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Asia Vacation
My husband wants to take our family on an asia vacation. He doesn't care if we go to China or Japan. He says he wants to see them both and if we had the money he'd be making plans as we speak.

My sister dreams of going to Thailand. She has a friend who recently moved to Bangkok, when her husband was relocated. He's an airline pilot and they will be in Thailand for at least another year. They offered to get my sister a cheap flight, and they will let her stay at their home, if she can arrange to come out for a visit. She's trying to plan for her asia vacation for sometime later in the year.

I'm not sure how I feel about an asia vacation. I suppose it would be quite breathtaking in many ways. I've heard stories about China. My grandmother went to China for a month, about 15 years ago. She told me about the Great Wall and described the horrible living conditions of some of the peasantry. To me, a vacation needs to be relaxing and invigorating. Seeing other people suffering, no matter how beautiful the countryside, holds no appeal to me.

Japan sounds like a more likely destination for an asia vacation, in that there's money everywhere and insane technology. However, I always equate the word vacation with beautiful beaches and ocean views. Perhaps Japan does offer more typical vacation resorts in some areas, however, I have some difficulty envisioning myself choosing Japan as my asia vacation destination either.

Perhaps I agree with my sister in her selection of Thailand. From what I've heard and books I've read, Thailand is beautiful. The people are gracious and I adore Thai food. The downside of Thailand is of course, the prolific use of children in the sex trade. I'm not entirely sure I could visit a country that allows such practices and abuse. It's one thing for adults to make choices for their bodies; it's quite another story when small children are being treated as mere objects. I think for ethical reasons, I would have difficulty choosing Thailand as my number one asia vacation destination.

In fact, I'm afraid that there are many other holiday destinations that would hold precedence over any asian location. When I go for a vacation, I'm after the heat of the sun and the refreshment of the ocean. I don't need packed trade stalls, streets packed with bicycles or exotic foods, to make me happy. I guess my husband and my sister will just have to go ahead and make their asia vacation plans without me!