I know one reason for American international absence: flight cost. This is certainly not the case in Asia, and I'm pretty sure the planes here use the same fuel as the planes in the states. It costs more to travel between US states than it does to travel between Asian countries (with comparable distance). So with that being said, I was finally able to take advantage of this cost phenomenon during Vietnam's Tet Holiday. Being a smaller city, Da Nang only has non-stop flights to a few destinations, and most of them are in Vietnam. One of the only international options was Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia - and why not? I've never been there. Booked.
Travel day was so care-free. It was the Lunar New Years Day. The city's food stalls and restaurants were all closed, most Vietnamese families were enjoying large portions of food together, and the few people motoring around on the streets were sans helmets (banking on cops being at home I'd imagine). A friend from work agreed to babysit some electronics while I was away, and invited me to lunch for the laptop hand-off. His wife's savory beef stew was delicious and I bid my farewell with a full tummy.
A $3 taxi to the airport with plenty of time and I'm in the ticket processing line, greeting some friends from Bread of Life who are catching the same flight. Processing and passport customs go smoothly and we're all settled into the terminal gate awaiting boarding. While talking to another expat next to me about KL plans, a man next to her interrupted, correcting my usage of wet and dry markets.
(Who is this guy?) I wondered, and he explained: His name was Francis and he was from Malaysia but married to a Vietnamese gal and was visiting on holiday. Francis had a calm voice and a friendly smile. He then opened his mouth and didn't shut it for the duration of our boarding limbo. He told me about KL and politics, and why Thailand is like Switzerland and aren't languages so fun? and food that I should try and places to visit. Francis liked to talk, and as a person who craves information about a new place, I welcomed his personality. Soon we were boarding, and Francis continued his questions and conversation even as we ascended the rollaway staircase into the plane. We exchanged "maybe see you later"s and found our seats. Francis had given me his mobile number. "If you need anything-" he had stressed. "I have a car," he explained.
A half an hour into the flight, I was recalling how sweet and helpful Francis was, and then my eyes grew large. I remembered that I wasn't in Vietnam anymore and I was supposed to put my guard back up. I was so busy checking on my material things a million times that I didn't even realize how exposed I had made myself. Francis had asked where I was staying because he wanted to make sure that I got off the rail transit on the right stop. After this realization, all further Francis thoughts were preceded with (Francis is totally an ax murderer because...) and (Francis couldn't possibly be an ax murderer because...) Staring out the window, clouded by these thoughts, I didn't realize that the woman next to me was tapping my arm.
"Excuse me... excuse me... your boyfriend..."
(My what?) I looked over.
It was Francis.
He was leaning in from the isle explaining that we could buy our skybus tickets on the plane and wouldn't have to wait in line later! "Great, yes, thank you Francis!" and I handed him 8 Ringgit. He left and I returned to the "totally" and "couldn't possibly" conversation in my head. Francis reappeared with my bus ticket and we exchanged another "Maybe see you later!" farewell.
The plane landed in KL after a quick two hours and forty minutes.
Our seats were on the opposite ends of the plane and I was one of the first to exit. I waited around for Francis for about five minutes, but then my bladder simply wouldn't permit the conclusion to this mystery acquaintance. I gave up looking for him as I became lost in the sea of 200 other foreign passport holders in the customs maze.
I've decided that he couldn't have possibly been anything other than a travel guardian, who provided more assistance and smiles than the ordinary stranger, and who, at this point I must apologize to if he happens to stumble upon this blog. Thanks for your help, Francis!!
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