Good Morning, Vietnam

4:00 am  First alarm went off. Groaned. 

4:10 am. Second and final alarm sounded. Groaned again. Got up and threw myself together. 

4:30 am. Met up with my posse, helmets on and ready to ride. Our bikes purred through the shockingly quiet streets of Danang under dark night skies. 

4:40 am. We turned west and then north, crossing the Han River, passing through the still-sleeping town of Son Tra, and edging along the perimeter of the mountainous peninsula north of the city. 

4:50 am. Passed an assortment of joggers, cyclists, and walkers who were taking their morning exercise as the first hints of daylight were gathering in the eastern skies. 

5:00 am. Pulled off the road at an ideal viewpoint. While we hadn't reached the easternmost point on the peninsula, we had a fantastic watery view of the predawn skies. 

5:05 am. Clouds gathered and threatened to diminish our view. Distracted myself by taking a few shots of fishing boats. 

5:10 am. Still waiting. Took photos of flowers. 

5:14 am. The sun appears! Took a million photos as the brilliant red disc quickly passed above the horizon and blazed with glory. 

5:30 am. Fully satisfied, we turned our bikes around and headed for home. 

5:40 am. Stopped at a viewpoint of the city and enjoyed the pastel skyline of the city awakening to a new day. The photos don't do it justice. 

6:04 am Crawled back into bed for a few more hours of sleep, tired but happy and  very grateful that I live on the west coast of the USA. In my neck of the woods, the sun graciously puts on her finest show at sunset., a time of day when I am much more likely to be awake.