extreme

Among other things, I will remember Vietnam as a land of motorcycles. We haven't yet made it to any large cities, but already I have seen more motorcycles than I have anywhere else. They swarm through the streets, coagulating at traffic lights and dispersing like birds at a gunshot.

Here on this small paradisal island, it's far easier to rent motorcyles for a day than bicycles. Any shop, or guy on the street, will hand their motor over for $7, no questions asked.

So we rented one, my friend driving, having ridden one a few times the previous month. We got about two miles before skidding out on some gravel. We limped back into town, paid for the scratches on the bike, and spent the rest of the day contented on the beach.