Frost

Here is a sight I won't see again for another 3 weeks: frost on the lawn, on roofs, and on cars, like a fuzzy dream on eyelids that are still coated with sleep. Current temperatures for Vietnam range from high's in the 90's and low's in the high-60's, with a 60% chance for scattered thunderstorms. Tomorrow I start packing: my t-shirts, shorts, sunblock, and a swimsuit for the beaches of Nha Trang and Vung Tau. I will take along with me a 30-pound box of souvenirs, a suitcase crammed with over a week's worth of clothing, and a mind loaded with advice from my parents. Places to visit. People to meet. Desserts to savor. Regional specialties to try. Fruits to taste again after 24 years of being away.

We pack heavy, but once there, touring the streets of Vietnam, we travel light, giving up pockets and purses crammed with electronic devices such as PDA's and multiple cell phones for one traveler's wallet worn around the body. Tomorrow I will strip off my gold rings and necklace and exchange my hoop earrings for studs, taking off the weighted metals that adorn my body until, with my new sense of buoyancy, I feel--at last--ready to fly.