Transcription

• Speaker #0

  After a mixed day in Yat-Tiang, I finally arrive in Danang to meet up a friend who's also traveling. It's time to party. Keep your wings, le podcast. Enjoy the episode. Chapter 7. At the other end of the line. I greeted Matt, my buddy from Belgium, with a proper hug. I'd come to pick him up at the airport after renting a scooter in town. To celebrate our reunion, we decided to stay in a Airbnb in Da Nang. As soon as we arrived, we met the family supposed to host us. The only catch was that the son, who was the only one speaking English and managing bookings, was currently absent. We chatted with him online, but on site, there was only the mother and the father. They were big smiles and asked us long questions in Vietnamese, which we couldn't answer, obviously. We gave them polite smile when we realized the room wasn't ready yet. A fridge was still to be installed, so we had to wait. We tried to get up a few times, but the mother firmly made us sit back down by pressing her hands on our shoulders. She was clearly in charge, that much was obvious. I laughed and told Matt about my rather chaotic arrival the night before. I show up late afternoon and the room wasn't quite ready, I explained. They had me sit at the table where there were 7 or 8 people smoking cigarette drinking whiskey.

• Speaker #1

  Did they toast you?

• Speaker #0

  Matt asked. Well, they were generous with the drink and offered a bunch of awful pastries that didn't go at all with the whiskey, but, you know, I wanted to be polite, so I hid them anyway. We burst out laughing because my face has puffed up since I've been in Asia. Why? Too much food, not enough sport, even though I still walk a lot. but mostly because food is soooo cheap. In little street stalls, it's not uncommon to leave with just one or two euros for a fantastic dish. I'm a bit self-conscious about my chubby face, but at least my body still keeps up its usual laziness. Once settled in the airbnb, we shared our respective experiences. Matt had been traveling for a few months already. He told me it was crazy unlike anything he had done before, and especially rich in encounters.

• Speaker #1

  Especially with people you wouldn't normally talk to.

• Speaker #0

  He said, He seemed different than usual, compared to how I know him back in Belgium. He appeared calmer, more confident, more relaxed. He was nervous about going back and has been returned.

• Speaker #1

  Are you happy here? I mean, do you like what you're doing?

• Speaker #0

  I almost wonder if he was looking for my approval or some encouragement to keep traveling. It was strange, because I felt totally in my element. I had been traveling for over 6 months and, surprisingly, I didn't miss Belgium. Or my loved ones. It was a weird feeling. A mix of certainty, knowing they would always be there when I got back, and pragmatism. This was the adventure of a lifetime, and I wanted to live it fully, without regrets. That evening, I decided to show Matt what Vietnam had taught me, to let yourself be surprised by events. He wanted to go party in town with other backpackers, but I declined and suggested just wandering around the neighborhood, near our airbnb. It was a bit far from the center and not easily walkable, so I had rent a scooter for easily getting around. I was hoping we would get stopped in the street so I could show Matt how an evening with locals goes. Bingo A voice called us from afar. Two men and the restaurant owner start talking to us, invite us to join them. Table was laid with malt-watering dishes. We order some food too and share it with them. Grilled fish, seasoned shrimp, spicy pork, piece of chicken wrapped in rice leaves, and of course, buckets of ice and tiger beer. Later in the evening, with the alcohol loosening things up, They handed us a microphone. An impromptu karaoke party broke out. I hadn't expected that but karaoke is sacred in Asia, wherever you go. Music plays a huge role. I had already realized that during my trip to Taiwan. We sang and yelled at the top of our lungs. From the Cranberry Zombie to Alan Walker's Faded, to Maître Gim's My Direction, we gave them the most obnoxious playlist possible. But the night was a success. The restaurant owner famed us and even did a Facebook live. She begged us to come back the next day for another round. Without hesitation, we returned the next day. There were more people than the first time. We started eating and cracking open beers. Just minutes later, we heard people exclaiming. A table of four was pointing at us. The restaurant owner came over and said,

• Speaker #2

  They saw you singing on Facebook Live and would like you to jump there and sing. Come on

• Speaker #0

  Matt and I laughed and immediately went over, telling them, We're down We dragged our table and stools with us. Their English was better than usual and spontaneously they asked where we were from. Belgium. We answered in unison.

• Speaker #1

  Oh Lukaku

• Speaker #0

  They shouted happily. We laughed and quickly switched to football talk. The 2018 World Cup was just around the corner. And many Vietnamese are football fanatics. When they don't know the name of our country, they often know our players. The most mentioned were Romelu Lukaku, Eden Hazard and sometimes Thibaut Courtois. One of the guys with us had darker skin, so his friend jokingly nicknamed him Lukaku. We laugh but I wonder about the innocence of that remark. Having dark skin in Asia isn't always easy. Between racism and unabashed stares, it's sometimes hard to know what people really think about people of color. This issue will come up often during my travels in Asia. Being black isn't always easy. Not just in Asia though. Anyway, as I often say, honor and strength to all travelers, whoever they are. Then I went on, at the other end of the line. The microphone was handed back, and the song switched from Vietnamese pop to indie rock. That was my choice. We had a blast shouting MO TAI BA YO all the time. Honestly, we were as drunk as the moon.

• Speaker #2

  Wanna get high?

• Speaker #0

  One of the Vietnamese guy has. Matt and I exchanged a look and agreed with a YES. The man pulled a packet from his pocket that looked like weed. Then he tore a piece of the paper tablecloth and rolled what looked like a monster joint. He lit it and took a few puffs before offering it to us. We were hesitant but since we were already pretty wasted, we took the risk. Honestly, I still don't know what it was. But I was blasted. We kept singing and drinking until paranoia kicked in and we decided to go home. Matt was exhausted and headed back to the Airbnb. I wandered the streets until I came across another group eating outside. I approached and yelled, And just like that, laughter, invites to eat, another beer, chatting through Google Translate. I had another great night with people who had their hearts on their sleeves, who gave me so much even though they didn't have to. A simple moment, a night that would have seemed ordinary, if it had happened in Belgium of course. But here in Vietnam, it was worth its weight in peanuts. believe me. This ease of connecting with locals, the feeling of acceptance reminded me of nights spent with friends back home. And I felt like I was truly at home. And fuck, it felt so good.