Why we travel

Today I found myself reminiscing about my first experience travelling overseas. It was only earlier this year in January and I remember bracing myself for what I called “The Renascence”, from the French and Latin re- and nasci. That feeling of being overseas in a completely new landscape that you felt born again, wishing you had a thousand eyes to witness everything bustling round you, that immediate sense and readiness of open-mindedness. No one here knows you so you can be the person you are – just not another tourist unless you want to keep up the accent.

Your body senses the change – it coils at the endless food that lines the street in fear and awe.
Your senses immediately sharpen to the small things – the distinct smells, and mesh of a thousand sounds and way the sunlight falls differently on your back.
It is an experience that no documentary, video or travel guide could truly prepare you for. Yes not even the precious Lonely Planet travel guide because
1. It is merely a guide and
2. One must wander off track time and time again to be able to say they have truly been to a country.

I wanted to write about my travels because memory can only serve you so much and although photos tell a thousand words I want to immortalise the personal thoughts that I link to certain places, ones I wouldn’t want to forget. So here begins the next four entries, one for each week I spent in Vietnam, of the main happenings, the inspirations and the people.

Visiting Emperor Palaces in Central Vietnam