Extraordinary, unforgettable turn of the year
N 17°01'12.3'' E 107°06'35.0''
Date:
31.12.2016 until 01.01.2017
Day: 550 – 551
Country:
Vietnam
Province:
Quảng Trị
Location:
Vinh Moc Tunnels
Latitude N:
17°01’12.3”
Longitude E:
107°06’35.0”
Total kilometers:
21,338 km
Total altitude meters:
58.012 m
Sunrise:
06:20 –
Sunset:
5:27 pm – 5:28 pm
Temperature day max:
16°C
(Photos of the diary entry can be found at the end of the text).
In order to give my knee and Achilles a chance of a speedy recovery, we decide to stay longer in the small, uncomfortable and damp room of the empty hotel. A strong wind is blowing outside and it is raining non-stop. Certainly some of the worst New Year’s Eve weather on our travels so far. Actually depressing. Tanja is still in a good mood and confident. I am bent because of my over-excited knee and Achilles tendon. The fear of having suffered a lasting meniscus injury and tendonitis, which may have the potential to negatively affect the rest of the journey, is buzzing around in my mind. Of course, I am aware that fear is the worst advisor of all time and yet it keeps trying to conquer power in our human thinking. I try to do it with self-motivation and the knowledge that I am in a healthy, efficient body that will certainly recover soon. So I sit in my battered, well-traveled camp chair, looking out of the window clouded by sea salt and rain onto the wet, narrow coastal road, thinking about our trip yesterday under the damp earth. The people who had lived there for years, threatened daily by bombs, napalm, Agent Orange and gas from a foreign, powerful force, had elementary problems. They didn’t know if they and their family would survive the coming hour and I’m sitting here in a hotel room moping about ridiculous knee and tendon pain. What kind of a wimp am I? Nevertheless, I have no desire to stay here any longer than necessary. So it is with our thoughts. They drift from left to right, drifting back and forth between reason and irrationality. It is up to me how I bring them under control and what I make of this day in my life. Falling into gloom is certainly not an option. Who knows, maybe I’ll be back in the saddle the day after tomorrow, enjoying a wonderful day’s cycling? Could be.
In the evening, we walk to the beach in the pouring rain and darkness and sit down in the open, uncomfortable pub. The surf of the China Sea hisses like a roaring, unleashed monster and eats greedily at the frayed shore. The wind blows damp, salty drizzle under the rattling canopy. “Xin chào”, (hello) we greet two women huddled together on a simple lounger. “Xin chào”, they return our greeting in a friendly manner. With stiff limbs, they rise and join their only guests. Like yesterday, we order rice, eggs and tofu with tomatoes without flavor enhancers. The women laugh and pass the order on to the cook, who has fallen asleep on a chair in the kitchen. “And because it’s New Year’s Eve, we’re celebrating the evening with warm canned beer,” says Tanja in high spirits. “A damn good idea. Should order 10 cans right away.” “But for each of us,” Tanja replies, laughing out loud. Due to a lack of guests, there are no tomatoes today. “You’re welcome to have steamed cabbage,” the waitress offers. “Cabbage is a wonderful New Year’s Eve meal,” I say. “Hmmmpppff,” Tanja snorts with amusement. “Hhhhuuuuuu!” Ajaci joins in, howling loudly. The women immediately pull out their smartphones to immortalize themselves with our white wolf. For them, today is just another Saturday in the week. The New Year in Vietnam is not celebrated on December 31, but on January 28 of the following year. “We call it Tet festival. It’s the most important holiday in our country”; we understand the three women chattering away. Like the Chinese, the Vietnamese celebrate the New Year, i.e. the beginning of spring, according to the lunar calendar. These days they visit their families and temples. Also, there is certainly better food than steamed unseasoned cabbage, rice and a few fried eggs. But no matter, Tanja always says: “Where we are right now is the right place.” A good view of the unchangeable things that make life decidedly easier in many situations.
21:00. The palm trees bend in the storm wind. Spray blows over the black strip of asphalt, slippery and pitted with moss. We follow the beam of our headlamps. Ajaci jumps back and forth excitedly. It’s a great walk for him. Three drunken moped riders speed along the road. The headlights of their mopeds make the beam of light dance back and forth. Then it’s dark again. The hotel owner opens the door for us. “I wish you a pleasant night,” he says, looking friendly. “Thank you, you too,” I reply. We slip into our sleeping bags in our little room, read a few more lines and sleep into the new year.
The next morning, after a few fried eggs and white bread, we start the new year with a walk along the choppy China Sea. It is raining cats and dogs, as it has been for the last few weeks. Nevertheless, we don’t let it spoil our mood and play Ajaci’s favorite game “Fangdenball”. He races tirelessly after his ball, which I persistently hurl away from me. The backdrop is unique. The sea is raging, the waves are roaring and crashing against the beach not far from us with elemental force. The sky is cloudy and dark, drenched in more rain. Apart from us, not a single soul is to be seen. We are alone in this world, or so it seems. The beach, the palm trees, the deserted restaurants, the raging China Sea, the endless sky, simply everything is a part of us and we are a part of everything that is. What an extraordinary, unforgettable turn of the year…
If you would like to find out more about our adventures, you can find our books under this link.
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