Kayaking in Vietnam
Written by Linda Buckley
Here I am standing next to my rented kayak in beautiful Ha Long Bay, Vietnam. I traveled to Vietnam with some trepidation since I lived through the tumultuous sixties and lost many friends during the war. We refer to it as the Vietnam War but of course when I was in Vietnam, I learned it was their “American War.”
I wanted to visit the city of Hue which is where my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh lived and practiced in his monastery until the war.
I wanted to visit the city of Hue which is where my teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh lived and practiced in his monastery until the war. He was then exiled to France as the Vietnamese government was suspicious of peace activists. He was not allowed to return to his country for over forty years. Now, he rests peacefully in Hue in his nineties. Home at last.
I loved the people of Vietnam and the countryside of the north. I traveled to Sapa to go trekking but was rained out. That reminded me of home, Juneau, the rain forest. I accidentally discovered the lovely town of Hoi An near Da Nang with its Japanese bridges and lanterns.
I went on a bicycle tour that began by loading bikes onto a ferry and traveling to a nearby village. We pedaled along rice fields high on dirt paths. It was precarious but fun.
Next time, I’ll check out South Vietnam.
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