My first morning in Hanoi, I woke up very early. I wanted to go to Hoan Kiem Lake – a few blocks from my hotel – to witness the locals doing Tai Chi exercises. Map in hand, I set off at about 6 AM from the historic Metropole Hotel in the heart of the city’s most beautiful French-colonial neighborhood.

At this hour, there’s very little traffic but there was lots of activity.  All along the sidewalks and at every available patch of concrete people were playing badminton!  Badminton nets were stretched between the stately trees lining the Dinh Le Boulevard.  Men and women of all ages were engaged in spirited doubles’ matches and white shuttlecocks flew back and forth overhead.  Every group of players smiled and waved as I passed by.   Whenever I stopped to watch for a moment, I was invited to join the match.  Having played badminton (badly) as a kid, I remember whiffing nearly every time. I did join a couple of matches for a little while, but I’m sure the players were relieved when I turned in my racket and continued my stroll.

Even without the extra exertion of badminton, I was already hot and sweaty, and I hadn’t thought to bring a hat or sunglasses. Upon reaching the lake, I saw a few elderly folks doing Tai Chi in their cotton pajamas.  There were joggers, a couple of guys walking backwards (really!) and groups of ladies doing some variation of jazzercize (or maybe it was zoomba?)!   In any event, the boom boxes were blaring!

As I strolled along the shore I noticed an elderly lady sitting alone on a bench. She saw me at the same time I saw her … and she patted the bench next to her – inviting me to sit.  So I sat!  I smiled, struggling to remember how to say hello, and finally uttered a greeting, “seen chow.”

She smiled and nodded.

“Americana,” I said, pointing at myself.  This nice lady would have been a young girl back in the sixties. I wondered about her memory of the horrific “American War” (as they rightfully call it).

Since she spoke no English and I had already used up the only two words of Vietnamese that I knew, I sat quietly next to this woman with the smiling eyes. I was curious about her life story – a story that I would never know.

My thoughts turned to gratitude. Thankful that I never suffered any consequences from that tragic and futile war.  Thankful to have this opportunity to experience yet another exotic country.

And then, interrupting my moment of reverie, she began to fan me with her rice paper fan!

A heart-to-heart connection – a tender moment – a simple act of kindness . . . it’s one of those “frozen moments” that happen when we travel – that happen when we slow down. Indelibly etched in my memory.

 

 

If you’d like to have an unforgettable experience of one of my favorite countries, join me on the WOW! Travel Club journey to Vietnam in March.  Details at http://www.wowvietnam2013.com/.  I promise an experience to remember!     (Marilyn Murphy, “creative queen”)