The pendulum of the now

In the future lies the excitement of the possible mixed with the fear and anxiety of the unknown and what ifs.  In the past lies the warm memories of that which came before, but with the anger and loss of what has been and can no longer be.  And between the extremes of this pendulum lies the joy and grace of the now.

This year has been a physical manifestation of this pendulum.  Embracing the beauty of all that is in the now, knowing I can not hold onto the past as I struggle to bring my mind back from the future and all that may be.  

There was this moment in Vietnam that I keep “feeling” when I think of what this year has meant to me.  Traverse and I were on bikes, the kids at the hotel working.   It was scorching hot, just standing still resulted in rivers of sweat running down my back.   We were in a new city, and the streets were packed, their normal state of chaotic movement.  Traffic lights, signs and sidewalks are merely suggestions rarely followed by the motorbikes, cars, bicycles, water buffalo all moving along their own, completely unpredictable trajectories.   As I biked, I felt like I was floating, a sense of weightlessness.  I was not worried about the girls; they have their own wings now to fly.  I did not fight or hate the heat, I just thought of it as a Norwegian sauna and breathed into it, finding cool from within.  I let go of the fear of safety, as the risk-calculations had been done so many times this year, it was no longer done mentally, more felt instinctive.    I knew my best protection was my ability to keep moving.  The way to not get hit both here and in life is to move slowly, predictable in the direction I wanted to go.  By doing so, one gains an extra power, like a force field, where the traffic then bends around you making a way forward where it once looked like an impassable wall of chaos.   The road ahead was to be in the now.

And it is that simplicity, that breath into the now, that I treasure most from my time in Vietnam.   As our flight took off, I felt the bond break between the wheels of the plane and the solid earth below.  I embraced the power of less as the wings were lifted not by more but from the vacuum into the impossibility of flight.  13 years to the day after my sister left this world, I breathed into the fleeting sense of our time on this planet, and in this year with a renewed sense of wonder and awe of this life, we get to live.  Knowing more by feeling than from thinking, that if we keep moving forward with our hearts full and minds clear in the joy of the now, we stay upright and the impossible suddenly bends into the possible.

Final Days in Vietnam

We had planned to spend three months in Hoi An, a lovely city in the middle of Vietnam but as our wish list grew of things we wanted to see, things kept getting stacked in before it; Cambodia, Angkor Wat, Saigon, Halong Bay, Sapa.   In Danang we were loving the beach so much we debated about skipping Ho Ani all together, but reminded ourselves that seeing new things sometimes taking leaving things you love and we were glad we did.

Hoi An was a perfect end to our time in Vietnam.   A little like Disney World, is a bit touristy but picture perfect and highlights that embraces the best of Vietnam.  Colorful lanterns, quant old town full of bikes, wishing candles and a pleasant infusion of western treats like a good cappuccino and avocado toast that we had missed.  We have become accustomed to no plans, and Vietnam made that easy with its friendly people paired with  cheap and plentiful food and accommodations. We ended up staying in four different locations between the old town, beach and vegetable fields, with the final one on the beach being what Traverse thought was our most amazing accommodation of the year.  We all were a little sad to leave.  Somehow I thought three months would be a long time and I think back to when we first landed in Saigon, overwhelmed by the city, the noise, the chaos and how much has changed since that time.

Thank you Vietnam for showing us the meaning of resilience.

Thank you for welcoming us with open arms, changing the extraordinary into the ordinary. 

We will be back.

The town is known for its lanterns and every full moon they turn off the town lights to add to the mood. Like the potted plants of Norway, the lanterns of Vietnam always brought joy.

the beauty of this town was stunning

hello with love!

just another morning

the textures and colors in the town were beautiful

5:30 am is the time to see the town as the heat of summer was baring down and few other tourist are found this time of day.

fresh fish

Morning beauty

the rising sun, another lantern in the sky

morning fishing in town

doors to history

The town sits in the center of a delta, providing a bounty of fish and fertile soil.

before a cooking class, we had the opportunity to farm. 300 years this garden has been going strong. Isabelle is adding seaweed to the soil to prepare for the seedlings.

our amazing guide, full of smiles who could move dirt at the speed of light.

Getting the seaweed ready for the soil

all smiles before she was put to work

Isabelle learning the ways of watering the fields

but none of us came close to the speed and competency of this expert

getting things ready for the cooking class

playing with fire

which was kind of fun...

the girls love art and this beautiful home stay offered a leather binding book class. Lily could have stayed here all month if we let her.

the product of her hard work

she came back for a second class, this time making a beautiful leather travel purse

on the full moon we headed out for the lantern festival. This sweet women took us out giving us each a paper lantern with a candle- releasing them into the water with a wish. While the whole event appears to be a bit more for the tourist, it was a beautiful tradition and a beautiful evening

these two, getting ready to release their wishes

after the lanterns we explored the night market, finding the usual fair

At least this one was not jumping

one of the other main attractions in this town is tailoring, so the girls learned the process of going from an idea to a reality (and the many pins involved) and hoping their creations make it across the sea via mail.

Just another day with the almighty bike that turns the ordinary into the extraordinary

I will never get enough of these

back alleys for drying

our last days were beach days, endless white sand, fishing boats and pure beauty

these guys convinced the fisherman to take them out, like a tea cup ride it was entertaining to watch

fisherman at sea

running with Isabelle, being able to have my girls push me as much as I push them is one of the great joys of having them grow

many times you would see old people buried in the sand, there must be some perceived health benefit, we were not sure, but it was fun

Sand, sea, sky and family, what’s not to love?

loving the designs

not a bad place for a date night

ahhh, Vietnam, we have loved you.

Morning beauty  

Growing up - Lily turns 11

When we left the had a little girl, stuffy in hand, pants that fit who loved to be tucked in every night.  And now I stare in amazement at this young woman blooming before my eyes able to navigate the world often on her own, and who pushes herself and us to grow at every opportunity.  Somehow this year was like the Alaskan summer sun for Lily; twenty-four hour light causing her to grow faster, stronger and sweeter than I thought was ever possible.

She has always beat to her own drum with an eye for the beauty and an ear for the song.  As the days rushed towards another year around the sun for her we enjoyed all that Danang had to offer, a modern, pulsing growing city on “China Beach” an impossibly long and wide white sand beach.  Danang was like the eastern tourist town, the balance to the Hanoi’s western tourism. Loud, modern, pulsating lights and karaoke by the beach. Company team building events with mass weddings and endless selfie-shoots in the early morning and evening leaving the beach almost deserted midday.  Isabelle and I explored countless alleys, streets, bakeries, jewelers trying to piece together the bits of birthday. Meanwhile Lily spent her days before her birthday completing all of her school work a solid month ahead of schedule.

The day was a celebration of her and this adventure, blowing out candles in the shower to not set off the smoke detector, sand castles and wave jumping, painted nails and our first American movie in a movie theater since we left, complete with popcorn and pizza.   But I kept finding myself quiet and reflective. In awe at her strength, determination, and beauty on the cusp of adulthood. I find myself just holding on to these days that rush past sure I am seeing the pants get shorter as I look at her legs, in awe of this not so little person who I get the privilege to call my daughter.  

“They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. They come through you but not from you. And though they are with you, they belong not to you.”

— Kahlil Gibran

Growing before our eyes

Always an adventure with these two.

Endless shells on the beach

Lily has an eye for beauty, so we chose to take advantage of the currency difference and stay at this beautiful hotel the week of her birthday.

Sunrises here were spectacular

Pool, sea, sky.... endless beauty.

What happens after morning yoga sessions.

The endless beach

Asian King doing his yoga

Quick dip in the pool

Headed to dinner for the birthday girl

Opening presents, appreciating the little things

Blowing out birthday candles in the shower as it was too windy outside and we were too afraid of the smoke detector inside.

I loved this beautiful gift Isabelle made for Lily for her birthday, true to who they are from the hair to the outfits they have been wearing all year.

Ninh Binh

Days, nights, rain, sun.

Two weeks pass...

Boats, bikes, cliffs and rice patties.

Whole roasted goats for sale.

Double biking.

Terrifying hair cuts

Returning to running.

Extended pool games after breakfast

The days all blend together.

I mentioned to Isabelle, “I feel like we didn’t do a lot there, what do I write?” She looked at me inquisitive and said, “really, I feel like we did a bunch.” “Don’t you remember double biking, dogs in dog cages, the really bad breakfast, the good pizza place, motorcycle adventures, and more biking” she said. “How about the sound of a dying pig, playing with baby kittens, dancing water plants, abandoned theme parks with dried out lakes and marooned swan boats and some more playing on bikes with Lily”. “The homestay owner calling Dad ‘the most important person’ every morning and arriving supper sleeping after a night bus from Sapa with disco lights and people tucked into every corner.” “The epic bike trip, when we first learned to bike two on the bike on the really rough path and we were always falling or how about walking in the heat through rice patties with our backpacks to our new hotel”.

So I guess there was a lot, but it has just become our norm. The kids crawl into a sleeper bus with seat belt straps chewed apart and disco lights and kids on the floor and say, “well i guess this is where we sleep tonight.”

After leaving Sapa we settled into a routine in this Halong Bay of the land, Ninh Binh and the surrounding towns, quietly balancing traditional life with the growth of tourism and we struggled to find our balance between our minds wondering home and being present for the now.

“What do you want your morning routine to look like for school next year?” Lily asks Isabelle as we pass through a cave on a small boat under a towering cliff this world UNESCO site.

Life has it’s own new norm as we find ways to take what we have learned from this year and put them together into tangible things we can take home. Double biking is clearly one of them.

Life is more fun with two. Even when we had access to another bike, this was their prefered way of travel, a moving mass of giggles that seemed to test gravity at every turn.

We biked about 35 Km the first day to this pagoda and back. We got there, it was hot, we were tired and decided to not go in. That has been one the blessings of this year, the ability to get the door of an opportunity and chose to not go through to keep in check with our larger values and goals

Biking home along the lake looking back at the pagoda

Harvest time

Our first place we stayed was a homestay near these cliffs, this was a view from the breakfast window.

And more double biking

Lily definitely would get her workouts, loving to bike Isabelle as Isabelle worked as automatic trainer wheels and extra power if needed.

The limestone formations here are amazing. The first boat tour we did was three spectacular hours of being paddled along the rivers at the base of these cliffs and then through narrow caves that connected otherworldly valleys. It reminded me a lot of the dramatic lush landscape of Hawaii and was where the newest King Kong was filmed, it also happens to be where school schedules were planned for the following year.

Ever the entrepreneurs, this makeshift market at the end of this boat ride where small market boats would approach and hand you and your drivers handfuls of food and drink for “very good price”. It was entertaining watching a world of different cultures deal with the forced negotiation with their own cultural bias.

Traditionally many of these boats are paddled by foot, freeing the hands for selfies, snacks, umbrellas or any other need of the day.

Boats line up waiting for the next bus load of tourist

Empty boats going to park after they have delivered their guest

Just another day at the job. The hip flexibility of the Vietnamese is impressive.

One of the rides was only two at time, and we have become much more comfortable with letting them head out on their own.

Everywhere we went we saw water buffalo. The streets, outside the cafe, cooling off in the ditch.

A day exploring on motorbikes to see what we missed when we were limited to our own power.

Exploring a beautiful temple tucked in the mountains and caves.

These two, off exploring the world

Again, so grateful for our small bags as we walk from one home to the next in the heat and humidity along the rice patties.

Harvesting the never ending aray of water plant for dinner later.

Up high you could get a better lay of the land, the river basin cultivated at the base of these limestone cliffs growing rice.

I can’t get enough of the asian selfie. One moment you will be a at a place, on your own and then a bus will unload, women and men dressed to the nines each angling for their own shot. I often sit back and wonder what it would look like if I could see at once the digital uploads we now create every second, me adding to the pile of the pictures of the selfie.

Morning work

Biking again ;-) By the end of our two weeks we felt like we know most every path in this area.

As tourist bike past, life goes on.

Our second hotel had a pool table which the girls enjoyed learning the rules of the game and the time to play outside a smoky bar.

Sapa

Thick blankets of fog roll in and out of Sapa, like a haunted time-lapse video, engulfing the hills and then releasing them as quickly as they came.  Colorfully dressed women appear in traditional clothing asking “where u frooom?” and simply “shooopping?” as they thrust bracelets, bags, and headbands our way.  Rice paddies climb up the cliffs seeming to defy gravity and construction pounds the narrow streets striving to meet throngs of tourist who pulse through this gateway to a simpler life.

We headed to Sapa to return to the mountains, cooler weather and transition into phase three of this journey:  rebuilding. After letting go and breaking down barriers, it was time to embrace this final phase of our as we seem to be racing towards the end.

There were practical parts of this transition that happened in Sapa: math finals, book reports, taxes,  SMART goals and then the most tangible of them all: the purchasing of tickets home. There were also intangible parts like the feeling of space or breath that comes from choosing a path and moving forward.

Part of why we came on this year, was to be better about finding our own paths.  As we settled into our now familiar role of being in a place longer than a traveler but shorter than a local, I realized how much more comfortable we had all become at uncertainty and choosing our own way. The contrast between our wonderings and Sapa's waves of pre-planned tour industry was striking.  

Our time on the year has never run evenly.  It has been more like the fog, sometimes lingering, sometimes racing ahead, and the lessons of what we are learning has felt much the same.  Seeping through the walls we have built over time, this year has been nourishing part of our souls we didn’t know we had. When the clouds lift, I see Lily inches taller than when we started, strong and kind and ready to take on the world.  Isabelle is on the cusp of adulthood, confident and compassionate with the spark of adventure growing stronger by the day and like the fog that I cannot hold or the rainbow I cannot catch, I am just trying to embrace the moments as they come.

To get to Sapa we opted for the night train, an iconic piece of history that rumbles through the countryside leaving Hanoi around 10 pm and arriving in Sapa around 5 am. We decide to go to Sapa and purchased these train tickets only hours we boarded, a far cry from our pre planned time in Norway. Given the late timing of our purchase we were left with one of the simple sleeping cars, 4 beds tucked in a berth, but perfect for our family. The train had an impressive sway as it rumbled along, coming only inches from many of the buildings in Hanoi and going to the restroom left both the girls saying “I think the safety standards are really different here” as they looked down at the unprotected railroad tracks racing by.

The first morning in Sapa, the sun tried to shine through the fog which we would soon learn is the normal weather here, with striking mountains and song birds.

The town itself was this funny balance between 5 star hotels and rural living. The heart of the town was this town center where women all day long were offering to show you “their village” and small kids caring each other in traditional cloths offering “massage” when they held out things for sale, confusing the words, just knowing “other” people want “shopping” and “massage” and give you money in return.

Walking down to the most famous village in Sapa - Cat Cat was lined with things to purchase. But these kids playing up and down the sidewalk were the best, helping each other out, full of giggles.

The kids always traveled in little packs, far away from any parents, this other set of three almost give me a heart attack climbing down a huge ledge with a cliff and running river below. I feel like we have tried to not be over protective for our children, but watching these kids play took “free range” parenting to a whole new level. It got to the point that I had to walk away after trying to convince them not to play there, convicted I was going to watch one of them plunge to their death. They all made it back fine, but seriously left my heart pounding.

These two were the older girls- in-charge of the play on this overlook of the river, some 30 feet up.

On the two sunny days we had we ventured out more on foot, this day on another path we found with our favorite trail app “Pocket Earth” that has great trails anywhere in the world we go. It reminded of of Nepal and the joy of sharing a trail for work and pleasure.

But times are changing here in Sapa and the old trails are being replaced by concrete “roads” to shuttle visitors gear so they can “trek” from village to village. However the roads also make it easier to get supplies and the whole family to town. This is just such a familiar sight in Vietnam, but I can’t get over it.

Another family taking advantage of the improved access to climb above the rice fields that are getting ready to be planted.

One day when we went hiking, Lily put on her pants as it was finally cool enough to do so, and it was striking how much she has grown this year. When we left Alaska these pants covered her ankles.

I know, I know. Motorcycle = Donorcycle. But we would have never left this year if we were afraid of all the things that could happen. Traverse is a good driver and we had helmets. Much of this area can only been seen on motorcycle or after many days of walking (or mountain biking which would be awesome here but never could find any to rent) so we opted for trips out on the motorized two wheels; Traverse driving and changing out who went along - often in this jacket to improve visibility in the fog. All is well that ends well.

But I am always happiest on my own two feet and got some great one on one times with each of the girls in Sapa, here out exploring in the mist.

When we ended up walking through villages not on the “tourist” path, we were delighted to find tons of pigs, chickens and friendly kids. This girl was sporting her Norwegian inspired Frozen dress.

All smiles on our way through the village.

Two little ones just keeping an eye on the water buffalo in the mist.

These guys are fun to watch, always hanging out in the muddy fields. I have ben surprised both here and in Cambodia how much they are still used.

This one had a thing for Lily with a great stare off making it easier for me to get a picture.

We kept watching these little chicks climb in and out from under their mom. Lily could have spent all day here.

As we headed home so were these women, just in the opposite direction.

Brief moments of sun yielded amazing views of the rice paddy fields, early in their season this time of year and striking for how the whole hill sides have been rebuilt to fit the needs of the people.

As we were walking we did end up talking to these women for a while. “La La” and “Bla” were headed to town and kept trying to get us to come to “their village” but we were headed home for the day. Instead they showed up how they weaved, we swapped stories about kids growing up too fast and they gave us bracelets after we asked them if we could take their picture.

They were sweet and funny and watching Traverse with them, it was like he was a giant, the height differences profound.

The stories these women have, it was a joy to spend the afternoon with them.

Making our way up the hillside, farmers working in the distance.

These guys were everywhere. Funny to watch, full of sounds and cleaning up everything.

More free range kids jumping down the embankment without an adult in site.

Near the town of Sapa these beautiful gardens grow to serve the demands of the travelers who want more than rice, pig and chicken for dinner.

Isabelle and Traverse out exploring the Silver Waterfall outside of town.

One day we headed down a different path, quiet and peaceful. Not another tourist for most of the 6 miles past streams and farms.

A whole line up of kids working the fields. Most of the time it was the women and children working the fields, doing the road construction, selling the wears and doing almost every job in town.

Kids herding water buffalo - they were hilarious, jumping off the mounds of the rice fields, throwing rocks and having great time.

More little ones out and about.

Though much of Northern Vietnam these goats roam the hills and then later fill dinner menu.

More chicks trying to stay warm.

Almost every restaurant in town had their roasted pig on a spit and chicken, carving up what was needed when you ordered.

And the local market was full of more chickens to roast when you ran out.

While we loved taking pictures of locals, the girls continue to be a hit. Isabelle gets a wedding proposal regurally and here the girls were doing handstands in the grass when a group, stopped their driver and came running over to get a selfie with them. I guess it is really no different then us getting a selfie with LaLa and Bla, but always funny to be on the other end.

Fabulous Family- Halong Bay and so much more

Traveling this year has been rewarding, fun and full adventure.  At times it has also been lonely, frustrating and made us appreciate the small and great things about home like being close to family and friends.   One of the real joys of the year for us is when family has come to visit. We have tried to help make it work anyway we can and planned a birthday surprise for the girls’ cousin Harrison and his mom Jenny (Traverse’s sister) so they could come and visit for their spring break.

The flight was delayed and so the first day included arriving, egg coffee on the railroad tracks, tuck-tuck tour around town, walking food tour and night market.  The next morning found us eating Ban Mi Sandwiches and what was planned to be a mellow 3 hr motorbike tour turned into a 7 hr adventure before the next day when we headed to the famous Halong Bay.  Three days and two nights we cruised through the stunning bays of Halong (descending dragon bay) and Bia Tu Long (little dragon bay) in what google calls the South China Sea and the Vietnamese call the East Sea. One bonus night in a village fishing, husking rice, making brooms and enjoying a slower pace with a final night in Hanoi before they were back to reality.

The trip went as perfectly as we could hope. Jenny and Harrison were total sports about trying new things and going outside their comfort zone.  There was time for cousin wrestling, sibling jokes and sister-in-law chats. There were beautiful sights and sounds and we all got to do new things.  Seeing the girls around their aunt and Harrison around his uncle was treasured time. They just respond so differently to trusted adults and I love how our village is with us this year, via phone, email, text, facebook and this time in person.

The kids decide to learn to play the “cups” song and wanted to add to the performance art all around town.  Watching them sing “you are going to miss my when I am gone” along the lakefront in Hanoi felt like a symbolically perfect song to play on our last day together.

(more photos can be found in Jenny’s guest blog post - “Sticky Rice” as well as a video of our time together that Traverse put together)

The details of the small moments. This 74 year old women teaching me to make a broom from dried rice stalks one careful twist at a time. She was full of laughter and warmth welcoming our family in as her own.

Welcoming us to her beautiful home.

Our family together from half way across the world sitting together enjoying the quiet time and space.

Cousin fun.

The beauty of Halong Bay.

All three days were like this, beauty where ever you looked.

Small boats rented kayaks to ships that passed through the bay.

This was our Dragon Pear Ship that we lived on for 3 days.

Tender getting ready to take us to land.

Small boats - homes for a fishing family dotted these islands.

Harrison enjoying the deck.

Part of our ever smiling crew

This water village reminded me a lot of Prince William Sound and other water ways in Alaska with incredibly hardy people living with the land and the sea.

Paddling out of a cave on our first night to an amazing sunset.

Ahh, so great to have this time with family along for the adventure.

The older she gets the more like her Dad she becomes, brave, funny, full of sas yet easy going and full of fun.

Villagers lining up to take tourist on a tour of their village on the water.

Here is our guide showing us his home.

More time on boats exploring.

Fishing for dinner. These boats are essentially baskets that are then covered with tar and here they are fishing with a hook and a line, placed in by hand.

Huge formations where ever we turned.

The cruise we took did everything in style, including this amazing picnic lunch we paddles to.

The kids got in the water as we hit the land.

In Croatia we started the ‘swim challenge’ some distance swim, this time it was to the boat and back.

A father and his daughter at sea.

The Zink / Zook kid pyramid tradition being kept alive on land.

And at sea.

Where there is sand, there is a sand castle, this time with two boys from the boat and their parents.

These two are both in the shower, Isabelle in their cabin, Traverse in ours, when this picture is taken out our bedroom window.

View from a cave on one of the islands.

Night in Halong Bay with other ships around.

Learning traditional basket fishing.

Biking around town after Halong.

Learning new skills.

And practicing more pyramids..

I loved what you would see and who you would meet when you headed out of town.

Always a smile.

Not only did we get to see this water puppet show in the town, but on our way home we got to watch the whole show from the back - even more fun to see how the magic was created.

Loving time with cousins and on a new adventure.

Aunts are simply the best.

Here is our whole group for the moped tour - our group this big employed a whole group of college students to drive us around.

Sitting back and touring town.

In front of the cathedral as part of our tour.

Fortunately it was all fun and games in a bit more of a tour than we were expecting.

Seeing where the greens are grown in town.

I love how they basically have the same look. As Lily said, you could think these two were twins sometimes.

Biking home after and afternoon of exploring.

More fun at the market.

Ho Chi Minh’s Mosulium where his body can be seen still today.

All dressed up, ready to preform.

Fun at the night market

Hanging in Hanoi

This year has been punctuated with pauses, times of transition.   It is in these pauses that we have gained the most insight into who we are and what we are learning.  It reminded me of my fine arts minor in college and the lecture on the role of the negative space or as Traverse said, the “black point” makes all the difference in the photography.  We get so busy in life that we forget the role of pausing, adding negative space and the truths that come forth in that pause.

We have had a few of these times recently- after Angkor Wat we spent a week in Siem Riep enjoying the pool, getting over our colds, getting caught up on work, blogs, homework.  We also spent just over a week in Hanoi before family came to visit getting the lay of the land, figuring out the details of the city so when they came we could make the most of our time.  

We learned we have limits, bailing on our airbnb due to mold and bed bugs.  We learned that while we considered moving home and building a “tiny house”, living in one all the time was not as fun in person.  We learned again, that time together is great, but time in small groups or on our own is also invaluable. This year has been a striking reminder that even without work, finding time to read, exercise, and finding balance still takes work and effort.  Two truths keep repeating themselves in these negative spaces, that is only through the breaking down we can rebuild and that balance, like tree poise, is not static but a constant set of micro moves, we are never “balanced” we are always “balancing.” We are always off balance working to straighten ourselves and by embracing the struggles and the pauses are the only way we can truly see the light and grow.

The following is a collection of photos from our time before Jenny and Harrison came to visit us in Hanoi.

The bikes, everywhere the bikes pilled as high as you could reach full of wonder and beauty. The flowers were always my favorite.

Every day they close a section of a street so you can ride carts, kids and play and drive around these toys for rent.

And where the girls learned to Hover Board.

Fun facials from the local store.

Cafe along the railroad tracks. It is amazing how they use space in this town, every last inch being filled and used. Later when we road along the train that goes on this track it was impressive to see how close we got to each building.

Having fun exploring the tracks.

More daily flower baskets.

Beautiful hand painted water puppets at the water puppet theater in Hanoi. We didn’t get any pictures of the event (extra charge to photograph inside) but the it was fun to see the live performance including a beautiful single stringed instrument as part of the accompanying musical support.

Loving the variety of vegetable in the food in Vietnam.

Each street in the old quarter traditionally sold one thing, meat, flowers, vegetables and so on. That pattern still exist today with shops only selling one or two types of things. Here is the pig later one.

Ok so we really liked these bikes with flowers.

Walking around the market where fruit was sold all in a line. These women would then carry these baskets of fruit around town selling their good to anyone who wanted a snack on the road.

Rice, beans and lentils all perfectly stacked.

These were the two hats you see all the time, men in the old military one, women in the one used on the farms. More flowers for sale at the market.

Vegetables as far as you could see. Oh what I would give to have all of these veggies at home!

And more flowers.

Walking through the mountains of fabrics in the central market. It felt was impressive to reflect on the amount of “stuff” we produce as humans especially as it is all crammed together in these densely populated areas near the sight of production.

Scooters, temples, streets and fun adventures.

My little mini me as been wanting a pair of glasses and found this cheap adorable pain here in town on a date night we had together. It is so fun spending one on one time with these two and like most things - she wears it better ;-)

More fun along the tracks.

It was crazy how these baskets work as portable restaurants, stopping with hot coals to grill up an egg and make a Ban Mi.

If only you saw the number of flower pictures we delated!

Fruit for sale.

More market.

One tradition that we loved here is the egg coffee. We heard different stories of how the egg coffee got started - a lack of milk during the war, a farmer who had too many egg yolks. Basically they cream the egg with sweetened condensed milk. The different places all had very different egg coffees, this one with a candle under it to keep it warm as you sipped it. It was fun trying the tradition around town.

Sticky Rice By Aunt Jenny

Harrison and I brought lots of love from Kansas. We came bearing the gifts from the Christmas gift exchange (swap style) we do over FaceTime every year!

Our flight over ended up being about 37 hours and our flight home will be about 35. That doesn’t leave as many days of Spring Break left as we’d like, but we’ll take what we can get! 

We sailed through customs at the Vietnamese airport thanks to a step by step guide of where to turn texted to us by Traverse, allowing us to beat all the big lines and get through faster than most. Then we were greeted by smiling faces and flowers at the airport. What a treat. 

Our whole trip was a whirlwind. Almost immediately after leaving the airport, we found ourselves on a rickshaw tour around Old Town Hanoi. The most notable thing as you ride around the city is the amount of traffic that never seems to stop, almost all mopeds. It’s just a continuous flow in all directions. There’s storefronts and stalls on every corner. 

Then we got our first taste of Vietnamese Food with a walking tour of Old Town Hanoi. Windy was our guide. She walked us to five different places across the city and taught us all about local food & customs. While the food was good, again, the traffic was more notable. Traffic never stops, so crossing the street was quite the experience. She told us to be like sticky rice. Every time we would cross the street, we would all huddle together and just walk forward. It was a complete leap of faith that the cars were going to make space for us as we went, but they did. 

We went on to take a 7 hour moped tour around the city, where we got to meet locals, see markets, an urban farming community, and Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, spend a couple days seeing Halong Bay, and biking around a small Vietnamese town learning about planting rice, fishing, and how to make a broom. 

We saw so much of Vietnam in such a short time. Ultimately though, what struck me most was the people. If I had to capture all of Vietnam in one word, it would be resilient. One of the most beautiful people we met was a 72 year old woman who makes and sells brooms for a living. She has 7 children, all grown, only one can afford to send her pictures to hang in her small two bedroom house. I learned later that her husband is dying of cancer. And yet, she laughed and was joyously present with us, teaching us how to weave rice plants into brooms. Her beauty and strength were radiant. 

As H and I take off. Head back to Kansas (bringing love from Vietnam). I’m grateful for the time to be present with my family. Mom, sister, and aunt are some of my favorite roles in life. I’m grateful that we stick together… like sticky rice. 

VIDEO: Jenny & Harrison Visit Vietnam

click below to play the short video

Video: Biking Vietnam - Cambodia.

Biking to Cambodia

There is this balance, this challenge to getting off the beaten path, to see and learn what life is like in another place without getting lost entirely and doing it as a family of four.  Twenty years ago I would hop on a bus and see where I landed, but as a family, it is all just a bit more complicated - each with our own needs and desires and just a lot more people in the mix.

We decided to try something different and hired a guide to help us bike from Ho Chi Minh Vietnam to Angkor Wat in Cambodia.  The hope of biking was to get off the beaten path and take in the sights, sounds and smells a different way while all getting some exercise.  There were lots of hesitations. How would Traverse's back do? Could we all handle the heat? None of us have been biking or training for this, could we jump on and do it?  It was also a lot more costly than just taking the bus on our own, but after our day with Chu, where the girls had a blast, and we saw the possibility of life on a bike in the Delta, we signed up.

And how was it you ask?  It was everything all at once.  It was inspiring, beautiful, hot, dry, funny, stressful, challenging, rewarding and both ever changing and always the same.  It was something we would have never been able to do on our own.

Most of the biking was on small trails or back roads where local kids would see us and come running through the fields shouting "Hello! Hello!" and grandmothers would do a 180 watching Lily bike down the path.  People would stop our guide to tell him there was a road nearby and they were sure we could get a ride - after all, we looked so tired and sweaty, why were we biking? He would tell them we wanted to and we were going 50-60 km a day and they looked like they didn't understand.

There were days so hot and dusty you could ring your clothes out from the sweat, and everything was covered with orange-brown dust of the delta.

There were rewarding moments like when Lily learned to bike without hands through the deserted back roads of Cambodia.  And there were the moments where tears came when she tried again later up a hill on pavement and took a hard tumble.

There were moments of awe and wonder as the water buffalo ate in the setting sun among the rice fields or the reflection of the hard work for salt farmers collecting the dryng sea water by hand.

There were moments of pure bliss watching the girls chat about life, peacefully talking together through the countryside and moments where I was counting every second until the end as my body ached and trying to hide my exhaustion and put on a happy face for a kid who was done but still had miles to go.

There were hidden temple in the woods, newborn puppies, run down monasteries and killing fields.

There was Karaoke at random houses, local kids sitting in our lap enjoying a laugh as their mother counted and cleaned snails for sale.  Often our guide would stop at some random home and ask if we could hang out and take a break, both puzzling and delighting some local family.

We all got sick at one point.  I have never passed out vomiting before, but now I know what that is like, but the trip must go on.  Zofran, Imodium, Ibuprofen, and band-aids were our best friends.

I let go of many rules.  One day Isabelle biked most of the day barefoot - who was I to say shoes would be better?  She knows the risks at this point. None of us had biking clothes - we made do with what we had, and the simplicity of it was freeing.

We got behind on most everything, work, school, the blog -  just taking a picture was a challenge as you bumped over the dried dirt road, dodging a dog, or pig, or kid, or chicken and the motto "you can do hard things" was repeated more times than I can count.

We didn't make any speed or distance records, but we saw, we experienced we lived those ten days fully.  As Traverse said regularly, we could not think of another place in the world where you could bike for so many days on flat, basically bike trails with kids and see and experience so much rich local culture.  This blog and these pictures are just the tip of the iceberg of our trip within our trip, biking to Cambodia.

So much of the biking in Vietnam was like this, basically scooter paths that work beautifully as bike paths connecting the towns.

Passing on the left through the rice field near town.

The size of the Mekong Delta was impressive. It was dry season, but for days, everywhere we looked there was water. It is this huge labyrinth of water and land producing incredible qualities of everything. Fish farms, coconut plantations, flower fields, mango and mangroves. Many of the town as connected by these bridges - everywhere.

It was fun to be on bikes after they were such a part of daily life for so many years in these parts.

And then you would stop, and look up, and be stunned by the beauty. This was in Cambodia and when our guide came to where we were standing waiting for the girls he told us these horrific stories of the history of war and genocide in this area. It was hard to balance it, with the intense beauty and calm before us.

All day - this, “Hello!” “Hello!” “Hello!” - there appeared to be a pure delight the children took in seeing us bike past. They did not ask for money or “pen, pen” as I had experienced in Nepal, just a friendly hello and they would scream in delight when you waved back. The gift of kindness was striking on this trip. I would see another mother, a grandmother who would look a little weary at us as we past, and if you smiled, you would be greeted back with an eat to ear grin - gifts of kindness exchanged, each of us a little lighter in our loads.

And sometimes you would think you were on your own, and then four heads would pop out of the water shouting “hello!” as they and the water buffalo cooled on during this part of the dry season.

I missed so much of this moment trying to bike and not run into everything, but all of a suddenly all of these kids came running out from the school, jumping off the grass piles saying “hello, hello” and giving the us all high fives as we biked past.

Towards the end of a long day, these kids full of smiles came out to say hello. They were near where we packed our bikes back in the van to “transfer” down the busy road to town so we got some more time to hang out with them (and actually get a picture). Always a smile.

Pretty soon the same kids were loosing their shyness and coming up to us. The little one in the white and purple loved Isabelle, pulling herself into Isabelle’s lap and holding on to her. As we pulled away, we all wanted to stay longer talking about what their life must be like and wishing we got to spend more time playing with them.

One day visiting a temple that we were biking past and trying banana root that is in season only for a short time each year, this little one sat down next to me and started talking up storm. When I offered her some banana root, she kept looking at me puzzled, but all smiles.

At a run down monastery that a few construction workers were repairing as we got our bikes ready this sweet family made their way out of the shadows watching everything we were doing. The little girl came up, we shared some of our snacks.

Once we crossed the Cambodian boarder we biked for a while through some dirt back roads and made our way to the ocean. It was such a beautiful surprise and off went our shoes as we headed in the water.

The beauty of the ocean life.

Low tide, fishing boats at sea and the end of the day for us all.

And then there was the food. Most of our meals were with locals at outdoor restaurants on the streets. This one full of fragrant flowers was part of this never ending stunning array of produce in this part of the world.

But to balance out all the veggies were the drinks - this one time we stopped and this women brought out these super sweet red drinks and spoon fulls of sugar to put in it for the kids . You can’t say no, so we just laughed at the craziness of the year and how many things we would “never” do at home, we just shrug as part of the experience.

Here with our guide in Vietnam enjoying a laugh, a journey an a shared meal over pots of charcoal at the tables.

This was our lunch spot anther day - near the second capital in Cambodia and the kings grave huge masses of hammocks and raised beds can be rented for your picnic. Near by is rows of food for sale, slated fish, turtles, frogs, freshwater shrimp fries and spicy mango salads. We hung out here for a few hours, enjoying taking it all in. the only foreigners in sight and delighted by the new experiences.

One option in the market - crabs with their meat pulled out, mixed with seasoning and replaced in the shell, to be then grilled and sold hot.

More biking in Cambodia - you never knew what you would see on the road.

Here are piles of fried tarantulas and silk worms for sale at a road side stand. Not for tourist, for locals in route.

On our way through Cambodia we visited a few museums, here is Isabelle at the National Historical museum reading about the history.

And little Lily going through the HUGE doors. The scale of the temples kept catching me off guard.

Live eels and frogs for sale. The frogs were all tied together by their waist so they all were jumping against each other - preventing any one of them from escaping.

And another small local temple, to be seen and experienced without the throngs of tourist we would later encounter.

The river is a way of life around here. Transporting a great load down this small canal.

The beauty of the morning markets.

I could have spent all day watching these women talk, smile and sell their goods. It actually reminded me a lot of Seattle’s pike street market, just bigger, few tourist and almost all on the ground.

Ginger and lemongrass dominated the smell of the vegetable market.

Across the way from the veggies was the meat and fish section - lets just say this part didn’t smell as good.

The Costco of Vietnam where you can get all your food wholesale.

Many of the families who sell on the river, live on their boats, traveling with the seasons and the market.

And then there were the salt fields near the boarder - mile after mile of drying salt.

Getting ready to collect another pile.

Collecting the salt to take it in and dry it again.

Raking another pile.

It seemed like in most towns you would see the town pig trying to find some place cool.

Another stop along the road - the famous Kampot Peppers of Cambodia. It was amazing to see the old paper farms, see how they are grown, sorted and dried. The place smelled amazing and learning the history of these berries was fascinating.

More markets - this time with grilled salted fish from the river.

You know when you need a break - there is always Karaoke - Isabelle and our guide showing us how it is done.

This was another temple where at the top you could purchase a bird to free.

Lily letting hers go. We thought we were getting one bird to let go - some how we got a whole cage of them to let go - there was always this sense you were missing some key detail of the conversation, but just went with it.

Last day of biking was through the temples of Angkor Wat. It was an incredible way to see the place because you got to see so much of it that is missed by the main tourist attractions. Like this little tunnel in the woods. Biking along the wall, resting in the showdowns of this ancient city that once was the largest in the world.

Ahh, rest at the end of long morning of more heat, sights and sounds.

Early reflections on the war

Vietnam.  Even the word stirs up many emotions and a wide range of responses.   When we put Vietnam on the list we got all sorts of questions like "I spent most of my young adult life avoiding that place, why would you ever choose to go?"  “Have the girls seen the Ken Burns documentary about the war?" And even blatant "why would you ever want to go there?" For some, even the idea of coming here seemed to represent a betrayal of either being a US citizen or to undermine their emotion surrounding the history between the US and this country on the other side of the world.    

Honestly, part the reason we chose to come here was that mixed emotion surrounding US history in Indochina.  That and the fact I fell in love with the idea of emergency medicine watching M.A.S.H re-runs at 2 am doing art projects in high school and college.

The girls are at this magic age.  They are open to the world, can think critically as they create their world views.  I wanted them to see the world, raw and up close. They know about the war. They have gone to the Vietnam memorial in Washington DC and found the names of half my dad's hockey team with him.   I also wanted them to know this place was more than a war, but, a place full of beauty, and kindness and so many kids smiling and waving "hello." As politics and policies have become so much more hostile and divided at home, I wanted them to not only know but believe one of my favorite quotes:  "it is hard to hate up close."

What I was not prepared for, however, was how much more it would affect me.  I texted a friend part way through the tunnels reaching out to someone else of the same generations trying to understand how to put all of these contradictory feelings and thoughts in the same bucket.   I found my eyes welling with tears at almost every corner and the "gun shooting range" at the tunnels, and I had to just a walk away, it was too much. And yet I was not drafted here; I didn't lose my friends to this war, I didn't experience this first hand in any way.  And I didn't live in the same area, still being affected by agent orange where my parents once hid underground for years like the tour guide's parents.

I think part of the reason for the intense emotion, was the intensity of the displays.  You went into the war museum, and there is a big sign saying "welcome to the museum on the War of American Aggression."  There is a rawness in talking about a war when it happened on your soil, a rawness we have been sheltered from in the United States.  A rawness in the photos, the US tanks in the middle of the city and in climbing through the tunnels where the Vietnamese lived and fought for years.

It is the same rawness struck me in in Croatia, how there should be three different words for war - war you fight with money and people who volunteer on another countries land, a war you fight in another land and draft soldiers and a whole other word for war when it is in your home, on your soil, among your people.   It was again a striking reminder of how blessed I have been knowing such peace and stability through my formative years.

As our year moves on, the memories and stories pile together; it is this intense sense of a desire for peace that strikes me again and again.  I am amazed at the resilience and forgiveness of the Vietnamese. I pull up facebook seeing friends "de-friend" each other because of policial difference and being here reminds me of how much nicer it is to see the similarities we all share than focusing on our differences and how easy it is to hate from afar, but how much stronger we are together.

There is the added intensity looking at this original iconic picture of the fear and horror of the war near the location it look place and your child about the same age. I kept checking in with the girls, to see if they were OK, how they were processing it all. They were reflective and thoughtful, but I realize more and more, the added vulnerability of having children and wanting them to be safe and protected with all of your heart adds an intensity to these places I don’t think they experience the same way.

The welcoming sign as you walk in - I learned of this war as the “Vietnam War” they learn of it as the “war of US Aggression.”

The whole court yard of the museum was filled with US tanks and helicopters, the size of which was impressive.

Coming out of a section of tunnel; it was hot, dark and claustrophobic - and there were occasional lights, air conditioning, no one was bombing us from above and we had a guide. I was a reminder of the power of the human sprit to survive, something I admire in my patients, in books and in these tunnels.

Our declaration of independence written next to pictures of war. A reminder of the values we set forth as a country. Values not to be forgotten.

Two things that always help me understand the world better, children and art. I was so grateful for the last room in the exhibit - full of children’s art, peace and hope.

Seeing the war through children’s eyes.

This picture captured my heart: the horror, the bombs, the missing parts, but despite that, the colors are vivid, it looks like there is a rainbow and the kid is still holding the hand of an adult. The wheelchair is almost like a rising sun finding beauty despite the distraction.

Powerful to read this on the New Year, 51 one years later .

There were many quotes on the walls of the museum that I don’t remember learning about when I learned about the war in school. Being here was to touch and feel the “other side of the story.”

“Yet we were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why.”

— Robert McNamara

And this - so this. The joy of peace.

Getting out of town

As we got our feet under us in Ho Chi Minh, we slowly learned how to cross 6 lane roads packed full of motorbikes and eating on plastic stools in the street became the norm, but we wanted to start to branch out, learn more about the food, language and culture. Airbnb has "experiences" that we have looked at doing and tried one in Singapore but seemed perfect in Ho Chi Minh as it was hard to even know where to begin in this huge city.  
The first trip was a 4 hour street food tour on motorbikes.  Right on time, three delightful students showed up at our apartment and suddenly instead of fighting the motorbikes, we were one with them, part of the river of traffic navigating in and out of the mass of humanity.  Frog, mango salads, sweet beef, blended soup, lotus flower tea; the night was a colorful blend of flavors, places, and experiences. At one point Isabelle was drinking this sweet drink full of fruit and roots, seeds, seaweed, and other non-identifiable plants and she looked at me and said, "we have come along way, I use to have to know what I was putting in my mouth, I have no idea what any of this is, but it is good." Yes, we have my dear.
The next day we did a full day tour of the Mekong Delta via bike and kayak, partially to see if we wanted to commit to a long bike trip with the girls.  We chose a tour that touted "we don't go where tourist usually go" and he was right. It was a delightful day through the guide's village area, through canals on a kayak, floating markets and biking through towns on these little paths only suitable for walking, biking and motorbiking. It was such a different experience of the Ho Chi Minh and the surrounding Delta and the guide so great, we talked to him after the trip about setting up biking to Cambodia, which he agreed to do.  One thing I have really enjoyed about Airbnb is you can stay in places and do things without huge masses of tourist and in this case meet an amazing guide who dropped his other tours for the week and biked with us to Cambodia.
The last tour we did was a "sidecar to the Cu Chi tunnels and farming cooking class."  The sidecars were a traditional method of transportation in Vietnam before the population boom after the war and a fun way to see the countryside.  More about the tunnels in the next blog, but the cars paired with the cooking class was a totally different and again great way to get to know a different side of life and what really is in all that crazy food we were eating.
Slowly we are learning our way around this new country and a new culture.

little one on the street food tour - full of new adventures

boats full of fresh produce on the Mekong Delta

The sights, the sounds, the colors.. you never knew what you would see next. More fruit making its way to market.

selling coconuts on the river

Many of the boats would hang out the food they would sell so you would know what boat you wanted to go to. Here is the fruit boat selling pineapples, bananas and durian.

so many smiling faces commuting on the river

making another trip

houses along the river, we were here in the dry season, so the river was low, really showing how the houses are made.

life on the boat- making our way up the Mekong. The size and breath of this river was impressive.

My whole heart - sometimes I look at this through the camera to take a picture like this and and have to take just a deep breath and really believe, yes we are here, this is our year.

how cute they are.

so many smiles

growing in Alaska paid off as these two made their way up the river in a kayak navigating the kayak without a problem.

our boat driver, checking in on us and making sure we are all doing well.

getting a chance to drive up the river.

making a ferry crossing with our bikes

this is what the biking was like in the Delta, it was so lovely without cars, making our way through the country side - truly a great place to bike with kids.

this women came up to lily and kept saying “lovely, lovely” and kept rubbing her, and smiling. I have no idea what else what she was saying, but I have so loved these little connections as we moved along. Everyone took a liking to Lily surprise and delighted she was on a bike.

Iz and I ridding on the sidecar with our super smiling and lovely driver.

more sidecar fun

she rocked this little helmet and the side care

having fun

all smiles - her and our driver

this was lily’s dish that she made: beautifully done, full of flavor.

deep frying stuffed pumpkin flowers with seasoned meat, onions and garlic.

more time along the river

boats docked at low tide

A city of 9 million - landing in Ho Chi Minh

Landing in Vietnam was like being transported into the future after Bhutan. Twenty-four hours a day we were surrounded by the hum of humanity. We had rented an apartment for a week to regroup, reflect on our time in Bhutan and get ready for our next adventure. I realize this year the importance of transition, making the time and space to reflect, regroup and prepare for the next dive into a new world. We have started to build these transitions into our plans, and they have been critical for our sanity. They are also this weird half world as you let a new place sink in and as you processing the old.

Isabelle said 'mom it is weird how in a city of 9 million it feels like there is nothing to do, but if I were in a small place in the woods it would be like there was too much to do.' Clearly, they have grown up in Alaska, but it was striking how much more isolating and intimidating this huge city felt compared to Bhutan, our small islands in Croatia and Noraway and home. But soon we learned the streets, corner shops and places to go. Slowly the city started to show itself, and we were able to change gears into a new culture, new pace, and a new world.

Living it up when we first got to town. It was great to be high in the city when we first arrived to have a sense of place in the town.

Looking over the hum of 9 million. Such a different world than Bhutan.

We got to town it was the night before Tet, the celebration fo the New Year. The fireworks display was impressive.

When we first landed we kept pointing out the scooter: trees, doors, fill sized TVs, whole families. The use of space on a scooter in this country is impressive. Soon we realized this was a very normal and don’t even notice any more, but the first week it kept surprising and delighting us.

We signed up for a food tour around town one night to learn all we could about the city and the food. Totally different world on the back of a scooter compared to dodging them!

No problem the three of us on one.

The first day of Tet we walked around town, everyone was out in their finest, taking selfies and celebrating the year of the pig.

After leaving the snow and cold of Bhutan, landing in Vietnam as spring started was burst of colors and sensations.

Colors, smells and street food around every corner.

Street food everywhere!

Famous Banh Mi sandwiches around every corner.

Seafood anyone?

If there was not enough colors with the food, there was always the flowers to add to the beauty.

More Tet fun.

Coconut drink anyone?

There is a world wide obsession happening with these dogs and the girls were elated to see the trend continued in Vietnam.

Breaking free of the heat.

On the road again

Despite our best efforts, time would not hold still, and the day came to say goodbye.  The night before we left town we had a final lovely dinner with friends, Isabelle recovered from the flu and at least her eardrums burst before the flight (we all took turns getting nailed by illness in Bhutan). The day we left was frantic, half written thank you cards, long meaningful talks with friends as it felt like life's mysteries and challenges needed to be sorted out by this tribe of wise men before we were left to venture out on our own again.    The dogs got extra treats, clothes were left to be transported back to Colorado on this magical chain of connections that helps bring credits cards in and memorabilia back out of the country.  Last words of advice on the water heater or the frozen pipes were given to the doctor who had moved in with us the last few days and would be staying the rest of the month.  It all seemed too short.  We should be leaving more at the altar of our time here, but time rushed forward, projects were handed off, long hugs and beautiful flights.  Words were left unspoken and emotions were raw.  Tears slipped down my face as we drove away. 

Before we knew it time travel had happened and we landed in the clean and organized airport of Singapore, a perfect foil of Bhutan.  The Christmas decorations had been changed to Lunar New Years ones and the food and shopping possibilities were endless dizzying.  And then 24 hrs from that we landed in our 32 floor apartment building in Ho Chi Minh City Vietnam.  That night we fell asleep, not to sound of dog packs, but the hum of 9 million people getting ready for the new year.  We have no set plans.  We are getting our bearings again reflecting on what happen, getting caught up on life, and our blog and figuring out which direction to move in next.   May our  journey continue to take us apart and put us back together in new ways and may the kindess and acceptance of life we learned in Bhutan continue to ground us no mater where we land.

Head out on the beautiful morning. After 6 weeks here, I am still loving the monk’s selfies and this beautiful blend of the old and the new. Almost everyone got a selfie getting on this plane each treasuring the journey.

Leaving the land of the Thunder Dragon. It is also reportedly one more the more dangerous airports to fly in and out of. Compared to small flights in Alaska, it was no big deal, but still amazing to see Everest, grazing sheep and the clouds of India below as we banked left and right making our way out of the valley.

Our flight was early in the morning, coffee was had and again, the easy of traditional clothing and modern life made saline.

The layers of mountains, each filled with their own clouds, up above them the peaks sitting in the sun is one for the views we kept seeing over and over in our time in Bhutan and we got to see one last time as we left.

Culture shock landing back in Singapore and seeing all that had changed while we were away.

And like that we were in Vietnam reflecting on what just happened and what this all means.