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So here we are in Hue, Vietnam, and we want to see a few sights. One of which is the Vinh Moc Tunnel system, used by the VC during the (as it’s known here) American War, as well as a war memorial cemetary. Unfortunately, the package tours on buses want to pack the tunnels with 8 other sights (not including the cemetary), and fit it into one day. Yuck, we think - that will give about 5 minutes at each place and then we’d be on the road for 10 hours cumulatively, driving here and there.

So we inquire to the nice woman named Moon (although probably spelled differently) at our hotel and she tells us she has a friend named Thanh who is a motorbike guide who speaks English. Great, we said, and booked him to take us to the two attractions we cared about. He said his friend would come along as a second driver (remember we’re on motorbikes).

Thanh had rubberized over-suits for us to wear in case there was rain. He gave me the largest one they make (here in Vietnam) and let’s just say it was snug. And the zipper was missing so I was left with snaps. No problem. The second driver speaks zero English and that was my driver. I was on the back of his automatic transmission scooter and Meghan was on the back of Thanh’s (proper) motorcycle.

The scooter wasn’t working so well that day. Occasionally it would lose power and bog down (my guess was a transmission problem) and we’d have to slow down to almost a stop, then it would jerk to a stop and the engine would die. Then he’d restart it and we’d do double-time to catch up. And it’s already nuts going the normal speed.

So by the time we got to the tunnels (after an hour of being on the road and having stopped once for tea), I was sick of riding on the back of the scooter. After we saw the tunnels (which were very interesting, by the way), I told Thanh that Meghan and I would get on the motorcycle and follow him. He asked how long I had ridden a bike and I told him 10 years, and he checked to make sure I knew what I was doing w/ the clutch, etc. Then he said, “OK, Easy Rider now”. So it was cool. We got to cruise these back country (although they were well-paved) roads, past the ocean, rice paddies, tree plantations (we think they might have been rubber trees - but they were much smaller than the ones in Brazil), small villages, etc. And it was much more comfortable piloting my own bike than being jerked about while someone else drove.

Saw the cemetery, which was also very cool, and stopped for some local spicy fish and noodle soup and tea at a roadside food stand where I’m guessing they don’t get many gringos. There were a couple kids staring at us like we were wearing Godzilla costumes. Tasty soup, although the fish was a bit bony. Tea was hot and made us feel good. Not bad for $3 for 4 people for lunch.

After that, we got back on the main highway and this is where the Easy Rider fantasy came to an end. Mom, it is a good thing you were not there to watch. Mrs. T - same for you. There were buses and big trucks on the road, all overtaking each other and other motorbikes. At one point I think there was 2 motorbikes, 3 buses and Meghan and I on our bike - all for an instant, side by side across a 2 lane highway. I was good for 10 miles or so of this but then my adrenaline gland was milked dry and I was happy when we stopped for gas and let Thanh take over the driving. I was flattered by him even letting me brave the waters.