Our News Virtual Travel Bloggers got the opportunity to take a kayaking trip last Friday with a young man named Huy (You can follow him at his Facebook page Huygo Gang & Kiara Badass). Huy, Kiara and Momo created this group to hold a space for us to grow our connection. We’ll update upcoming tours in Vietnam or in other countries. Exploring hidden spots, telling untold stories, and having fun are what we want to do together!
It was really nice to see that Huy created this whole trip using his own dog Momo as the main character in his story. My impression is that he named Momo after the winged lemur from the beloved Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender. The show follows a young boy named Aang as he awakens from a century long slumber in an iceberg and goes on a quest to bring harmony and peace to a world of four warring nations. I think Huy named his dog Momo because Momo from Avatar and Aang have a very close connection with each other as well as his sky bison Appa. I can relate to Huy and Momo’s bond because Momo rarely leaves Huy’s side as he livestreams his journeys for HeyGo.
We began our trip on the boat with Huy to an abandoned island as Momo stepped into his role as captain and led the way while Huy started educating us with his wonderful storytelling about the virtual excursion he was taking us on. The boat ride showed us beautiful tunnels of coconut palm trees which stood out in the murky and shallow swamp as we finally ended up at Hoi An.
Hoi An, Vietnamese for “peaceful meeting place” is one of Vietnam’s most renowned cities that is located within Vietnam’s Quang Nam province. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage site because it serves as a renowned example of a 14000s to 1800s Southeast Asian trading port that displays lots of influence, whether it be from other parts of Vietnam or other countries teeming with traders and travelers.
It was very interesting that people worldwide could come on from around the world and go on a boat ride throughout Vietnam’s river. That meant the Heygo viewers could ask a lot of questions from their own perspectives and I find that intriguing especially as a group of travel bloggers.
As an investigator, we dug a little bit deeper to find out the name of the island and why it was flooded. From our research, we learned that Quang Nam province was heavily destroyed due to Typhoon Joan in November 1964. Many villages as well as Vietnam’s rice crop supply was destroyed by the raging rivers and heavy rain and many people died as well.
Eric’s Fun Facts
- Vietnam is a nation of rivers
- Soccer/football is the most popular sport in Vietnam
- Vietnam currency is called dong
Nicole’s Visualization
Sit in a comfortable quiet space. Let your body relax, preparing yourself for your mind to relax. Take a deep inhale in, and exhale completely. Once again, take another full breath in and exhale completely. We are going to take an imaginary trip on a kayak through the Vietnam rivers. Gently bring your shoulders to your ears, shrug your shoulders up creating tension, and let them drop. Again, take a deep breath in bringing your shoulders up creating tension and then let them drop. We begin our venture kayaking the the Vietnam rivers to an abandoned village. As we start our voyage we take notice of the sight of palm trees as we keep paddling through the canals. We take a deep breath in as we bring our shoulders up and exhale releasing tension as we continue our kayak journey. We are excited and can feel the sensation of joy as I look at my little dog on the front of the boat playing the captain of our journey and of our visual meditation. I am so grateful I have a small companion to take this trip with. As I exhale completely, I bring the boat up to the shore of the island. I take a deep breath in and smell all the vegetation on the island. I hear “splash splash” as my dog falls off the boat. I laugh as I remind myself that he can swim because I taught him well. As I begin to pick him up and dry him off, I feel the sensation of his wet body and keep drying to make sure he is comfortable. As Momo and I get off the boat, we walk onto the island. I follow my sense of smell as I am led to plush vegetables and fruit gardens. I pick a ripe star fruit off a palm tree. As I taste its sweet yet sour fruit, I then feel the fruit which is in the shape of a 5 point star. Its skin is edible and the meaty part of the fruit tastes sour. I learn that they use star fruit in many dishes in Vietnam. I am full with joy as I take another inhale and exhale deeply. I follow the fruit patch till I see these big beautiful cows. I notice that the cow is starting to come over to me and I feel that he wants me to pet him. I first place out my hand to be very gentle as I feel the sensation of him licking my hand. I see that myself and the cow are really laughing together. I take another deep breath in and out and feel grateful that I have this bond with the animal. I begin to sit under the tree with my dog to relax. I close my eyes, take a breath in and out as I am very grateful that I can return to this amazing trip and create my very own visual meditation and excursion whenever I wish.
Scott’s Sport Review
We found out that one of the most popular sports in Vietnam is Da Cau. Da cau or “foot Badminton” is a sport that has been in practice in Vietnam for centuries. The emperors and kings of Vietnam also encouraged their soldiers to play the sport to sharpen their agility for fight. There is incredible acrobatics that the players must utilize when practicing da cau.
Photos by Danielle
David’s Rhyme Zone
There was a guy in cambodia named Huygo
Who had a puppy named Momo
They took us on a kayak tour
And showed us local scenery and more
And now that’s another country that I know!
Dr. Christines Positive Take Away
I am so proud of all my kids consistency with continually sharing their talents with the world . This trip was extremely fun because it show cased the joy and accountability found in the host It is so wonderful to see a young adult be creative and enthusiastic about his work . He captured this virtual experience very well and entertained his global audience with his dog Momo.
He answered all questions immediately that were asked with calmness and confidence . Some participant asked him ” What am I learning ?” and his response was ” Watching is learning ”. I thought that was confident and a brilliant answer. In this fast paced crazy world we live in, everyone is looking for a quick fix and an answer There is beauty behind curiosity . If we quiet down to pull ourselves into our five senses, we will find our answers So visually watching was so on point. Great job Hoy, and kudos to my newsmakers for sharing their individual gifts with each trip we take. Consistency is the key to success