The joys of tagging and wisdom of knowing exactly when your flight leaves

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We walked back yesterday through the park and along Pham Ngu Lao for Sam to change some money, the best rate was 31,500 to the pound. Overshot De Tham doing this and ended up having to walk down the street leading to the other end of Bui Vien. Insane! It looked like there was literally nowhere to walk along the side with solid traffic coming at you. We are used to it but this was ridiculous! We stood helplessly for a bit, not wanting to risk it, then tucked in behind a local and literally stuck to her in a little convoy until it thinned out a bit.

Trotted over to the Go2 bar in the evening, sitting on the front line, so in pole position for all the offers of sunglasses, popup cards and cigarettes, twice the price of those in Circle K opposite. We ordered cocktails and a beer and I tagged us on Facebook. Then – surprise surprise – my lovely niece Laura and her also lovely husband Stuart rolled up, last seen yomping off into the mist in Sa Pa to catch their sleeper bus. Oh the joyousness of tagging. Worth this one experience for all those eye-rolling, I-know-exactly-where-you-are-and-I'm-bored-now reactions! We had a great catchup on the last 10 days.

After eating, luckily (VERY luckily, as it turned out) Sam changed her mind about more cocktails and we went back to the hotel, got ready for bed. Planned to have breakfast at 8 so Sam could eat her fill of the delicious chicken balls and then get a taxi around 9 for her flight at 12. Looking back, I think we assumed it was at 12, as that's the time of Gill’s and mine in a couple of weeks. Then, also VERY luckily, she saw that our friend Louise was online and called her on Skype to arrange what to do the next night when she got home. There had been a faint train of thought running through my mind, how could Sam get home on the same day she left? Our flights have an overnight in China and Sam’s didn't, and was cheaper, but it still didn't add up quite. So they got to the end of their conversation, and as the last time we flew from here 2 years ago it was from KL to China on the day the Malaysian plane went missing, we arrived to frantic are you OK texts, Lou said she'd track the flight if Sam gave her the flight number. Out came the piece of paper. Oh crap! Departure time 02.25am. This was 10pm. We stared at each other, mouths open, how did that happen? So get dressed and off you go to the airport, Sam. In the next half an hour. Last luckily, she did have enough time, her bag was all packed ready, nothing sopping wet. Just missed out on the chicken balls for breakfast! And a night’s sleep. Explained the arriving back in the same day conundrum. She actually arrived at the airport before check in opened, phew!

So all on my own, I had breakfast, borrowing 2 bananas and a boiled egg for lunch, and walked back to the New World Hotel we were at yesterday. It was a toss-up between this and the Renaissance, but I can walk here without needing a motorbike taxi, and the pool area is big enough to sneak lunch without being spotted. Ok to hack the entrance fee, but not the extortionate lunch with 15% tax added as a final insult. £3 for a glass of coke? No thank you! I was given a towel and a wristband, but a different colour to yesterday. Yesterday's was orange, today's transparent, obviously a security thing. It is much, much busier today, all the sunbeds in the sun were taken or bagged, people camped out all day. Some girls next to me were told off for bringing their own water in, so best keep it hidden in your bag, like mine is. A Chinese guy spat into the drain around the edge of the pool. Yuk!

Going to brave the busy street off Bui Vien tonight for a cheaper drink and some street food, one day to go before Gill arrives, first time in Asia!

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