Thursday, Sept 3
Today is the day when I'm traveling to Quy Nhon just for 2 nights to finally get some decent food again. Taxi guy will meet me at 13:00.
At 11:00, the electricity in my house and the hotel is cut. WTF???
Talking to guests who are about to leave, I learn that this was planned by Quang. He just didn't bother to tell me. (no disrespect, but he is ALWAYS afraid to offend me. Little does he know that NOT giving me relevant information offends me much much more)
He says that there won't be electricity for one month. I know him well enough (see above) and I know that this means that there won't be electricity for at least 2-3 months.
I.e. No water= no flushing toilet. No fridge and hotel closed = NO food. No lights. NO charging my laptop or my phone.
I am homeless, with no definite end-date.
Time for some serious strategic travel planning !!!!! LAST MINUTE, no less.
My taxi guy comes and rescues me ;-)
I arrive at The Kila Boutique Hotel...... a nice surprise !
And I take a xe om to the Tapas restaurant.
Friday, Sept. 4
I don't remember much, except that I'm looking at Google Calendar and trying to figure out where I will sleep during the next two months.
Breakfast in the hotel is not fancy, but it is yummy.
I meet the Monkey for Tapas dinner.
Since I will travel to Tuy Hoa on the 8th to meet Phap, I renew my room here until then.
Saturday, Sept 5
Today is Đuc's 4th birthday...... And he is celebrating it at kindergarten...... And Phap bought all the little present bags for all the other kids....... I wish my mother would have just been A LITTLE bit like Phap.....
Sun, Sept 6
The balcony glass is acting like a prism for the morning sun..... and the woven chair as a grating.....and this is the result ;-)
Tapas with the Monkey.....
I ask him to turn off the data plan on Sim2......costs me $15/month for data I don't even use.
Whatever he does.........my *101# no longer works......I can't check my balance; I can't refill my balance; I can't do anything....... My life just became much more complicated !
Sept 8.
My picks me up at 10:00 and delivers me to my house Vinh Hoa.....One hour to pick up stuff I might need during my 3 months of living out of a backpack.
My picks me up again; I buy some wine and ride to Tuy Hoa....first we drop off the wine at Ambergris and then to Royal Palms Hotel..... nice big comfy room .....I've seen Tin Patisserie on Google Maps..... I walk there.....and does it ever NOT disappoint......SO YUMMY
Later, I walk to that same corner again.....My absolute favourite Vietnamese dish:
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| Bun Cha Ha Hoi |
Sept 9.
Time to move hotels..... I got 1 hour late checkout at Royal Palms and had to fight for 1 hour early check in at Ambergris (I did that walk with portions of luggage 3 times today)
The room is WACKY....
Never let a designer create a hotel room. Everything is VERY pretty. But the room is not functional. A pool, but no work desk. Not a single proper chair. 1 electrical outlet in the kitchen and 4 outlets in the bathroom. The NO TV is actually a blessing.....
I send a picture to Phap to help him find the right door tomorrow:
4pm
Bun Cha Ha Noi again? Why not! ;-)
8pm.....I'm bushed and about to go to sleep.....and there is a message "I'm traveling and will hug you soon". Today? He was supposed to come tomorrow! I am just about to hop in the shower when the phone rings "Open the door!" .......
Absolute Happiness .... whenever I return to sleep from a smoke at the pool, there is his hand reaching out for mine.
Thursday Sept. 10.
Phap leaves at 8am...
2 dishes for breakfast are included. a choice of 3 Viet dishes with strange flavors. WAY too much food..
All that is remedied with French Pastry and Bun Cha Ha Noi later in the day.
Friday, September 11.
Breakfast is as mediocre as yesterday....
My's brother texts me at 10:40.....we leave early...
12:00 back home.....drop stuff I don't want to take on a long trip and pick up a hoodie and a book. Leave some money for Nhung to check the house once a week. And I hand Bin an envelope with 1 trieu for tomorrow's bike delivery.
13:00 My picks me up..... Le didn't buy another 4 boxes of wine despite me telling her. Ah well...her loss.
13:45 The Junior Suite at The Kila.... no biggie .... not worth the US$10 more than the normal rooms.
I take a Xe Om to Hairom Tapas....
The Chef comes out with a dish of olives......something new on the menu and free for me today
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| Yummy ;-) |
September 12.
Bin sends me a picture at 7am..... He is on his scooter with my bicycle strapped behind him. 
He is bringing it to my hotel in Quy Nhon. 40kms of rough road!
I see him arriving from my balcony, looking at his phone trying to find the hotel.....He hears me shouting Bin OI!..... I ask him whether he wants wine on the balcony, breakfast, or both. He goes for white wine, but he likes it too much...so we have breakfast to sober him up before he heads back.I message Phap. He replies that he visited Aunt 8 (she the one that was always in our favor) and Aunt 8 asked him whether he did meet me....... Sweet Aunt 8.
I reply to Phap: "I like Aunt 8 very very much......How did you answer ???"
He said 'Yes'.
I am so proud of him. He is growing balls and losing his fear, which will allow him to be an independent and happy person.
Around
noon, I take the bicycle around the various blocks...
Rain is falling and then it clears up at 16:00
Fuck it, I'm riding the bike to HaiRom Tapas...... no more getting annoyed with retarded Xe Oms.
Monkey joins me .....the clams with chorizo are inedible.... 
17:00 More rain is looming......time to ride the bike back to the hotel quickly !!!
I made the mistake of watching the entire 3 hours of TROY today, so I get neck pain during the night....
8:00
The breakfast room is packed with Quy Nhon Marathon participants (they ran early this morning) and the food selection is limited.
I pick up my wine from the lobby in 2 trips and pay for the new room. The cleaners will be busy today. I can stay in my old room until 303 is cleaned....... They ring my doorbell at 13:00......and they're rushing me to move to 303 so they can clean my old room.....they even carry some of my stuff...... LOVE this hotel!
15:00 Monkey shows up...... While he is there I switch the Phone Data from Sim1 to Sim2 and back......and WTF???......that action alone is enough to CURE the phone problems that had me so worried for a week.
So I call my Great Aunt Erna in Karlsruhe. Her younger brother is SICK.... and he's only 65.
Another bicycle trip to Hairom Tapas and back..... I like it ;-)
Monday, Sept 14.
A SLOW morning....
Get up at 3am; breakfast at 7; nap; finish watching 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' this was the 3rd time I watched it but is always a joy!
I was going to ride to BigC this morning.....but I feel sluggish.... always listen to your body!
Instead, I organize the room for the upcoming 1 week stay..... I was wishing for a day on which I wouldn't have to do ANYTHING..... and I think today is that day!
Alas, Monkey interrupts my naps twice.....
When he leaves at 3pm, I take the bike for a spin....and get lost just around the corner....SO happy when I see my hotel again and can crash onto the bed.
16:30 I wake up and I am starving..... I message the Monkey that I'll be at Sho Japanese restaurant at 17:15.
We eat..... Good grilled salmon, good sushi, mediocre Chicken Teriyaki.
He comes up to the room, but at 19:00 I have to kick him out.....I am too exhausted.
And tomorrow I will ramp up my bicycle travel distance to FOUR kilometers. It's time to get those legs back into shape ;-)
