The Peace Correspondent

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Authors: Garry Marchant

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The Peace Correspondent

By Garry Marchant

ISBN-13: 978-988-18154-6-0

Â© Garry Marchant 2009

TRV003000 TRAVEL / Asia / General

First printing July 2009 Second printing December 2010

EB022

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in material form, by any means, whether graphic, electronic, mechanical or other, including photocopying or information storage, in whole or in part. May not be used to prepare other publications without written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information contact
[email protected]

Published by Earnshaw Books Ltd. (Hong Kong)

PREFACE

WAR correspondents are the glamorous stars of journalism, dashing around to the world's hot spots, filing stirring accounts of historic events. I call myself a peace correspondent. I prefer to go to mainly untroubled, but exotic areas to write about the places and the people I meet there.

As a youth growing up in the dead center of Canada, I became obsessed with travel. As soon as I was able, I left home and wandered the Earth for many years. To support my “habit,” I worked at odd jobs such as a burglar alarm installer in Sydney, Australia, a movie extra in Tokyo and a malaria control officer in Papua New Guinea. I also made a living in journalism, first in small-town newspapers in Canada, then in Rio de Janeiro, where I edited the Brazil Herald, the country's only English-language daily newspaper. Finally, I went to Hong Kong, where I was a reporter for the South China Morning Post and an editor for the Far Eastern Economic Review.

Only later did I discover that I could combine my trade and my passion, and make a living from travel writing. This book is a result of Asian travel in those later years, reporting on my journeys for newspapers and magazines. As an independent traveler, and later as a travel writer, I visited every continent on Earth, including the Antarctic. Although I was able to travel anywhere in the world, Asia generally provided the most powerful experiences, and the best stories. I returned to the area frequently, drawn by its magic and mystery, and quickly developed a deep love for this part of the world.

On assignment, I visited, and wrote about, most of the great cities of Asia, including Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, Peking and Bangkok. I also wandered from the remote islands of Korea
and Indonesia to the swarming streets of Southeast Asian cities, and from the Indian plains to the Mongolian steppes and beyond to the Himalayas of Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

I met and talked to fascinating local people (though no world leaders) and witnessed extraordinary events and festivals. I also traveled to harder-to-reach or less desirable places in search of a good story, or mainly to satisfy my curiosity.

I was fortunate that I started travel writing when it was still a thriving occupation - before newspapers and magazines started closing down, and the Internet started providing “content” instead of stories. Also, that I had several editors who appreciated travel writing beyond the usual bland tourist brochure stuff that so many publications ran, and that they let me develop my own style.

The idea for this book, as so many ideas good and bad, was hatched in a bar, in this case the venerable Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club. It was there, in 2008, where I re-acquainted with Graham Earnshaw, an old friend and fellow reporter from the 1970s South China Morning Post. While I still make my living as a merchant of words, he has gone on to other things, including, among many others, a marketer of words as a publisher of magazines and books. This anthology, his idea, is a direct result of that meeting at the FCC bar. I am grateful for his suggestion, and for making this book possible.

I am also fortunate to have my own in-house editor - my wife, Marnie, who helped select and check all of my stories, saving me from some mistakes and embarrassments. She also accompanied me on many of these journeys, experiencing luxury and hardships with equal good cheer and resourcefulness.

The many friends, editors, fellow writers and people in the airline and hotel industries who helped along the way are too numerous to thank individually here. Their advice, assistance and especially friendship are much appreciated.

This is a collection of those dispatches from the peace trenches I filed for various publications over the course of several decades.
Most are about lesser-known places, away from what social anthropologists term a “tourist bubble.” A well-known war correspondent turned travel writer once told me that although it was not as glamorous, he preferred travel writing, as it brought people pleasure. I hope these 40-odd stories from some 16 countries bring enjoyment to readers who share my deep love for Asia.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

JAPAN

H
OKKAIDO
: B
ATHING
W
ITH THE
L
ADIES

N
AGANO
: T
HE
M
YSTERIOUS
D
ISAPPEARING
M
ATSUMOTO
B
ALL

S
ENDAI
: T
HE
P
OET
'
S
N
ORTH

SOUTH KOREA

H
ONGDO
: S
EEING IN THE
R
AIN

CHINA

C
ANTON
: T
HE
D
OOR
C
REAKS
O
PEN

Y
UNNAN
: K
UNMING TO THE
S
TONE
F
OREST

H
ONG
K
ONG TO
S
HANGHAI
: H
OGS ON THE
R
OAD

T
HE
Y
ANGTZE
: S
LOWLY DOWN THE
R
IVER