This page is about travel, lifestyle, and my adventures and misadventures on the road.
Year of the Cat
Chinese New Year 2023 aka Year of the Cat in Vietnam. First new moon of the year! I had been traveling for days and by the New Year’s approach I ended up in Phu Quoc Island in Vietnam. I traveled alone to South East Asia with barely any luggage. Chinese New Year is the biggest holiday of the year in Asia. (Kinda like Christmas is to America). And on Sunday January 22, 2023, there were no places opened for business. I decided to do laundry because everything I owned was dirty! In Vietnam, no one uses dryers. In my hotel, (which was on the second floor and like an apartment) I had a washing machine, but no dryer. It is expected to hang your clothes on the balcony to dry. In January the weather is perfect here, so I left the balcony door open. Now, the beach was across the street and it was really the only place I could go, so I walked around bit. I explored the beach and some areas around it.
When I came back, there was this cat who climbed up on the roof and came into the apartment from the balcony. Now, I love animals, but I especially love cats! And, this cat was a friendly and loving cat that wouldn’t leave, which was okay with me. I felt that it was an auspicious sign that a cat, in this year of the cat happened to make its way into the apartment that we were staying on Chinese New Year. I hope that it was. I had travelled a long way to see this cat!
Fast forward now, a half of year has past. New moon-six months later. I miss the people of Vietnam. I may not speak the language but I could feel their genuine care for people over money. Truth over lies. Love over hate. I think that this little guy showed up for me to say yes, I’m here! I’m with you! And, I’m not leaving.
Elephant Trek
I traveled to the Central Highlands of Vietnam, along the borders of Cambodia and Laos. In the Dak Lak province.
When I arrived I didn’t know what to expect for every area in Vietnam is quite different from the next. Here, was no exception!
In fact, I was told when I arrived that I would not have phone, internet, television, or any transportation (other than some mountain bikes we could rent). I longed for some connection to the real world, but still I was open and excited to experience something different. What many travelers don’t know (including myself) is that this area was the biggest battlefield during the war in Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s. The most deadly battles of the war were fought here.
The appeal for me coming here was to hike in the jungle, and meet and learn about the elephants that inhabit the jungle. Unfortunately, few are left. In 1990 Vietnam had between 1500 and 2000 elephants, but now there are only between 100 and 150 in the jungle making them harder and harder to find.
Hiking through the jungle one morning in Vietnam, I came across a few elephants eating banana leaves and bamboo. I sat for awhile and watched them eat. I was just trying to get a feel of their energy and how they felt.
One of the elephants became intrigued with me watching her and attempted an approach to come up really close to me. Her interest in me felt intense, so I became fearful and frightened.
I felt that she sensed my fear, but I also felt that she was empathic and compassionate towards me. I could feel from her vibration that she didn’t want me to feel afraid. She exuded a playfulness. I felt like she was trying to let me know that I didn’t need to be afraid.
Besides experiencing the elephant’s empathy and compassion, the other lessons I learned from spending time with elephants in Vietnam is that they are very dedicated and loyal to their own. I was surprised to learn that elephants revisit the grave sites of their kin even years later. Also, they will stay where the elephant had passed days, even weeks later. If an elephant was caught, the other elephants will not leave that area until the caught elephant has returned. Elephants form deep bonds. My experience with the elephants in the jungle of Vietnam taught me that you can communicate with any animal without words. No matter how large or different a being is, there is a connection. I learned to see and feel beyond my fears. Projection is truly self deception. Look beyond it. It might surprise you in exhilarating ways.
Antiques in Acworth
I found out earlier last week that my favorite antique store, Two LiRu Antiques, in Acworth GA were closing their doors. I was afraid that they might have already closed, but fortunately they were still open so I took a drive over there to look at the store one last time.
I was sad because I had spent a lot of time at Two LiRu, especially last year. The last time I was there was early November 2022. I had been traveling most of this year, so I hadn’t been there for a while. I was looking forward to shopping the store again only to learn that they are moving. I love the eclectic and unusual selection of antiques.
Two LiRu antiques had the most amazing booths. Each booth was set up with the most incredible ambience.
There was one booth that was filled with old maps and books. I felt like I was in a library from a different century. I felt so inclined to research about the city of Acworth in that particular booth!
My favorite room was in the back of the store. A lounge that felt like a man cave. It came complete with a bar, several games, an amazing chessboard, and animal heads about. Taxidermy all over the room!
Downstairs – the more fun area, lots of T-shirts to choose from, old photos, comic books, and odd mannequins.
Each booth had its own charm. Two LiRu was a place that always lifted my spirits and I have enjoyed the time I spent there. Fortunately they will still be around in our Acworth area. The man behind the counter told me that they would be moving to another location (a much smaller store) not far down the road. I’m not sure it will be the same, but I look forward to visiting.
Roof Cats
When I was in Bao Loc, Vietnam, I stayed in an apartment there in the city. The place I was staying had a tin roof.
In Bao Loc, I discovered that cats pretty much live on the roofs of houses there. It’s where they spend most of the day. Maybe, for protection from other animals. Maybe, it’s just a place to call their own. I would often hear them early morning, or even late at night running after each other.
Bao Loc is not really a quiet city at night. There are karaoke bars and coffee shops almost on every corner. Overnight I would hear people singing from the bars. Some were bad. Some were extraordinarily good. It would go on in till late into the night. Roosters crow early morning, and the cats start running on the roofs.
I’m a light sleeper so you would not think I slept well. Yet, I slept better there than I ever did in America in spite of all the noise!
When I woke in the morning, I would look for the cats on the roof. Sometimes, I would save my leftovers for them from the night before. I would just leave it in a bowl on the back porch before I went to sleep. They would find it sometime in the night.
In Bao Loc the housing there is a little open, so sometimes the cats would venture out into the apartment to explore. I would hear them meowing throughout the place I stayed.
The roof cats of Bao Loc was a comforting and an entertaining attraction. I enjoyed my stay among them.
Their curiosity kept me wondering, but also intrigued. They created their home in their world on top of the roof! Overlooking the overcrowded, and lively city of Bao Loc. Looking down on us, yet in their own world above us all.
My Friends in Yok Don
My travels through Vietnam took me close to the border of Cambodia to Yok Don National Park, where the few Asian elephants that are left reside. Yok Don is in the Dak Lak province of Vietnam. It was an isolated area, but there were a few friends we made along the way.
This dog and cat were so welcoming and loving towards us! We met at the reception area of the remote resort we stayed at in Yok Don.
This lovely dog followed us several blocks to are hotel rooms. He pretty much followed us everywhere we went and stayed with us the entire night. He slept outside my door and guarded it. I hated to leave them behind. The day we left we waited for a bus on the road. The dog stayed with us the whole time! For that reason, I didn’t want to leave. However, I was told it was time to move onward. In Vietnam there is a lot to see and I was only there for a month. It was time to move on to different cities. I already miss my friends. I’m heading back there soon. Hopefully, I will see my friends again. This time I’ll stay longer.
