Through the eyes of an adventurer...

There are many places that can take a breath away, many places which any adventurer looks for, many places which those who have travelled to vow to return to. These places are vast and many, undefined and refined only through the senses of those fortunate to captivate themselves in the moment of that time. One such moment was found in the red sands of a desert of Mui Ne, Vietnam.

Having been raised in the sandy beach town of Bournemouth it's hard to believe that the simplicity of the scattered black red sandy hills could imprint itself in my memory as my footsteps had in its canvas. Yet there, forged into its snaking path, a cool stream ran through, integrating effortlessly into the scene. It was this simple elegance that demonstrated the grace of a still reminiscence that draws me to reflection.

It could be argued that this upbringing had dulled my appreciation of what might be seen as just sand and water, tarnished further by the overwhelming mass of people, seagulls and deckchairs littered across those beautiful beaches. However, I am not one to try and take things for granted, and although these characteristics have an essence of an artistic appreciation to be valued, in all their absences, this subtle portrait of nature was all that was needed to captivate this adventurer.

As I descended through this gentle oxymoron of the cold ripples of the stream, which could only offers its embrace to a boundary just above the ankles, and an engulfing warmth emitted from the piercing rays of the unsheathed sun of the dessert I realise how the slightest details accentuated the beauty of this opportunity. Equipped with the attire of a tourist on an exploration, wearing shorts which stretched just beyond the knees, holding sandals in hand to introduce my bare feet to a new footing and proudly displaying the sleeveless t-shirt which the domestic values of the inhabitants of England would frown upon, I trudged through this mapped path, carved between two walls of sand which secluded us from the numerous societies of the outside world.

In many ways, many people seek an escape from the hectic or morose life which awaits them when they return to where they had left. Many people seek adventure, the unknown or even simply something different. In this secluded moment, I found a memory worth keeping.