BLACK BAMBOO SHOOTS... ARE BLACK BAMBOO SHOOTS!
I went to Mang Den, a small town in Kon Plong district, Kon Tum province. People often compare Mang Den and Da Lat, and of course, the comparison is not appropriate. Mang Den is called “the second Da Lat of the Central Highlands”, but I do not see it that way.
Mang Den pine forest
For those who live and work in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Lat is a convenient and easy choice. People who want to go on vacation often go to Da Lat. The climate here is mild and pleasant, and it is only about 7 hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh City. Meanwhile, to get to Mang Den, the time is almost double. Da Lat is a famous tourist city, with countless resorts, a series of entertainment activities, and is just as crowded as Saigon. Mang Den is just a small, pristine town, much quieter and more peaceful than Da Lat. Just briefly, we can see the very basic incompatibility between Da Lat and Mang Den. To me, Da Lat is Da Lat. Mang Den is Mang Den.
When I arrived in Mang Den, I brought nothing but a 7kg backpack with the hope of being completely immersed in nature. I also did not bring the “comparative baggage” that people associate with Mang Den compared to Da Lat to experience this land.
SYMPHONY OF NATURE MANG DEN
Mang Den opened up before my eyes the vast green forests. From here, I was immune to dust and smoke, freely breathing in the scent of wild grass growing along the roadside, the sap of green trees along the mountain slopes. Somewhere sparsely dotted with villages nestled along the road, so when I reached the top of the pass, I saw nothing but the pure green of the great forest.
Pure green color of Mang Den nature.
I crossed the winding Mang Den Pass with hairpin bends, blending into the endless green of the mountains and forests. A cold air blew from around me, embracing me, making me shiver and feel happy at the same time. Just like that, I did not mind the continuous sharp bends on the pass, opening my eyes to look forward, excited with the unexpected beautiful scenes.
A stunningly beautiful bare tree lies along the mountain pass.
I nestled into the empty land to truly enjoy this moment. The fragrant scent of grass, trees and flowers rushed up to my nose, waking me up. How long has it been since this scent has returned to the olfactory senses of someone who has lived in the city for months? I slowly walked to the edge of the cliff, closed my eyes to smell that incredibly beautiful natural scent. There were also moments when I suddenly wished that this scent would be “bottled” so that I could always carry it with me.
I used to wish the scent of plants could be "bottled" and carried with me always.
While enjoying the wild scent, the birds' continuous chirping made me suddenly open my eyes. The beautiful scene appeared before me like a painting, in the almost absolute silence of the old forest, it was "disturbed" by the birds loving to sing. I "awakened my senses" to fully feel the lively symphony of the Mang Den mountains and forests. A feeling of happiness and joy so extreme that it is difficult to express in words!
HEALING IN NATURE WITH FOREST BATHING
Even though I was traveling in a large group, I always knew how to make time for myself. More precisely, my purpose in this trip was to find a way to connect with nature, to recharge my body with cool energy. So while my friends were busy taking pictures or playing group games, I rolled up my pants and waded into the stream. There it was! The rock I had been looking for all this time.
Pa Sy Waterfall. Photo: Phu Ngo.
I lay on the rock. A cool feeling ran down my spine, spreading throughout my body, to every cell. Looking up, I saw the blue sky, saw the treetops swaying in the wind, the sunlight filtering through the leaves and onto the ground, listening to the stream flowing beside my ears… Everything caressed and shook my senses to the very roots of my being.
Lie still under the rock, enjoy the subtle changes between the mountains and forests.
I have been "forest bathing" before, but only recently learned about this concept. The activity of "forest bathing" has appeared in Japan since the 1980s, and has now spread to most countries in the world. It is called shinrin-yoku, which roughly translates to "immersing in the atmosphere of the forest". When focusing all your attention on the present, paying attention to every subtle change in the mountains and forests, all worries, anxieties and wandering thoughts suddenly stop. The practitioner opens all his senses to feel the surroundings, relaxes his mind, and his spirit is naturally relaxed and light. This can also be considered an effective way of mindfulness and healing.
As long as we find ways to connect with nature, forest bathing can happen anywhere, at any time.
As long as we always know how to listen to ourselves, as well as find a connection with nature, this "forest bathing" activity can take place anywhere. But if you ask, is there a place on this S-shaped strip of land that can help you "forest bathing" most comfortably, then my answer is Mang Den.
