Reflections

 Education consists mainly in what 

we have unlearned. ~ Mark Twain 

It's been 3 days of trying to find my circadian rhythm. 26 hours of planes and waiting in airports and travelling through 12 time zones wears on a body and mind. Took me 10 days to sleep through the night upon my return last year. The rule of thumb is that it takes one day for each time zone travelled through to return to normal. So I hope this post makes sense. And after a treasure trove of new experiences and new connections will it be possible for me to return to "normal"? 

My favourite experiences:

The Viet Cong Tunnel Tour, the Lunar New Year's Night, the coffee culture seminar and the daily coffee houses' visits, descending into Marble Mountain Buddhist hell and then climbing to Nirvana, the digital/travelling nomad culture discovered in pubs like Seven Bridges, Heart of Darkness and Pasteur Street, scooting through the chaotic ballets of the street rodeos, and most of all the people I met, both ex-pats and Vietnamese. 

Disappointments:

Sun World on two levels - the totally foggy weather and also the rather meh displays in the buildings

The narrow food and taste spectrum compared to Thailand and Cambodia.

Not being able to do some water sports due to the seasonal weather and ocean currents. 

 

Mind you, the weather was very comfy until the last 4 days when I had to change clothes at least once during the day and my AC hydro cost was minimal. 

One of the biggest take aways was that despite Vietnam being a Communist and a third world country the people are a warm and welcoming folk, quick to laugh, kids always waving and smiling (I was told by a Viet parent it was my white hair that drew that response 😂). 

People of all ages work extremely hard and they all take tremendous pride in their work. Vietnam's lower unemployment than Canada is because of an ancient "gig economy" vibe. Restaurants and most businesses are staffed by family. A Grab car or scooter is always just a few minutes away due to the huge number of drivers. Scooters get delivery gigs and are most inventive in attaching their loads. 

This guy has a generator blowing air over ice to create refrigerated deliveries. 

The family who renoed JP3 all contributed. Dad has a construction company. One daughter is an architect, her brother is taking over from Dad and he works on the renos as well as working for a building supply company, another daughter manages all the books and the villa of 6 units they also own. Every morning at 5:30 weather permitting, the family bicycles together for an hour, stops for coffee and breakfast, and then cycles home, then it's off to work. 

And yet there is an obvious difference from the North American "rat race". They seem to thrive on expending energy. I saw very little processed food in the stores. The frozen food sections are tiny. Daily markets offer a huge variety of fresh meat and produce. Houses are small so outside life is probably experienced much more than indoors. Elderly parents live with and are provided for by two, sometimes three younger generations, without rancour. 

The Buddhist influence is an overarching umbrella in the Viet zeitgeist. Even those who profess no religious affiliation benefit from the goodwill. Accepting life, meeting it head on and going with the flow seems to be the mantra. I witnessed a number of incidences of honesty - left backpacks tracked back to their owners; when I struggled with the currency storeowners would sift through my bills (there are no coins) and always verified the amount with me and the same with giving change. 

I have nothing but admiration for these generous, fun-loving people. Did I get in to the culture from the outside. I was allowed to get in as much as I wanted, I never felt barriers. But I had too much to unlearn to truly be on the inside, too many Western points of view, too many prejudices to overcome in just two months, and I suspect that even more time immersing myself in the culture would not result in "Viet Nirvana".  

I did find the digital nomads personalities and their stories fascinating. Very different perspectives, points of view at odds with our norm. Most either working for tech companies or NGO organizations, willing to live with uncertain job security in a constantly changing kaleidoscope of external influences. 

And what did I learn of myself? My trip in 2024 was a tour with a guide. All accommodations, meals and experiences were arranged. I did enjoy plunking myself down in the middle of a culture, finding a place to live, places to go, people to see. The language was a bit of a challenge in that it was often word pronunciation that caused confusion, not the idea. And Google translate came in handy. One reason I did the trip was because I was feeling too comfortable with life and not being challenged. So this was a self-imposed kick in the butt, a wake-up call. And while there were moments of confusion and some anxiety, my butt isn't sore. 

Would I return? I had hoped to visit the northern mountains near the Chinese border - the Sapa area. Spectacular vistas of terraced mountain rice crops, ultimate motorcycle roads, nature in the raw. However weather is the deal breaker. I talked to a couple who saw nothing because of fog and low cloud during two days there. Maybe some day. 

But other parts of the world wait to be discovered....

Bike and Barge Amsterdam to Bruges..... 

Glamping and SUPing on the reefs and exploring the jungles of Belize.....

Walking the Highland Way in Scotland......

or the Camino in France/Spain/Portugal.....

The Amalfi Coast of Italy.....

Granted, wandering through these areas would be a totally different experience than "living amongst" for several months - meaningful rather than transformational. However, I'm sure some degree of unlearning would result and I would be educated. 

I hope you've enjoyed the journey. Thanks for coming along for the ride. Be well.