If you don’t know what people watching is, it is just that. An oddly therapeutic activity that I picked up when travelling through Vietnam.
As you may know, Vietnam has some excellent coffee and therefore a bunch of cafes on every corner in the city on Hanoi. A few of them I noticed had outdoor seating on steps, facing out on to the street. The crazy cross sections each with a cafe on the corner facing in toward each other and through the excitement. Bustling sidewalks with vendors and tourists, the crazy traffic flow of scooters and buses proceeding without any actual indication of obeying the road signs.
I never realised how fascinating it was to just step back and observe human nature. Its not exactly beautiful or extravagant but in it’s own way a piece of art. It is surprising what you see when people think they aren’t being watched. I mean, think about how you behave when you’re not being watched! Ever since then (Oct ’19) this has become a new interest of mine, I know i’ve written about it before. Its kind of fun making up your own backgrounds and storylines for people. Thinking about what their movie of their life would be about. And how just as easily, their life could’ve been mine. We didn’t get to choose our lives, our parents, our genetics of location! We could have been any one of the people we bump into on a street but on a different path. But no, you got this one. Cherish it.
Side note – Vietnam is a beautiful beautiful country and I had only seen the north half of it. I can’t wait to go back and see the rest. Its one of my top recommendations for people visit. The people are so kinda and accommodating even with a huge language barrier. So if you’ve been thinking it about it, then definitely add it to your list.
Oh and Ha Long Bay is basically Jurassic Park!!