All porch steps have an integral ramp for access for motorbikes to parking in the front room. If the ramp were just 10″ wider Vietnam would be the most sophisticated country in the world for disabled access. During the night people in the block opposite drive their motorbikes up the steep stairwell above ground level. The full beam shines upwards through the geometric security grill of our window. The ceiling and the inner wall of our room is transformed momentarily into a giant incandescent chessboard. I hear no dogs singing. The rain is driving harder. The water smells different.