Its All About Perspective
Like most things in life, travel is unpredictable. The best laid plans can crumble in an instant and you will have to start back at square one with nothing but your attitude to make or break your experience. We have countless stories about ruined plans and turns-for-the-worst in addition to the shameful stories about how the setbacks got the best of us. Over time and many adventures we have come to embrace the fact that while traveling it’s not always about what happens to you but how you choose to react to it.
The Worst Day Ever
March 7, 2017 holds true as one of those terrible, everything-goes-wrong days for us. We had an elaborate day planned and filled with adventure and exploration. It would start with a scenic boat tour down the infamous Trang An River, followed by an afternoon of cruising through the stunning countryside on moped. We would then end our day with a hike or two in Vietnam’s first national park, Cuc Phuong, before we settled into our hostel beds inside the park. The next morning we would wake to a chorus of gibbons howling at the sunrise. In our minds everything would be sunny, perfect and beautiful. In reality, it wasn’t.
Instead:
- It down-poured all day.
- We had to skip the Trang An River boat ride because the fog was too thick to see any scenery.
- Our motorbike ride was absolutely miserable. The roads were slippery and unsafe. We were both sopping wet and the rain relentlessly pelted us in the eyes as we drove.
- Our rented motorbike broke halfway through our drive.
- The hostel was overbooked so we were forced to pay triple the price for a private room in a decrepit building at the center of the park.
- Hazardous road conditions and low visibility slowed us down so much that we didn’t have time to do any hikes or activities in Cuc Phuong.
- I slipped on a wet rock and tumbled down an entire flight of stairs.
- Everywhere we looked, the only meal we could find to eat all day was a bland, boring vegetable noodles soup.
- We were soaked to the bone and freezing cold all day.
The Luckiest Day Ever
Face value, the day was a miserable, sopping wet train-wreck. But, travel is 90% about your perspective and attitude and only 10% about what happens to you. Even on the worst day ever Travis and I came out of it believing that March 7th was honestly one of our luckiest days ever.
- Although it rained nonstop, it didn’t rain so hard that we became stranded or unable to drive. Keeping a slow pace, we inched along 27 miles to Cuc Phuong even though it took hours longer. We were also very lucky not to get in an accident with such poor visibility.
- A part fell off our bike in the middle of our drive, but fortunately, we noticed and retrieved it immediately. We also found a local mechanic shop that easily fixed our bike for the low cost of 10,000 Dong ($0.50). While we waited, we were welcomed into the mechanic’s home where he shared tea and his company with us – creating a really authentic and memorable experience.
- Our preferred accommodation in the park was filled with school groups, but we were still able to get a room in the secluded center of the park. Otherwise, our only option would be to drive all the way back to Ninh Binh.
- When I slipped and fell down the flight of stairs I was extremely lucky not to break any bones or seriously injure myself. After quite a tumble, I walked away with a few dark bruises and a torn muscles in my shoulder, but thankfully no lasting damage or anything that required a doctor.
- Even though we were originally positioned to have the worst night of our lives all alone in a eerie, crumbling, communist-style hotel in the middle of the jungle, we managed to communicate with a maid at the newer, nicer building to let us stay with her. For the low cost of 50,000 dong ($2.50) successfully removed ourselves from an extremely sketchy and scary situation.
The 90-10 Rule
With all those cards stacked against us, we felt very lucky that March 7th went as well as it did. As bad as everything seemed in the moment, it truly could have been so much worse. Travel will never, ever go completely as planned. How you view and react to your situation will make or break the experience you have every single time. That’s the 90-10 rule.