How to quit your job and travel around the world

{EDS NOTE: THIS IS A REWRITE WITH PHOTOS}

I have arrived in Hoi An, famous as an ancient port and now famous for its tailors. On Thursday I left Hue by motorbike (as a passenger) and went to mountain park called Bach Ma. It was once a villa encampment for French colonials founded in 1932 and later used by the Americans as a helicopter base in the war. It had amazing views up and down the coast to Hue and Danang and all sorts of abandoned villa structures which were fun to explore. As I was single - I had to tag along with whatever ride came along up the mountain, which turned out to be two French couples. After one night at the mountain lodge, my driver picked me up and we motored down the coast over Hai Van pass which has some of the best scenery I have seen yet. It's Vietnam's equilvalent to coming down Hwy 1 in California - beach vistas, pine barrens, rolling hills and mountain backdrop. As a tunnel opened last year under the mountain pass, there is almost no traffic on the 20 km stretch, making it *awesome* motorcycle driving. I can't recommend enough this route from Hue to Hoi An. However, I am not going to lie and say I wasn't sore when I arrived. It's hard work clinging on to the back of a 100 cc motorbike for four hours.

Checked into my hotel and today went to the tailor to have some clothes made. Two dresses, 3 pants, 3 blouses, and a skirt and 2 custom made shoes came to $120. The tailor was recommened to me by other travelers so I am feeling confident in the quality. I later bicylcled to the beach, whcih is 5 km away. Nice beach - windy.

[NEW MATERIAL]

Since I've been here I have not met too many Americans - par for the course. Generally not a lot traveling in SE Asia. Though being American has taken on a whole new meaning in Vietnam. I have had nothing but friendly responses and everyone seems to have a brother/uncle living in the states. {They say Cali for California. And if its not Califnornia they live near NY. So apparently I am on Vietnam Immigration Belt myself, seeing as I have lived in the South Bay and New York City only myself.) And everyone's brother/uncle works in a nail shop. I ask them if they think their relatives are happy - and I say this because we know what living conditions are like in a shitty part of long island/san jose - and they say yes. Better than here! Which I am still hard pressed to believe. America is a dream. Is it better living in West Babylon Long Island, filing nails with no family than to run an Internet Cafe in Hue? I don't know. I do know that America is an illusion to everyone. They ask me where I am from and I say "United States." They don't understand me. I clarify. "America." Ahhhhhh.... CAli? they ask. I am actually from there as coincedence and show them my driver's license. This is inspected closely with admiration.

I know this to be true now: To understand America, you have to leave it to know it. Immigrants die to come here. My driver in Hue told me about his brother. He is 38, works in a nail salon and lives in West Babylon. He left Vietnam in 1988 on a fishing boat and sailed 28 days on the open South China Sea to Hong Kong. His family thought he was dead. He worked n HK for a year to earn fare to take another boat to the states, presumbably as an illegal immigrant. His family has not seen him since then, though the Internet makes it possible for them to communicate regularly. So now Hien is American now. It IS the American story.

You know what I love? I love sitting on the back of a motorcycle and driving around. Today was that promised day where I became one with the Vietnamese people. Kidding. But I did have a turnaround on how I was feeling here. My moto driver took me all over to temples and pagodas and war sights today and then we finished at this sleepy beach that was turquoise blue and perfect swimming and not a tourist in sight. Will post pics on Saturday when I get back from a trip to the mountains and beach ...

Highlight of today was a morning visit to the monstary where Thich Nhat Hanh studied as a young monk. Watched morning chanting and zenned out. Literally. It's late, they want me off the computer, so I will write more when I get pics up...

Left Hanoi last night on the "Reunification Express" with a booked sleeper cabin. It was really nice to travel by train, which is my preferred mode, instead of some cramped bus. I had a shared cabin with couple living in Shanghai (American guy and Chinese woman) and an older French-Canadian guy. The train company had booked nearly every westerner/tourist in the pricey sleeper caboose. I started to venture up to the dining cart 9 cabooses away and entered an entirely different train, crammed eith people playing cards, drinking tea or booze, sleeping and sprawled out everywhere. Nearly everyone had on those face masks that are so popular here. Our vending cart clearly catered to western tastes (chips, snacks) while the local vending cart served out some hard boiled eggs and handful of herbs. The thing in Vietnam that I am noticing here so much are the two worlds: the local one which I don't have privy to and they don't exactly invite you into it and then the tourist world full of energetic touts and neverending sales pitches. I would like to see more of the real Vietnamese world, but it just seems harder here and some experiences are so exasperating that you just have to retire to the hotel room. People are less inviting on a grand scheme than the other three countries I've been to.

Woke around 6 a.m. to watch the countryside roll by and we must have been passing by the DMZ according to my map. The verdant countryside belies all history: it's truly hard to imagine the scorched land and fighting, but we were very near some of the places where some of the heaviest fighting took place. We arrived around 8;30 a.m. in Hue, the former capital, situated on the Perfume River - and it's pleasant looking. The Royal citadel housing Manadarin emperors, which is the main in-town sight, was largely destroyed in the war and I can't say it was worth the $5 to go inside the walls. It's very hot here so my afternoon bike ride turned into an afternoon beer with my book. Tomorrow I've got a driver with a moto to drive me around and show me some temples and then afternoon at the beach.

Some images from the past few days in Hanoi ... I really felt lazy in the last two days and mostly sat in cafes to absorb the atmosphere and read. Tonight headed south on the night train to Hue, on the central coast.