Frosty pints, good food and a professionally trained staff who knew how to balance efficiency, friendliness and fun. The people who worked there will never remember me, but I will never forget them. As someone who has worked in the hospitality industry for many years, I tend to be silently judgmental of other places, but the staff at LePub were exemplary. LePub was an oasis at a time when I needed to be in a place where people spoke the same language.
At this point I was beginning to feel a very personal sense of disappointment. Part of my commitment is to make giving a component of my traveling, and I had not come anywhere near that goal, in spite of the obvious need that surrounded me. The level of need I saw in Cambodia will haunt me for a long time, but projects on the scale required are far beyond the means of myself and the people I know.
Then I had a realisation that I had made an error. My intention should not be to create sustainable charitable projects, but to support ones that I find while traveling. The people who are already running these projects know better than I. The only trick is finding the well run project, which brings me back to Matt.
I accidentally met Matt because of some drunken tourist. I had been sitting at a hightop adjacent the bar when twice someone had smashed into my table and caused my beer to spill a little. The staff responded promptly and it was hardly worth getting upset about.
The third time it happened really made me laugh. I had just ordered a fresh pint and excused myself to the washroom. I never saw the pint. When I returned my table and chair were slightly damp, and my notebook was a little soggy. No harm, no foul, I figure, keeping in mind that getting publicly upset is the worst thing one can do in Vietnamese culture.
It was then that I met Matt, one of the owners of LePub. He graciously explained the situation and replaced my pint. We got to talking.
Matt is from the UK. He is a new father, married to a Canadian lady who works for the UN. She is from Dundas, Ontario. I have a friend in Dundas. I tell him about my website and the charity component. He tells me about charities in the area and gives me a multitude of great leads.
Its late now. Hanoi is a city that gets up early. The staff is gone and it is time for me to let Matt go home. I head out into the night gratified that I have found a lead, feeling hopeful that I may yet be able to live up to the very public promises that I have made to myself.
http://www.goyestoeverything.com
Posts
