Hue

HEY HEY HEY!!!!! Taxi?! WEED?! COCAINE?! BOOM BOOM?????? In the city of Hue you are a walking wallet. On just a 5 minute walk to get my laundry done I got asked a dozen times if I wanted a service I didn’t request. Even after you decline the first 10 times, if they see you again the question will be asked. To be fair I’m a solo traveler so I’m likely an easy target for these guys but god damn it was exhausting. Once you get past this, the town itself is adorable, it’s clean and well kept with many food options, art installations littered throughout the town, and the main attractions are all about 20 minutes away by motorbike. I spent 4 days in Hue and got to see Hoang Than Hue (Imperial City) Hieu Lang de Minh Mang (Minh Manh’s tomb) and Lang Khai Dinh (Mausoleum of Emperor Khai Dinh) as well as some other honorable mentions I’ll get into. There are also long stretches of beach just outside of town, I would recommend staying outside of town to avoid the sales men and have a bit of peace, to each their own.

Imperial City - First let me say, if you’re looking for epic shots, this is the place, dress to impress because the amount of gorgeous backdrops is mind bending. Patience is key to get a photo all by yourself but if your spot is busy just move on and come back, there are so many places to shoot. Cost of entry is 200k VND or you can cherry pick other attractions and get a 2day pass for 420k which is what I opted for. The palace itself is almost 200 years old, it’s huge and some areas are under renovation, the moat alone is 10km long!!! I spent about 4 hours cruising and taking photos. There is an audio tour that would probably be worth the money and likely to give lot more insight on what you’re looking at. There is just so much here, but its also nice to let your imagination run wild. How many concubines were bedded in this garden I’m walking through? Who was tired of who's shit and trying to get them exiled? What grand gestures and unbelievable treasures were laid at the feet of the Emperor here? Ahhh so much history I’ll likely never know!! Its always astonishing walking these kinds of places and seeing what ancient engineering is capable of. We are so capable when we have purpose.

The next morning it was a little rainy, but the show must go on, so to the tomb I went.. to be honest it was fairly underwhelming as the main quarter wasn’t accessible but still scenic and peaceful, I think a lot less people actually venture out to these other attractions. A quick hour here is all you need but there are plenty of nature to appreciate. The absolute show stopper was Khai Dinh’s mausoleum. My initial thought was wow they must have been a beloved emperor, the amount of detail and sheer magnitude of everything was over the top, but with a bit of research reveals he allowed the French to tax his citizens significantly more in order to fund this tomb! And the rumor is he spent more time with his body guard in his quarters than any of his courtesans. It is pretty though I’ll give him that! I took my time here finding cool angles and trying to wait for people to be out of frame to take a photo, while just taking in the beauty of this intricate porcelain and glass tomb.

My next stop was Standing Buddha temple, there were monks praying at the base when I arrived. I sat in the back, respectfully listening and saying a few prayers of my own. I’ve been traveling for so long and only recently have I begun finding my peace. For me that comes from within.. I’m excommunicated by my sisters, my friends and family are an ocean away, I don’t know anyone in Vietnam that I could reasonably say they could help me in a pinch… but I’m comfortable with myself and being on my own. I value my time alone now.. Someone asked my with aimless travel how do I fill my day? Truth be told I wish there was more time. I am so busy even though I have no real responsibilities! I’m constantly trying to learn more and fill my cup, that’s what makes me feel like I’m moving forward. I spent about an hour here meditating with the chants of the monks and made a quiet exit. To round off my trip I stopped off at an abandoned dragon statue. Its important to note if you’re heading to the abandoned waterpark or the dragon statue there are grifters trying to receive “donations” for parking and a bicycle rental. Likely I could have ignored them and continued on but I didn’t want anything to happen to my scooter, so pulled up the satellite image on google maps to see how to access the dragon without having to park there. Viola! Found it about 60 seconds down the road. This was an other great area for a photo shoot. I’ll let the photos do the rest of the talking for today.

Cham Island - typhoon edition

There is very little infrastructure for tourism on this Island. There is very little info on getting here, there are rumors of a ferry, it may or may not be operational the day of your arrival, and even if it is, you might not be allowed on as a tourist. There are speed boats that will try to squeeze as much out of you as possible, booking your return trip in advance with them will save you about 100k vnd with a total cost of 400k round trip. Although it seems like Koh Larn, in Thailand its a far cry, you still get the usual barrage of scooter sales from people at the harbor, but after that the similarities end. This island only recently received stable electricity in 2016. There is one main town where you land and one small neighborhood that is half way off limits to tourists. I would say about 70% of this island is off limits and guarded by the military, but the other 30% that is accessible is REALLY pretty. There are a lot of conservation projects and completely neglected roads. You can see everything you need to in just a day with a scooter (150-200vnd) 2 days maximum. This is a fishing village island but they only take what they need and keep their waters healthy.

Upon landfall I was informed by my Homestay host that he would not be able to accommodate me as there was a typhoon coming, that nothing would be open, he might lose his property to the storm, and the police would fine him for letting me stay there. I had three main goals I wanted to achieve during my stay on Cham Island. 1. To complete a book that I’ve been carrying with me for 9 months, then donating it to a hotel or person, lightening my load and giving someone else the opportunity to read it. 2. Do some work on this website and complete at least two blogs. 3. Get at least one good day of sun, enjoy a sunrise and sunset and veg out at the beach. My needs were not grandiose or impossible and i tried to explain that to my host but he wasn’t having it.. While I was traveling in Thailand I asked a backpacker what are the two best things she’s learned so far. Her answer was first, travel lighter than you think, even if you think you are light, you can do better. (I wouldn’t know as i carry my 36kg suitcase and 10kg laptop with me almost everywhere) And second try not to sweat the little things because it’s likely going to work out if you try - that much I can attest to personally. So there I am, homeless for the next 5 days, typhoon imminent, and faced with a decision… do I explore the island for half a day and catch a boat back, or do I find a place in town that will take me? I went to a coffee shop and considered my options. All the hotels said they were available so I found one that I could pay directly and booked it. When I walked to the hotel there was a lock on the door and no one home! I called the owner, he said he was off island and unable to facilitate my stay, to which I replied, I already paid you! As I was sitting on the porch of the locked hotel and looking for an alternative a woman shows up and unlocks the door and ushers me into the hotel. She checks a room and asks me if this is ok to which I say yes and are you sure? She hands me the keys to the hotel and shows me how to lock up when I’m not there. She pulls a dilapidated scooter around to the front and tells me its honors system and then disappears. I’m on my own, I am now the sole resident of Sunbay hotel in Cham Island! No staff, no guests, just me.. I go to the restaurant next door and ask the grandma working there if they are staying during the storm? Her and her family have been on this island for 30 years, she’s not going anywhere and assures me if I am hungry I will be fed for the next couple days. That was all I need, I have shelter and food, the sun is shining bright, its time for beach! On foot the nearest beach from the main port is about a 20 minutes away. The beaches on this island, although limited, are pristine and worthy of top beaches in the world conversation.. surely better than Boracay in the Philippines. I have the beach to myself today as they begin limiting the boats arriving on the island, exit only for the rest of the day. There will be no boats for the next 4 days. I crack open the book that I’ve been slowly picking through for months. It’s a biography/discography of Eminem and his troubles with addiction, and how it related to his music releases over the years. I sat on the porch of my hotel that evening as the rain clouds begin to roll in. I’m fully committed now.

Day two and heavy clouds continue to roll through, I frequent my neighbor for nourishment, the locals all come to her for a 10k banh mi and morning coffee before returning to work in the rain. I sit on my porch and read while listening to the albums that are being discussed in the book. It was a really fun way to experience a reading as you can kind of see where the artist’s head was at as you’re learning more in this deep dive. Dark clouds migrate from far to close to far again throughout the day. I’ve procured water and snacks from the only convenience store in town. It was a chill day. Heavy rain begins around 7pm. Waves are crashing against the sea wall, they lul me to sleep, it’s a different story at 2am. Each time the ocean meets the barrier a small earthquake shakes the foundation of this concrete building. I go downstairs to assess the situation and the waves are billowing from the dark void onto the road. My patio is about 4 feet higher than the street but I begin moving the furniture to ensure it wont get damaged or swept away by a rogue flood. I try to catch some more sleep while the ocean continues to batter the ground beneath me. Dawn comes and reveals the war from the night, occasional waves breaching on to the now un-drivable road, rocks and sand everywhere, the barrier steps that I sat on two days prior now an empty void, reduced to rubble in the street in front of my hotel. But at my neighbors hotel its business as usual, the locals smoking and joking with each other over their morning coffee. Occasional OO’s as a big wave smashes the barrier and breaches.. laughing at people trying to navigate the road and timing the waves. Grandma asks me if I’m scared, to which I reply no one seems concerned so why should I? By the way, Grandma doesn’t speak a word of English, and my Vietnamese vocabulary is worse than a toddler at this point, what an incredible time to be living with technology where we can still communicate via translator apps if both parties are patient and willing. I got to know her decently during my stay, a mother, now grandmother, her dream when she was my age was to travel a lot and she did before settling down with family life. Two years back she was in a motorbike accident and broke her leg, which impedes her ability to move around but she’s still quite spritely for being almost 70. Her husband, a stoic mustached man that rarely dons a shirt or a smile, lives there with her son, daughter, and granddaughter. They’ve endured many storms and floods on this island and this seemed like a light one for them. So back to my shelter I go to continue reading. The army comes through and makes light work of the street, within an hour all the debris has been put into a flatbed and carted off to who knows where. The rolling clouds come and drop their rain and move on, its a fairly unremarkable day, but I accomplish my first goal of completing my book! I’m an incredibly slow reader be it distractions or my own will to sit in one place and focus my attention on something. It’s difficult and its been years since the last time I’ve physically read a book from start to finish.

Day 4 comes and the ocean is tame, the clouds are high, its 4:50am and I can see hints of pink teasing me from the other side of the island, so I hop on the scooter and bolt over.. I’m greeted with one of the most beautiful sunrises I’ve had in a while. I feel sunrise is the unsung hero compared to sunset. It asks for nothing, waits for no one, ushers in the new day with new possibilities, it’s so fleeting too.. a good sunset will last an hour or more, but you only have a 20 minute window for a great sunrise! And the fact you have to make an effort to go and see it, its far more precious than sunset. But thats just my opinion. After I’ve taken my obligatory 6000 photos, I head back into town to get my banh mi and coffee from my neighbors, delicious as usual and now the locals are warming up to me, offering me smokes and trying to practice their English with me. The entire community came out today to do a deep cleaning of the street that was ravaged by the storm. The big rubble was already removed but there were literal tons of sand congesting the street soon to reopen to tourists. I did my part in helping to clean, I took over grandma’s shovel and got to work. After an hour of cleaning I received a reward for my labor, one free over salted rice dish and a coffee. It was more than I could even ask for. I was so grateful for them to stay open and keep me fed during this typhoon, they could have told me to kick rocks but instead they showed me such immense hospitality. I wasn’t mad that my meals were more expensive than average, would I rather starve? It’s so easy to get caught up in nonsense of day to day living instead of paying attention to the world around you with gratitude in mind. The little things are everything. I look at Eminem and the struggles he’s been through, how he dealt with recovery and found an outlet suitable for him to say what he needed. I think this blog is going to be somewhat the same. Yes I’m going to do my best to share the beautiful world around me and the things I see along the way. But if my words reach even one person struggling, be it with addiction, depression, failure to launch, or even just taking time to know they aren’t alone in their struggles. It will be worth it to me. Things do get better, life is worth living, you are not alone.

Day 5 comes and its time to pack up and close out, after tidying up my room I come downstairs and meet the owner of my hotel. He’s a younger guy in his mid 40s and has his music playing loud for everyone to hear, he was a DJ before his family bought the hotel. We jump around to different genres of music and ended up on rap. He tells me Eminem is one of his favorite artists, it was perfect, I pulled out my book and asked him if he wanted to read it and pass it on? He graciously accepted my book and I successfully completed all of my goals on Cham Island. The sun was bright this day, tourists were arriving on the island and spoiled by the stunning water and pristine air. Grandma comes over to check on me several times to make sure I’m fed before my departure. I print off my last polaroid in my roll for her and give her a nice message. It brings her to tears and I give her a big hug. I get helped to my boat and get a proper send off. One of the craziest things about this world is when you embrace it and stay positive you never know where it will take you, the opportunities and lessons presented to you, you never know who you might touch or bring joy to, even if for a moment. I’m extremely grateful for my stay at this island, it will forever be special to me.

Vang Vieng

After only one night in Vientiane I decided this place was not for me… Although it’s the capital and commands perhaps an other day or two, it was time to go. I hailed a van from the hotel across from mine and i was on my way. The original plan was to take a train, but as i learned talking to others in Vang Vieng there is an app called LCR Ticket and can save you about 100-200k kip instead of booking through one of the many agents along the road. You need a Laos number in order to receive a verification message so keep that in mind. The rails are Chinese owned and mainly move mined materials up to China with occasional trains for transit. They are faster than vans but about 4 times the cost, additionally, depending on the season the rails might be the only way to traverse between towns given the road conditions are questionable and land slides are common.

A couple hours later I ended up in Vang Vieng, a sleepy little town similar in size to bang saray poised in lush overgrown mountains and jungle all around. Absolute breath taking 360 views and the the occasional hot air balloon or para-motor polishing the scene. The road conditions in town are some of the worst I’ve encountered even surpassing Philippines by a notable margin. There are a multitude of lagoons and hikes to experience. Each entry is 20k kip with some requiring a parking fee of 5k kip The parking fee is to ensure your motorbike doesn’t get stolen while you’re away from it.

I was here for a week, explored many caves, lagoons, and a few hikes and waterfalls. I also paid for a 30 minute para-motor for 900k kip and opted out of the hot air balloon tour. Cramming into a basket with 15 other people at 5am was not the experience i was looking for.. As I’m gliding over this town I can’t help but reflect on my journey over the last year and how incredibly grateful I am to not only have this opportunity, but to be 9 months sober… my journey has taken me so far, and I’m not done yet. I’m currently on step 9 of my recovery, making amends to those I’ve harmed. On the rainy days i sat at an open air cafe and wrote letters to family and friends. Such a cathartic experience being able peer into the jungle as it sings back to me with rain and wild animals.

This area is special, its peaceful here, but as my week comes to a conclusion i can’t help but feel there’s more going on behind the scenes… There are a multitude of KTV bars littered throughout the town and brief walks past them reveal dolled up women in tiny dresses. A few dicey massage parlors here and there, the women are no where near as aggressive as Thailand though. I can’t help but feel the lowkey presence of Chinese running things behind the scenes. Many older Chinese men in the area smoking outside of these establishments along with non Lao “security” posted up outside. There is one giant club called Ferrari club, a suspicious site indeed, probably one of the newest buildings in the area and stands about 5 stories tall. The entire bottom floor is a huge night club with a Nigerian DJ and no one it it. I found out later the top 3 floors are actually KTV as well.. I’m curious to know the full story, but know better than to stick my nose in places I don’t belong. The mystery persists. On to Luang Prabang.

Taipei rose garden

When was the last time you stopped to appreciate a beautiful flower? We get so caught up in movement, going to a meeting, seeing this person, appointment at 8. When was the last time you just took 30 seconds to appreciate a bit of nature? Welcome to Taipei rose garden. The floral aroma was present long before you enter the garden bursting with color. It was a rainy morning when I walked into this place, I mostly had it all to myself. I spent about 3 hours here just casually walking this lush jungle in the middle of a bustling city. There is so much beauty in this world that we take for granted and so much to explore! I spoke with several people that have lived in Taiwan their whole lives and have never visited this garden. Life is fleeting and time will consume you.. take a moment to be present, look around and enjoy where you are. Notice the little things, how does the air feel right now? What tensions can you let go?

Streets of Kaohsiung

Following my brief stay in Hsinchu I found myself in Kaohsiung. So much art and architecture flowing through the city. Everywhere you look there is something to admire. I dropped my bags off at my hotel and was greeted with a beautiful lake view and city skyline. Small trainer sailboats were floating in the river catching the lackadaisical gusts that granted a tiny reprieve from the intense sun. The first thought that came to mind was ‘I’m going to move here.” Never in my history of travel have I uttered these words and actually meant it. But there’s something different about Kaohsiung. Its clean, modern, and exploding with art.

My usual plan of action any time I arrive in a new place is to simply get on a public transit and pick a direction, not this time. I found myself just wandering the streets vehemently searching for new angles or a different ally to photograph. I was hooked.

I came to a realization during my stay here. Sunset used to be my witching hour. Between 4ish to 8ish I used to have this nervous anxiety. A fear of missing out. I typically looked around and said to myself “What trouble can i get myself into tonight?” Those thoughts would typically lead me to bad decisions. Now I typically look for a coastline to go watch the sunset. I find peace in watching the sun go down, gratitude for an other day on this planet. Reflection on events of the day and where I would like to improve tomorrow. One day at a time.