11 apr was the last day of thay's return to vietnam. the trip ended in a quiet manner. when i went to chua long khanh in the morning, the crowd was no longer around. most people have gone their ways. some monastics stayed to bid farewell to thay who is scheduled to leave at noon.

on the evening before, i befriended the three thais who have come as observers for the last few days of the trip. one of them, chai, happened to be staying in the same hostel. they were heading for nha trang, following sc. cung nghiem, and i decided to tag along. they are a humorous and fun-loving trio. we took a boat trip with the deer park monastery monastics and went around cycling. two days later, they headed for hue while i continued south to dalat.

hub, an outstanding journalist with bangkok post, has written 2 articles on thay's return:
12.05.05 - i have arrived, i am home
19.05.05 - no trace left behind