ON THE TOP OF CALMNESS

Even though it wasn’t spring at the time, I wanted to link what I saw to a Từ Công Phụng song that blessed spring:

Then I’ll take you back to the peaceful peak tomorrow

As spring going up high

Kiss the hair as it flows

Following the clouds as they slowly move…

It’s already getting dark, but the farmland isn’t lit up yet. Darkness is moving to the east. Then the sun goes down, blocking out the last few soft rays of light. The sky turns a deep purple color, and the air gets cool. It looks like an ink wash picture by a great artist.

But maybe it needs to be dark and empty enough to see that this is like a place from a fairy tale, with the smell of the flowers planted in front of the peasants’ homes as a constant background. I suddenly thought of the lines of Huy Can at that time:

There were wildflowers and the smell of hay along the village walk

The person who was walking with me along the flower-scented road, whose heart was already full of imagined flower scents…

Although the air was a little cool, like in a high area, it didn’t make us shiver; in fact, it felt nice. No matter how beautiful the mountains are, we love going more than reading. Going on a thousand-mile trip is better than reading a thousand pages.

The beautiful way to live that we can leave behind is one that is noble, calm, and peaceful. Just take the gifts that come from heaven and earth.
If nature gives you a gift, just take it.

A QUIET SLEEP

When I got back to the room, I fell asleep right away. What a strange place that sleep was, so peaceful.

As I stretched a few times in the morning, I watched the bright red sun rise from behind the mountains and take over the sky. That early morning moment went by quickly. It was gone in the blink of an eye. The air is so clean that you can hear birds singing somewhere.

Wanting to welcome the sun makes me feel like a seedling waiting for the warm sun to break through its shell and wake up the life that has been asleep inside it. Seeing things keep going.

Following that, we went to the dining room to eat breakfast before putting our bags on the bus to continue our trip. There were a lot of different, European-style dishes for breakfast, and I thought they were all wonderful. There’s fromage fondu (cheese fondu), grilled cheese (raclette) with fried potatoes, and hot ham with bread.

I also enjoy the coffee in the hotel dining room. It has a rich taste that isn’t bland like some places serve it, and it’s fun to drink.

I’ve heard that this place is famous for the good wine that comes from the farms owned by the locals. We didn’t get to enjoy wine because we had to leave the hotel right after breakfast was served. Who gets drunk on wine first thing in the morning?

Get in the car. The smooth mountain road winds through the trees, the car runs smoothly, and the road’s natural beauty seems to capture people’s hearts. After a few shocked looks, cameras and phones were pulled out and started taking pictures all the time. Almost everyone did the same thing.

As I got higher, closer to the snow-covered peak, I shivered a little because I could feel the cold on my skin even though the heater was on in my car. When I looked down, I saw a winding railroad and a group of fat dairy cows grazing on a mountain hill.

When the bus got to the top of the mountain, it stopped for about 15 minutes so that everyone could use the bathroom and some smokers could light up. The smoke from their cigarettes mixed with the cold highland mist. I threw a Swiss coin on this snowy peak, which is something that many people do when they come here. There was no sound in that very large room, but I still have faith that good things will happen to me soon.

Get back in the car. When the car went down the hill, it showed a beautiful view: a clear blue lake surrounding by lush green forests that looked like they were holding the lake in their arms. The air is really clean. Still another peaceful moment.

The trip was really long, even though it was less than 250 kilometers. Because it was a mountain road, it was more than twice as far as the trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Vung Tau. After some math, it took us almost five hours to get to Milan and eat lunch late. Then take a break in a café before starting to see what the world-famous fashion capital of Italy has to offer tourists from far away.

But I know that one day, when the COVID pandemic is over for good, I will go back to Switzerland. It is a peaceful, natural country that makes me feel at ease.

Can’t help but come back. But I’m afraid that the gap between what I want and what I actually have isn’t very small…