Of course one of the advantages of being a professional
seafarer is the time onshore when I’m not working…
I must have been around 16 years old when I created a “list of things to do before I’m 30” because,
at the time, I clearly believed that you had somehow “passed your prime” at 30….hmmm.
The list mostly describes trekking routes and countries that I wanted to visit
but it also included experiences such as “seeing the Pope at the Vatican on
Christmas day” and “getting a dog”. (For your information I achieved the former
in 2002 but it looks like I’m going to fail at the latter). I took stock at the
age of 25 when I discovered that I had achieved most of my list and I spent a
couple of years feeling pretty happy with myself…..Then I started adding to my
list. It appears that the more I travel and experience, the further I want to
travel and the more I want to experience!
One of the non-movers on my list was the high priority entry
of “visiting Vietnam”. The reason I had never done it was three fold:
1)
Lack of money when I had time
2)
Lack of time when I had money
3)
I wanted to “do it right” (refer to reasons 1
and 2)
So, when I thought I was going to be on a ship working off
Vietnam I took a leap of faith and booked a trip….Naturally, I left the company
before the ship went to Vietnam *sigh*
So, last month I spent the most wonderful three weeks in
Vietnam. I started in Hanoi where I met up with an old University friend and visited
Halong Bay. We spent a magical night floating on a boat between seamounts that
rose majestically out of the water, under a sky glowing with stars where all we
could hear was the sound of the animals on the nearby mounts and the occasional
plop of the fishermen’s nets. I realise the irony of spending time on a boat
when on holiday, but I make much more sense on a boat!
I then met up with a group and we cycled around 70km every
day to travel from Hanoi down to Ho Chi Minh. The cycling was tough (very tough
on some days- e.g. 15km up a 10% incline!!!) but it was worth it to be part of
the scenery and to have the blessing of space and tranquility that cycling
allows. We travelled through paddy fields, tiny Vietnamese villages, over
mountain passes, along the coast and around various temples and palaces.
Cycling through the villages was brilliant as the children would always come
running out to wave at us and shout “hello” and try to slap our hands as we
passed. These moments where usually closely followed by Water Buffalo
altercations- Vietnamese Water Buffalo become more agitated further South and
find joy in splashing me with muddy water as they run in front of my bicycle!
Cycling down highway 1 was a bit of a dichotomy in
landscape, but the atmosphere it created knowing what happened there and with
that famous picture fresh in my mind made it a hard road to cycle on without
being in constant prayer for the children of the war.
The day after we arrived in Ho Chi Minh I took a tour to the
Mekong River Delta. Here we explored some of the islands and enjoyed various
different traditional boats and canoes (yes, I was back on the water!) It was
incredible paddling up the small tributaries between the islands as you got a
real sense of how awful it must have been for the soldiers and fighters (on
both sides). The rain here can be torrential and this creates natural booby
traps in the mud on the islands and must have made fighting both physically and
psychologically exhausting. Add to this the fact that the tributaries wind and bend
back on themselves and are covered with high grasses so that you could never be
sure which direction you are travelling. It was really humbling to experience
it.
If anyone is considering travelling to Vietnam, then just
go! The country is beautiful, the people are really friendly and the culture
and history is just awe inspiring.
Tamsin Smith 01-07-2013
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