Vietnam – a land of new friends and amazing adventures

The last month in Vietnam has been full of adventure, intrigue and amazing new friends.  Sitting in the cab to the airport I realized I had already made a list for my eventual return to this foreign land.  There’s so much I want to do again and even more places I simply ran out of time for.

The cities of Vietnam are a mysterious place where bikes, buses and old ladies selling fruit fight for right of way on the highway.  At any moment someone might come running across the divider or perhaps a family of 4 packed onto one bike will swerve around your cab.  A country of wonder and excitement where the most dangerous part of your day could be playing Frogger to cross the street.  Then again there’s always trekking through the tropical jungles or swimming with the jellyfish.  Oh and how about those poisonous hornets bigger than your finger or snakes even the jungle guides freak out about?  Needless to say it’s been a blast and I stayed (mostly) safe but I’m genuinely excited to be back in Seoul!

Walking out of the hostel for the last time I stuck to my standard farewells, spouting “until next time” with hugs and handshakes.  It’s a wide world full of crazy people and things but the human element makes everything smaller.  Small enough that I can’t help but think.  No scratch that.  I hope and believe that some of our paths will cross again.  Even if this fleeting moment we all shared is the last time our fates cross it has certainly been worthwhile.

Climbing into The Garden of Edam, Son Doong’s 2nd jungle filled doline.

Thank you to all my new friends, dance partners, drinking buddies and fellow explorers.  Meeting other international travelers is as much of the fun as the excursions themselves.   I hope my impact on your adventure was as profound as the joy that sharing (and sometimes oversharing) this trip with you brought me!

Stay tuned as I sort through nearly 3000 photos and bring my month-long adventure back to life for you to enjoy!