HOMECOMING ! ..... NRT-SGN-UIH-BBCT

3:30
OMG, that is EARLY....... the coffee doesn't help any either......

4:30....and it's raining outside.....

....let's hope those pink umbrellas are still standing in the lobby, otherwise I will get wet !  Then I remember that I accidentally took the umbrella to my room last night ..... a 15 minute walk with luggage..... is that worth stealing one of the hotel umbrellas for .....?

A sneeze puts my back out..... oh it SUCKS getting old... or maybe it was instant Karma for the bad umbrella-stealing thought?

4:45
I'm showered and almost packed....nothing to do but drink wine ;-)

5:10
Grandma is in a good mood when I call her..... her first words without me mentioning it: "Are you calling from Tokyo???"   Yes, she should have traveled more in her active lifetime but I'm still slightly happy that I can be her Avatar ;-)
It's almost time to GO>>>>>

5:30
on y va !

Good thing I've taken the umbrella....it's raining in the streets of Tokyo .....

I find my train platform in the HUGE Shinjuku Station.....

I leave the umbrella leaning against the wall... 

....and even fall asleep a bit during the almost 1.5 hour journey....

The usual confusion at the check-in counter.....you gotta read my name in the bottom part of the passport...then you can find it in the computer.... bloody Umlauts ;-)

8:20
The plane is supposed to take off in one hour.... my gate is 50 meters from the nearest smoking lounge.... convenient airport ;-)


A nasty flight.... I pretty much get NO SLEEP in those 6 hours.... I watch half of Song Lang again .... and the only other relief is that gorgeous young Vietnamese steward ;-)

Then the plane wastes 20 minutes circling around because the airport is too BUSY .... 


I'm limping to immigration.... and the line is ENDLESS...I'm hitting a mental low.... but eventually I'm through..... and all off a sudden my energy is back....I'm back in Vietnam .....
.....and the men are simply so much prettier here ;-)

16:15 Vietnam time
I'm FINALLY back in my room

I'm on my way to Bun Cha.... a sunglasses-selling woman in my alley.... bao nhieu? I ask.... I know enough Vietnamese to haggle....I end up paying her asking price....because it really comes down to this ... ban vui, toi vui.... she shakes both my hands with a big smile .... 

On the way back to the hotel, I see two women with these wrist cloth bracelets walking in front of me... and one of them has a GORGEOUS one on her ring... Em oi!.... I do haggle, not seriously but mostly to keep up my Vietnamese and pay 40k ... but I do NOT need a new wallet, LOL.

A bit of Huyen hangout time......

20:00..... that's 22:00 Tokyo time.... and I got up today at 3:30 Tokyo time.... no wonder I'm DEAD TIRED....

3:30
tooooooo early....
but I have a long day ahead of me and I'm slightly stressed... especially since my lower back is NOT behaving .....

Again I am amazed how many bats there are in the night sky of Saigon.... where do they sleep?

5:00

A cunning plan is formed.... I'll be back here in one week.... so I'm going to travel with MINIMUM luggage today.... just a day pack should be enough to get to BBCT .... after all, I still have stuff there ....

7:00
Trang is already at work.... now that I have Chuong's shoe size, I provide him with a choice of shoes.... I'm curious whether this will come to fruition ...

With only my day pack and a small plastic bag, the walk to the bus stop is a breeze ....

9:15
At the airport, I DOUBLE sin...

...
NOT only do I violate my diet restrictions (NO French Fries) but I also do NOT boycott American companies (Burger King).... and trust Burger King only to carry Heineken beer and NOT any of the fabulous Vietnamese brands..... Karma's punishment is instant.... some of the WORST fries I've ever eaten, LOL... and about Heineken beer... there is a reason why it is so popular.... it appeals to the largest spectrum of taste buds... which is NOT a good thing, LOL.  I'd rather have a Bia SaiGon any day....at least that has flavour!   

And HOW did Burger King every survive this long with their own brand of ketchup..... it's absolutely TASTELESS.... I feel like I'm eating cardboard fries with cardboard sauce !  It's absolutely DISGUSTING...for 90 k VND!   HOW am I going to survive 6 weeks in Canada ????



9:40
The scheduled boarding time has arrived.... but nothing is happening yet.... typical Vietjet

A NASTY flight....

....all those children screaming... the uncomfortable seats.... 

13:20
I'm HOME.....

 When I collect the scooter from Chau's house.... the display STILL says "Oil Change".... ah well, I tried.... 

I'm dead tired and try to nap.....but I'm too excited to be back home ;-)


There is one last thing I do..... as is customary within the last week of being here....  I book my return flight to come back here, LOL 


20:30