A change of scenery and country: SGN - BKK

The worst bit about today?  I'm leaving Viet Nam.

I wake up at 3:30 with a bit of a hangover, LOL.

6:30 I want to watch the sun rise like this EVERY DAY !

Little do I know that I will never see this particular sunrise again
A year later a new high-rise is obscuring this view

7:20
A quick breakfast run to coopmart.  Wine, baguette & cheese.  How Tres French & Hair of the Dog.

9:30 I'm getting more passport pictures....  4 for 50,000 VND.  I'll need some in March and I'd be crazy to have them done in the West, LOL.

the 152 bus, what else?

SGN-BKK 80 minutes

14:40 BKK
We take the Metro.... I even picked a hotel really close to the Metro station!
But WHERE is it ????
After 1 hour of walking around the same streets over and over again looking for the friggin Guest House, we sit down in a hotel lobby in the general area, drink a beer, and I e-mail the hosts to come get us.    NO, my map reading skills have NOT diminished.   The owner/manager of our Guest house shows up in the lobby 10 minutes later....  Turns out the guest house was RIGHT NEXT DOOR, but behind a closed gate with NO SIGN, LOL  We had walked by the place FOUR TIMES and I had even joked "This is probably it".

The guy is nice, the house looks fabulous with lots of dark wood floors and furniture.... but why is there a flimsy foamie on the floor next to the single bed in our Twin Room?   Since Zu can't bear soft mattresses, I'm the one who will be camping tonight ;-)


I have to hit FOUR 7-Elevens within 200 meters of the main road (WTF?) before I find white wine.  345 Baht for a demi-bouteille.  HOLY SHIT, Thailand is expensive !  And I still have to consider myself lucky that it is after 17:00 so that they are allowed to sell me the stuff.  OMG, Viet Nam was SO EASY and uncomplicated !

In the evening, we go out to explore the neighbourhood and to find some food.

King Power Center.  How could we NOT go in there?

What is it?

Nothing more than a ritzy Shopping Mall  (it's only castles burning....)

OMG. ALL the Swiss watch makers have their own brand stores on one floor.  Omega, Rolex, Mido, Vacheron, IWC, etc etc etc ...  I have NEVER seen anything like it before, not even in Hong Kong or Incheon !

And Yes, the Vacheron Constantine hand-winding Patrimony watch costs the same here as it does in Hong Kong.  CAD$ 25600.  LOL, the world has gone truly MAD !

But they also have a food court..... with affordable prices, LOL

Unfortunately, one first has to load up a debit card with credit.... but this card can be used at all of the food-court stalls.

The food is actually quite yummy..... but having to return the card to the central cashier to get the balance refunded is a bit tedious.... maybe it's more designed for people who come here every day?

5:45 ?  WOW, this horribly weird bed is good for a great sleep ;-)