NYC - Hanoi. Did she REALLY say that out loud?

I was the last person to board my 13+ hour flight from NYC to Tokyo. I got stuck in the only foodstuff joint near my gate, and I sweated as I waited 10 minutes in line for a crappy overpriced sandwich. It turned out to be absolutely essential, as the food on the very long flight was very poor and very sparse.

I was delighted to find out that the seat next to me would be free the entire flight. It's really good to be 5'2" sometimes, as I was able to stretch out my legs completely across the seats without getting slammed by the flight attendants racing their carts up the aisle. This made me not think too hard about the guy a couple of seats ahead of me who reeked of a combination of dirty feet and ass the whole trip.

I knitted 3/4 of a child's sweater, watched some mediocre movies at the push of a button, thought about how wonderful my life is.

That last hour was grueling, though.

I arrived at Tokyo groggy, sweaty, with a four hour layover. I was briefly entertained by the graphics (coming soon) and the instruction manual for the mechanical customizable bidet that I enjoyed just a little too much. Fortunately, my gate was devoid of all life when I arrived, and I snagged one of the five 180 degree reclining loungers and passed out for hours.

After 14 hours of flight, another 5 1/2 is a piece of cake.

I arranged for pickup at the airport. Some guy who spoke almost no English picked me up, and a couple of young women from Quebec. The were coming to Vietnam after some time in Tibet. He motioned us to wait for him while he picked up the car. A minute later, a different cabbie parks the car next to us, the girls start to move towards the door, taking a long moment to realize that the cabbie was not the same guy.

The girl laughed and said to me, "It's so hard... they all look the same!"

Did she REALLY just say that out loud?

The cabbie drops me off, and asks for money, which I have already paid the hostel. I don't have any vietnamese money anyway, so I couldn't pay him even if I tried. He realizes where I am staying and I guess he realizes he'll be paid later. The two men at the desk speak no English. They take my passport and escort me 5 flights up to a dorm room, even though I am supposed to be staying in a private room. I am too tired to care to fix the situation, which would be fruitless at this point anyway. The room is immaculate, air conditionedl, complete with hot water shower and bathroom. For $8.50 a night. Free internet and Skype.

Can't complain about that. Yet.