Dystopia. That is what it feels like all over the globe. I am trying to be an optimist, especially because I am actively trying to be the best version of myself but… DAMN! In order to combat this dystopic situation, my friend and I decided to take a short bike trip to the mountains in northern Vietnam to a town called Ninh Binh. So, Les Go to the Mountains.
Road Trip
I’ve been riding a motorbike around Hanoi for the past 8 months. It took me 365 days to get up the courage to do so and that is the one regret I have about my experience in Hanoi. I love riding around the city. I feel if you can master this and not go crazy then you can handle any life’s situations.
Ninh Binh is about 3 hours away via bike and this was my first bike trip outside of Hanoi! For some reason I was hella nervous. I was on the verge of panic but I had to remind myself how cool I looked with a guitar and yoga mat on my back. Mothersuckers thought I was doin shit, jus sayin’.
And the ride there, girl, bye! I thought it was gonna be all peaceful n shit. Oh, no. It was an industrial wasteland. This trip was so gloomy and chilly and my eyeballs felt like they were gonna fall out because of the dust. But jus as you think you can’t take anymore, you enter a small little city where the mountains peak through and the clouds break. Though you only have about 15 more minutes left of driving, the view is worth it.
Ninh Binh Closure
So, during this scary ass time of COVID everything is shut down. Which it should be. I think VN has been taking extraordinary efforts to curb a contagious ass new virus, so round of applause for that. When we arrived to Ninh Binh we were informed everything was basically shut down and surrounding the hostel an eerie presence was lurking.
To avoid people, we hopped on a bicycle and explored the misty surroundings. Oh yea, and did I mention my friend brought her boarder collie along? That lil guy was in his element as a free range explorer!
As we were roaming around a particular joint caught our eye. Graffitied signs highlighting “massage, haircuts, and local dirnks”… what’s this you say? The allure was too strong so we meandered down a muddy pathway to come upon a amalgamation of cultures that I honestly couldn’t wrap my head around. The hip hop influence touched this guy’s soul as he rocked his permed ‘afro’ and played lofi beats. Hey, do you, boo, do you.
But all aside, this guy was a fuckin gem. His dimples warmed my heart and his passion for break dancing and interacting with humans on a raw level touched me. Bless him. And seeing as he was a jack of all trades, I let him cut my hair for the thrill of it!
My Muse
I wish I were musically inclined. Passionate people give me life. I once set a resolution to learn to play the guitar. That was in 2016. Enough said. But, though I’ve never been musically inclined it seems as though if I’m with the right person I become enraptured in the moment. Maybe I’ve found my muse because in the last month we have written two songs together and I love every minute of it.
As we were sitting looking at the mountains while writing songs (I must admit, by myself I can not write any bit of a song) the calmness engulfed me. I was trying to push the nerve wrecking times out of my thoughts when the whole damn health department swooped on the hostel that we were staying at. It was at this moment that I became scared. They were just doin health checks and precautionary measures but it’s still felt all too real.
I had plans, like us all. As an expat I have to think about visas, insurance, being away from home and family and feasibility of all of these factors. As I swallowed the lump in my throat, I knew that it was time to put a pause on my plans and come home. And so the Hanoi chapter ends, the Yoga Teacher Training pauses, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin life commences.
Les Go... 