Rain instead of heat

  5:45  I was up before the alarm played Bolero.  Thinking I was the early bird, I looked out the window about 6:30 and saw kids playing soccer on a a rough field of grass.  Now I have figured out why I see schools letting around mid morning to noon.  They are doing what I am catching onto. Get up around 5:00 and beat the heat and humidity.
    I was on the the road out of Tam Ky at 7:06 with seventy kilometers to Quang Ngai.   An hour into the ride, the sky darkened and the rain and wind arrived.  Nothing serious but enough to put on my hi tech poncho.  Actually, no kidding, it is a made of a very light material with loops for the arms, a strap for the bars, draw straps to tighten up the skirt and hood.  It wasn’t cheap but a lot less than the sleek riding jackets which only turn you into a sweaty mess.  My poncho allows the air to circulate and cuts down on the accumulation of body moisture. Moving right along, I bucked a head wind a light rain for two hours. A short stop for some noodle and beef soup gave me the mid morning boost to finish the ride to Quang Ngai.  In the center of town, sipping down mango tea I found a nice hotel a short ride around the corner. An Englishman happened in and we talked a while.  The My Lai massacre site is s short ride which he thought I should see. There is a museum there commemorating the event. I passed, not needing to relive what was a very dark day in our military involvement in Vietnam.
      The hotel fit the bill despite the four floor walk up to my room.  The owner sat me down with her family and feed me watermelon, nice friendly way of starting things off. The usual clean up followed, i.e, washing clothes in the sink, mapping out tomorrow’s ride and finally a nap. Out the door to check out the town brought me to an a large four story building housing a shopping mall.  Second one I have seen, not the usual sprawl we are accustomed to seeing.  City land is tight and so the buildings go up and not out.  Bought some road food at the supermarket and then spotted a restaurant. An amazing experience, a Vietnamese style Benihana arrangement with a grill set into the middle of the table.  A wattress helped me through the whole process. First the buffet table filled with Vietnamese food, followed by the delivery of a three layer rack of different meats thinly cut.  Twice, wattresses came by to replace the grilling grate.  Two beers, a kiwi ice smoothie followed by a self service soft ice cream finished off the meal. The wattress offered me a fork but I stuck with the chopsticks. I loved the scene, it was so much fun. This shopping plaza was alive with everyone with the accompanying cacophony of noise.  The play areas for the teens on down out did anything I have ever seen at home.  You have to experience this place first hand to appreciate the energy packed into this building.
     Tomorrow, I rise at 5:30 to get off before seven.