“Do you guys want to come with us to Hai Van Pass tomorrow?”
Michaela’s question intrigued me as images of Mulan came to mind. I pictured the frozen village Mulan treks through with her fellow soldiers through the Tung Shao Pass. It was a treacherous path, only reserved for the adventurous soldier courageous enough to brave it. My childhood movie memories thrilled me, and naturally, I was in.
My readings on the Hai Van Pass told me that this was a very special road. Through the twists and turns of the mountain lied the exact path that once separated North Vietnam from South Vietnam before the war. The taking of Hai Van Pass symbolized the North making strides in their takeover.
It also promised to be a path of spectacular views and magical sights. I couldn’t wait to hop on the back of our friend’s motorbike and experience this precious roadway. Even more so, I was already anticipating all the photo opportunities I would have along the way. After all, the saying goes, “photos or it didn’t happen”, right?
Mid-afternoon came and sunset over the Pass was our goal. The four of us Americans paired up with our four Vietnamese friends for the drive. We started out along the ocean. Once I felt confident in my balance, and in Me’s motorbike driving, I attempted to capture the moment before me. The thing about photo-taking is, that you can try to freeze a moment in time, but you do not gain the entirety of the experience.
In this photo, the saltiness of the sea air is not present. The fierce whipping of the wind in my ears is not audible. The bright blues, reds, and yellows of the fishing boats are not pictured. And Lady Buddha, standing far off in the distance does not have the same prominence. I absolutely love taking photos, but in this moment I started to wonder whether or not I rely so heavily on picture-taking that I miss out on the moment itself.
Further along in the journey, I came to the realization that we were not stopping. There would be no opportunity to stop and snap a panoramic of the beach, or still shots of the density of the trees. At first, I was aggravated. We’re supposed to be touring here, and we’re zipping right through everything! My pouting ended quickly, for fear of missing out on the views I did have before me.
I believe God was showing me an important lesson of balance in this time. He, after all, gave me the love and desire for photography. I think He rejoices over my enjoyment of His creation and my expression of my perspectives of it all. However, I also know God loves when we just be with Him; taking in and being fulfilled by His presence alone, nothing else. Maybe, this was one of those moments where I just needed to “be” and experience Him through the present moment, rather than getting caught up in angles and lighting.
So I did just that. I intensely focused on the Creator and His creation, taking in all the details and simply enjoying the moment He gave me. Funny enough, I may not have much photographic evidence of the Hai Van Pass, but I vividly remember all that I saw.
As we ascended, an incredible beach landscape appeared to our right. It was completely desolate and look untouched by humans. White and sugar-like, the sand was perfectly smooth and occasionally swallowed up by the dark blue waves crashing along the shoreline. Goosebumps formed along my forearm and up to my shoulder. The mist from the sea traveled in our direction and mixed with the crisp, coolness of the air.
Further still, the Hai Van turned into a plush sea of green. The mountainous range was engulfed in all sorts of trees and vines. They too, looked untouched for miles, and a green-and-white ivy had taken over the tops of the trees. The foliage gently moved to the rhythm of the wind. I almost expected a scene from Jurassic Park to begin as if we rode right onto a pre-historic film set. The beauty was captivating and I noticed Rebecca ahead of me lift her hands to the sky from the back of her motorbike. “She has the right idea”, I thought. How can you not praise the Lord when you experience Him in this way?
A dense fog formed higher up the Pass. The sun had completely set in the distance. Due to the rain clouds in the surrounding area, there was a lack of brilliant color, but it was gorgeous nonetheless to see the light slowly fall to sleep. Over the mountains, Da Nang City was coming to life and living up to its name as “The City of Lights”.
When we finally reached the top, we celebrated with a mini photoshoot with our Vietnamese friends. We wandered over to a cafe/souvenir shop, drank some coffee and went trinket shopping. The fullness of night set in and we turned around to head home. I remember passing by Michaela and shouting, “How crazy is it that Dad allowed us to experience all this?!” She nodded and gave an, “I know, right?!” in agreement.
The truth is, God gives us moments like these all the time. He blesses us with His presence, His beauty, and His love, but all too often we miss it. We have become a people chained to worries of our future, or regrets of our past. Or sometimes, we try to enjoy the present time, but we become wrapped up in distractions of our phones, cameras, Netflix accounts and Buzzfeed articles. The gift of being in God’s presence is there, we just need to be willing to make it a priority to stop long enough to take it all in.
I am still learning this practice. Recently, in our team’s feedback time, I had multiple constructive feedback pieces given to me about learning the balance of when to enjoy the moment and when to enjoy photography. When I look back on this month in Vietnam, it’s interesting that the majority of the moments I remember most vividly and appreciate greatly are the ones where I was able to experience what (or who) the Lord had placed in front of me during that particular time and space– no camera included.
And sometimes, God has to take you all the way to Vietnam on the Hai Van Pass for you to finally listen to what He’s been telling you for quite some time. I’m thankful for the magnificent view that went with the lesson, and I’m not sorry for not capturing it on film.
