I step out into the yard and peer through the angled slats on the gate They’re still hard at work. The crew down the street has been loading wheelbarrows and shovelling sand for the better part of the day. Their voices carry, jubilant, unified. Vietnamese do not shy from work. I head back towards the …
Author Archives: Radutti
Quito
I’m sleeping better tonight. It’s been a rough few weeks for sleep. Bad habits combined with stress compounded by Covid and a dash of post-nasal drip will do that. I’m finally turning a corner. I had almost forgotten what a night of uninterrupted sleep will do to a person. Sharp. Alert. Patient. Human. It all …
Hawker
150k, we take you around No, thank you. It’s beautiful trip, we take you for one hour No, thank you. We’re ok. I give her a smile with my eyes and a gentle wave, and we continue along the promenade. There’s so much to see. It’s our first time here, and this UNESCO Heritage site …
Wrong Turn
No motorcycle! The man is uniform All sandblasted khaki and exuding authority. He lives for this, I can tell. I imagine the flow of his day. Chatting with friends, the shopkeepers, trinket hawkers, street food merchants. No doubt these days they bemoan the lack of tourists, foot traffic, income. Things are quiet in Hoi An …
Fowl Play
I’m not sure where to go. Our homestay host said turn left. So I do. It’s early, the boys are slumbering, and I need to eat before zooming into the day. Gotta be a pho place around here I get maybe 20 meters down the lane when I see the man and his rooster. And …
Squeezed
Elephant is big on limes. Maybe it’s an elephant thing. Are elephants known for a love of limes? I make a mental note to find out. We have a couple different pho joints that we haunt, and he’s always about the limes. The soup, though. Quick, easy, healthy, inexpensive. Like, ridiculously inexpensive. It checks all …
Left to Write
It’s a slow morning The energy has been making its way back I’m not sure when I’ll be at 100 For now, I’m happy to be upright and mobile. My achy left and crackly right push across the keys. The dehumidifier quietly plies its trade, the birds outside the window are not nearly as active …
Raffled
I noticed his rings first. Splashes of gold, one with a gemstone appointed in the middle, all blue and forceful, the other more subtle and angular, alit upon his thumb. You here to see the doctor? Yes, 9am appointment Mr. Thuong doesn’t remember me but I remember him. He’s lost the full scrubs in favour …
How to Feel Young
I was never a motorcyclist. The gravel road stretched out in front of me. I was alone, with the bike. A 50CC mini that, even being the shortest kid in school, was my speed. Or should have been. I still to this day don’t know why I was the only one around. No lesson, no …
Brake
We ease the bikes to a stop and hop off onto the wide sidewalk. I attempt to catch my breath. Sorry buddy, just need to go easy today Stop apologizing, there’s nothing to worry about. It’s just been great for us to get out and ride. We’re about 5k into our spin and I needed …
Get Up Eight 