Mr. SomeMy melts
down metal from
American bombs
to make spoons.
Though the festival is still a day away, a novice monk bends down to
light a candle that has gone out at one of the temples dotting Luang
Prabang. Hundreds of small lanterns fill the temple courtyard, their
pulpboard paper sides tinting the orange light hues of blue, green, pink
and white, filling the entire open area with a warm glow. The candle
flames waver, each with the strength and inconsistency of a single
person’s life. Yet, when I allow my eyes to lose focus, the candles pulse.
Smiling to myself, I wonder if Sau will still be willing to sell me a drink
later tonight, because this is it. This is what I’m hunting as a rider, not
just a challenge or pure natural beauty, but the context to begin to
understand the flickering shadows and brilliant light of the complex
cultural heritage nestled up against the road. There’s the good, the bad,
the ugly, and the beautiful, and a motorcycle brings it all into focus in a
way that no other form of travel can.Isaac Stone Simonelli is an editor, writer, diver, drone
videographer and adventure rider who promotes randomizing
our lives and the adventures we have in order to create
serendipitous narratives. After a short career as an online poker
player, Isaac spent five years working at an expat newspaper on
the tropical island of Phuket, Thailand. The 33-year-old Hoosier uses dice as a
mechanism for synthesizing happiness and combating decision fatigue.58 July/August 2019