He was close. He was real close. I couldn't see him yet but I could feel him, as if the boat was being sucked up river and the water was flowing back to the jungle. Whatever was going to happen, it wasn't going to be the way they called it back in Nha Trang...
Everything I saw told me that Kurtz had gone insane.
Hmmm....maybe it was a mistake to have watched Apocalypse Now last night. The only thing I could presage heading into Nha Trang was that the ComSec colonel in charge wanted Willard to hunt me down and kill me. This did not bode well. It seemed my only chance was to roll in fast, guns blazing from the back of the Humvee. I'm not much for guns though, and the army stopped requisitioning Hummers back in '71, so I settled for screeching like a woman whilst riding in an air conditioned tourist bus. Nobody messed with me, that's for sure.
Back in real life, the United States used Nha Trang as a major base during the Vietnam War, stationing Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine units there. In a bit of a strange twist, my father was actually stationed here back in '67. On odd Halloweens I would don his old gear harness and helmet. I remember the canteen water tasting bitter and metallic. Perhaps I should have rinsed it first.
Far from looking to billow the ghosts of the past, I came to Nha Trang for a far more hedonistic reason--world class scuba diving. Having been enticed by a few days of diving on Phu Quoc island, I was beginning to itch for another adventure deep water adventure. Nha Trang was clearly going to be the antidote, it being the premier diving spot along the whole of the Vietnamese coast.
I decided that it was time to advance my diving skills, so I signed up for my PADI Advanced Open Water Course with the leading dive outfit in the region, Rainbow Divers. The course was grand, the diving was superb, and the scenary--tourquise waters broken up by brilliant green islands--was stunning. I could see how a few days here could could easily stretch into a few months. Perhaps I'll stay for a while...
Current Region of Travel: Antarctica
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About Me
- The Wanderer
- In March of 2005, a young and beardless man left behind his job and hit the road in search of adventure. And lo, he had many glorious European adventures, and learned much about objects of historial significane and the terminal number of hours one can physically restrain a full bladder on a long distance bus ride. Upon returning to the States, and ill content to settle back in the day-to-day drudgery of the business world, The Wanderer abandoned his apartment, divested himself of many of his prized possessions (read: collection of belly lint), and dragged his sometimes travel companion Xander into the untamed wilds of West Africa. That was a bad idea. After four months of eating sun-baked goat and pondering the complex socio-politic situation of near military coups, The Wanderer returned home, where he was poked and prodded by doctors for an entire year. Now, bearded, overweight, and with a few less brain cells, The Wanderer spends his days (and too many nights) selling extremely heavy objects online. So, once again, with irrational yet exuberant gusto, The Wanderer has decided to continue his travels. To Southeast Asia we go!
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