Flippin’ Vietnam

I made the biggest detour ever to get to Vietnam. I was in Dali, China, about 400km from Vietnam’s North border. From there I went back to Honk Kong, from there I flew to Ho Chi Minh, South of the country, and from there I flew again back North to Hanoi. A long long detour, but I did meet my friends.
When I had been in Saigon for a day or so, I randomly checked Facebook and thought I should start making friends here. I log in and what do I see? Anna had put up on her profile: Anna is in Saigon! I first met Anna in Popayan, Colombia, about 5 months back. We spent 2 days together with Cesar, her boyfriend at the time, and when we said bye I remember very clearly what was promised: ‘See you, maybe we’ll meet again in Asia!’. And there we are, in Saigon. She’s English but she speaks French just about like me. She’s very tall and pretty, she is absolute perfect company. I am so happy to meet her again, and in those circumstances, it’s just mad. So we enjoy it all the way, we decide we should meet again either later in Vietnam or go together to Burma, or both. The next day I am leaving for Hanoi.
In Hanoi I am to meet Laurent and his girlfriend, the first time in the whole trip I will meet a real good friend of mine. A major event, to say the least. They have organised for us a massively luxurious trip to Halong Bay, 3 days and 2 nights on a boat. It feels like real holidays. Isolated from the world, with my friends, on a beautiful boat, eating like pigs, chatting, reading, laughing, kayaking, visiting and just looking out of the boat at the astonishing views on the bay. It’s like peaks coming out of the water, here and there, and everywhere. It’s quiet and pretty, a soothing sight. And it’s such a complete pleasure to be with Laurent and Helodie, you just wish the boat never had to come back to the harbor. But it does, eventually…
We get back to Hanoi, where they realise they are not leaving the next day but the day after. An extra day with people that really count for you can only be a big bonus. So we visit Hanoi focusing on our same old favourite themes: eating, shopping, chatting. What else could one want. They eventually have to leave though. And they left a few hours ago. I had booked my bus trip to Hoi An, back South toward the middle of the country, to meet with Anna again. The bus was at 6pm. At 5h45pm, I walk in front of the travel agency who sold me the ticket, carrying the water and sandwich I bought for the 14h ride, and they wave at me: ‘Hello miss! By the way, the bus to Hoi An is full tonight!’
I am there in the travel agency, trying to understand how a few hours earlier they sold me a ticket for a bus that was full. How on earth, and why? Their explanation is fairly interesting: ‘You should understand when you paid for the ticket we did not check, but it was already full! But instead of the sleeper bus, maybe you can take the hard seater, it’s the same price!’… Oh dear… You do feel terribly hopeless when you had seen yourself sleeping in that nice bus, waking up only to see Anna and spend a few days with her, hanging around… You simply cannot switch back so quickly to the idea that you have to find a room in Hanoi, stay another day, and maybe tomorrow you can try again… Nahh.
I scare about 10 tourists out of the travel agency, and when I am satisfied that they probably hate me as much as I hate them, I leave, clueless as to what to do, missing my friends, and thinking how come these things happen 2 minutes after my friends left, when everything was so cool and easy? I refuse to stay in Hanoi so I head to the train station, determined to find a train that will take me anywhere. Sapa, way up Northern Vietnam, on a hard seat for the night, so be it! Bye my friends! And please never leave me again!

~ by jenniferldp on February 6, 2009.