I’ve been in a pretty sour mood over the last few days, more so than usual. I was wondering if my present feelings impact how I write and view my past experiences. Could a potentially horrible present day ruin an amazing day in the past? Or is it possible that writing about an amazing past day make my present that much better? Honestly, and this is the shitty part, I think it depends on how you take it. You chose the path, which is extremely motivating or equally terrifying.

Let’s try both. Let’s actually try with the positive first, where I do not let today’s mood impact back then. Two years ago, I found myself in Sapa about to head up the peak of Fansipan Mountain. This peak, located near Sapa, is the highest mountain in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It stands at 3,143 meters and is nicknamed “The Roof of Indochina.” There are several tours that you can take to hike up, but those all take several days. Recently, there was a cable car installed that took you almost to the peak. The views are supposed to be incredible, but the day I went it was really, really cloudy. See Exhibit 1 below.

Every once in awhile though, the clouds would open and I’d stare out in awe forgetting to breath.

When the cable car arrived at the top, it felt like I was just walking through a cloud. You couldn’t see far at all, but it made the sights more intriguing.

Now, I could have complained back then about the horrible weather situation. However, I didn’t think of it that way. I thought how amazing and eerie and incredible the mountains looked in cloud and fog. I remember the strange feelings of being completely alone on a mountain top because I couldn’t see another person around me. I remember walking up stairs without being able to see too far ahead. It was an experience I’ve never felt. And I enjoyed every second of it. In fact, once I got to the top, I live streamed on instagram for the first time. Was afraid no one would join, but 3 of my homies from back home, HY, Andy, and Steve, were some of the firsts to jump on! It was really cool to connect with them live on top of a mountain on the other side of the world.

Figured I’d defrost a bit before heading back down, so I just rested in the cable car center. Really nice spacious areas with windows all around to show something amazing. My view was more of clouds, which I honestly, really enjoyed the feeling of sitting in the clouds.

Now I think if I swung negatively on this day, it could have been a really shitty few days. I spent 2 nights in Sapa and only on the third day (tomorrow) did the clouds part. Of course my bus left at 10am, but oh well. I’ll come back again when it’s sunny and experience the other side.