Quite the Day

Yesterday could be one of those days that are so completely satisfying that we could have left and came home and all would be good.

                        I’ll explain in a bit, first an apology for something that I have no control of and that is the weather. While the lack of sunshine and the abundance of photo-starving cloud cover is natural, the photo-guy inside me is as frustrated as can be and feels the need to just mention something about it!

                        OK…. now I feel better!

                        Another mentionable item…. While we are visiting several of the indigenous peoples that have lived here for a long time, please don’t think that they are primitive. We are not on a remote island somewhere off the coast of another far-flung place that no one has visited and the tribes have not had any contact with the outside world.

Quite the opposite.

While these areas are definitely agrarian in scope, and some “beasts of burden” are still being used, there is ample evidence of a more modern technology being utilized. Take for example, this Travel Post. Without a really good wi-fi connection I would not be able to upload all of the photos, access the website utilities and then publish this mess.

            That’s just one example. While clinging to traditions remains a central part of these folks’ lives, they are not backward in any way and as they become more acquainted with some of the more modern ways and technologies that do make life a little easier, well…. who could blame them for taking full advantage of them?

            Not me! My argument would be if you really have a problem with coming here and not being able to see people sitting around a fire and chanting some guttural language while skinning a water buffalo for dinner, then I suggest that YOU come over and live that life!

            It’s like when people would come to me when we were selling the Chatterbox and would complain that it was going away. I would explain that no one came forward to purchase it as a restaurant and so the property was going to be something else. They would still go on and on until I suggested that they could purchase it from us and keep it the same.

            Their reaction was always the same…

            “What! Do you think I’m crazy!!!???”

            I rest my case and digress…..

            I hope that I’ve made a point about expectations when visiting unique places around the world. What we do look for is the people themselves and their outlook on their lives and where they see themselves in this ever-shrinking world that we live in. Homogenization would be an appropriate word to use here; it is pervasive wherever you travel and it is getting worse (depending on your outlook). Maybe that in itself is a good reason to travel as soon as you can! I’ll quote Captain Woodrow Call in Lonesome Dove who realized back in 1876 that things would not remain the same for long….. saying, “I wanna do it Gus, I wanna see that country before all the bankers and lawyers all git it.”

Hence their cattle drive to the wilds of Montana.

At the start of this Post I mentioned that it was a good day, and it was rather fulfilling. We went on a three-hour walk through the countryside and its villages, meeting people along the way. Friendly would be an understatement the way that we were always greeted. We spoke to all of the farmers and tradesman that we encountered, all adding just a little color to this palette of life that embodies this region.

One of the main destinations was the home of a local Veteran of the Vietnam War. (Just for perspective, they call it the “American War”.) We were invited to all come into his home where we met his family and we all had tea. Phil gave us an overview of Mr. Hein’s life, how he was affected by Agent Orange and his other military experiences.

            Being able to put politics aside and have a meaningful discussion about a mutual past was quite exhilarating and sobering at the same time. Being able to hear the “other side’s” perspective was rather satisfying. Listening to someone who once was the “enemy” talk about fighting for independence and protecting their homelands rang a little close to home. Boiled down, the Vietnamese people have been subjugated for thousands of years under the Chinese, Japanese, and French, way before the USA became involved. We were there to stop the threat of Communism, which at that time was so diametrically opposed to our ways that there was no “seeing” the other side.

I am not going to stay on this topic and defend one way or the other, but the fact that we were sitting in this man’s home, drinking tea with him, speaking about a horrible subject and seeing him smile at describing his life and family make us realize that there is always another side to a story.

            I left there quite moved by the simple fact that this opportunity was dropped at our feet and we elected to pick it up and run with it. This kind of travel may not be what everyone is looking for, but it is available if someone were interested.

            And don’t get me wrong here, I am totally looking forward to the next cruise that drops us in port for a few hours and we get to come back aboard for a nice steak and lobster dinner!