Southeast Asia

"So what do you think boss, are we catching up?" This is one of many typical questions you as a foreigner will be confronted with very often. Usually I was used to answer this quite politely by saying something nice but after spending some time traveling around I was set to build some firm opinion. What do they mean by catching up? It all depends on what do you consider by being modern developed country. Do you refer to all these new buildings, roads and shopping centres giving false first impression of developed region where by the way price is enormous by means of deforestation of the whole region? I think I will never understand this competition race to catch up with allegedly developed western countries. Traveling in the Far East is an exceptional experience for any Westerner. The Orient is ancient and mystical and has far more to offer by means of people, history, traditions, and last but not least nature than our socially half-empty western civilization.