The Call of the Wild

     1966: Alone in the car, I was driving along Water Street in Galt and stopped at a red light. The night was dark, mist rolling from the warm waters of the Grand River across the sidewalk and the road. The single streetlight highlighted a transfixing tableau. A woman was walking away from me - long hair buffeted by the breeze, trim body swaying like a panther, soft boot heels resulting in a silent, alluring tread. As my senses drank in the scene, a switch was thrown. Anticipation begged me to stop her, see her face, the expression in her eyes, to hear the timbre of her voice, to make small talk to determine her demeanour. On the outside she was perfection. Just as the light turned green, and I shortened the distance between us, she turned into an alley and, like Ilsa in Casablanca, she was swallowed forever into the mists. To my knowledge, I never saw her again. I'll never know whether her inside reality matched my outside fanciful perception that she presented. Periodically, even today when driving that stretch I think of that night and the magnetism that pulled so strongly on a teen-aged boy, regretting that I couldn't answer The Call of the Wild and attempt moving from the Outside In. 

     2024 January: On a bright full moon night in January, that lady was the UNESCO designated ancient town of Hoi An, Vietnam. The only mists were the mists of time. I was drawn by the magnetism of the alluring monthly Lantern Festival. It's a shimmering kaleidoscope of rich colours, as all electric lights are extinguished and lanterns are hung and lighted throughout the town and also set afloat on the Thu Bon River. It's believed that lighting a lantern brings good luck and happiness. The pride, the joy, the respect evident in the local population was palpable. I was warmly enveloped by the positivity and graciousness that they shared with we travellers. 

     In January of 2024 I traveled from the south of the country, The Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City through Central Vietnam - Hoi An, Da Nang, and Hue - to Hanoi and Halong Bay in the north. I sampled tantalizing tidbits of a culture that has endured hardship, many regime changes, colonialism and of course horrible wars. Yet there was physical beauty, sometimes breathtaking in nature and scope, warmth, resilience and a culture seemingly satisfied that what they had was enough. Hard-working yes, but balancing that with relaxation, family and appreciation for nature. 

      Like the testosterone-fuelled teen, I an adult couldn't resist the lure of that magnetism and anticipation to more fully understand and appreciate their simple way of life that is not dependent on the North American corporate, materialistic foundation. A magnetic field that teases Can I, an outsider with a very different world view, language and creature comforts find a place to fit in here and soak up the wisdom of the ancients? So a much more mature me (some might argue that LOL) is off to Hoi An. Join me if you wish to share my adventures. I have answered this Call of the Wild to find whether reality matches my perception and if I can manage to navigate from the Outside In.