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“Why so unfriendly? What has my country done to you to make you so upset?”. I ignored the guy on the bike but what he said while riding next to me has made its impact. It was around 22:30 and I was coming back from a Vietnamese singing show in the Municipal Theater that I decided to dive into. I really don’t like motorbike taxis and being in a new city I do prefer to just walk, even though I’m scared shitless. Walking a single street for 5 minutes I was approached with – 10 motorbike taxi guys, 7 Cyclo riders, 5 prostitutes, 3 gay massage boys, 6 Marihuana dealers. When a western guy is walking the streets alone at …

It was hard to place what was different, but after a few minutes it was apparent that this was no ordinary night. The big unexpected crowd was making a noise unheard of before on this part of restaurant alley, and they seem to be extremely demanding. Looking at the restaurant’s staff I knew that they were in trouble. I could feel my preplanned quiet night of just sitting down for drinks with Ly transforming into Ly’s worst nightmare. Her weak “Hey Phi-Li” has convinced me this calls for a rescue. So, super Phili, here I come to save the day…

“Good evening, I’ll be your waiter for tonight, what would you like to order?”. They stared at each other, then back …

To my dearest Hoi An…

“Empty spaces fill me up with holes
Distant faces with no place left to go
Without you within me I can’t find no rest
Where I’m going is anybody’s guess

I’ve tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to be is incomplete

Voices tell me I should carry on
But I am swimming in an ocean all alone
Baby, my baby
It’s written on your face
You still wonder if we made a big mistake

I’ve tried to go on like I never knew you
I’m awake but my world is half asleep
I pray for this heart to be unbroken
But without you all I’m going to …

The last few days have been crazy. Every day I would prepare myself to leave on the following day, and everyday I would decide that I justcan’t do it. I thought I’d leave for Nha Trang two days ago, but I’m still here, and now I know I’ll never get to see Nha Trang, Dalat or Ho Chi Min city (Saigon). I just don’t have any time left in Vietnam.

It has become a city wide effort to keep me here. My Hai-Au Hotel friends have been ringing all over to see how to settle this issue with the government, trying to search around the travel agencies in Hoi An to see if such a thing was ever successful. We’ve come …

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“Excuse me” was a bad opening that had to lead to something unexpected. Usually, if they’re acting friendly, they would make an effort to call me by my name, but the use of the official “Excuse me” meant trouble. I turned around to hear Law and Anh saying “Tomorrow, we have big group coming, make reservation one month ago, you switch hotels… only one night…”. I paused for a second and made them repeat the statement so I would be sure that they’ve really said what I thought they said. The question “What do you mean - switch hotels?” was followed by “You go Sea Star Hotel across the street.”. Not that it matters in this case - but Sea …

The head and body laid down, face towards the skies and the pounding of the boat’s engine beating strongly in the background. Pressed against the people I’ve met that day, stars shining brightly above, exhaustion flowing within me, I had time to relax a bit and rethink how the whole day went. As it was all happening it felt like it was happening to some one else and that I was watching it on some comedy film. There’s no way that this actually happened to me, or did it?”Ting phi tang, pho ding tong, da dang a pha dong… Do Thai … Phili!”. I had no idea what the host comedian has just said in Vietnamese but I could make …