During our time in Vietnam, we spent 3 days cruising the incredible turquoise waters of Ha Long Bay, and were consistently awed by the thousands of Karst Limestone rock formations majestically jutting from the sea. And while this was mostly relaxing, we also had a chance to visit a floating fishing village hidden in a cluster of these rock formations, which provided shelter from the otherwise harsh elements of the sea (typhoons, etc). We were taken from our Junk to the village by women rowing bamboo boats (they had some pretty badass rowing skills), and met with the chief to learn about day to day life in the village itself. It was a pretty humbling experience to see a small village of 200 people living their lives entirely on the water, fishing as a way of life. They had one school, but did not have any current classes for the children as the teacher was a volunteer from the mainland and had left because she had a baby. At the end of our visit, we were offered some homebrewed herbal rice wine (photo below), which was surprisingly smooth and flavourful. They lived relatively simple lives, and certainly didn't enjoy any of the excesses that we take for granted. While I don't think I could live like they did, I did also recognize that our lives could do with a bit more simplicity, and hopefully I will carry that thought with me the next time I'm tempted to buy more crap to clutter up our lives with.
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