Richard Daigneault and the Glengarry Encore Education Centre

On October 31st, I headed out to Alexandria to visit the Glengarry Encore Education Centre to listen to a guest speaker on the topic of travel.
Richard Daigneault, a retired Landscape Architect and current Lead Singer/Musician for the Alexandria-based band Backtracks spoke of his South-East Asia Solo Adventure which took place in 2023/24. Inspired by a trip to Indonesia as a young man, he had always hoped to do more travelling but life intervened. Finally, at the age of 60, he realized his dream and undertook a four-and-half-month backpacking trip through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.

Throughout his presentation, Richard provided background historical information about each country interspersed with more personal tales. Some of these highlights included hikes in the mountains, risky motorcycle rides, and immersive cultural experiences.

On of his most memorable events was a 3-day mountain trek to a remote Akha village of 200-300 people. “There are no roads to get there, only trails. We walked 8 hours to get up to the village,” he related. Along the way he was shown how to stay hydrated if he got lost in the forest by drinking water from bamboo stalks. Visiting this village was only possible in the company of a guide. The village was so isolated, that only a few of the men ever left, and only for purposes of replenishing supplies. The women and children never left at all. Foreigners were treated with weariness, and visits strictly limited.

He spoke about Mae Hong Son in Northen Thailand, known for its mountainous landscape and epic motorbike loop. Over a four-day period, he undertook an 850-km scenic drive on a sinuous road which, he said, had “thousands of these dangerous turns” along cliffs – all while driving on the left side of the road as they do in Thailand.

In Laos and Vietnam, the French Colonial influence was evident in the architecture, the presence of bakeries, and the strong coffee culture, something that was not present in Thailand. Richard described Buddhist monks in bare feet wearing orange robes and collecting food offerings before dawn every day. As part of their practice of humility and detachment from material possessions, they rely on the generosity of the community to be fed. Following the sacred ritual, Richard was approached to buy steamed rice packaged in banana leaves as an offering to the monks, which he gladly did.

As part of the presentation, he answered questions from the audience. When asked about the differences he noticed between this trip and his previous one 35 years prior, he replied that the biggest change he noticed was the presence of the internet. Before people all over the world were more naïve and less aware of what was happening elsewhere in the world, but now everyone had cellphones, even in the poorest of countries. Third World countries adapted to the cellphones faster because, for one thing, they didn’t have to transition from landlines, which they had never owned.

Responding to an inquiry about the cost of his trip, Richard explained that he travelled frugally on a daily budget averaging about $70 Canadian per day which included accommodations, transportation, and food. He didn’t stay in lavish hotels which were available, but in huts, rooms in guest houses, and cabins, but he admitted to splurging for air-conditioning due to the heat.

Another audience member asked if he ever felt lonely travelling alone for such a long period of time. “No,” he said, “I am a very curious person, taking things in, so I’m always out walking around, seeing people, and that keeps me alive.” He would talk to people, other budget or solo travellers who seem to be more open, and he made a few friends along the way. “You could be alone for two or three days and then be with someone for a day or so, and then you could be alone again.”

I enjoyed the presentation very much and look forward to attending more on a variety of topics. To find out more about upcoming presentations visit Glengarry Encore Education Centre at https://glengarryencore.com/ or look for one closer to your home.
Travel photos courtesy of Richard Daigneault