Art and Travel

Today was my first ever real solo motorbike trip. I drove to a mountain national park. Except for in Hanoi, it was a pleasant drive and people were nice. A young couple had me follow them because they were going in the same direction. I followed them over a path in the gravel of an incomplete highway, down a brick road (not yellow), and over a suspension bridge (they even paid my toll.) The rest of the road was ... road. After we parted, I asked directions a few times. It was refreshing that these Vietnamese people understood my bad Vietnamese. I guess because it wasn’t going through the she−must−be−speaking−English filter. The park was beautiful. Misty, foggy, and empty. I road most of the 14 kilometers up the mountain but turned around figuring I had seen really all I would be able to as the fog thickened and I got chilly. Used the toilet (notice I did not say bathroom or restroom) on my way out of the park and headed home. Stopped for some hot green tea and a snack, twice. Hit Hanoi during rush hour. Ugh. That was poor planning on my part however, what was I to do outside of Hanoi alone until 8pm? As it turned out, I drove for about 5 hours which as a friend who is a seasoned roadtripper warned was too much. My butt, back, arms and shoulders hurt. My eyes burned. Overall it was great. Want to do a long distance trip. Can I?