A Drive Around the Block

Marcel and Marga are two young people who turned a dream into reality

Do you remember John Denver's famous song that goes something like -- "I'm a leavin' in a RV, don't know when I'll be back again." This is the song carried in the hearts of the travellers who recently stayed at the Eagle House Guest House. This young Dutch couple are travelling throughout southeast Asia in a RV (recreational vehicle). This was a dream that Marcel has had since he was a teenager. The urge to travel and see more of the world was developed when his family made frequent car trips through Europe as he was growing up.

Until six months ago, Marcel worked as a manager in a government education department administering teaching staff in public schools. Marga worked as a secretary in the department of public housing. Both quit their jobs after selling their house and used the proceeds to buy a shell of a van. Working with a consultant, they installed the interior themselves. They do not have any sponsorship nor do they not want to have any responsibility to a sponsor as they prefer to be independent.

The interior of the van is compact with all furnishings being on a smaller scale than found in an average home. The most popular request by the curious is to inspect the toilet facilities. The space allotted is a bit smaller than in a small commercial plane. Inside is a refrigerator, sink, cupboards dining table and benches.

Before coming to Thailand, Marcel and Marga drove through India, Pakistan and Iran. Iran was a real eye opener for them and the visit surpassed their expectations. Because of media reports in the west about the ruling regime, Iran is not a likely popular destination. As they drove through Iran, they found the opposite of what they expected. People they met were very genuine and helpful. The couple were continuously flagged down to stop and say hello. More often than not they were invited to eat and to stay overnight in private homes. Before going there the vagabond couple had the impression of immense political problems in that country but after meeting the friendly people, the couple's views were brought into balance. On several occasions, Iranians confided they did not like the current regime ruling their country. Not all was rosy. Being caught in several military roadblocks accompanied by threatening demands to investigate the inside of the van for contraband have not made pleasant experiences.

After clearing customs, they drove the van from Singapore north through Malaysia. This leg of the trip has included several cities in Laos, e.g. Luang Prabang to Vientiane to Souvanakhet and Pakse. The bad road conditions persuaded them to return to Thailand. Though the National Tourist Board of Laos informed them the road was passable, the drive to the waterfall is not possible in a normal passenger car. Other drivers should be forewarned that a vehicle with 4-wheel drive would be ideal. Travelling in Laos without the help of a native speaker was more of a language problem than they encountered in other countries. The local people couldn't understand any of their sign language.

Why did this couple choose to travel to Thailand. Normally these type of RV travellers drive as far as India and then return through Europe. Also a few ship the car to Australia and continue driving and exploring. However, shipping the car to others parts of Asia to continue the drive is not so common. They had heard very good comments about Thailand thus, deciding to end their trip in Thailand. Their experiences have proved it's a very nice country.

Due to the size of India, they had driven through the interior for 4 months. Thailand is a smaller country but because they like Thailand so much they have been here already for 2 months. Marga said, "There's such a contrast between Thailand's south with its tropical beaches and the north with the dense mountains. The local people being so friendly have convinced us to stay longer."

Communication is never a problem and always works out because Thais try to understand. They don't walk away out of frustration. Restaurant staff are helpful when Marcel and Marga order food. "We can't read the items listed on the menu but many times the cook takes us into the kitchen and lets us point at what we want to eat", they say. Away from the big cities there aren't any menus so they depend on theatrics such as crowing like a rooster for chicken. They've grown accustomed to eating delicious local dishes such as khao paad and paad Thai.

They wanted to know Asia intimately because it's so different from Europe. The lifestyle here incorporates religion as part of the daily lifestyle. From their observation, the Buddhist religion is more concerned with caring and being generous with each person in the Thai family.

This is the first time they took the opportunity to travel with other fellow travelers such as on a recent trek with Eagle House. It's also the first time they stayed in a guest house and not in their van. The trek was challenging because they lost stamina after continuous driving in the van. The 4-day walking adventure took them to and from various villages. Many times they would have liked to drive into the hills in various countries but because their van is not 4-wheel drive, it wasn't possible to maneuver the rough roads. It was great to have a guide who spoke the local language and the people in the village were outgoing and eager to please the trekkers.

A laptop is a constant companion for daily correspondence to the family as well as daily recording events and activities. There is a good chance they will write a book about their travels. The more they travel the more they want to see. They thought they'd stop their journey in Thailand. Even though everyone said it was impossible for them to get their car into Laos, they managed to do so. Now they are making contacts to drive to Beijing, China.

Before returning home, they hope to cover 50,000 kms in their little kingdom on wheels. We hope they will experience the best of all worlds and cultures in their travel around the world.l