Travellive 11-2018

travel
Text: Bao Khuyen | Photos: Huu Duong - Lieu Lam
Unlike other trips in which I would stay in a city for a few days, then
visit another city spontaneously; this time my journey by train was
thoroughly planned ahead of time, down to the last detail. This is
partly because I wanted to make the most of my time revisiting some
previous places and exploring new destinations that were missed last
time. For this train trip, I wanted to live a bit more slowly.
THROUGH THE LONG NIGHT
For long trips with many destinations, I often draw up a schedule to arrange the trip reasonably. As
always, night trains are the wisest option for long distances as you can double up your sleep with your
travel and be ready for a new city the next morning.
I left Saigon railway station in the late afternoon and brought with me tons of stuff including my
luggage, a rucksack, a laptop, a camera and a book that I had not finished but believed that I could
“read” on the train. However, as the train left the city, my eyes were glued to the constantly changing
landscapes through the window. Less than 2 hours after the train left the station, the lights along
streets became scarce. It started to rain. Without the sound of the night rain, I could not have slept
a wink because of the bizarre squeaking noises the train made. A few drops of rain every now and
then comforted me, making everything so pleasant, but I still couldn’t drift off into sleep immediately.
Instead, I listened to a couple of pop songs on my phone and sat up watching the drops of rain collect
and slip on and off the window. Never in my life had I felt so content and relaxed without wi-fi.
TRAVELLIVE 131