Summer and it’s time for the Great American Trust Fund Indochina Tour. Baggy cargo shorts and sandals, backpacks, and Macbooks. My gramps said that in ’66 it was the same, except instead of cellphones and laptops it was cameras and transistor radios. “Always, though, they don’t want to walk, Americans hate walking. That’s why you make good money with a tuk-tuk. Always busy.”
His English was perfect, but he told me he liked to fuck with the Americans by speaking a strange version of river pidgin. “Jolly jolly, plenty! You come ridee, twenty cash!” he’d laugh. “They’d start speaking it too,”
Dear Josh,
Grandpa knows how to work the tourist trade, doesn’t he? This put me in mind of Lee, the houseboy in “East of Eden.” I loved this story.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Yeah, Lee was pretty cool. I like how he dropped his pidgin and it took Adam five years to notice. Thanks for reading.
Loved the clever way he worked the tourists through their stereotypes
Making fun of tourist, universal!
Ah, great characters in this story and it felt completely authentic (except Ho Chi Minh City isn’t in Indonesia). :)
Susan A Eames at
Travel, Fiction and Photos
Those tourists are always such easy targets for the locals.
Spot on, that’s just what they do in India in my experience! Tour guides love having a laugh like that too.
Here’s mine!
Domesticated migratory birds that could never survive in the wild. I enjoyed your story very much.
No fool is he. Putting their money where his mouth is.
If the tourists want to be worked, then one works the tourists … Seems Grandpa got it down pat!
Give ’em what they’re expecting, and ask a lot more money for it :)
I wonder if we ever realise the cynicism with which we are regarded when we are ‘on tour’. Good one.
Nice story, Josh. You let us all share Gramps cynical amusement at the tourists.
Gullible Americans on the world stage… yep, I’ve seen it too many times. Tourists are idiots most of the time. But, then again, I make a killing selling junk to them in the summer months so who am I to argue. Love your story, and Gramps got it, and got it well!
Marvellous! and serves all those trust fund tourists right, well done Gramps.
Loved this one :-)
ha! it wouldn’t be authentic if he spoke perfect English.