My next destination was the city of Hội An, the small port city declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its historic buildings dating back to the 15th century. In addition to its unique architecture, Hội An is known for its street food - which I planned to explore.
Since Huế and Hội An are located along the coast, the shortest route between them is Highway 1, the commercial highway clogged with heavy trucks and saturated with traffic. If I wanted to get to Hội An in a single day's drive, I had no choice but to take this route. My GPS indicated a distance of 136 kilometers, which was relatively short. I could probably get there in four or five hours.
It was hard to wake up that morning. Outside, the weather was grey. A little drizzle was falling. With a heavy step, I went to my motorcycle to get ready to leave. My morning routine seemed more tedious than usual.
To save myself from Highway 1, I chose to take a small country road out of Huế. This road ran through a long, narrow peninsula of land along the coast. On either side, the sea could be seen. Along the shore, strange fishing nets in the shape of giant funnels hung over the water.
I rode peacefully from fishing village to fishing village.
Then suddenly, the road stopped. It was as if the asphalt had run out. My GPS indicated that the road continued. But there was only the edge of the jungle and a path ahead.
I got off my motorcycle and took off my helmet. That's when I heard the sound of crashing waves.
"There's a beach behind this jungle," I thought.
Despite the reassuring sound of the waves, I was worried about riding the deserted trail alone. I had no idea what was waiting for me on the other side.
"It's the middle of the afternoon. Nothing can happen to me," I told myself to reassure myself.
I decided to take the path. After about ten meters, it led to a vast deserted sandy beach.
I was stunned. This unexpected landscape was amazingly beautiful.
The sound of the wind roared in my ears. In the distance, the waves were breaking on the rocks, leaving behind white waves. Abandoned fishing nets were strewn on the beach.
The place seemed frozen in time. As if abandoned in a forgotten past. As I walked along the beach, I tried to imagine its effervescence when the fishermen come to launch their boats. Did they come in numbers? What did they look like? What did they bring back from their expedition?
Then, alone on this vast deserted beach, I lived a moment of plenitude. A moment of complete solitude.
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