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In Vietnam, one in four individuals owns a motorbike. Roughly, that's 20 million motorbikes on the roads. As the country's most widespread mode of transportation, anything can be carried to and fro on these bikes—we saw animals, fish traps, heavy machinery, 6-person families, and market goods. If you can buy it, you can ride with it. Perhaps this is the only choice for some. Any product is good to transport—shipping and handling not included.

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Motorbike
by Tim Hoye, Greendale, WI

Tim's Dream Trip
China, Tibet, Nepal and India

In 1974, the year of the Tiger, I took a dream trip. But it was my birthmother's dream—to leave me at an orphanage in hope for adoption. I was among over 3,000 children evacuated before the fall of Saigon. Today, I dream of a voyage back to Asia.

My wife and I have imagined exploring—even the widely traveled sites of Beijing, for a chance to walk among the kite-flyers and swirling crowds in Tiananmen Square, to walk the mazes and marbled halls of the Forbidden City, and to march upon the winding wonder of the Great Wall. We envision cruising upstream on the Yangtze River, navigating dramatic gorges, and making a daily pause for the sun to fall between the valleys.

Our ambitions also lead us to higher places. A stop in Lhasa, the sacred center of Tibet, truly a place of the gods, may have our prayers of incense bringing us luck as we embark to Nepal and Everest Base Camp. From there our senses will lead the journey to India, a country engulfed with religious architecture, colorful performing arts, and fragrant marketplaces.

Of course, we cannot forget the amazing foods of the Far East! We dream of tasting rich Indian stews, Chinese teas and wines, and slurping the endless strands of noodle dishes from street vendors.

My passion to travel may have come from an early age—from a dream of hope. Or maybe it came from the message on the red placemat at our favorite Chinese restaurant: "Tigers are curious creatures that find themselves in unexpected places!"

Tim's Travel Tips

• Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today. Attack every day of your excursion like it's the last day—as if you'll never return again!

• Insist on visiting a small country town or village, even if there is no tourist attraction. Fully engaging yourself into the locals' everyday life rewards you with an authentic cultural experience (not just with a t-shirt that says you were there).

• Taking the road less traveled shouldn't mean completely avoiding the beaten path. Macchu Picchu, Angkor Wat, the pyramids of Giza and even Disney World are so popular because they represent the ingenuity of what both nature and humans can accomplish.