I REALLY DON’T KNOW, I REALLY CAN’T SAY MUCH ABOUT THE VIETNAM I VISITED IN NOVEMBER. THE HON GAI AND VUNG TAU SEAPORTS WERE DAY TRIPS. LUSH GREEN ON BOTH SIDE OF 2 LANE ROAD AS WE DROVE TO THE CITIES. THE DRIVER IS MARRIED TO A “LION” AND THE KICKBACKS HE RECEIVED TAKING US TO SEAFOOD RESTAURANT AND A STORE THAT SELLS GIANT MARBLE EFFIGIES MADE ME THINK I WAS A COMPLETE TOURIST AND NOT A TRAVELER I CONSIDERED MYSELF TO BE. THE FRENCH INFLUENCE AS TOLD TO ME BY A DOCTOR ” A BIBLE IN ONE HAND AND A GUN IN THE OTHER”. IT EXPLAINS THE BAGUETTE AND NIGHT LIFE INFLUENCES. HAVING WORKED IN VIETNAMESE COMMUNITY (SURGERY CENTER) IN WESTMINSTER CALIFORNIA I OBSERVED THE SAME HARD WORK ETHIC AND CIVICALLY MINDED ACTIVITIES IN BOTH COUNTRIES. AN EXAMPLE A DR. V. TRAN WENT TO HARVARD OR CORNELL AND RETURNED TO WORK IN THE COMMUNITY SHE INITIALLY CAME FROM. AND THE CAMPAIGN FOR A THEN PRESIDENT GEORGE BUSH SR. LINED THE STREETS AND MADE LOCAL TV NEWS SHOWING SUPPORT. FRIENDS MAKE ME LAUGH BY SHARING THAT THE WOMEN ARE PREOCCUPIED WITH BEING SMALL. A GAL SIZE 0 NOW A FIVE AFTER HAVING CHILDREN CAME IN TO HAVE A RIBBON LENGTH TUMMY TUCK. I SHARE THIS WITH VIETNAMESE GALS THEY LAUGH AND CONFIRM ITS TRUE. AND THEN I SAY VIETNAMESE MAN IS LIKE A RUBBER CLOCK WHICH CONTINUES TO STRETCH OVERTIME TO PUT OFF MARRIAGE, MORE LAUGHTER FOLLOWS. WHEN I DIE I WANT TO COME BACK AS A VIETNAMESE POKER PLAYER, THEY HAVE THE BEST LUCK WITH THE WORST HANDS…ITS TRUE.

I’ll be quick. Reluctant to accept this, I think about tourism economics and ethnocentrism. I sent a message to my travel buddy for life and expressed how much I look forward to going about with her soon. The intimacy is lacking and I think the connection so brief. A monetary exchange that makes me sad. It was bound to happen, the trinkets, T-shirts and tchotchkes. The selfies and one up man ship. Guilty as charged? I want to be a traveler and not a tourist. Exclusive and intrusive is the feeling one gets when aboard these cruise ships. I know I should be grateful but it’s going to take some time.

Polk County in Oregon was a brief destination if only for a few hours. My mom and I were going to visit a dear friend from the way way back.

My mom missed the flight, having dropped her off I said “ go right to TSA while I park the car and I’ll see you at the gate.” As the door closed I called her. “They took me to the wrong gate”. Big sigh and bid farewell I drove to Mercy’s house. This trip was intended for my mom. I shared with Mercy how loved and safe I felt as single digit midget going to her house. Kids playing outside. My mom enjoyed her visits too. Kids are perceptive and observant and I felt good knowing my mom was there enjoying hanging out too. Such good memories. And just like the old days she made delicious soup and enchiladas. I got to hug and kiss “ Little Joe” and meet her husband Dan and a grandson. 40 plus years did not seem so long ago. I love you all.

“Where?“. “ Right before you hit Arizona” My first impression I thought the town should be renamed “ Bleak”. I’m at a rural hospital with a prison nearby. Drive down the Main Street and most businesses are closed and boarded up. Asking questions I found out there is Saudi prince whose alfalfa bales head quickly to Dubai. And he is in some kind of situation with the water board Here in Palo Verde. There are cotton fields, dates and pomegranates. The Palo Verde and Parker Dam open to raise the Colorado river so her silt is not showing and the river rats can party up to their neck. VFW karaoke is every 1st and 3rd Friday. Farmers are part of scene and work a lot so all of us can enjoy our chips and salsa. It’s horribly hot right now but at night the stars are closer and you forget the heat of the day. People of Blythe have a common story. They leave and live elsewhere but return eventually to be with family. There is a wholesome atmosphere and everyone knows everyone. I know that once this contract is over I will not ask where but When.

My recruiter called with an offer to be a camp nurse. I drove to Oakland, rented a room from an artist and packed light. Kids from 5 to eleven years old, got to swim, go on field trips and cook pupusas and potstickers. I got to relax, laugh and make new acquaintances. The fascination with a stuffed animal known as Corny, had me stumped but quickly it was used as leverage. “ Hey if you lie down and take off your shoes to take a nap I’ll give you Corny” other times I was asked to hide it because some of the kids would fight over it. The end of camp came quickly but how this moment happened and the memory of this wonderful place will stay slowly on my mind. The camp’s motto was “The best place to be” and it really was.

Historically I know very little about this place. I’m renting a room in a 1898 Victorian house. 11 foot ceilings, narrow doors and steep stairs. A magnificent redwood tree in backyard gives me chills as I water the foliage around it. Erica Huggins a former black panther activist recent spoke at a high school here. And fellow co worker said she lives in a home that was part of an estate. The scenic part of my drive to camp I saw a big wild turkey and a passive doe. I have quickly fallen for parts of this town. I’ve also driven thru a homeless encampment that rivals Las Vegas and Los Angeles. I’ve been warned about the smash and grab. The street signs have Chinese characters and I imagine the significance of the entire Bay Area that these signs render. Oakland feels like home wherever that may be.

My first memory was a room above a restaurant and wafting aroma of waffles lulled me back to sleep after cooped up in a Pinto hatchback. Decades later I got a two for one when both my sister and grandmother lived in North beach and the Normandy apartments (9th Folsom area) respectively. Now it’s emptied out rows of unoccupied storefronts. San Francisco has taken a beating. Parts of the city have always been rough “ if you know you know” so you stayed away and walked fast. Buses are not crowded. Once the line at Union to get on the cable car was in the hundreds now 30 or so. The hotel fees are over 50.00 and self valet 68.00. 15 dollar Wi-Fi. I was sad but everything has a comeback and rent control is alive. It’s gonna take some time.