Good Night Vietnam

“I mused for a few moments on the question of which was worse, to lead a life so boring that you are easily enchanted, or a life so full of stimulus that you are easily bored” - Bill Bryson

It may be said that traveling alone is the best way to discover a place, or it may be said that traveling alone is the best way to discover oneself. It may be said that traveling alone is dangerous, or foolhardy, or difficult, or all of these things. I think there is truth in most everything, and I think there is truth in this. I should also think there is truth in one finding adventure and liberation, and a good sense of fun, too. But, I have traveled alone for a long time and am no closer to finding the real truth than when I began. Now, I travel with another; a Chinese girl as it happens. We traveled together to Da Lat; a city high up in the mountains of South Vietnam. It rests at 4,500 feet – or so I was told by a man who could pronounce my name, so he was to be trusted. It is a city that offers relief from the choking humidity and rising heat of the lowlands and the jungles. Three days were passed there, and nothing much was accomplished that could be mistaken as productive, or worthwhile. I had some pretty good coffee on day two – that was something. A piece of food from some uncooked pork freed itself from my incisor on the same morning – I suppose that was something too. But, all and all, it was a good city to rest in while we prepared for the coastal city of Nha Trang, where we would stay another three days.

To snorkel in Nha Trang is to be content for a day. It is a wonderful way to see that unfamiliar, alien world below that thin mirror of ocean film so common to any surface dweller. I fear the locals take for granted the visibility and room temperature water of their marine environment. Do they know this water is sought by nearly everyone above the latitude of 30 deg N.? I think not. I think they are spoiled in regard to it. No matter, their ignorance and overindulgence can be forgiven as long as they remain dedicated to the practice of tourism, for the water, and the marine life benefit greatly. I have no issue with tourism by this result. The coral off the coast of Nha Trang borrows its color from an Afremov painting, and borrows its fish from an aquarium. The angel fish were my favorite, mostly because when they school together it looks as if the ocean is a Zebra patterned canvas. I enjoyed swimming through the schools, and watching as the fish made room for my awkward and unbalanced body. That I didn't have an underwater camera was a travesty; one that I did not forgive myself for until many days later. We went on to Hoi An in the meantime and participated in some more lounging about near the ocean. This time, however, we were unable to walk to the beach so we rented a scooter. The roads in Hoi An are open and easily navigated, like riding along on the shores of Cape Cod, so we had no trouble in staying out of trouble. Moreover, riding through the rice fields to our destination was perhaps the most relaxing part of our stay in Hoi An. Wide and stretching marsh with thigh high grass and Water Buffalo were being maintained by Vietnamese rice farmers the size of children, and they all wore the cone hat so commonly associated with the enterprise, and the country.

“Do you serve Duck Fetus here?” was the first question I asked in Hanoi - a question rarely asked within the average lifespan of most human beings I should imagine. But, I am amongst those whom can proudly say they have uttered the words. The reply was “no”, and I can thank the man at the restaurant for his immediate response. Any length of time between the asking and the answering would have cost me dearly. On one hand I was sad that we could not try the local delicacy, but on the other hand, and on both feet, I was relieved. Settling for Eel soup and roasted pigeon would have to do. A Vietnamese menu is a wonder of the modern world; comparable in awesomeness to Angkor Wat, or the Taj Mahal, or the city of Petra, or the Great Wall of China, or even the Roman Colosseum. It is enormous in size, perhaps close to that of an advanced physics textbook a student will be asked to study for a semester - for most, I imagine the menu is as elusive to comprehend, too. There is no reason why the breakfast section should be in the middle, and the drinks at the beginning, and the lunch at the end, and dinner scattered proportionately throughout. Why can I order a beer and a frog on the same page? What amazes me the most, though, is the ability to produce any one of the uncountable number of dishes offered, all within a reasonable amount of time, keeping in mind the closet size kitchen they are made in. Where do the ingredients come from? How is it that you can prepare for me a hamburger, a pizza, a bowl of pork fried rice, won ton soup, bacon, eggs, pancakes, sweet and sour chicken, tacos, quesadillas, fish, noodles, lobster, crab, shrimp, fruit, vegetables, potatoes, and still not expand your operation? Should I understand that you are capable of such things without the materials? - Voodoo maybe? Buddha maybe? Just like the driving in Southeast Asia, it is best not to wonder how it works, and just know that it does, somehow, like landing on the moon, or women. The less questions you ask in Asia, the more pleasant things will seem; this, I have come to know as a rule.

A more beautiful place than Halong Bay would be quite hard to find, I think. Maybe if one looked hard enough, and long enough, and wide enough, and high enough, and thorough enough, and had some insider information from some seasoned traveler, or some wise local, or some brilliant academic, or some leprechaun, or fairy, or genie. Maybe. Nearly two thousand limestone karst formations have formed at seemingly random intervals in aqua green water as smooth as a sea turtle shell to create the landscape. We boarded a houseboat to explore it more intimately. Our first day, we did some cave touring up the side of one of the islands. Surprise Cave it was called, apparently because it was secretive enough to avoid Western detection for so many years. We should get some better detectors, I think. It is comparable in size and grandeur to some other cave systems I have seen, primarily Carlsbad Cavern in New Mexico. Surprise Cave, I believe is the most amazing one I have seen, though I do not wish to be a prisoner of any moment, past or present, so I can not write this in stone. Hereafter, we explored the caves from sea level in kayaks; paddling into inlets and bays, looking for any nook or cranny that could pass for exotic under the right conditions. Certainly, we found them.

By and by, we reached the evening, and then the night, and then the early morning, and then the morning. We ate an ocean influenced breakfast and sailed on back to port. On the way, I looked out over the slowly passing islands and noticed the gray color of the limestone, and the lime green of the trees. I noticed the way they complemented the water. For the hundredth time, I noticed the hundreds of fish interacting with each other and swimming with no worries. I noticed I had no worries. I have a habit of noticing when I have achieved something I will never forget.