"Hey, where you from? USA? Awesome! Where are you going? I will give you a ride." She pointed to the seat behind her on the scooter, but today I wanted to walk. So much time I have been sitting. "How about on the way back?" "OK, I will see you". Her name was Linh.
I was walking to Marble Mountain. It is a rocky outcropping near Danang. There are several Buddhist temples on the mountain. You can climb the steps, or for twice as much, take the elevator. The steps were stony and uneven, and I needed the climb.
Near the top there is a temple. "Hey, sir, you buy, one dollar US, twenty Vietnamese" She was selling incense. First I started to give her the 20,000VND. But then, a buck is 12,000. The greenback was a better deal for me, and she laughed as I changed my mind and gave her a GW.
It seems odd to be in a Buddhist temple saying "Thank you Jesus", but that is what I was doing. Twenty incense sticks, lit by a temple attendant with a butane lighter, easily 20 reasons to be thankful.
Buddha and Jesus are both popular here, if you look at the statuary. Buddha is usually depicted as smiling and rather rotund. A wise fellow with a sedentary lifestyle.
Jesus was into climbing mountains, walking on the seashore, getting into a boat and fishing with his friends, and ascending. He liked bread and wine and fish and conversation about real things. He was loving with his friends, even when they did not reciprocate. He was gentle with the downtrodden and showed some tough love with the self-important people of his time. He kept explaining that it wasn't all about power, position, money, possessions, or pleasure. He said it was about love and service.
I like him, and the better I get to know and understand him, the more I want to be like him. So here I am, lighting incense. Thanking Jesus for life and love. Paying my respects to Buddha.
On the long hot walk home, I looked for Linh, but she obviously found a customer who was more interesting than me. Can't say I blame her.
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