A day of coding, packing, and feeling under the weather turned into a long journey from Makati to Hanoi. We made it through airport queues, a flight delay, and a very late check-in—finally settling into our room after a 4 AM convenience-store run.
MorningSleep and a few last fixes
A slow start before a big day
Leah and I fell asleep around 3 AM and woke at 8. I managed another couple of hours later, but started the day congested, with a dry mouth and a sore ankle. My throat hadn’t got any worse, which was something.
I spotted two bugs in Chronial: stocks weren’t working, and some news stories weren’t showing the app in the share sheet. Both looked fixed after testing. Getting a Grab during rush hour was still on my mind.
AfternoonA new app, then time to pack
Building the album app I couldn’t find
I was feeling better while coding, but after Leah made leftover basil chicken for lunch I became dizzy and fatigued. Fortunately, I was mostly packed and had a little time to rest.
I couldn’t find an Apple Music album playlist app that did what I wanted, so I built one. It lists albums, filters them by year, plays an album when tapped, and keeps a persistent star. Getting it to write playlists took about an hour of back and forth, but it finally worked.
By the end, I had playlists for 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 and had downloaded most of the albums to my iPhone. There’s plenty I’d like to expand when we get back.
The last things before leaving
I shaved, finished packing, and remembered the camera strap. Leah switched on the CCTV camera. With a little time left, I played Fallout 4 while we waited until 6 PM to order the Grab.
Evening & late nightFrom Manila to Hanoi
A surprisingly easy ride
The Grab arrived in five minutes, much faster than I expected. We reached the airport in about 40 minutes, and I didn’t have my usual stomach stress. Bag drop and security were quick; immigration was slower, with new gates and too few officers.
We settled into the lounge. I had a salad and a small cup of noodles while Leah chased up our still-unpaid Acqua deposit. We had plenty of time before heading to gate 106.
Flight 5J-746
A maintenance issue delayed departure, but the flight made up time and landed at 1:05 AM in Hanoi—2:05 AM back in the Philippines. I slept briefly, got up to use the restroom, and was feeling the long stretch in the seat by the end.
Another long immigration queue
Immigration took almost an hour. We found a quieter line at the far end and both got through without problems. Our suitcase was already waiting, but none of the ATMs we tried would let us withdraw cash. After finding the Grab pickup area, we waited about ten minutes for a car and rode another 35 minutes to the hotel.
A locked door and a late-night shop run
The hotel was dark and the front door was locked, which gave us a moment of panic. Leah spotted someone sleeping inside and knocked. A friendly, sleepy receptionist let us in, and we checked into room 508: spacious, with a bathtub, though the bed felt very firm.
We walked to GS25 for water, Fanta, strawberry milk, and ramen for Leah. On the way back, a stranger asked to borrow my phone to find his hostel. I declined and kept walking. I wasn’t comfortable handing over my phone at 4 AM.
Back in the room, Leah made ramen and I focused on hydrating. I hoped we could get to sleep before 5 AM. At least we’re in a good location.