30th April, suddenly I wanted to travel around.

No plan, no tripmate, I went to the bus station. Normally people have to reserve the ticket at least one week in advance, I got one with just 10 minutes, passed a crowd of thousands of people in an area capable of a half. But it turned out to be a bad sign.

It’s not a regular long road bus. It’s a city bus, more than 20 years old, I guessed. The driver is not the one who is familiar with the road also. He only knew that where is the destination of the trip to drive the bus too. He didn’t even know where to stop for a lunch until someone on the bus screamed out loud. Unfortunately, my destination was not the end point of the road. I had to get off earlier than the others, but that was my first time, how can I know where to get off exactly. I told the driver:

• Can you drop me off at Duc Manh junction?
• I don’t know where it is. It’s your job to figure it out and tell me to stop when we pass by.

Okay, thanks Google Maps and GPS, I got off right at Duc Manh junction.

Next day, I got on another bus to Buon Me Thuot. Again, I don’t know where to get off but a name of another junction. But this time, my driver is a pro, he knows all but I sat far away from him and I didn’t want to walk that far to bother him. So I ask an old man next to me:

• How long it will take to Eakao function?
• Hmm, we are getting close to it. Around 5 mins. He replied.
• No, it must be longer. I’ll inform you then. Another lady behind me said out loud.
• So, you mean after this stop, we will get to Eakao? I asked again.
• No, I told you to sit there. We have to wait for much more longer. The lady yelled, angrily.

Okay, I’m out of this, I was thinking.

Things turned out, she got off at the same bus stop. That’s why she was so sure about it.

Next day, I got the last ticket for a night bus to Da Nang. At midnight, the co-driver approached everyone, woke them up and asked for their destination. Then he wrote on the notes thoroughly.

The next morning, the bus entered the station. Everyone woke up and they were all freaking out:

• I asked to be dropped off in Tam Ky, why we are all here, driver?
• This bus does not stop on the road. Now you can get another bus to go back a little bit.
• Why the fuck did you wake me up last night but didn’t tell me anything abt it?
• Meh

On the flight back to SG, I sat next to a couple in a quarrel. Luckily, next to me on the right is a window.

• Why are you jealous?
• I’m saving myself
• From what? People say hi to me and I have to smile back to them
• You can go with her now!

The man was trying to show an apology and the woman was trying to ignore and scream back. There was a moment I intend to say “shut up” to them, but I recognized the tear is shedding on her face. Nevermind.

I called an uber to get home from the airport. The first driver canceled because he couldn’t contact me through a number which is set on another phone I was trying to turn on. Then I got another, with a 4.9-star rating. I was wondering:

• You must be new here. Your rating is still high
• Nope. I’ve been around for several months. Actually, I don’t give a shit about the rating. I just do my job, riding people around and make money out of it. I don’t do anything wrong to them, and whatever they wrote or rate about me, I still can get new customer everyday. If I do not get high rating, I can not get the bonuses. But if I aim to get those bonuses, I have to drive all day long and make only six or seven hundreds. So why the fuck do I have to do it when I can make over 1 mil per day within 10 hours?
• Hmm, that makes sense.