So I thought I was a rock star

   Usual drill, putting everything in the appropriate pannier, double check the room, attach everything to the bike, dial up the new route and pedal off toward my next destination.  Nine o’clock came and Do Lu Ong was a thing of the past.  A misty day, I rode along cranking off the Kilometers. Coming up to a large memorial of some sort, I saw a long line a students crossing the street to this memorial. Curious about what it was all about, I pedaled up a granite ramp and rode towards these large granite depictions of war hero’s marching innto battle with arms at the ready very typical of Soviet architecture. No sooner had I scanned the memorial than the student spotted me.  They converged on me like I was Mike Jagger.  Total surrounded me, they were excitedly talking in Vietnamese. A girl and boy started speaking English to me while the others wanted to shake my hand.   Questions and answers by the dozen followed.  My age surprised them, saying that their fathers were much young and could do what I was doing.  I encourage them not smoke, ride their bicycles not their motorbikes, work hard in school and come to America. Everyone wanted to be in a picture with me.  It was a scene like no other.  As I left they were waving and shouting good bye.  What an experience that I will never forget.
     Moving on with the goal of  my reaching Duc Tho, the sky opened up into a nasty misty rain. Duc Tho seemed elusive and I was wet and tired.  A nothing town eventually came into site where I prayed there was a hotel.  With the usual ride up and down the street trying to decipher the Vietnamese directions, I finally found hotel down a dirt drive way in back the Main Street mom and pop third world  stores.  It faced rice paddies but for all its newness, the room was stark, stone mattress and one bare light bulb to light the room. Not in a position to be fussy, I sucked it up.  However, nothing like a hot shower to bring me back to life.  After searching out a meal of noodle soup filled with whatever,  I called it a night.  Another day to chock up to adventure.