Grateful Traveler: When a Tourist Becomes a Friend

vietnam marketIf you’re thinking of visiting Vietnam, it’s a good idea to do some online research ahead of time.

The Internet is a great resource for ideas you may not have thought of yourself: Hike among the ethnic minority villages of Tavan; spend a night with a Tay family; bike the backstreets of Hoi An.

“Don’t be afraid,” coax the Web sites. “This is not just for backpackers. Come meet the people.”

Which is just what Heather Zimes did on a recent trip to Vietnam. But, no, she didn’t sign up for a walking tour, hire an interpreter or travel with a guide. At least not a professional one.

Three young girls—Sa, Su and Vi—met Heather as she and her friends walked through the mountains and, in the broken English they’d learned from tourists, invited the three of them home.

hiking vietnamIt turned out that home was a three-hour trek through the mountains and jungles. Home was a one-room hut where seven people lived. Home came complete with a dirt floor, a fire pit, a grass roof … and a satellite dish.

Their parents’ reaction to having extra mouths to feed? Smiles all around, with younger children sent out to invite other villagers and extended family for dinner. And then a feast was prepared by Sa, Su and Vi. They cooked up a meal of tofu, rice and vegetables as if they’d been cooking over an open fire pit all their lives (which surely they had).

mountain village vietnamThese girls were not schooled, except in generosity and kindness. They were born to a life of hard work and grinding poverty. But they knew what was essential for success— helping others, inviting them home, refusing to take any money. (When Heather absolutely insisted that she pay for the meal, the girls reluctantly took three dollars.)

When everyone had eaten and laughed and shared, it was finally time to go home. But now the sun was setting and a three-hour trek through mountains and jungle didn’t seem quite so appealing.

vietnam girlsAnd yet it was no problem.

It seems a road ran nearby and Su’s father had a moped. In fact, that’s how he made his living, driving tourists around the mountain area on the back of his motorbike. So he readied the bike and convinced two of his friends to do the same. Down the road they flew, right back to Sapa and into the “off- the-beaten-track” Vietnam of guide books.

The price for this service? Nothing. Not one penny. Having broken bread (so to speak) in his home, these weren’t tourists, these were friends.

So how do you know when it’s safe to go off with strangers?

Of course there are no guarantees in this world, but everyone I’ve asked who has decided to take a chance had the same answer as Heather. “You get a feeling about people, about who you can trust.”

together vietnamHeather went on to say that she has never gone with any men or even boys, except for monks (sorry guys, that’s the way of the world).

My own experience would say that traveling helps one develop a sixth sense about what situations are safe and what are not.

It helps to listen to the locals. When the people of Punta Mita told me to contact the padrone and not the police if I ever got in trouble, I tucked it away as important information.

It also helps to be respectful of a country’s customs: no revealing clothing in conservative places, no alcohol and certainly no drugs.

For women, don’t travel alone. Try to take a guy you know and trust along.

Don’t think your government is going to come to your aid. When you travel, especially off the beaten path, you are pretty much on your own.

Which brings us to the very best travel guide you could ever ask for out on the road … your gut. Trust it. Trust it. Trust it. It’s the best traveling companion you’ll ever have.

By Jamie Simons for PeterGreenberg.com. Photo credits: Heather Zimes

Don’t miss the rest of the Grateful Traveler series.

Get more information on Solo Travel Safety.

Check out the article that started it all: Grateful Traveler: An Eskimo Showed Me the Way.