Reflections In Da Nang
I once spent many months in captivity reading every object that contained letters. Discarded bottles, faded papers, the rusted signs of commands that dotted the landscape. Language gives us meaning and those that desire understanding crave it. It matters not the culture or the alphabet. For what is a word without meaning? It is simply a sound. For sounds without meaning draw away the breath of language, we live to communicate, we strive to understand.
I, through luck, acquired in my captivity a series of books by a now famous Brazilian author known as Paulo Coelho. His books altered my perception on life and began the transformation to my current form. When I find myself in unexpected or in what should be impossible scenarios, I think back to him. In his transient book “The Alchemist”, all of humanity may find themselves. It’s an incredible book and I recommend all to read it.
It’s a tale of a young man who travels the world in search of an unspoken treasure. He survives storms, armies and thieves to find the treasure he so greatly desires. In the end he finds it to be exactly were he began. It’s a story that speaks to some biblical truth, “where your treasure is, there will be your heart also”.
I mention this because it breaths some life into my own story now. I haven’t read it since despair was all I possessed, but something compelled me to read it on the flight to my second home here in Da Nang. What made it so compelling I will share shortly.
Back in Da Nang
I finally became excited at my return to the city of bridges when, as the sun began to ascend over the south China Sea, the jungle canvased mountain peaks began to rise above the monsoon clouded earth. I knew then that Da Nang was close indeed. As the plane began to descend the thick blanket of clouds almost seemed impenetrable. At times it even felt impenetrable. As the turbulence of the unstable atmosphere rocked the plane back and forth, we finally broke through to the rain soaked city below. seemingly out of nowhere the clouds lifted above and the sprawling emerald rice fields that faded into the urban sprawl came quickly into view.
There she was, as beautiful and mysterious as I remembered. Monkey Mountain and Da Nang Bay to the north and the Marble Mountains to the south. We made a rapid turn towards the runway and touched down. As we cleared the runway the rains were blinding. I could hardly see the terminal as we turned east to taxi towards our gate. It was monsoon season in Vietnam and I could only think of how awesome it would be.
Immigration was a breeze as always and after collecting my bags I was headed to the front of the airport to wait for Diem. My flight had been delayed which gave her some extra time, but the airport was relatively empty as was my flight and there were no lines to speak of. As I stepped out into the tropical moist air, it hit me as it always does. That undeniable alluring scent that is Da Nang. I knew when I took my first breath outside that I was back.
It had only taken Diem about 5 minutes to pick me up, I didn’t mind. I was just enjoying the moment. And even though the taxi she was occupying had tinted windows I could sense her as the taxi came into the lane. I was already headed towards the taxi when she stepped out and her eyes looked up to meet mine. I left my cart behind and sprinted the 10 yards to grab her and hold her close. The embrace was fleeting as we needed to load up and I was ready for a shower.
The peace that flowed over me as I slumped into the back of the cab was wonderful. I just took in the sights and sounds and lived in the moment that I was back with my wife in Da Nang. Da Nang is not a massive urban center like other cities in Asia so it was only a 10 minute ride to the apartment. We unloaded, unpacked and I freshened up. As soon as I had a fresh set of clothes on, we hit the street.
Like I never Left
The hardest part of my first day on the ground was deciding what to eat. Banh Mi, Mi Quang, Pho, the choices are endless. Diem was in the mood for Bun Bo and I really didn’t care so Bun Bo it was. It was in the style of the city of Hue just north of Da Nang and very good. large thin strips of beef brisket, a rich broth, vermacelli noodles, baby basil, fresh lettuce, chile and lime. It was amazing and reminded me of just how good the food is in Vietnam.
After our late breakfast we just had to find a cafe and sit in the window and people watch over some delicious Cafe Sua. There is no place in the world for people watching like southeast Asia and its always a joy. Luckily I had my phone in hand when a helmet less motorbike passenger rode by with a cardboard box on their head. Vietnam is like a box of chocolates. We finished up our coffee and headed to the market.
The Market was crazy, loud and just wonderful as always and we procured some vegetables for our dinner. Back at the apartment I began to reorganize the kitchen and get it set the way I wanted it. A beautiful little kitchen with plenty of counter space, glass backsplash that let in plenty of light and an induction cook top with broiler. I could do pretty much anything I wanted in this kitchen and one of the main reasons I rented this apartment to begin with.
I made a batch of nuoc cham and some pork and rice for dinner then took a nap. When I woke the girls, Xu and Su had arrived and we went out for ice cream in the moonlit evening. Our apartment is on My Khe beach so we strolled the two blocks up to enjoy the cool breeze and the sound of the waves splashing in the night. After an hour or so we headed back to the apartment so I could get some writing done.
In Closing
To tie all of this in I guess I need to go back to the beginning. Treasure. Men seek it, few find it, some never know they have it. At one point today I walked up the street to a store to find an adapter for my computer. only two pronged outlets here. That particular store did not have one so I went a few blocks up until I was several blocks from the apartment. As I began to walk back the monsoon opened up above me. With no umbrella, as I was only originally going three stores down, I had nothing to cover myself with. The old me would have said a few words, gotten upset, generally been unhappy.
As I looked up into the sky and let the rain wash down over me I could only think of one thing. I had my treasure. It was all around me and everywhere all the time. My treasure is my life and everyone and everything that exists in it. I laughed and whistled a song that only I knew as the motorbikes whizzed by covered in their ponchos.
Life is beautiful, mysterious, often difficult and sometimes overwhelming. But the one thing that makes life special is that no matter what the circumstance it is always a gift. So be present and be aware, for the only thing one needs to find adventure is take a step outside. The only thing one need do to find their treasure is look into their heart.
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