Old friend in the old quarter....

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So After waking up in a puddle of drool in the internet cafe, I went to the vietnamese embassy to pick up my passport. I about shit myself when I realised it was closed for 5 days and was about to drop to my knees and cry. Then I realised the consular section next door was open and a nice guy helped me retrieve my passport from the other department. Thank god or I would have been sleeping in the park eating insects for 5 days. Th only problem was that my Visa started from the day I applied for it which was the 10th of the month so I only have ten days left on it. The guy told me I can extend in Vietnam for $20 so I'll just have to do that. Since I was now once again the possesor of a passport and able to do the things that people with passports can do, I went and changed some of my Dollars into spendable RMB. Wonderful! I could now afford a bed and sleep for the day! I found a cheap dirty hotel beside the trainstation and went and fell into an uninterupted 4 hour sleep. Ahhhhhhhhhhh! After I awoke I went on a mission to buy some anti mosquito items, such as a TENT(should never have left mine behind!!) , Mosquito coils and I tried to find some napalm just in case but they don't stock it in Walmart.

In the evening I got a phone call from my friend Eric in Yangshuo, who told me that my lovely dog, Maxy has been missing all day. He ran away in the morning and still hadn't returned by 9pm. We all fear he may have been eaten, or worse, kidnapped by a Chinese guy. I actually hope its the former and not the latter as he will have a miserable locked up existence if he has been kidnapped.

I went out for my last supper of seafood, and once again met the old Hugarian South African guy. His name, I think is Sodu, mate, if you read this I'm sorry but I'm rubbish with names. Had another pleasant conversation and drank a little bit more than I should havefor tomorrows early start. The locals here have been telling me the border is anywhere between 60 and 600km away. Thank god for Ordanance survey who have reassured me through their maps its only 230km. God knows how the old boys like Marco Polo got by, relying on local information. I was feeling in tip top condition on the bike, feeling fit, but it is hot so the talc might have to be used tomorrow...

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