I grew up in a small town -- Shelby, Montana, population 3,000 souls. I went to college in Bozeman, Montana, population 15,000 people. Montana's population density is among the lowest in the world.
I tend to have an aversion to crowds.
Somehow, though, I have no problem with the high population density of Vietnam, particularly in Ho Chi Minh City. Look anywhere, even between buildings, and there will be lots of people at all times. There is something to the flow of people and traffic in Vietnam that does not bother me -- there seems to be few traffic stops or jams.
So here I am in Branson, Missouri -- the entertainment capital of the midwest or south. This is a town with a population of 5,500 people, swelled by a 100,000 tourists. The town is spread out, punctuated by an endless supply of hotels, motels, restaurants, gift shops, tourist traps, and of course, its reason for being -- show halls.
We are here in the shoulder season and there are significantly less tourists than usual (that will change next week when the Christmas shows start). Nevertheless, the traffic jams are endless, and the major show halls are sold out. There is something about the slow movement of the crowds in this town that make me very uncomfortable. It might be the jostling for position, and the strategizing for position that puts me off.
But anyone who has been to Asia will remind me that the competition for position among crowds in Asian cities is overtly relentless and frustrating. Nevertheless, I feel that those crowds move because there is a flow that gives one a sense of making progress in reasonable time. Here it just frustratingly slow.
But I am adjusting and will make it through the week. I am actually enjoying the shows, which surprises me.
