What's over there?
PHONG NHA, VIETNAM – During our recent visit to Phong Nha, we enjoyed an informative morning walk around the rural Farmstay Village.
As we walked, Phong Nha Farmstay co-owner Ben Mitchell shared some of the history of the village, the development of the various Farmstay enterprises over the last nine years and his vision for the future of the community-based businesses.
PHONG NHA, VIETNAM – We just spent several days at the Phong Nha Farmstay near the town of Phong Nha, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam.
The main attraction at Phong Nha is its location near some of the most spectacular caves in the world. It’s the leaping off point for treks into Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park (including Hang Son Doong, the world’s largest cave) and a haven for backpackers.
DA NANG, VIETNAM – This week Melanie and I attended a meeting of our local book club, where we discussed the works of Haruki Murakami, a Japanese author who has penned several novels and collections of short stories. His works have been translated into 50 languages and have sold millions of copies around the world.
The book group gets together about once a month to discuss a specific title, author, writing genre or topic. Past reading themes have included science fiction and fantasy, short stories by Vietnamese authors, spiritual books, great writers in 1920s Paris, humor and more.
Attendance varies from one meeting to the next, but there are always people from a variety of backgrounds and experience… young people teaching English and other subjects at local private schools, expats working remotely as they wander the world, retirees like Melanie and myself, and local Vietnamese citizens looking to expand their horizons beyond the borders of their homeland.
This past week’s group included expats from Australia and America, as well as a handful of Vietnamese from around the country, and ranged in age from early 20s to nearly 70 years old.
As always, the monthly book, author or genre is the starting point for our discussions, which can often be quite lively as everyone weighs in with their opinions.
Reading the current selection is not necessarily a requirement for attendance at the gatherings. In fact, it’s often the case that as many as half (or more) of the attendees have not read the book being discussed.
All that’s really required is a willingness to connect with other people and express honest opinions about whatever the discussion brings.
Our conversations always range far and wide from the initial beginning, veering off into personal experience, expat life, cultural differences and more.
Among the most valuable takeaways from our meetings are the recommendations from attendees of other books and topics to check out.
Coming as we do from such diverse backgrounds, it’s literally like tapping into a vast window on the world of literature.
Learn about the next Danang Book Club meeting on Facebook or on Meetup.
DANANG, VIETNAM – Rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated.
Melanie and I have lately had a few queries along the lines of…
“Are you guys OK? You haven’t written anything new on your blog for more than a month!”
Or…
“Are you two still living in Vietnam? We haven’t heard from you in a while.”
The answer to both of those questions is a resounding “Yes!”
We’re fine. We still live in Vietnam. Our daily life goes on as usual, with interesting experiences almost every time we step out of our apartment.
It’s just that…
DANANG, VIETNAM – Here’s another one of the curious business names we’ve run across in our travels outside the U.S.
We’ve seen a lot of business names that make us stop and wonder, “What were they thinking?”
Sometimes the odd names are the result of faulty online translation engines.
Other times they come from an effort to sound “Western” and hip…
Or a grandiose way to blow your own horn.
And sometimes they’re just odd.
Take a look at the shop pictured above…
“C+ mini Mart”
If you were going to assign your own grade, wouldn’t you give yourself an “A”?
Maybe even an “A+” if you were feeling really good about your efforts.
I certainly would!
But a “C+”?
That’s all they could muster?
Top of the class or not, at least it’s above average.