I have entered the mist, it swirls around me almost completely blocking my view. Though I can hardly see them, I know that to my right is the cliff edge and to my left a wall of rock rising sharply upwards; ahead of me I can just make out a few meters of the road and that’s it. I lean forward and peer into the milky whiteness, hoping I can spot oncoming obstacles in time….… Read the rest
I’m in the strangest piece of architecture I have ever seen. There are stairs and walkways going every which way; twisting and turning they interconnect the different buildings, going up and over the roof of one, then down into the center of another. They have been made to look like tree branches with the railings like vines and the buildings that themselves look organic, like tree trunks. The main building however looks like a normal house…kind of, the lines are all crooked like it was drawn by a five year old, with decoration to match, all tinseled and sparkling. The … Read the rest
I’m truly in the countryside now, a few houses here and there but otherwise not a sign of civilization. The road winds leisurely through a landscape so green you almost can’t believe it, trees and bushes of all kinds on both sides. In the distance lie low hills like camel humps. The road surface is in a state of disrepair, I bump along at a slow pace, keeping a sharp lookout for potholes that are so big I would probably go flying over the handlebars if I hit one with speed. I’d like to pay more attention to the landscape … Read the rest
I’ve finally left the city behind, there are trees on the side of the road and even some mountains in the distance. I’ve hit my second tropical rain shower of the day; my poncho will keep me dry but it’s big and flowing and flies in the wind, flapping out behind me like I’m freaking Batman or something. Theme song of the day: Na na na na na na Batman… Read the rest
An arrow straight strip of asphalt stretches through the lush landscape out towards the tree line at the horizon. The sun shines brightly from an azure sky filled with dramatic clouds. The speedometer shows a clean 80 kph, ah, I feel so alive.… Read the rest
The sun is shining, the rain seems to have dried up completely; the road is straight, only one way forward, with trees and small shops by the side, I keep the throttle at a steady 60 km/h. The theme to Smoky and the Bandit keeps playing in the back of my mind as I reflect on my first day of riding in Vietnam: my bag falling off the luggage rack, the rickety wooden bridge, the water buffalo by the road side. So many impressions just in one day…… Read the rest
A typhoon is approaching, it was raining cats and dogs earlier but by now it has calmed down and it’s no longer so bad that it’s an excuse for shirking my exercise routine. The foul weather is keeping all the other schmucks indoors so at least there aren’t any onlookers or stragglers, but I was hoping it would be windy enough to keep me cool; I was wrong, thanks to my Swedish genome I am sweating in the rain. I swat at the dripping leaves as I run by, hoping the spray will cool me off but to no avail, … Read the rest
Bushwacking uphill in 35 degree heat under a scorching sun is hard work. My entire body is drenched in sweat and my heart is beating so hard I can feel the thumping in my shoulder blades, but I finally made it to the building with the unobtainable balcony. I can see the stairs up, they are just 20 meters away and I’m filled with anticipation, but first I need to rest.… Read the rest
My boss has sent me to the head office on the other side of town and I need to be there shortly after two which behooves me to set out right after lunch. I’ve only gone the short distance from the door to my parking space at the far end of the lot but I’m already sweating from thr midday heat, and despite being protected by my jeans, the seat of the scooter feels like sitting on a frying pan. Normally the slipstream would be enough to cool me down a bit but as I speed up, even the wind … Read the rest
© 2025 Renegade Writings — Powered by WordPress
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑