#phanxipang

••• Further impressions from Vietnam's Far North.

I provided guided tours at Hoàng Liên National Park and Phan Xi Păng mountain, near Sa Pa, Lao Cai. At only 19 it seemed surreal, undefined, yet undeniably significant. Experiencing those culturally diverse lands of which I understood so little, spending my days out there in the forests, hills and mountains, the nights beneath the glow of my room’s small lamp, covered in thick blankets,

reading anything I managed to get my hands on, anything in English really, cooking on that tiny camping stove, improvised, tight-fit, happy, picturing all that might lie ahead, all that might unfold… Those days certainly have left their mark. I'm glad they did. •••

••• First job as a tour guide at Hoàng Liên National Park and Phan Xi Păng mountain, "The Roof of Indochina". Portering, trekking, mountaineering, through cloud- and bambooforests, on tough, muddy terrain. High humidity, sporadic rainfall. Stationed at Sa Pa. Cold nights, small room. Thick, golden layers of fog at dusk. •••