Vietnam Travel Tour of Pleiku And Kon Tum 2014. Sojournaling Vietnam

That's right, yours truly, Kyle the Jungle man is 300 miles away from Saigon in the Central Higlands of Gia Lai Province. I met a guy and asked him to show me the best of Pleiku. And he took me to a cemetery I was actually in the famous aborted baby cemetary and didn't even realize it. I had a chance to witness a ceremonial ritual and helped bury an aborted fetus One of over 15,000 babies resting in these grounds. Something to really think about here. I've been to a million temples before. My knees have touched the ground a million times. I've argued with monks over how many zeros there are in a million. But dare I say this one was one in a million. Why? Well.. there was like a million steps here. There's a decent population of Catholics living in this area. Despite heavy settlement of the Kinh people, ethnic minorities still remain an influential part of Central Vietnam. On the grounds of this famous church, ethnic minority children were playing soccer. Which required really no skills because everyone knows soccer is really boring. I even joined in on all the fun. Fun in quotations. Then I taught them what real football's like. Then they showed me what real tackles are like. Beyond the pine trees and a few miles north of Pleiku, lies Sea Lake. This flooded volcano crater offers a scenic backdrop for an unforgettable afternoon of leisure. Come here to a catch a soothing breeze. Perhaps a quaint little picnic? Perhaps a date with Slender Man? And there I stood embracing this tree yearning for her to be in my arms. The glimmers of the water reminded me of her smile. A cure for my wounded mind. Wait, is that.. is that her? is that really her?? Oh no, just a plastic bag. So close.. but it's no replacement. Won't lie or lead me on enough. Despite being exhausted from virtually no sleep, I tried my best to take the scenery and landscape all in. Cow poop and all. Next up, the city of Kon Tum is only 55 miles and a really sore *** away from Pleiku on Highway 14. I have to admit it was a bit underwhelming, but history buffs would probably enjoy it. Oh! I have a degree in history. This famous old wooden church is famous because it's an old wooden church that's famous. Yeah. (History degree right here) Many people come to Kon Tum because they want to experience the cultures and traditions of ethnic hill tribes. I wanted that too, but I didn't want to sign up for a tour. I'm not that kind of traveler, simply because I'm too poor for a tour. So I went off the beaten path to a random village and left quite frustrated. I imagined a warm welcome with children running all around. I imagined large group dancing and singing. I imagined pinatas and too many tamales. But the truth was, most people were timid and shy. In fact, most people just went inside when they saw me. I blame it on the camera... and my face. Mostly my face. The last meal before departing was so worth the entire journey I also had great company This chicken was so nice to me. And I left the roadside restaurant and stood on the side of the road in silence staring at this pig crossing the road and wondered what the nice chicken was doing. And just like that, suddenly darkness appeared over some hot tea and cold coffee. The skies unleashed just like the night I arrived. As my plane arrived. I sat back to think about being here in the last few moments. of this trip.