Trifter

I travelled to Vietnam some years ago now. I recall that the plane was late for lift off as it was a Philippines airline and there was some maintenance problems. I had purchased a video camera for the trip and already had a Pentax camera with power winder my video of choice was a national brand which was good with the zoom option which came in with good use. We boarded the plane after midnight and the seats where I sat were not roomy as I also have long legs needing to stretch out I walked about the plane when safe to do so and it  was a long flight some ten hours with a stop over in the Philippines. The arrival at the airport was slow and the process substandard from the norm. There were airport workers offering to carry our luggage for five dollars I was told for only a few metres to the taxi stand I could carry them myself. We got to be friends with other travellers staying at the same hotel. We noticed that the bus driver had little regard for other traffic going through red lights at speed my eyes popped out with alarm. We arrived at the hotel that was five star very nice indeed as it was part of an international chain of hotels. We tipped the porter and rested a while but we liked the idea of seeing the place and found a man with horse and cart who took us round the sights with his young son and told us about the poverty here. There is no pension if you don’t work you don’t eat literally. we went around to some places and such a nice day for it. We stopped at a park and I noticed he spoke at length with another cart driver but not thinking too much of it at the time. As the day started to change into late afternoon and almost evening he pulled up away from the hustle and bustle to a quiet park and it was here he wanted money and it was our intention to give a tip on top of the price agreed but no he wanted more than we had and we said we had to go to the bank if we were to pay more not really wanting to pay at all at this stage apart from the agreed price. His young son motioned to his father that’s enough as we had become very friendly with the young boy particularly.We got away from him as soon as possible and counted our blessings. WE realised that there was real poverty here and at times it was risky for a traveller.We ventured back to our hotel still in a state of disbelief from our situation had some dinner and refreshments and retired ready for our flight out of there the next day. We prepared our luggage once more and waited on transport to airport.

           We boarded the plane destined directly for Vietnam I just love a window seat gaze out the window and see the blue sky and clouds and once descending I could see the trucks and war tanks in the distance in the airport. We made a touch down and the weather was quite warm as is typical I now know in this country. We had a bus shuttle service from the tarmac to the airport building as it was a reasonable distance at that time. We were bustled through immigration collected luggage and were met with family and a small bus to go to their home. The streets were narrow and they were overcrowded with motor bikes and cars and small vans. The drivers appeared to be impatient as the rules of the road tended to be a toot of the car horn or beep from a bike and maybe some shouting. I am so glad I didn’t drive no such thing as insurance there I am told and there is more to know. We reached there lovely home that was cool inside and we were invited to rest after our flight of which we reluctantly agreed and soon was to find that rest was important to the lifestyle there. We had some nice meals as it was fresh everyday as they tend to use fresh produce on a daily basis as opposed to what I am used to back home in Australia.

        The family was gracious and took such good care of us. We travelled about seeing the sites by foot as well as vehicle and my favourite method was by motor bike because you could see everything in that you are able to swing you head right round especially as a passenger and I’ve always remembered it. The people there that I saw especially of the Buddhist philosophy worshiped the Temples and they were beautiful especially when one realises they were made by the Monks working round the clock many times in shifts. The scenery was great as one backed on to a large lake and the peace and solitude is very moving so much so I was brought to emotion feeling though I had come home as I believe in reincarnation and have welcomed the philosophy into my heart. We arranged through the family to go on a bus tour and really see the place and stay in hotels for a while. The bus company forgot to pick us up on the scheduled time so with a call they sent a smaller van for the family. This worked out much better because it was more private and functional although we saw the other people on the other bus we just didn’t travel with them.We travelled with a young male driver who took us to eateries, markets and sights all planned. We were taken into the mountains and could see the forest on either side as we climbed the open road which was still a bit narrow by our standards. There up high it became cold as the mountains were at its peak and here was a market I saw mainly fish and vegetables but so cold thought I was in Iceland now the people there were trying to make a living and saw some selling postcards as well. Once it was completed we set off and travelled to other sites in the city part and presented to a hotel. This became a problem after a while because the standard wasn’t what was promised as well as no view to speak of and the cleanliness was not up to a good standard. The driver responded well and quickly took us to another that was much better. The next morning there was a place we were taken to place for breakfast that was like a french movie in that it had this connection. I was told yes it was well know to have this influence over a time as a second language for citizens is in fact French. We travelled then to historic sites where we would see relics of old buildings and temples and views of ocean and old ships and of course villages in the mountains where we could buy goods from them be it clothing towels and fabrics to objects and statues. We also saw a large aquarium where they even kept marine life fish and they were in big tanks mostly on the ground, we also saw a zoo it was so wide spread and we walked to discover the wild life. My favourite again were the monkeys and I wanted to take photos of them the funny part was they were able to get out of their cage easily as the bars were wide enough they could come and go as they pleased. There was a brown bear right down a shaft it must have bee one hundred feet and it played with a toy and I felt sorry it was lonely but then saw the shaft had a bend like a cave so at least the mother bear was inside. We saw the gardens like something once again like a movie where from our view in a sitting room you could see a maze of green hedges and with my sense of direction it’s best I stayed where I was. I took heaps of footage on video camera and snapshots with my camera. There was a place that looked like a deserted island with a bamboo swinging bridge and in the distance a waterfall that was strong backed on to a cliff face that was a picture for a tourist to see. We went then to a place where I saw people pick tea leaves and they also produced coffee beans and inside tourists would purchase directly from the place.

       We were taken to a place where we boarded a ferry and were taken to a beautiful place called Na’tran a typical touristy place of golden sands lovely beach to wade in pleasant temperature to bathe in. Having found a place to settle, we ventured well at least a couple of us to explore and could see small ponds for toddlers and small children and palm designed umbrellas and tables and large and small rocks set out just so all in all it was well designed my hat raised to the inventor. Everything was going along splendidly until a brown snake was spotted and we see them In Australia and are quite dangerous didn’t think I would meet the same situation in Vietnam. There was a panic and before long we were on the ferry back to civilization. We returned home and with each day we had fiestas at four thirty in the afternoon. I also noticed that in Vietnam there were set prices for locals and another for foreigners or International visitors where it was a guide we paid double that of local price. We had many great days and nights the culture was something I felt honoured to be a part of all of it. The young would actually respect their elders for a start and there was peace and honour amongst the people and when I met Monks they welcomed me into their temple and their world one even came from my home city in Oz. We the family became very close and we went round the city streets exploring there were music festivals and flower shows held in an evening. There was one time I recall where there was a stage show and the attraction was a comedy show and although I couldn’t understand a word I laughed at the site of two grown men up there one appeared as a baby in a nappy of all things and they went on and on about what I couldn’t say. I remember how the neighbours would help with the preparation and cooking and washing up and how they would make a point of greeting someone with international visitors. We tipped our driver before I forget to mention enough so he could have a nice meal with his girl friend or wife. I found out later he was so happy because it equates to two weeks wages. When I travelled with family we would give to the poverty stricken as there were a lot of them in some instances we would give to a leader to share amongst them. Another time a young girl came to our bus as we stopped near a beach. I was told what was good to give and instead of giving to a young girl I sought out the parents who were housed in a tent on the beach and I presented the father with money for his family enough for bread and some food. To me this was a honour that made me feel good for them. Well we continued on and I must say early in the morning it is warm and I just loved to have a small cup of black iced coffee the new elixir of life since I abstain from alcohol.

       It was soon time to go which brought sadness on all of the faces I saw. The next door neighbour thought we should stay longer but we had to get back to our life in Australia. We took a van to the airport and bid our fair-wells and once in there it was a spacious time where ther was lots of time to wait as the plane was scheduled to take off in an hour or so. The plane seemed as though they would come through the window as I sat there. The tarmac is set in a way that it was on a small scale although we needed a bus to get here on arrival the turning plane space is a mystery for a safety aspect. We soon boarded and I tried to get a seat with leg space, successfully I found one. It was a good trip home landing smoothly after a ten hour flight. We caught a taxi as our preferred transport to and from airport and we usually get a good driver and we did that time; very entertaining.