Odd Signs and Statues in Southeast Asia

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When traveling to foreign countries, I think most people expecting things to be different than they are at home. We expect to see things and experience things that might be a little strange or surprising. This can be true just traveling to different parts of your own country. Well, I definitely saw some odd things in Southeast Asia, so I wanted to share some of them with you here. I took a few of the pictures with my iPhone so please forgive the quality.

odd signs and statues in Southeast Asia

I saw this sign when I was waiting in line to check in for my flight from Luang Prabang to Hanoi. I’m all for safety, especially when it comes to airlines, but somehow having this sign reminding Lao Airlines employees to make sure the aircraft adheres to proper weight and balance restrictions doesn’t instill a lot of confidence in the airline. Weight and balance is one of the first things pilots learn about when studying to get their license. While everyone needs reminders of the basics now and then, something like this might be more appropriate in an employee-only section of the airport.

odd signs and statues in Southeast Asia

Sorry this one is a little blurry. Amanda and I had a room in a hotel with a pool our last night in Indonesia, so we went for a swim before dinner. One our way back from the pool to our room, we noticed this odd sign. We were a bit confused since it’s only in Indonesia, but maybe it wouldn’t have been as entertaining if we knew what it said. Really, what’s going on here? The girl on the left is shocked or grossed out or something like that. The boy on the right seems to be laughing or cheering. And the man in the middle has a big red X on his crotch! WHY? Does that mean “don’t pee in the pool” or what? (If anyone reads Indonesian and can tell what this says despite the blurriness, I’d love to know what it says.)

odd signs and statues in Southeast Asia

Not much to this one. When I was in Vang Vieng with Jo, we went to dinner one night and she noticed the menu said Ala Crate instead of Ala Carte. It just made us laugh.

odd signs and statues in Southeast Asia

When Amanda and I showed up for our cooking class in Bali, this statue was one of the first things we saw. There are famous and not so famous peeing statues scattered all over Europe (to see a few click here or here) but I had never seen or heard of one that was a female peeing. You know, since we typically don’t pee standing up.

odd signs and statues in Southeast Asia

As if the female peeing statue wasn’t weird enough, just a few hours later on our way back to the guesthouse, we saw this statue. Is he trying to violate that ball? Or just practicing? Maybe this guy should hook up with the peeing woman above.

odd signs and statues in Southeast Asia

On our Bromo Volcano tour, we were picked up from our hotel in a jeep to get most of the way up the hill. After the sunrise, Amanda and I were waiting for our driver to round up the other passengers in our jeep, and we noticed this sticker on the front window of the jeep. I guess you can never be too cautious….

What odd things have you seen on your travels?

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