I’ll warn you up front that most of you will not like how this ends.
This is supposed to be a “How To Points and Miles” Blog. Lately it has become a Travel in Vietnam Blog and I have loved every minute of it. When I write, my heart goes into every word and it bothers me, actually pisses me off, when I’m dismissed as just another Travel-Type Blog. I write about what Matters to Me. I hope to “Move” you.
World Travel can be an incredibly deep personal experience or it can be as shallow as you want it to be. I write about what moves me. Sometimes it humorous and other times, it’s not. Maybe I need to lighten up but that is just not going to happen. I want to know the “why” and I want to share it with anyone who will listen.
Today we took a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels. These are the tunnels that the Viet Cong used during the war. At the end of the tour, we were asked to watch a 20 minute video. I lasted 2 minutes and walked out. That story is for another day.
Exploring other cultures means leaving your American Judgements at home, to a certain point, I mean wrong is wrong. But judging another culture based on my opinion of how they should act, cheapens the experience and closes minds to new ideas and personal growth.
On the shuttle bus ride back, that ideal got shoved down my throat sideways. Our Vietnamese tour guide confirmed that here, this is normal and accepted and that the driver is a “delivery man”. A picture was taken.
Not all stories are humorous and I agonized over even sharing it. But if I’m going to write seriously and open my mind to other cultures then it is not my place to sensor anything. It’s up to you to decide for yourself.
It’s one picture. It makes me uncomfortable, but that reflects my culture. The link is below.
Travelinggump.Com 