The rickety motorbike zoomed in and out of the Saigon traffic, cutting through impossible gaps between trucks and tuk tuks. As I clung to the stranger in front of me, he grinned over his shoulder and revved a little faster. Horns blared out as we sped through a packed roundabout, and before I knew it we had reached our destination, the bustling Huynh Thuc Khang street market.
I clambered off the motorbike, avoiding the burning hot loose exhaust pipe, and all at once it struck me how far I’d come in just two weeks. It seemed such a short time since I’d been peering out into a foreign land from my sleeper train bed, anticipating the travels and sights ahead with a mixture of nerves and naive excitement. As the vendors’ shouts and spicy smells of their wares reached me, I was struck with a wave of amazement that I was here, in Ho Chi Minh City, and a feeling of just how lucky I was.
Travel is an adventure, an experience, a steep learning curve. It can startle you with an unexpected sight or a sense of dislocation from the familiar. Whether they come from reaching the top of a mountain or are stumbled upon on a nondescript street corner, these moments of feeling like you’re dreaming are ones to treasure.
This post is part of the monthly travel link-up hosted by the fabulous Rebecca, Emma and Kelly. Be sure to check out their awesome blogs for their own ‘pinch-me’ moments, and more by other fantastic bloggers!
What’s your travel ‘pinch me’ moment?
