Day 1: We've Arrived

Greeting from the opposite time zone. We have just arrived and been deposited into our hotel room.

It was a very long flight, as you can imagine. During phase one, we felt a little like sardines. The lady on the aisle though, was perfectly willing to stand up and let us pass. She was a very pleasant row mate.

At one point, a very nice man who had heard I was on my way to Vietnam, asked if I would trade $5 for the equivalent in Dong. He wanted a glass of wine (which I certainly understood). I certainly thought I was getting the better end of the deal, having never seen dong before. He provided me with a very crisp 100,000 dong note (which is about $7). Dong apparently has small clear windows in it, which I find fascinating.

During phase two of our trip, every person on the flight had their own row. Unfortunately, this was the shorter of the two flights. Still, we got some good naps in.

Mom really enjoyed following the maps as we went. She tried to keep track of the various time zones we were in and there was lots of converting of time--which we had plenty of.

The Saigon airport was everything I was told it would be. Apparently it is not very busy at night around here. Still, there was a huge crowd outside the airport. Our flight arrived early so we actually arrived before our ride did. After ignoring several very persistent cabbies, we finally spotted a sign with my full name. However, the gentleman did not see me and so I got to use my first Vietnamese phrase--which worked successfully. "Xin loi Ong"

Thus we have arrived at our hotel in Saigon. It is late and we are actually tired (despite the fact that it is only noon at home). So we are going to unpack a bit and head to bed. Breakfast, I hear, is fabulous!!