Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There was nothing more I could do. I persuaded them to place the bike in a container at
the border and promised I would be back. All I knew was that in seven days, I would be
getting on that ship to Canada, and I would be doing it with Kindness One in tow.
I found my way into the center of Ho Chi Minh, without my yellow hunk of magic, and
was assured by Hao, my contact at the shipping company, that they would resolve it.
“Enjoy the sites and sounds of Vietnam,” Hao told me. “And be sure to check your
email.”
No problem—that was an order I could follow. The best part in all of this was that I
wouldn't need to worry about convincing anyone to buy gas for me!
My days in Ho Chi Minh were spent waiting for good news and doing what I had done
in every other city along the way—I searched for food and friends and places to stay. I
ended up begging my way into a hotel for one night, and the next I stayed with a street
cleaner. My trusty computer was always at the ready, but still no news.
The container ship would soon be leaving for Canada, but Hao had told me not to worry.
One afternoon, I decided to go out and find a bowl of noodles for lunch. Anything to take
my mind off my quickly unraveling plans. I saw a girl in line in front of me and asked if
she spoke English. She did and was impressed with my story. Enough to buy me lunch and
hear more as we ate.
Vin explained to me that offering me lunch was not a rare act for her. “It's part of my
nature,” she told me. “I like to help people. Especially foreigners who are not familiar with
our country.”
She opened her arms wide as she exclaimed, “So I speak for the people, and I welcome
you and host you.”
If only the border guards had been so inviting.
“What are your dreams?” I asked Vin. “What do you dream about?”
She thought about it for a second. “I do dream that I can help people have a better life.”
As we were finishing our lunch, she told me about a doctor she knew, “He believes in
kindness, too. In helping people. This doctor he gives people their eyes back.”
Okay. I was a little confused. “He helps the blind?”
“Yes, for poor people. With him, they can see.” She thought about it before asking,
“Would you like to meet this doctor?”
Twenty minutes later, after a terrifying trip on the back of Vin's scooter, we were at the
clinic of the doctor.
