Cycling The Road Less Travelled

We were in a small town, trying to buy bananas from a street vendor, when Binh, a teacher with perfect English, stopped to translate for us. After helping us with the purchase, we chatted for a little while. He asked us about our journey and where we were going from here. It wasn’t long before he graciously invited us into his house for tea. We accepted of course, these are the moments we cherish most. We sat in Binh’s courtyard, drinking tea out of beautiful blue and white, wonderfully chipped, porcelain cups; no doubt passed down from generation to generation. Binh spoke enthusiastically about his family, his life and his students. He loves his job. It’s awesome to hear someone speak passionately about their profession. He also spoke openly about what it was like during the war and the changes in his country since. He has seen so much in his sixty years.

Binh also spoke of his dream to travel, specifically to Montreal and Japan. I recognized the gleam in his eyes when he spoke of it, I understand that sense of wonderment; that overwhelming curiosity about the world we live in. We’ve been invited into people’s home countless times now on this journey. Sitting there and watching him speak of his dream, it hit me. This is just another form of travel. Maybe he can’t go out there right now, backpack in hand to “see the world”, but when the world shows up on his doorstep, he can certainly invite it in. I like it.