Bai Bien Cua Toi (XIII & XIV): turning pink, more wine & Philippe from France

I'm up at 5:00
FUCKING Windows 10 tried to install an update a few days ago, only to revert to the original a few long hours later.  WASTE of MY time !
Now it's trying to do the SAME THING again !!!!!

What a nice light ;-)

I've tried my best to prevent it by clicking NO every chance I had, but FUCKING Microsoft is doing it AGAIN.  STOP stealing my time FOR NOTHING, you IMBECILES !

And all this before 7:30 ;-)

What is that commotion in the yard?

There are TWENTY Viets of all ages, who look like they just arrived from Saigon (big gold rings on immaculately manicured fingers of a woman).  And they are ALL walking into the room right next to me..... WTF?
I am not easily shaken, but I still have to ask Phap how long they intend to stay LOL.

10:30
WHAT to do with the rest of the day????  
I feel trapped in my room with those 20 people camping right in front of it.

Might as well walk to the rocks ....

Harmless jellyfish 

does KONG live here ?

Why do I have the feeling as if a GIANT stone insect is staring at me ?

When I come back, the noisy neighbours are still there.  Empty beer cans and alcohol victims are accumulating on the big blue tarp they thew on the ground.  
But as is ABSOLUTELY NORMAL in Vietnam, they are SOCIABLE !

One of them can still walk, brings me a lukewarm beer to my terrace and asks 
DO YOU SING?

I call my Pseudo Aunt in Germany. It's her birthday.  I must admit that I don't know her exact age and in any event it is too high to mention politely in public.  (lOl).

16:00
The karaoke crowd vanishes as quickly as it appeared.   Gotta give it to the Vietnamese.  An afternoon at the beach. And they go FULL OUT, as the number of empty beer cans attests to, LOL.a

almost time to call it a night...

4:30
OMG, Chantal is actually considering visiting Vietnam!  Hell must have frozen over, LOL.

5:15
I stumble to the waterline as fast as I can so as not to miss the last of these COLOURS, LOL.

... and like every morning, the MAGIC only lasts for a few minutes....

LOL, the sun is up now but it's not even 6:00 yet. I feel sorry for the sleepers.

Where to go, how long to stay here?
Is it true that part of my rushing all over the globe is the reason that I want to avoid to think?  Think about the loved ones I have lost and will still lose?  Not a pleasant thing to think about, in particular if it comes to thinking how I have FAILED them.   

toi rat vui !

Yes, Forest Gump runs for a long time, but then there comes a time to STOP RUNNING.  It might be the missing puzzle piece to MOVING ON in my life. I feel little tremors of FEAR just typing the words MOVING ON.  
 I miss him SO MUCH still.  But then I know someone who has done the 'mourning & not moving on' for 26 years.   I don't have THAT LONG !  
Is there anything wrong with turning into a chubby Italian widow dressed all in black?  
Is THAT what he would have wanted though? 

I know that the answer is in the above paragraph. I just have to find it LOL.

OMG, it's ALREADY 7:00 ;-)

I briefly chant with the Viet woman and her mother who stayed here for about 4 days and who say they LOVE it here.  Turns out it was MY REVIEW left for this place one year ago that convinced her to come here, LOL.

Time to ride to Song Cau.   
It's windy and there are individual drops of rain, but I think it will stay dry for the ride.
Past the mountain pass and past the curvy road I spot SOMETHING STRANGE along the road!

WHAT is THAT ?

There is a Western guy pushing his way along the road on something like the above. Not quite the same.  His has 700 wheels in the front and the back.  I stop a few 100 meters down the road to take pictures.  He is FAST !

Meet Philippe from France, LOL.  Not only did he kick-push his way from Vancouver to Montreal in 2017, he now is on the last leg of his  SaiGon - Chang Mai - Laos - Saigon trip.

Song Cau is waiting.....

 I stock up on cigarettes & Chilean wine.  This is where I notice that the Vietnamese Classic Dalat seems to sell for 70,000 VND per bottle. I pay 130k VND at my hotel.  60k profit on a 70k price?  Good business but a bit excessive, n'est-ce pas?

Errands are done and I'm back at the hotel.  
HOLY!  It's ONLY 11:30?

Oh NO, there is Quang again, LOL.
Time to get the bottle from the fridge.  He doesn't drink, unless with me, but between us it's like fetching the tobacco pipe in the Native culture.
Seems like he's run another errand for someone and didn't get the amount of thanks that his actions merit.

18:20
My hotel is empty so there won't be any cooking tonight. 
 Let's try the place next door.  I know that the regular chef is out of town. 

 The substitute chef turns out to be out of town too.  The substitute substitute chef (i.e. the room cleaner) is supposed to cook, but she's not here either.   I guess it'll be Gin&Tonic & yogurt tonight, LOL.

I'm watching Star Trek Discovery on Netflix..
There is a quote that hits me like a brick, because it resonates with my life in the West:

Can you pretend to be one of them?
Even if, little by little, it kills the person you really are?