Faces of Asia

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli  

No one's fool

This woman strikes me as nobody's fool. She seems shrewd by the way she observes the object of attention to her right.. I can imagine her being a tough bargainer in her business and how she might prefer to keep her own counsel.

A sly smile purses her lips.

What, I wonder, is she thinking about?

Friends sitting on a bench by Hoan Kiem Lake in Ha Noi, Vietnam

It's mid-morning in Ha Noi, Vietnam, and these two friends are sharing a park bench. The older of the two has his pack of cigarettes and lighter, the younger, his daily newspaper.

The man in the white jacket seems to be explaining something, while the other man listens intently.

What are they talking about?

Is it wisdom or a piece of advice the older man is sharing? Or is he explaining a recipe with the thickness of the rice noodle and how one can tell when it's ready to serve. Or perhaps it's a family matter, or a financial consideration.

I always wonder about these things.

A man looks at us squarely

This man was alive during the Vietnam war, or as it's called there, the American war.

This war followed the French war, the Chinese war and the Russian war. Seems this country has always been fighting some invader or another beginning from centuries past.

What is his perspective? How does he view the world? Did any of his hopes and dreams from his youth come true?

He still wears a dusty suit coat as he walks about the capitol city.

The adorable fresh faces of youth

These Chinese children are eager to engage. Once the camera came out, they all huddled together to get into the photo frame, with one young boy in the orange mask raising his arm making sure to be noticed.

The youth are our future.

What are they thinking? What kind of family life do they have? What dreams do they hold?

French beret'd Pals

Here are two more Vietnamese friends on a chilly morning, wearing their berets for warmth. The French left much influence here as evidenced by these hats, the baguettes found on every street corner and the subtleties in the Vietnamese fusion food.

These men were open and friendly to us as we snapped their photo.

Meanwhile, Communist propaganda was being played from the loud speakers which were dotted throughout the park.

A parade in Jinghong, China

While we were in Jinghong, China, there was a cultural parade with thousands of Chinese taking part. Members of the various hill tribes came down in their finery on full display.

This woman doesn't look particularly happy and anything could be the reason. Her feet could be hurting, she might be too warm in the sun or perhaps she has a sick child, or had an argument with her husband or mother-in-law that morning.

But participate in the parade she would, regardless of the look on her face.

Young Thai Beauties

Thailand is the Land of Smiles. These young and very social Thai women love to have their photo taken, so when Billy proposed the idea, they quickly grouped together in formation and offered radiant smiles.

Their homes are not nearly as opulent as our Western tastes would dictate, but you would never know by looking at them, and their clean, stylish appearance.

Two young girls at a hill tribe gathering

You can already see the woman in the face of the young girl at the forefront here. Her mind is quick as is noticed by her bright eyes and the hint of a frown on her forehead.

We drove in the back of a pickup truck to this Thai hill tribe location where there was a feast going on. We were offered food and drink, and the young ones were trying to figure us out and why we were there.

Our clothes and language did not match those of their village.

Who were these strangers? 

A village metal worker outside Luang Prabang, Laos

This man was pounding US steel over some unexploded ordnance in order to fashion a knife. He is intent on his work, as you can see here, and the slight smile is because we were taking his photo. He is proud of his work.

At this point, a woman was pedaling a funnel of air over a handmade forge (while she was embroidering), another man was holding the red hot steel, while this man pounded the piece into shape.

At market in Hoi An, Vietnam

This woman looks as though she is going through the rhyme "He loves me, he loves me not" while pulling petals off this sunny flower. I doubt that's the case, but I do wonder what she is thinking about.

Manicured nails, beautiful skin, long shiny black hair tied in the back, wearing the native conical hats called non la and a beautiful blouse.

A seaside vendor in Hoi An, Vietnam

We were at the beach in Hoi An one day, and over a short period of time, 3 female vendors came up to our beach chairs in the sun.

One was a young woman who was beautiful, engaging, and offered to give us a foot massage for a good price. The woman above came by and sat in the shade of our umbrella and simply watched, listened and smiled.

A third woman, older than the first and younger than the woman above, stopped by, crouched into the beach sand and began berating the young woman who was giving us a massage.

"These people should just give you money. Why are you working for it? Can't you see they are rich? What are you doing?"

On and on she went, making the young masseuse nervous and self-conscious. Her pained eyes darted to us over and over, but she continued her excellent quality massage.

This older woman listened, noted what was going on, but remained silent. She communicated to us via her smile and kind eyes. She had seen a lot in her time on this earth, including the wars her country has been in. Who knows what she had been through?

It seemed that she chose a different path than the acerbic woman - A path of acceptance, forgiveness, benevolence, good will, and decency. She did not have the bitterness nor the emotional burden of the woman who who was cussing and scolding the masseuse for working.

I love the peace written on her face.

And I'll never forget her.

Living an uncomplicated life

This Laotian woman is simply dressed in her stained sweater and hat. We saw many of these village women when we traveled to Laos.

There is a sparkle in her eyes and it's a boon that she still has many of her own teeth. Free or affordable dental care is so needed in these impoverished areas.

As always, I wonder what fills her mind and how she sees the world.

Another Laotian face

This woman has such natural beauty - smooth skin, white teeth, high cheekbones and glittering eyes.

Does she not look friendly to you?

With people such as this woman, communication goes beyond language.

I wonder what she is doing today?

A "Stylin' " young Chinese man

It's wonderful to see the youth when we travel the world. Such freshness, such willingness to adorn themselves in something new and contemporary in order to express who they are as an individual.

This young man is healthy and strong with his whole future ahead of him.

Another gracious Thai smile

This young woman, with the Mekong River behind her, smiles for our camera.

I wonder where she is today? Does she have a family? Did she graduate from college? Did she ever leave her home town and venture out into the world at large?

Do these photos make you wonder too?

About the Authors

Billy and Akaisha Kaderli are recognized retirement experts and internationally published authors on topics of finance, medical tourism and world travel. With the wealth of information they share on their award winning website RetireEarlyLifestyle.com, they have been helping people achieve their own retirement dreams since 1991. They wrote the popular books, The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement and Your Retirement Dream IS Possible available on their website bookstore or on Amazon.com.

Retire Early Lifestyle appeals to a different kind of person – the person who prizes their independence, values their time, and who doesn’t want to mindlessly follow the crowd.

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