Scene Three. Act One.
No Vietnamese person seems to know where this Dong Tau place is.
You would think the locals would. We are so close–how could they not? Is this place even real? It’s real on Google. Well actually, online gave two locations. Maybe it was a village in the Vietnam War era and no longer exists. Where do we start? Let’s go with the location that comes up the most. Since the bus driver doesn’t know where to stop for Dong Tau we request to be dropped off near the national park Tracy and Jonathan scouted out.
We have a good 12 mile walk ahead of us with our packs from there, says Google Earth.
We just started walking five minutes ago and the girls have already stopped to look for more food. First thought, “You’ve got food in your pack. We aren’t going to die of starvation in three days lets keep moving.� Second thought, “Oh gosh, I’m already being impatient. The day just started. Just think about all that cheap cliché novel stuff. It’s about the journey not the destination…blah…blah…blah. Ok just relax, Salley.�
After buying a couple apples we trek forward. I usually walk in front. Maybe I’m impatient. Maybe I walk fast. Maybe I just got it from my mom. Actually, I definitely got it from my mom; the walking fast part, not the impatient part.
After many waves, awkward stares, and giggles from surprised onlookers viewing foreigners walking seemingly aimlessly, we catch a break. Motorcycle dude stops to talk. He speaks English. Score. ‘Where are you going?’ he asks. We ask him if he’s heard of Dong Tau. He asks the twenty people that have gathered with curious looks. No one knows. We tell him another town near our destination. That town is some 16 km’s from where we are. He informs us of a bus that will come by in about ten minutes. Sweet! My pack is heavy. For some reason I found things in my pack that I labeled necessary pre trip pretty irrelevant by the end of our trek. We wave down this random bus that I’m sure runs daily, but we all personally felt as if God put in our path to save our feet and backs and cruise to the next town.
Jonathan finds an internet place in this deserted town to check our bearings. I forgot to tell you. During Tet holiday no one is around. Lonely Planet description: “it’s not the ideal time to visit the country, as transport can be a nightmare for a week or more, plus a lot of places close down for a few days. However, it can be interesting to witness the frenzied activity before the New Year and the calm and quiet streets that follow.� A better description is: big cities feel like ghost towns and small towns feel abandoned.
We’re maybe 3 km away. Next stop Dong Tau. Well actually next stop a family invites us in for tea and fruit on the outskirts of town. Nobody speaks each other’s language. It’s great. Following a Matthew 10 approach, Jess prays for peace to be with this house.
“As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.�
We often pray out loud in houses. Sometimes I think people do know we’re praying. Like their spirits are sensing there is something different about these people. I like it.
We make one more stop after sighting a lone white lady. Both parties I’m sure are thinking the same thing. What the heck are you doing in the middle of nowhere? We exchange some stories, give her some fruit, decline shots of liquor from the locals, pray for her journey, and begin walking our last leg.
Eat. Pray. Sleep.
More like Pray. Walk. Pray Some More.
This is it.
We made it…I think…
