I woke earlier than absolutely to head to the airport, and so my bed called me back to sleep until it would be later in the morning when my procrast-effeciency would kick in, allowing me to pack and leave with the absolute bare minimum time required. Later when my alarm went off, I was able to shower, pack, eat breakfast, check out of the hostel, and make way to the airport in 45 minutes; Procrast-efficiency at its finest. While checking out of Funky Village, I saw a girl with her bag packed saying a sad goodbye to what I presume was her traveling boyfriend in Cambodia. Goodbyes are never easy, especially when you’re on the solo travel journey and have many people consistently come and go. I don’t like to use the term goodbye. I prefer “see you later” because I optimistically hope paths will cross again in the future.
I WhatsApped Yut, my TukTuk driver from arrival. I told him I would reach out to him with any TukTuk needs while in Siem Reap, and I’m a man on my word. He arrived to provide me transport with a rented motorbike instead of his TukTuk, which was in the shop. With my 45L backpack between his legs and my day pack on my back, we made way to the airport.
At the airport, I noticed the same girl saying her sad goodbye back at the hostile while waiting in line to check in. It seemed we were both heading to Hanoi, Vietnam. I quickly made way through check in, passport control, and security, and relaxed for about an hour and a half at the gate before boarding the plane. The flight was around half capacity, so shortly after takeoff I moved across the aisle to a row with only one window passenger. Her name is Chloe and after talking and sharing travel stories and plans, we realized we were signed up to do the same Ha Giang loop tour through the same travel company on the same dates. What a coincidence! We chatted for the entire duration of the flight.
Upon landing, I made my way through immigration, got my pack, eased through customs, then sought a taxi cab. While making way to the taxi station, a Dutch traveler named Maartje approached me and asked if I was making way to Old Quarter neighborhood. We ended up sharing a cab and splitting fare as our hostels were only a couple blocks away, and I really enjoyed talking to her about her travel experiences, as well as her experiences with hitch hiking and Burning Man. After a 50 minute ride from the airport to town through streets of chaotic drivers, abundant traffic, and decibel deafening honking, we made it to Old Quarter and went our separate ways.
I checked in and dropped my bag off at the hostel, and then hit the streets for food. I found a Hanoi based Bahn Mi restaurant with a big line of people. Despite being famished, generally if there is a large line of people waiting for food, that’s typically a good sign for tasty food worth the wait. I had two sandwiches, a smoothie, and ice cream while sitting on the busy Hanoi streets, absorbing the energy and atmosphere. While finishing my desserts, the same girl I saw earlier at my hostel in Siem Reap and at the airport walked by me. We looked at each other and chatted, piecing together we had seen each other three times that day now. Her name is Jessy, she’s a traveler from Germany, and she was staying at the same hostel in Hanoi as me. Another crazy coincidence today! Do you believe in coincidences, or is everything prescribed to fate? Does everything happen for a reason, or is everything randomized chaos?