Grabbing a map at our destination drop off we proceeded down the driveway as a guy in a blue jacket approached us. "Hello, where are you going?" he inquired in a friendly voice. I looked away knowing what he was about to ask. "We are looking for a hotel," Shauna replied enthusiastically. "Would you like to book an easy rider trip?" Shauna shook her head then stated, "we've already book a trip, thank you." Smiling the man let us continue on down the drive. "Great. I wonder how many times today we are going to hear that?" I said as she caught up to me looking at the LP map book consulting where the hotels we spoke about are located in relevance to where we were standing at the moment. "What do you mean?" she asked. ... read more

Slam. Jar. Smash. My head hits the window, back of a seat and my bag. I am jarred into existence through the bumpiest section of road. Sitting up, I gander out the window at a vast green field. Shauna is deep in thought her bag tucked between her legs reading a book or perhaps snoozing? The bus wobbles back and forth. Lurching forward and back. It appears only those with solid sleeping skills are still asleep, damn heavy sleepers. Looking at the Timex, I've only been able to catch twenty-three minutes of sleep. Why? I stare out the window at rows of fluffy green leaves, twirling vines and shrubbery. Peering over tops of heads between body parts I try focusing on the road as the driver sees it. My vantage point is excellent although I don't ... read more

Needless to say we strolled back to our bungalow light of foot after meeting with Duc and Lam. Our deposit securely in the hands of to random strangers we both felt elated and ready to crack open those beers. "Do you want to sit poolside for a bit, drink a beer, play cards then grab some food?" "Sounds good." Dropping off our bags, we turned out the air-con and started swatting at mosquito's that had secured there way in through the bathroom fan again. Tired of tossing sandals and pillows at the bugs, I stretched out the mosquito netting over the bed. "This doesn't bother you does it?" I asked Shauna inquiring about the netting. "Nope. But hopefully our neighboring hotel is quieter than last night." "Totally agree." Grabbing the cards, beers and a pad of ... read more

Somewhere along the road Shauna inquired about doing a bit of driving again. Happy to sit on the back and get a few road shots as we sped along the coast, I pulled out the camera climbing behind her. Many kilometers later we crested a hill as it round past a vibrant pastel cemetery on both sides of the road. Trickling past we went over a small hill and picked up speed as the road flattened out. Along the way we came across two Vietnamese motorcyclists with two foreign tourists as we approached their location near the deep red earth one of the riders, his dark black motorcycle jacket on reached out an arm giving us a wave. His hand out and large grin spreading on his face. Waving back with a smile we rode on ... read more

Walking through tall palm trees, thick green grasses and small rolling hills, yellow wildflowers protruding from flower beds we stepped towards our breakfast table. We ordered tomato and cheese omelets and Vietnamese coffees. Not another guest in sight I stated, "For being booked it seems odd no one else is here?" starring into the distance. "Yep. Even the construction sounds aren't around," she replied. "I'll ask after breakfast about the moped," I stated still trying to wake up. "Okay, no hurry. We are on vacation," she smiled. Sitting up, our coffees arrived at the table. Picking up the small spoons we both began stirring the condensed milk into the coffee watching the deep brown color change into a milky light brown the more the spoon moved inside the liquid. Tempting the taste buds I lifted the ... read more