Staying in

When I got on the plane in Chiang Mai, I turned out to lug around a total of 55 kilos. A bit over the maximum allowed weight, ahem. I would have been ok with it from Bangkok to London and then, later from London on to South Africa, but the many budget flights, both in Europe and between South Africa and Zambia, would pose a problem.
So I had to start shedding weight. I immediately gave up my nice external screen as well as the PS2 with all its peripherals and games I had just recently acquired. Now to lose books and more. Between Budapest and Eindhoven, I’m only allowed 15kg of check in luggage…
And then, as a going away present, Chai gave me a statue of a cow, in metal, weighing some 3 kilos. Hm.

The international terminal in Saigon is surprisingly quiet, drinks and food surprisingly expensive, cheapo sandwiches going for 7 dollars! And my flight is delayed.

In the morning, I considered going out to Chinatown, but with the rain which had decided to come down, I ended up staying in, enjoying the sounds of a nearby wedding, where an extended hummer and a stretch limo were proof of the money backpackers bring in to the city.

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