best brands and tap away at their iPhones. It feels a million miles from the villages of Burma, Sri Lanka and Bali.
A quick snapshot
It's only three weeks in three relatively small countries, so let's not draw too long a bow about the whole of Asia. But outside of those dealing directly with business and tourists, for every person dragged out of poverty, there will probably be five more wondering where the next meal is coming from. In Singapore it's still the old Chinese who clean up the plates and chop the vegetables, in Bali it's still the old women doubled up in muddy water planting the rice, and in Sri Lanka the street sellers hawk coconuts for 50 cents a pop and make a few sales a day working dawn until dusk. They might wear a Manchester United or Chelsea shirt but it’s dirty and was sewn in a factory down the street. And apparently, many in the new generations are less willing to care for the old in the traditional ways.
It's easy to see only the millions who are being lifted from poverty by global trade and the rapid influx of tourists, but this is the tip of an iceberg, and hundreds of millions will be left behind. If the uneducated and elderly look on enviously at the younger generation who embrace the ways of the west, while the disadvantaged still wipe the dishes with no social security system to protect them as they age, then they will care little for the gains being made.
In both Sri Lanka and Indonesia, chat to a local and you'll find most would love to live in Australia. It’s worth doing a trip like this to appreciate what we have and how most of the world would like the same. The vast majority will never come here, especially when they see our borders as even less welcoming than when their friends migrated here many years ago.
Graham Hand is Editor of Cuffelinks and takes no responsibility if you catch Bali Belly.