Why are my eyes wet? MNL to SGN to UIH

Manila @ 4:30 am

I might as well check out now.  I get my 100 PHP deposit back and get a ride in the hotel’s Service Car to the airport for PHP 250.  Traffic at 4:45 am is CRAZY, LOL.

I'm awake enough to plan ahead.  I know that the visa stamping fee in Saigon will be US$ 25, so I buy those Dollars from the FX counter using left-over Pesos.

They detect my corkscrew already in the X-ray machine that my luggage has to pass through just to get INTO the outer airport.  Bye Bye Corkscrew.  Too bad, it was a nice one ;-(  But then I got it for free around the neck of a bottle, LOL)
At least there is nothing else to take in the actual security check.

I finally get some food into me by means of a Honey-Mustard Hot-Dog in the airport’s secure area.

To get Wifi, you have to enter your cell phone number and they send you the access code by SMS.   Thank you, oh retarded Canadian Freedom Mobile for not having entered into a roaming contract with a Philippine telcom!  And thank you Ninoy Aquino airport for having such a silly system to distribute your Wifi. My phone doesn’t work here.  So I don’t get Wifi.

That’s OK, I can work on my translation without Wifi.  And I get a spectacular show as the day progresses from pre-dawn to dawn to sunrise right in front of my eyes.

I particularly like this picture because of the symbol on the plane's tail ;-)

The plane takes off towards the East and then swings around towards my destination West of here.

Thank you pilot, for providing me with a series of sweeping views of the Moloch Manila !

We're in the middle of nowhere !  Ocean in all directions.  But WHAT is THAT?

Islands in the middle of nowhere between The Philippines and Vietnam?   These must be the Spratley Islands that were on the news before Trump decided to blow up the North Korea story.  
We're almost there.  

WHAT the hell is that pilot doing?  Is he DRUNK?  Ah well, we were early and air traffic control probably told him to waste some time, LOL.

I'm not really surprised when my eyes tear over as soon as I see the Mekong Delta outside my window.

Home is where the heart is, they say.

Elvis sang that he left his heart in Heidelberg.

Mine has been in Vietnam since I first entered this country in 2015 and it only seems to be beating properly when I'm here.

Is that a friggin GOLF COURSE? ... but .... Charlie don't golf !

I get my Visa quickly. 
Wait!  Visa?  Why am I getting a Visa?  
Because the 15 days I will stay in Vietnam are 1 day longer than the Visa-exemption period for Europeans, which means that this 6th trip here will be the LONGEST uninterrupted time period that I have ever spent in Vietnam.

1st cigarette & walk over to the domestic terminal. There is no more discovery excitement going on here, because I've been here before and walked here before.  But I notice instantly that my internal pace has changed.  
That stupid grin has appeared on my face and I feel relaxed. 
Silly really, but that's the way it is.

Boarding pass for my connecting flight. Check.  

I check out what is available at various food stalls and finally find what I'm looking for.

Hidden in the hidden 2nd row of stores in the parking building across from the domestic terminal.   Banh Mi.  Just looking at that baguette I know that it will be delicious.  And I'm not disappointed. The Daicon, the liver pate, the pork baloney.  This ranks among the TOP Banh Mis I've ever had.  30,000 Dongs, about $1.50.

Time to go through security (I KNOW that they have a smoking room in the domestic terminal, so there is no point waiting ;-)

When I leave the Phu Cat terminal building (that term is a joke for the existing shed, but they're building a new one to welcome the expected hoards of future tourists), I hear a Viet shouting TAXI.  He probably doesn't believe his luck of seeing a Westerner among the people on the plane that just landed.   I have to disappoint him though. I know my cheap way around by now.  I'm taking the Vietnam Airlines bus for 50,000 VND.  The bus driver is an absolute maniac. With wild honking he even passes individual taxi cabs on the 30 minute drive to Quy Nhon.

is he Waving ????

The about 19 year old Viet kid in the seat next to me is falling asleep.  The pressure on my side ever increases and at about the 3/4 way mark I feel his head on my shoulder. LOL.  
 I don't mind a bit.  Funny how that is so different from the time when that fat German fell asleep on me in the bus to Ha Long Bay back in 2015.

A Viet guy at the bus terminal makes the motorcycle gesture with both his hands.  Oh, of course!  But he can't read my Google Map, so Mr Motorcyle spots who else but the kid that fell asleep on me and asks for translation.  With 3 people we finally figure out where I'm going and how much it is going to cost.  Another 50,000 VND.  Can't complain.

When he drops me at Barbara's Kiwi connection he stammers BABRA repeatedly, so I take it that he knew of this place beforehand, LOL.   His smile gets even brighter and he chuckles when I say Cam On NHIEU.  
Every tourist knows Cam On, but whenever I say Thank You VERY MUCH, the locals are astonished and start smiling. 

It doesn't take much !

I find my hotel along a street that has 3 or 4 hotels being built along a 100 meter stretch.  
OH NO! Quy Nhon is turning into Nha Trang.
The receptionist shouts something at me after I extend my passport to her.  At first I can't understand what it is but when I seem to recognize the word BOOKING (she leaves out the .COM) and I nod, she right away grabs my passport and her other hand shoots forward with my room key.   

That's IT. 

Check-in is DONE, LOL.

I probably don't have to mention that I probably am the first guest from Booking.com or any other Western booking site in weeks if not months?

The view from my balcony. I'm 250 meters from the beach.  NO, it is not the luxury to be experienced in the Seagull Hotel (the blue thing in the centre top), but then I'm paying US$ 17 per night and for that amount of money I'm living in true luxury.


Time to go shopping.  I'm on my way to walk the 1.4 km to the local Mall, aka Big C.

Quy Nhon is changing QUICKLY

Right on the above new street a scooter driver stops and INSISTS that I ride on the back of his scooter for 10,000 Dong.   As soon as this helmet-less tourist glides smoothly &effortlessly through the streets of Quy Nhon towards Big C, I am glad I agreed ;-)

Big C (not my picture)

I find the Nivea body lotion (WITHOUT WHITENING) again and also a pack of coffee, some noodle soups and other stuff.

I'm not harassed again in my decision to WALK on the way back so that I can enjoy the strange serenity of Vietnamese streets at night.

The STRANGEST thing happens.   I am about to walk by the establishment in the picture below when I seem to recognize the notes of a song coming from the place "No-body can ever hear him call ...".

WTF?  Supersonic by Oasis??   The song I had playing on repeat JUST before I left my room to head for the Big C?   That's just a ridiculous coincidence !

I cross the street and check the place out.  The young Western backpackers who used to frequent Barbara's Kiwi Connection now are HERE.  The dinner menu consists of Hamburger, Chickenburger, Fish & Chips and they have WiFi.  It's too far to walk back to tonight and it's not really my kind of venue, but I will have to check out the food quality at some point

Another construction lot, another highrise in the making 

19:00
Back at Barbar's Kiwi Cafe.  No I don't really want to eat the food here, but I thought I'd pre-negotiate tomorrow's scooter rental. But the woman who offered me the good deal last time is not here today, so I should have eaten at John & Paul Inn.   ALWAYS listen to ridiculous coincidence !

20:00
Wow, I'm beat.   I don't think I've ever fought off jet lag this well, but my endurance is coming to a crashing end.  NEED some sleep.