From everything that I have experienced so far in Vietnam, the thing I love the most is that even with all the chaos (the two million or more motorbikes in Ho Chi Minh, the language barrier, the beeping, and man is there beeping!), everything still feels so calm. The best part about this calming feeling is that it is contagious. I have been able to relax, take in nature, and be fine doing absolutely nothing since I have been here. Right now, I am sitting on the beach of Mui Ne, Vietnam, enjoying a coffee and listening to the waves crash. My usual instinct is that I need to be doing something, and that something is wrong if I am not always going. But looking around at the people of Vietnam, I see that they are always working hard yet ALWAYS relaxing. Then I tried it, and by golly that is the secret! Always relax and have fun in everything you do. Don't think about the future or the past too much or you will not experience here and now. The thing is, I have known this was a tough thing for me to do and something I have been trying to work on my whole trip, but something about Vietnam has made it almost impossible to revert back to my go, go, go ways and I love it! Hopefully now I can just bring this home with me.
Before coming to Mui Ne beach, I ended my stay in Ho Chi Minh city with a two day trip to the Mekong Delta. The Mekong River is a long river that begins in China and passes through Thailand, Cambodia, and Loas, before fanning out to its delta in Vietnam and draining into the south Chhina sea. It is a very historical river that has great significance in many wars and leads to the livelihood of millions of people who live on its banks. All in all, it has been a place that I have wanted to see for a long time. What I really like about the Mekong tours in Vietnam, is that they are a lot less touristy than those in Thailand, for instance. In Vietnam, the floating markets that we get to see are the wholesale markets. They do not cater to tourists, but are meant only for the Vietnamese who make their living buying and selling fruits and vegetables. Those families who sell fruits and vegetables on the river are like a middle man. They buy the product from the farmers and then turn and sell it to those men and women who have fruit stands in the city markets. So those who have those market stands come to the floating market as early as 5 or 6 in the morning so that they can have the fruits and vegetables ready for their day. It was so amazing and educational to see this playing out in front of me.
I was also lucky enough to have my home stay bungalow right on the Mekong with a small porch to sit out on. Although we had to leave the next day at 6 am to head to a larger floating market on the river, I thought it would be a shame to not experience the Mekong from my porch so I woke up at 5 and sat outside, blanket around me, watching the boats full of fruits and vegetables head to the floating market. I watched as my neighbors across the river got up and started their morning routine, brushing their teeth as they crouched down over their porch spitting into the river, the woman beginning the days laundry by hand, and the man cutting up some wood to fix the side of the house. I felt so lucky that I was able to experience the pure, real daily life of the Mekong people.
Over the two days in the Mekong and now, as I sit by the beach, waves breaking in the background, I am so grateful to Vietnam for allowing me to relax, experience, breathe...live.
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