Odd Signs and Statues in Southeast Asia
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.
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.
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.)
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.
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.
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.
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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February 20, 2012 @ 6:19 PM
Funny stuff! Maybe the female statue was really a “lady-boy”? LOL
Thanks for sharing,
Dan
February 20, 2012 @ 8:41 PM
Hmm…I don’t know, do they have lady boys in Indonesia? π Thanks Dan!
February 20, 2012 @ 6:47 PM
Haha! The peeing lady is too funny π Love the random things you can see when travelling π
February 29, 2012 @ 11:09 PM
Thanks Sabrina, glad you liked it!
February 20, 2012 @ 10:54 PM
OMG LOVE THIS… the signs HILARIOUS… and well you know I am obsessed with peeing statues! Now it looks like I have mission for when I am in that part of the world!
February 21, 2012 @ 7:46 AM
Thanks Jaime! I though you’d enjoy this one!
February 20, 2012 @ 11:40 PM
Now Ali, you KNOW I have soft spot for funny signs on the road! Love the one with the swim trunks! I think it says you’re supposed to go skinny dipping… π
February 21, 2012 @ 7:48 AM
You have had a lot of good ones on your site! Skinny dipping, huh? Well, if it actually does say that, I hate to report that we did not follow the rules π
February 21, 2012 @ 3:06 PM
Oh wow! I don’t know which one to comment on…! Thanks for posting these π I love fun signs.
February 22, 2012 @ 10:45 AM
Thanks Heather!
February 21, 2012 @ 3:23 PM
Oh I love this, totally made me laugh at 7AM without even having had any coffee yet!!!
February 22, 2012 @ 10:46 AM
Ha! Thanks, glad to hear that!
February 21, 2012 @ 5:44 PM
That poster from Lao Airlines might be the reason why your flight that time was next to empty and only had westerners on it. The locals probably took one look at the poster and said to themselves “you know what? that rickety old bus and it’s 12 hour journey ain’t so bad now”.
I wonder if the pun was intended with the sentence “Weight A Moment”?
February 22, 2012 @ 10:47 AM
Hilarious Matthew! You’re probably right! And yes, I’m sure the weight thing was an intended pun. That’s actually what caught my eye to begin with.
February 22, 2012 @ 6:04 PM
The woman peeing is my favourite – how crazy!
February 23, 2012 @ 9:11 AM
Thanks Andrea!
February 23, 2012 @ 2:07 AM
haha, I can’t believe they have some of these!
February 23, 2012 @ 9:12 AM
Thanks Maria!
February 23, 2012 @ 4:16 AM
I saw a sign in Vietnam once, over the top of a money collection pot. It said “For the sick and miserable people”. It’s always made me laugh when I think about it. Good to know people are looking after the miserable folk.
February 23, 2012 @ 9:13 AM
Ha! Sounds like a good one too! Thanks!
February 27, 2012 @ 12:44 AM
I’m so glad I’m not the only one that collects pictures like these. <3 Great collection for sure. Although, I know women can pee standing up, but it requires a bit of holding for sure.
February 27, 2012 @ 10:27 AM
Ha! I’m sure it is possible & a bit tricky! Thanks Erica!
February 28, 2012 @ 5:17 AM
I love the funny signs in SE Asia. I’m thinking soon of doing a post just on the silly t-shirts I’ve taken photos of π
February 28, 2012 @ 4:54 PM
That would be a good one! I saw Goonies and He-Man t-shirts in Melbourne.
February 28, 2012 @ 5:02 PM
Hilarious photos! I love all of the bad English and weird signs in other countries. Sometimes I wonder who gets hired to create these posters and signs. There are plenty of people around that speak English somewhat well, yet most of the signs end up being really wrong. Anyway, this made me laugh a lot and it brought back some good memories.
February 29, 2012 @ 2:20 PM
Thanks Bryan! Glad I could give you a laugh!
July 9, 2012 @ 5:33 AM
Haha… great finds!
There are some crazy signs in Asia. #4 and #6 are my favorites.
July 9, 2012 @ 3:52 PM
Thanks, they definitely made me laugh too!
What If You Don't Speak the Language? - Travel Made Simple
August 28, 2012 @ 9:06 AM
[…] that English is the universal language of travel.Β Sometimes signs at tourist attractions are even written in both the local language and English. If you are […]
July 8, 2013 @ 7:33 PM
Maybe the peeing woman is…errr…uhm…not a woman???! Or the sculptor forgot he was creating a woman…
Yea, that X over scuba steve’s junk is perplexing…and so is the boy’s reaction, why’s he happy? and she’s scared?
July 9, 2013 @ 5:23 PM
Hilarious! Yep, these were a bit wacky!