Dam Long, Lam Dong
It’s been quite a while since i set foot in an airport and onto an airplane — yet there I was with two new friends. It’d been only a few weeks since we all first met and I was on adventure with two beautiful wholesome women — besties, as they would say. I was delighted and honored they invited me on a trip to Da Lat, to the Central Highlands of Vietnam. However our first stop wasn’t in Da Lat but another place about 70km east of Da Lat called Dam Rong. A rural area with spotted with villages and mainly coffee farms set over a lush green terrain. The road there winded through a pass, through potholes, near-misses with motorbikes and our horn happy honking driver wailing away every few feet it seemed. We made it to our destination around 1, having left Danang at 9am. Down a steep concrete paved road we came upon a house overlooking a small lake, which was to be our home for the evening.
My travel mates Ngoc & Trinh were there to view some land to purchase. When we arrived at our homestay, we were greeting by Ngoc and Trinh - not confusing at all - they owned the place on the small lake where we were going to stay for the evening. Lunch was in order, this is getting mundane for me the writer and I’m not sure where I’m going but, after a quite enjoyable lunch - I sat quietly taking all in and went for a walk with Trinh, who is unfortunately scared of any barking dogs. I say pay no attention to them, they won’t do anything, but for every barking dog 50 meters, a jump or a stop would interrupt the walk, still an enjoyable walk indeed. We came upon a forest, with it starting to rain, we decided to turn back. I should describe the luscious backdrop, the rows of coffee plants, the motorbikes winding up and down the concrete then gravel, then dirt road. It was just after Christmas and the nativity scenes could be seen in front of some of the colorful houses. The nativity scenes were constructed from wet then dried cement bags, set to resemble small mountains, with a small cave set in the middle left open for the nativity scene - quite interesting use and I wonder how long they will stay up, until Tet? (A month away). Mundane details — near sunset and another walk was in order, the air more brisk, but another direction we went with less dogs, but a couple of escaped cows and their owner chasing them was seen. This road traveled was a main road through the small town with some small shops and abandoned buildings — we kept walking and talking, wanting to see what was around the bend of each turn, but eventually it turned dark and not safe to be on the side of the road in mostly all black except for the soles of our shoes, we made our way back, picking up drinking water on the way. As we arrived at Le Dinh Village, our stay for the night, Christmas music was playing (albeit being December 28) and Ngoc & Trinh’s daughter was dancing around, and the ladies eating sunflower seeds. “Do I like BBQ, they asked?” In my mind, my sarcastic response was simultaneously “Does Howdy Doody have wooden balls, man? Does a bear shit in the woods?” Either of these responses being inappropriate, I chuckled and simple exclaimed, “of course!” I don’t think I was prepared to eat for 2 hours straight, but I went to bed that night with a full belly, and an even fuller heart.
I messaged my brother the next morning what I was thinking, feeling like Bourdain was narrating my thoughts. I wrote to him:
“I’m sitting here with people I barely know, overlooking a small lake in the central highlands of Vietnam, with a fire going in a massive clay pot, coals warms, the people even warmer, feasting and listening to Christmas music even though it’s been three days since Christmas.”
After nearly two years of living in Vietnam, I think I finally understood what Bourdain was talking about his love for Vietnam and the next day in our gallivanting, that developed even further.
I have “lived” in Vietnam nearly 2 years to the day after deciding to ride out the pandemic in Danang and later Hoi An — my travels stopped, life was on pause (as it was for many of us) for a couple of reasons (another being wanting to get back to Thailand to see my now ex-girlfriend) — but on this day, I feel like I’ve truly experienced life and living in Vietnam, it became a culmination of my observations — but I was no longer just the observer, I was present in it.
Epilogue / Lam dong
None of my ancestors have walked where I have. Treaded where I’ve treaded. I don’t know where I’m headed but the beauty of this land has left me speechless. I try to take photos, videos to look back on later, but I know it’s better to be present.
In villages I’ve seen people where I see a little of myself, a kid on a bicycle who could pass for a Mexican boy. All the beautiful people living life, farming coffee, bananas, peppers seems to be the day to day. The land green as the eye can see. Rolling hills, and higher hills with trees topped with clouds. The sun peeking through at times, the air fresh and cool. Shacks and colorful houses, all living together in strings of villages - not one westerner in site - I’m the only one.
