On the Way to Ha Giang Loop

Long Journeys and Conversations with Strangers

📍Ha Giang Loop, Vietnam

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Right after leaving the nail salon, I arrived at the bus office for my much-anticipated journey to the famous Loop and sat there waiting for the time they told me. I was talking on the phone with my family and didn't notice that an hour had already passed while I was still waiting.

This time, I made sure I was on the list, all the staff knew I was waiting, so I didn't feel forgotten, and I remembered that I'm really not in a hurry to go anywhere. That's one of the advantages of a long journey – time takes on a completely different meaning.

When they finally called me, I was picked up by a "luxurious" minibus that would have been shiny when it was new, but it had been through a few years of service. They call it a 'limousine' here, and the difference is that this minibus has comfortable leather seats that recline and are very nice for sitting continuously for several hours. Everyone has a USB charging port and plenty of legroom. It feels like a treat.

I booked this in advance because I had heard excellent reviews, and the price difference compared to a regular bus was negligible. For a 6-hour journey, I preferred comfort. After all, the journey is still long, and every bit of comfort is an advantage.

During the ride, I found myself staring out the window nonstop. I realized I was watching the best show in town - the landscapes of Vietnam changing before me like TV channels, more interesting than any reality show - because this is actual reality, and nothing captivates me more.

Halfway through, after three hours, we stopped at a place with toilets, a kiosk, and a restaurant, and we had a half-hour break. I ordered noodle soup with chicken, and it was simply comforting - the warm feeling in my stomach and the taste of chicken soup brought me back to childhood, and it felt nice. It's interesting how simple food can connect worlds and transport us through time.

I joined a table with some girls who were with me in the minibus, and we chatted about the tour and what we knew about it. One of them was a Vietnamese who was born here but had lived her entire life in England and recently in Australia. You guessed it, in Melbourne! Of course, we talked about the most amazing city in the world, how much fun I had living there, and how much she loves living there. She said she came here alone for three weeks for a relative's wedding and to meet friends.

We talked about driving the Loop, about choosing to do it with a professional driver because it's very common. When I mentioned that I had a scooter for years and know how to ride, but never thought for a moment to do it here because I understood the roads are very narrow and part of the journey is literally off-road, she agreed and said, "I grew up here, grew up with motorcycles, and I don't dare to do this route myself." We laughed.

"Yes, and ultimately, we come here to enjoy, not to work hard, and to take photos while we're at it. And you can't drive and photograph at the same time," she added.

"About that..." I pulled my smart glasses out of my bag, "I have glasses with a camera, and I actually like to do things with them and film while I'm doing it. I rode a scooter in the Philippines and made a cool video with them!" I said excitedly.

"Wow! That's amazing! Can I see?" she was enthusiastic.

I showed her the scooter video, and as usual, I kept talking about the glasses as if I were at minimum Ray-Ban's spokesperson (what do you say? Should we collaborate?) because I just love them so much, and they're the best product I've ever bought.

After a few minutes, she asked me to show her the glasses on Ray-Ban's website and said she now knows what to ask for Christmas.

I thought about how I've had them for over a year now, and how much they're an integral part of my daily life, how much they're an integral part of the content I create, and how much I appreciate having them.

At the table was also a girl who had completed the Loop and was on her way back to Hanoi. She said it was amazing and that she was exhausted. We tried not to bother her too much and talked among ourselves about social media.

Just as I mentioned on my Instagram profile, she joined the conversation and said something surprising - three years ago, she deleted Instagram, and this was after having an active account for only 3 years. "I joined late and realized it wasn't for me quite early," she said, leaving us in shock.

"I used to scroll through the feed endlessly, couldn't do anything else, it was my life," I explained, like someone who had gone through withdrawal from a hard drug.

"And now, I don't feel like I'm missing anything at all, I'm free," she said with a smile.

"Yes, I understand what you mean," I said, pondering her words.

I think it's easy for many people to get carried away with the endless scrolling in the feed, but for me, I found that I create content, throw it in there, and leave. I don't consume social media at all, and maybe that's why they don't like me back.

I prefer to be on the creative side rather than the consuming side, and to invest my energy in places that do me good and advance me. Even when I post a video of mine, and immediately a cool reel pops up, even if I've seen one or two, I quickly sneeze and exit, as if I'm immune to this hypnosis.

Yes, I still have moments when I scroll through Facebook, I admit, especially when I miss home and want to see what's happening lately in Israel, entering groups of digital nomads or bloggers, getting ideas, inspiration, understanding something about my path, but it always ends with me leaving and saying to myself, "Well, this doesn't interest me."

I'm not trying, God forbid, to offend any content creator, but I've found that I'm focused on my goal to the point where everything happening around me doesn't interest me. All that interests me right now is developing my blog, writing, writing, and writing, progressing in my process, moving on to the next stage in my detailed plan, and fulfilling my purpose.

When we finished the break and got back on the road, I continued thinking about this conversation and the strange relationship we have with technology - how smart glasses are a tool that enriches my life, while social media is a tool that I deliberately keep at a distance. Maybe that's the key - choosing technology that serves our purposes, not the other way around.

After 3 more hours of driving, we finally reached our destination. I arrived at my hostel, where the representative welcomed me with hot tea and explained broadly how the Loop looks, told me about breakfast tomorrow, and that we're setting out at 9:30. I felt that here was another step towards fulfilling my plan, another experience on the way to my goal.

"This is your room for the night," he said as he opened the door, and a swarm of mosquitoes greeted us.

"There's a big bed here, air conditioning, and a shower, and these bags belong to other travelers doing the Loop," he explained.

"Okay..." I said when I saw the shower and realized I was lucky I had showered in the morning, because I'm not going in there.

"It's just for one night, relax," I remind myself, trying to fight the feeling of disgust. Sometimes that's the price of an authentic journey - moments of discomfort that lead to exceptional experiences.

I got ready for bed and just wanted to close my eyes so it would already be tomorrow. I looked for the light switch, and when I found it, I accidentally looked up (it's known to be a rookie mistake), where I saw 2 huge spiders!!! Just writing about it gives me chills. How am I supposed to fall asleep now?!

"Just ignore them, there's nothing I can do right now, and they're not that close to your bed" (sometimes I lie to myself very well).

I got into bed, trying to focus on the experiences waiting for me tomorrow on the Loop instead of the tenants on the ceiling. The next morning, I discovered that it was scarier than seeing spiders up there; it was seeing that they were no longer there. But I didn't have time to think about it too much - a new day of adventures was already waiting at the door, and that's why I came here, to experience the unexpected and turn it into part of my story.

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