If I Could Tell You, I Would..

My travel treasure is indeed a treasure. Not because it is priceless or made of gold but because I could not tell you where it is. I failed to create a map of its whereabouts and did not mark the spot with an X. It lies in the country of Vietnam somewhere between Hanoi and Hue. A large distance I know, and I wish I could be more precise but I cannot. My treasure was discovered by pure accident, as seems to be the way with truly great treasures. Most great discoveries are often preluded by treacherous journeys. Perhaps comparing my bumpy bus journey to something like Columbus' boat trip may be a stretch too far but it paints a picture. After several hours of being shaken and stirred on a rustic bus the driver mercifully stopped for a break at an unassuming and unknown location. I wearily stepped onto solid ground and stumbled forward, seeking shade and a soft seat. As I sat at a restaurant stool I noticed the driver disappear down a side road with a few Vietnamese locals. Curiosity is my favourite trait. Curiosity enlightens people - it does not kill cats. Despite my travel weariness I followed down this lane and found my treasure. The stone path slowly turned to sand, which is always a smile inducing moment. My flip flops were flipped off as a trudged on with a sense of wonder. The path widened soon enough and there it lay. The sun glinted off the water like scattered gold coins and the image in front of me was indeed priceless. Sadly I have forgotten GCSE geography therefore could not tell you if the water source in front of which I stood was a lake, an estuary or a river. Luckily this lapse of memory did not fault my appreciation of its beauty. It was its simplicity that I fell for. There were no tourists (bar me). No cameras. No bars, restaurants or shops. Nothing artificial. Nothing fake. Pure and simple beauty. Clear water, blue skies, mountainous background and utter silence. A handful of fishermen went about their daily tasks on the water, the sun setting on another day. This was the Vietnam that I longed to see. No salesmen, no boat trips with rich folk snapping 'selfies', no shams. It was a ten minute section of a six month trip yet it is the memory I will cling to. I have changed my mind, even if I knew where and what that place was called I still wouldn't tell anyone. If you want to find treasure you have to search for it.