In Nha Trang I started to vomit.
I had taken far too many photos.
They had got into my gut.
There was nothing to do but lie low.
I went to ground on a beach-head
and tried digesting small portions of local colour.
Finally I had strength enough to continue.
At first, vision was restricted to familiar objects -
(toothbrushes are very reassuring).
I bought postcards of happy-go-lucky tribespeople cheerfully toothless
in the face of poverty and discrimination.
The going rate for smiles is two American dollars.
We were much more careful with looking
from then on. |