The Generosity of Strangers

Vietnam has been very well developed for tourists. Multiple companies offer open bus tickets in whcih you can make your way throught the country at your leisure for one flat rate. The problem with this is that only westerners use this service and the buses only stop at the tourist destinations. I decided that I wanted to avoid this. I didn't come here to travel from town to town and from bar to bar with a bunch of people like me.

Having had enough of the big city, yesterday morning I hopped on a local bus heading for Dalat. Dalat is considered the "Santa Cruz of Vietnam," due to its climate and artsy culture. It rarely gets about 75 degrees here, the humidity is low to non-existant, and the green hills seem to go on forever, interupted only by the lush valleys which grow the nations produce and flowers.

I met a woman on the bus, Susan, who has lived in the US, primarily California and Hawaii for the past 40 years. She just recently returned to her Vietnam and her childhood home of Dalat, where she could retire into a comfortable life. We quickly got to talking and before long, she had invited me to stay in her home for as long as I like.

Last night, she took me around her town, showed me Ho Xuan Lake, downtown, the 5 star hotel, and the golf course that was designed by the man who started the shipping company DHL. We enjoyed tea together, Vietnamese sandwiches for dinnerm and popped open Heinekens while we played with her 4-month old puppies, Lula and Keemo. This morning I made us breakfast as she discussed her work with the local orphanage and univeristy. Susna leaves on December 15 to visit her kids in Califonria, but has offered her home to me while she is away. Her generosity is endless!