THE ROAD TO ZEN: The art of motorcycle maintenance in Southeast Asia

I'm about two weeks into my first solo-travel trip when I finally drum up the courage to rent a motorbike.

Engine roaring, I head up into the hills of Cat Ba island, off the coast of northern Vietnam. Thick and humid air rushes by. The machine vibrates beneath me as I twist through narrow, winding roads. To my right, the karst mountains of Ha Long Bay dot the horizon.