Vietnam Diaries

They say your travels make you smarter, more experienced. And I think they are pretty much on the mark. One can have a variety of experiences when travelling, and when one sits down to write a travelogue, it is always hard to decide what to start with. Setting aside this confusion, I decided to start with when I felt the most at peace.  Standing right there at the serene Cua Dai beach, gazing at the South China Sea, letting the waves wash away the sand from beneath my feet. It was all so quiet and beautiful. The feeling that there is nobody else in this world, nothing else that you have to do and nowhere else you have to be. You can forget anything and everything and just live in that moment. Stand there and just look around and observe your surroundings – the surfer fighting the waves, the kids building a sand castle, the lady vendor trying to sell goodies.

Vietnam has a lot to offer when it comes to visuals. It had us engaged right from the moment we landed in Hanoi. Closely built narrow houses, good roads, several two wheelers driving haphazardly, funny helmets, small stools at the street food outlets, locals trying to sell you souvenirs, extremely cheap ice cream ( I am serious it costs only 30 US cents). Our two days in the capital were hectic and tiring. With so much to cover, old French quarters, Ho Chi Minh mausoleum, ancient house, temples, pagodas, museum of ethnology, Hoa Lo prison, Temple of Literature, Hoan Kiem Lake and much more, we got a taste of how it used to be in old times with no internet and no GPS to assist you. Our first day mostly went in consulting a paper map and trying to find our way to places. A big wake up call on how much we rely on the technology these days. Kudos to us that despite our shortcomings we managed to visit all that was on our list along with finding out great places to eat. Well, some self praise doesn’t hurt! ;)

Post Hanoi, our plans to cruise along in the Halong Bay was washed out by a serious storm in the area. We were looking forward to it, dreaming about the great photo opportunities that we would get. What followed was something I never imagined us doing on a vacation, Trekking! But Mother Nature did not disappoint us at all. Walking along the trail with some breathtaking views of the rice fields of Sapa was a fun filled adventure in itself. However, our interactions with the locals here kind of dampened the high that we got from the beauty of the place. People are helpful but all for a price. Children are well versed in English and proficient in 101 of how to get friendly with the tourists. The continuous pestering is a deal breaker.

After the highs and lows of Sapa, we moved on to Hoi An, the quaint little town. The best stop of the vacation. Our two days here went by in a breeze and we wanted to stay and explore more. The good times started with us checking into Rock Villa. If you are visiting Hoi An, this is the peaceful and hospitable stay that you are looking for. And what more, it is easy on the pocket as well. Hoi An can be very conveniently explored on bikes. One would fall in love with the evenings of the town, with luminescent lanterns, floating candles, hustle bustle all around. The foodie within, gave us a shout out to set out on a gastronomical journey and we readily signed up for a cooking class. Working our way through four delicious courses accompanied with the chilled passion fruit juice was the adventure we would so fondly reminisce. If you are a fruit lover, Vietnam is definitely the place for you. The sheer abundance of the variety of tropical fruits can leave you wanting for more.

Ho Chi Minh City, our last leg of the vacation was a bundle of mixed experiences. The old city of Saigon, one of the most populous ones of Vietnam, left me pensive – wondering out loud about what the atrocity called war actually means. Looking at those heartbreaking pictures of Agent Orange victims in the War Remnants Museum I could only think of how the war affects the innocents the most. It scares me when the probability of a worldwide one keeps knocking the doors every now and then. I am sure what we see in the museum is just one side of the story and the other side would be equally gut-wrenching. The tales of the tough times told at the Reunification Palace, the reality of the Cu Chi tunnels just kept calling out to me. Why is that we fight? What good comes out of it? Are the winners happy for sure? Thankfully we decided to give the gloominess a break and went for an experience of a lifetime. Our dinner at The Noir was unforgettable. The realization of no sight makes one aware of all other senses and the possibilities of life. Our tryst with dining in the dark made us wiser and hopeful.

There is so much more to explore in Vietnam. We could only fit in so much in 10 days, but these 10 days were a great learning experience. It was like going to a school of a different culture of the world. It is commendable how the persistent hard work, clean habits, the ideology to renew of the Vietnamese people have brought the country out of the hell hole in which the civil war had left it. They are a brilliant example of the society that is evolving with the changing times and is still maintaining a balance with its age old culture. Uncle Ho’s country has something in its kitty for every soul. 

Raahi...

ये रास्ते बुलाते मुझे,
सुनाते कोई नई दास्तान।
हर मोड़ नया, हर सड़क नई,
बंजारा दिल ले जाए जहाँ।

कहीं खेत खड़े खलिहान बने,
कहीं रेत पड़ी रेगिस्तान में।
बूँद बूँद मिलकर सागर फैला,
दुनिया कुछ नहीं बस एक मेला।

गुनगुनी धूप से सजी इमारतें,
बर्फ़ीली सफ़ेद चादर ओढ़े मकान।
छतों से गिरती टिप टिप बूँदें,
वो पतझड़ से ढकी बनिये की दुकान ।

चलता चलूँ, फिरता रहूँ दर-बदर,
कर रहा हूँ इन नज़ारों की खोज। 
बस एक होश, बस एक सोच,
जी लूँ मैं बन ख़ानाबदोश। 

Rainy Day

"Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. Little Johnny wants to play."

Even after reciting this rhyme several times during our nursery days, it never actually became our motto in school. Our July and August were spent in singing:

"Rain, rain please do stay. Come again and again whole day. Little Johnny wants to play."

The rainy days of Bhopal are etched in my memory and my friends from Carmel would nod and echo their agreement here. Rainy days were the golden days for the school kids.

The most looked forward treat used to be school announcing a holiday due to heavy rain pour. Wow... I still remember how I would wait for the bus and then come back hopping happily, splashing all the puddles, ruining my clean and well pressed uniform. "Chutti mil gayi... it is a rainy day... Bus nahi aayi" Even my Mom used to get intoxicated by my happiness and would smile at the extra bout of work (my mud stained uniform) that I would bring back for her. You see, the those were not the days of Surf Excel. "Daag achche hain!" came quite later in our lives. I so envy the kids these days when they are encouraged on national television to enjoy sack races, get themselves covered up in cycle grease to impress a girl or beat up a puddle because it had hurt their little sister. I so much envy them... really. Anyhow, coming back to my rainy day celebrations, the rest of the day always passed by in a blur. Watching TV, reading comic books, shouting, dancing and creating all possible nuisances. Best part used to be when rains would stop and a clear sky took over past noon. All kids in the colony used to come out and play. It used to be the best of both worlds, no school and more playtime as well.

Even when at times school administration didn't get too liberal and used to call us for classes while it was raining cats and dogs, the poor turnout was a blessing in those moments. Most teachers would skip lectures and then we, the fortunate ones, used to get free periods one after another. We used to remove our shoes and drenched socks and jump from one bench to another. Sing songs, play games, chat and discuss even the most trivial issues as if our life depended on it. The whole day used to be like a recess time and then we used to board buses that would take us back home.

Well what can I say, we were kids back then. Those were the golden days, real gold. Now it is all so mundane and different. It has been raining continuously in Bangalore since last night and still I had to wake up, get ready and drive all the way to office. Getting mud soaked by the splashes made by my fellow drivers. I reached office somehow after tackling the worst possible traffic jams and then got busy with meetings, codes, installations and obviously writing this post. I wish I could still get back those school days once again. Sing the wrong rhyme again and play once again. Oh dear... "Rain, rain... "