So far I've been in Vietnam for about two weeks and I'm in love with this country. The people are so friendly and are constantly saying hello, and although I stick out like a sore thumb they still are so interested in learning about foreigners. A lot has happened in these past two weeks but we started our Vietnam journey in Vinh Long where we opted to stay with a home stay family. We took a bus from Kampot to Vinh Long and it was probably the most uncomfortable bus ride of my life. It was technically a sleeper bus, but the seats were molded to your body and you couldn't adjust it at all. I already don't physically fit in this region of the world because I'm so tall, so I'm sure you can imagine the difficulty I had trying to sleep in this seat that was meant for a tiny 5'5" Vietnamese person. We had been on the bus for about 7 hours and we were awoken by the bus driver telling us to get out since it was our stop. It was about 1am in the morning and we were in the middle of nowhere, but we had to trust the bus driver that it was our stop. This guy on a motorbike just pulls up to us and tells us to get on and he will take us to the hotel. First off, three of us and all of our stuff will not fit on one motorbike and second off I was a little sketched out about getting on some guys bike in the middle of the night. After a few minutes of trying to figure out where we needed to go we decided it was probably best to go with this guy who had called some extra bikes so all our stuff could fit. We arrived all safe and sound, and after a while of traveling these types of situations stop stressing you out and it just seems normal. I've been traveling for about a month and a half now and there comes a point where things just start feeling normal. It's like a new reality. Living in hostels, eating street food, and constantly meeting and saying goodbye to friends is just a new norm. When I started traveling I had quite a bit of anxiety, because I was worried about meeting people and what not, but now that I've adjusted to my new reality everything just seems to flow.
Vietnam has been quite crazy and it has been quite a whirlwind. The best way to travel Vietnam is by motorbike, and it's quite a common thing for travelers to buy a motorbike in the south, see all of Vietnam, and then sell it in the north or vice versa. I decided to take a risk and buy a motorbike because I really wanted to see Vietnam and have the freedom to go where I wanted. I'm happy that David and Rachel got bikes too because I probably wouldn't have done it alone due to safety reasons. After purchasing our bikes in Ho Chi Minh City we were off to Mui Ne to check out some sand dunes, but the bike issues had already begun in the city. The night we bought of bikes David and I got caught in a rainstorm and too much water got into David's bike was broke so the mechanic that we bought the bikes from gave David another bike for a very cheap price. The fact that we had already had bike issues made me a little nervous, but that's part of the adventure.
On the drive to Mui Ne we had to stop at a hotel overnight because the rain was coming down way too hard and it really wasn't safe to drive. The next day we finally made it to Mui Ne after a few mechanic stops and we were ready to chill after a long day. We stayed at the Backpackers Village and it was a pretty nice hostel with a good pool and right next to the beach. Overall Mui Ne was great, besides the fact that I got in a pretty gnarly motorbike accident. Here's how it went down...
I was GPS'ing since I had data and we were on our way back to the hostel from doing some shopping when this lady decided to pull out right in front of me and then just stop. I had nowhere else to go because there was a divider in the road, so I try to avoid hitting them and I fall off my bike and slid out of the way. The lady was with her husband and child on the motorbike too, and they were literally untouched. I'm happy that they were ok, but pissed at the fact that it was not my fault at all. I had nowhere to go besides crashing into them or to crash myself. Luckily I was with friends to help me because I was pretty freaked out at what had just happened. I got myself up and I couldn't even really speak I was just so confused and in shock, and that's when I realized I had some pretty gnarly wounds on my elbow, knee, and foot. None of us had brought a first aid kit, because it was just a quick 20 minute drive to the market and nobody thought that something like this would happen. So I had to hop back on my bike and drive the rest of the way to the hostel. I made it back ok and my friends helped me get all patched up, but a huge lesson I learned was to always be prepared for the worst. You hear about motorbike crashes and injuries all the time, but you never think it happens to you until it does. My situation could have been a lot worse, but it's still pretty bad. I've been taking good care of my wounds, but what I hate the most is that now I have to opt out of doing things that would make my injuries worse. It is what it is.
Our next stop was Dalat and Rachel had worked out a deal with our friend Parker so that he would drive her motorbike and she would take the bus and meet us in Dalat. The drive up to Dalat was absolutely stunning, but each of our bikes had issues. When my bike decided to break down we were in the middle of the mountains with no mechanic in sight, so my only option was to coast down and hope to god that there was a mechanic nearby. Coasting down wasn't too bad but I came to a stretch where I had to push my bike for about a mile, and finally we found a mechanic! While the guy was fixing my bike a big group of kids came up to us and were so curious about us. They definitely don't see many foreigners in this village. We were in the middle of nowhere, and I mean it. They kept on looking over at us and we tried to communicate with them through google translate, but that wasn't really working so I decided to communicate through other means. I decided to show them how to grass whistle, which is when you put a thin blade of grass in between your thumbs and blow to make a whistle sound. I used to do this all the time when I was little and I thought it would be a fun way to show them something from my childhood. This interaction was probably my favorite experience of the trip so far, because it was so pure and natural. They just wanted to learn. I left my mark on some children in a tiny village in Vietnam, and I felt so great afterwards because now they will be able to remember me too and teach other kids the same thing I taught them.
Once we finally arrived in Dalat we were so exhausted from the long and adventurous drive that we just had a chill evening. The next day we decided to drive our motorbikes around and check out some of the sights. We made our way to this beautiful waterfall, but since I'm a cripple I couldn't go all the way down but I admired it from afar. Although it was a pretty cool waterfall I saw some pretty ominous clouds approaching, which meant rain was on its way so we got the heck out of there and made our way back to the hostel. We got caught in the rain of course and all our stuff got soaked, but we changed at the hostel and got ready for a night out in Dalat. Dalat is known for this cool bar called the maze bar, which is like a labyrinth inside and I kept thinking in my head that this isn't safe at all. I was sober and I was getting lost and tripping on things, so I couldn't imagine what it was like if you were drunk. It was an interesting experience though and I'm happy we made it. What I liked most about Dalat was that it was kind of chilly and cozy. It was a great change from being sticky and sweaty all the time. It's also just plain gorgeous with the fog rolling through the mountains and all the nature surrounding us.
After Dalat it was time to move on to Nha Trang for a night and then we would head to this place called Ninh Vana which is an all inclusive backpacker resort. And when I say all inclusive I mean it. Drinks, food, laundry, massages, excursions, and pretty much everything else. Treat yo self.
It's only been two weeks, but it feels so much longer than that. I've finally had some time to sit and think about my trip so far and here are some things that are going on in my crazy mind:
- Life can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be, and if you're able to take a moment to realize the little simple things in life it's almost a guarantee that you will feel naturally happier. For me, when I'm traveling I absolutely love seeing the locals living about their daily life. I love observing other peoples routines, and comparing the similarities and differences between cultures. It's simple, everyone does their own routine, and it makes me happy because it's a natural thing that we do.
- Sometimes you need to remove yourself from everything and everyone to just breath. Even as a solo traveler I'm constantly with people, which is great but it's also important to take time for yourself to decompress and think about how awesome you are and to take in all your surroundings.
- When things don't go according to plan use that opportunity to make it something positive and memorable.
- Last but definitely not least... just freakin live it. Opportunities in life don't wait for you, so If you want something don't hesitate and miss it.
I decided to choose this song because first off it's just such a feel good tune and second off I think the lyrics really relate to how I feel at times riding this darn motorbike and when I get into sticky situations. Sometimes I really do feel like throwing my hands up in the air an life is too much, but then I realize its all a part of the adventure.
As for this song I just love it because of a few lines but one of them in particular is "regarde ou nous sommes" which in French translates to "look at where we are." I think its important to take a look at our surroundings and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us everyday. This music video is also just great and puts me in a great mood. Enjoy!