I have now been in Vietnam for a week, a very busy week. After leaving Ho Chi Minh City I flew up to Da Nang and feel like I have gotten a lot done in the past four days. The first major business to deal with was getting the contract on my house finalized. I was able to meet the owner and make a walk-through of the place before paying the rent for the next six months. Not only did that confirm that the house will be mine, it also confirmed that I really am here to stay for a while. Whew! One giant step out of the way.

Since the next day was Vietnam’s Independence Day (April 30, 1975 is when the war was officially over) most businesses were closed so I headed up into the mountains just north of Da Nang and spent the night on Ba Na Mountain. This area was built up as a resort by the French during the 30’s because of the cool climate and spectacular setting. The 1800 meter mountain is covered with dense forest and is often blanketed with clouds in the morning. Absolutely beautiful. Most of the old French manors have been destroyed by both time and war but there are new resorts up there now and the area takes on an atmosphere that reminds me of Disneyland.

This is not the first time I have gotten back into the forest since the war but each time I do, the smell and sounds trigger off memory switches that have lain dormant for so long. The senses become heightened and the adrenaline flows. I have to confess that it is not an all together unpleasant feeling and is perhaps part of why I return to Vietnam.

Returning to Da Nang early the next afternoon, I had to clean up and go to a meeting with the director of the school where I will be teaching. It has been arranged for me to begin work on June 2^nd. I still don’t know exactly what my schedule will be but I should find out in a week or so.

The next day, I took a motor bike south of Da Nang about 30 km to village of Hoi An where I caught a speedboat to Cham Island. This is actually a group of five small jungled islands surrounded by clear blue water and coral reefs. I did some snorkeling, some

hiking, and bought some lobsters from one of the fishermen who cooked them up on the spot for me. Though the island has some pretty primitive guest houses, I opted to stay at the place where they set up small tents on the beach for you. It was like paradise.

Tomorrow, my group of vets is supposed to start arriving and I will be with them for a couple of weeks. We will be traveling around the our old stomping grounds along the DMZ and I probably won’t have a lot of time to add to this blog until the group is over. I really am looking forward to the time with the guys but I am also ready to start settling into my life of living and working abroad.