Days 19-22 Often, when life gets a bit stressful, I imagine myself on a beach lounger, a book in one hand, a cocktail on the table next to me, listening to the waves on the shore and keeping a lazy eye on the kids in the water. In my imagination, the beach looks something like Nha Trang:
But all this couldn't make up for the fact that we became anonymous wallets in a dirty, sad city. And that, for us, is the worst part about being a tourist; when our only value is in our economic activity. Nowhere else have we experienced this more acutely than in Nha Trang.
Here is a tiny story for you. Whilst in Hoi An we visited a souvenir shop. The young owner was chatty, and we got to talking about our kids. Later that night whilst we were in a different part of town, he came looking for us to introduce us to his baby son. Those of you who have experienced Vietnam might think it was a ploy to get us back into his shop - but it wasn't. He genuinely wanted us to meet his baby and we were genuinely pleased and honoured to do so. We've had tiny encounters like this nearly everywhere on our journey. They have given our holiday meaning and have brought us joy. And when this type of connection is missing it's very noticeable. A place with no soul is no fun at all. But we did get nice tans. And the cocktails were pretty awesome (Wait - it's Vietnam, the cocktails are ALWAYS awesome!)
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