On the last leg of our Cambodia-Vietnam trip, we went on an overnight junk boat cruise around Ha Long Bay and were rewarded with a wonderful sunset.
We made many friends on that junk boat - there was Andy, a London architect travelling around Asia who was headed to Australia after; a burly (and yes, quite cute) New Zealander who exchanged photography and DSLR tips with Tiff; an adorable Thai couple who were so surprised that we had taken two weeks off from work in order to travel; an American couple living in Brunei who were so surprised at how well we spoke English; and a French couple - we never found out their names, but amongst ourselves we called the French girl Mirka, because she resembled Roger Federer's wife.
By then we had been on the road for nearly two weeks and had somehow gotten the hang of striking up conversation with fellow travelers, answering and asking the same questions over and over ("Where are you from? For how long are you traveling? Where else have you been?") but not quite getting tired of the whole cycle of creating 5-minute friendships - 15 minutes and an email address exchange if you're lucky, or if the wait for the next bus is taking particularly longer than expected.
And while Ha Long Bay with its amazing sunset and fleet of beautiful junk boats was quite a sight to behold, it was the people - random strangers but fellow travelers - that made the experience whole.
We made many friends on that junk boat - there was Andy, a London architect travelling around Asia who was headed to Australia after; a burly (and yes, quite cute) New Zealander who exchanged photography and DSLR tips with Tiff; an adorable Thai couple who were so surprised that we had taken two weeks off from work in order to travel; an American couple living in Brunei who were so surprised at how well we spoke English; and a French couple - we never found out their names, but amongst ourselves we called the French girl Mirka, because she resembled Roger Federer's wife.
By then we had been on the road for nearly two weeks and had somehow gotten the hang of striking up conversation with fellow travelers, answering and asking the same questions over and over ("Where are you from? For how long are you traveling? Where else have you been?") but not quite getting tired of the whole cycle of creating 5-minute friendships - 15 minutes and an email address exchange if you're lucky, or if the wait for the next bus is taking particularly longer than expected.
And while Ha Long Bay with its amazing sunset and fleet of beautiful junk boats was quite a sight to behold, it was the people - random strangers but fellow travelers - that made the experience whole.
2 comments:
I can't wait to get out there and experience the 5 min friendship. So many new people to meet and swap stories with.
Sounds like your having a great trip.
Hi Chris! Thanks for visiting my blog and for the link exchange. And yes, I really believe that a big part of the joy one can find in traveling is meeting new people who love being on the road just as much as you do. Five-minute friendships might seem fleeting and momentary, but I think they have a special kind of magic in them, and are the ones you'll remember long after they've ended. :)
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