IT’S ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY (lost in Vietnam with Kara’s dad)

Soaking up our last few minutes here. Gonna miss this place. What are you doing?

Checking out the new construction over here. Thinking about buying a place. Don't tell your mom. I'm going to do the paperwork.

In case you missed our last video. Let us catch you up. Away. The company who makes the luggage that we have lived out of the last two years gave us the opportunity to help a loved one cross something off of their bucket list. So last week we called my dad out of the blue and him where he's always wanted to go.

I've always wanted to go to Vietnam, you know that.

And five days later he was on a plane to meet us in Hanoi.

I love this airline.

He's here.

That's one of the craziest rides I've ever seen in my life. Beautiful.

My dad is crazy, but in a good way. And he has the biggest heart of anyone I know. We spent his first full day in Asia riding around on motorbike.

My life insurance is paid up and.

Eating delicious street foods. And we had some adventures once too.

I don't know if I can do that.

One, two, three.

Good morning. We are packing up because today we are going to Hotlong Bay. So I thought it was a perfect time to update you on my luggage situation. If you've been paying attention in the past. We have been living out of the away bigger carry on for two years straight. Part of my heart is in this bag. But I just upgraded to the medium. Aluminum edition. This is the bigger carry on. This is the medium. Let me explain why.

What I love about this bag is how much you can stuff in here. It seems like no matter how much I get and put in this bag, it always closes. Sometimes I have to sit on it. A lot of the time I have to sit on it to get it closed.

Yes.

The problem is I can stuff about 14 kilos worth of stuff in this bag, which means I end up having to check it majority of the time anyways because of the baggage weight limits. So I thought I would upgrade to the medium for a little while just to make my life a little easier and not have to sit on it every time. How satisfying was that? The best thing about these bags, besides how much you can stuff into them, is how organized they are. The reason that's important is because if you're in the airport or at a hotel and you have to open your bag, isn't that beautiful? So I packed this bag and the big ear carry on in the exact same way. I just had a little more wiggle room in this one. So let me show you where I organize myself stuff. So real quick. This is a laundry bag that comes with the luggage. Here's where I put my packing cubes. All of my clothes fit right here perfectly. And these compression straps are key. These were the only way I was able to zip my other bag because I stuffed so much in here. Look at that. Love these. And on this side, I have literally everything else. Undergarments, toiletries, shoes, all my other junk hiding under there. It's not very organized, but it is not a problem. You just hook this flap and it all stays in place. I'm going to be using this bag through the end of this year to see if I prefer living out of the medium or the bigger carry on. But right now we are off to Ha Long Bay.

We're starting our two day cruise in one of the most beautiful places in the whole country.

What do you think, Kevin?

This is really nice. I should have wore something else.

Welcome drinks and cold towels are my love. Language.

It's huge.

Nate, they have one for Kara and I. They didn't put one in here for you.

I must get my love of ropes from my dad.

I'm gonna tell them you can get one for Nate.

Such a goofball. This is amazing.

This is fair.

I had no idea there was a door right here. And I was in the bathroom and I saw the whole front of the ship is our balcony.

We gotta tell them. They only got me a bottle of champagne. They didn't get one for you guys. This is off the charts.

Aw, daddy.

And it stopped raining.

I'm so excited.

This is really something.

Daddy, have you ever used a bidet? No. I'm not going to either. Do you want me to teach you that?

That's okay. That's not what I want.

I taught Kara how to use a bidet on our last cruise in Ha Long Bay.

You did? I totally forgot that was here.

She thinks the bidet is on a timer, but really you have to turn it. She's just going to sit there and.

It'S going to spray her for until.

She figures out how to turn it off.

I'll figure it out.

All right. We got all settled into our rooms, had a giant delicious lunch, and now the sun. Sun is shining and we're going to do some kayaking.

Thanks, Nate.

No problem.

Love kayaking. Dad's having a blast.

He's long gone.

Watch out.

You really didn't get light? Check. Oh, I won't tell your mom.

Where you going?

I think I might see Something alive here.

You got it?

Got it.

Add it to the collection. Oh, good work.

Want a beer? Thank you. Also found this. Thanks.

Ah, flip flop Adidas.

Good steering. Thank you. This is fun. I like being out here regardless, but part of me feels like I could just be like, lying on the roof of our boat, like, enjoying the sunshine instead of sitting here and having a backache. I see something.

I feel like the people on the boat are gonna be so mad.

They're gonna be like, what are you.

Supposed to do with all this trash? Yay.

Yeah, they weren't.

Got the day off.

Little sunrise tai chi to start the day.

We did our best. This is right up my dad's alley, though. He's been up since 4.

Oh, there's another bat.

Well, that was a bat.

How do you hold this? Oh, going backwards. How does he. He makes it look so easy.

I figured that.

Okay, wait. Like that. How am I doing? Yeah, good. I'm a natural.

How's she doing, Kevin? We'd miss our boat getting back. Now I'm going to show you guys one more time.

I got this.

I don't know if I moved the.

I think our captain's trying not to laugh at us.

Looking forward to our next little adventure. That's going to be incredible.

We're doing our best to give Kevin a little taste of everything. He had the city. Now he's had the luxurious cruise experience. Now it's time to go do the bamboo hut.

Homestay into the jungle, Rambo style. My whole body's a weapon. I got my booby traps.

Did you bring your booby traps past security?

Correct. That's another story, another vlog.

We are back on dry land. And now we have about a three hour drive south to the town of.

Tamco, which we are 100% not pronouncing correctly.

We're riding in style.

Hello, kevin.

You look like a little baby doll. Are you smiling for the camera?

Cheers. To a new home.

One, two, three, Yo.

Yeah. That's what I'm talking about.

Wow. This is great.

This is beautiful, man.

This is of life. Having some cheez. Its hanging out in our little bungalow. You having fun?

It's unbelievable. I don't know how you find a place like this. I've never even heard of a place like this.

Way to go, Nate.

I was gonna say it doesn't suck to be Kevin Weaver, but that wouldn't work.

It's very hard to ride a bike with one hand. If this place is anything like the pictures that I saw online, it should Be one of the most incredible places oh, gosh. In the world. To watch the sunset.

All right.

500 steps.

I didn't sign up for 500 steps, but I'm going. My wife said go with the flow. 499, 498.

Already sweated through my entire shirt on the bike ride on the way over here. About 90 degrees and 100% humidity. 400 steps to go.

I'd say this is the top.

Well, you gotta go touch the dragon.

I'm touching the dragon. Don't high five me till I touch the dragon.

It feels like you.

Worth it.

Yes, yes. Beautiful. Worth it.

It's cool to be at this level with the mountains. We've been seeing them from the water the last two days and now we're at eye level with the peaks.

Get the chi going from this morning.

O, yeah. And. Oh, wow. Yeah.

I'm feeling. I'm feeling this in.

Good morning. We have rented some scooters for the day. We are pointed in the direction of a floating village, but we don't really have plans. Today is more about the journey than the destiny.

My dad's getting a real taste of what our life is like. We're very lost. I think we go all the way back down that, then it'll turn left.

Carousel is the only thing left.

It's about the journey. Just enjoying our time on the motorbike.

Nothing else. I saw a good place for fried rice. All right, I'm following you.

Okay. And now we're going to the floating market. We think.

Quack, quack, quack, quack.

Watch out, ducks.

He got you. They're all smiling. What's your name?

Daddy. Are the kids your favorite part of Vietnam so far?

They're hard to beat. They are some of the most beautiful children and I've ever seen. They're curious and they love the attention.

And we'll give it to them. Bye. Bye.

Both hands on the steering wheel. Kara's feeling extra brave today and she's decided to drive by herself. So it's me and Kevin. Peace, good father, son in law, bonding.

Yeah.

Yes. Stay focused on the.

How weird is it? Seeing me driving feels crazy. Woo.

Hello.

Hello. Hello.

I am so proud of you.

I'm proud of me too.

This is like the most genuine smile you've ever seen on Kara's face.

Our tour guide in Hanoi inspired me. Mango. She was just this tough little girl scooting me around, and I thought, if she can do it, I can do it.

As much time as we've spent on Vespas she has never wanted to drive before.

I don't think I'm at, like, Hanoi level yet, but like, countryside Vietnam. I got it.

Still a little scary to ride on the back fair.

It is so crazy to me how far off the beaten path that we have found ourselves.

After traveling for almost four years. I think this is one of the most local places we've ever been, and we haven't even driven that far from our home. Day.

We're here.

Is this the. The floating market?

According to Google Maps, we're here, but we have no clue. There's a few cages with.

With ducks in them and three kids hanging out fishing. Like we said this morning, today is more about the journey than the destination. A destination wasn't exactly what we thought it was going to be, But I'm loving this day, and more importantly, so is my dad.

We just found a park where a bunch of brides are taking wedding photos and we're going to watch the sunset behind the river. It's been a beautiful day. Okay. There's something I've been curious about. For the last four years, my dad has watched our travel vlogs. You've seen us travel in Asia a lot. How has it compared to what your expectations were?

I like it more than I thought I would as a little boy. Growing up, I thought I was gonna go be an army guy, go to Vietnam. So there's just always been a part of this country in my life and in my heart. I've literally watched every documentary ever made about the war. When I think about Vietnam before, I think about just jungle. I figured once you got outside a mile or two outside of a city was dirt roads. The natural, untouched beauty has been a big surprise, really a delight to see.

We knew bringing my dad to this part of the world for the first time would make an impact on him just like it did us five years ago. But we weren't expecting the impact it would have on us again. As crazy as it sounds, we've grown accustomed to the organized chaos of Southeast Asia.

And it almost feels normal.

But getting to watch him experience the people, the food, the nature, and the motorbikes let us see this country through fresh eyes. And it was almost like we got to experience. Experience it again for the first time. I love you. I'm gonna miss you. And not to mention, this was an unforgettable trip with my awesome dad that I'll cherish forever. I'm really bad at goodbyes.

That was so fun.

Love you, daddy.

That was just a big theater.

Okay.

That was fun.

Thanks again to Away for making this all possible. Click the link in the description below to check out the luggage we've been traveling with the last two years.

So, real quick. That was weird.

No backrest on this thing.

I'm the oldest person on the boat. That doesn't bother me. But now we got ready to get on this boat. And I said, this boat's older than me.

I should have paid more attention. Watch out, everybody. Keep your distance. So we're just going in a little circle. I just want to make sure everybody can see all the different angles.

You're welcome.

So you never let the oars leave the water. Should I tell them my ores? No, I got to now.

Please don't.

Okay, I'll tell you later after I've got y' all drinking.

I just wanted to say that I led us to the right place.

It's not about who's right and who's wrong. What matters is we showed up where we needed to be.

What a positive attitude you have, Nate.

How you get fit in Vietnam. It's actually really heavy.

We are ending this trip the same way that we started it. Massage time. But Danny's already undressed.

This time we're getting the full body, not just the feet.