vietnam and laos
 

Well, we're on the plane. We'll be in saigon in about 20 hours or so. I hope I survive.

Hey! Have a great trip and I look forward to following along. The plane trip is a killer--it's like you're never going to get there.

You will. You'll be fine on the way over. The trip home - well, you'll be glad you went and that will soften it a bit.

Have a wonderful, wonderful time.

Can't wait to hear all your impressions and more about what your son is doing (I know it is teaching, but I like the details).

I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. Do tell us all about it!

Heck,i hope your fellow passengers survive. They don't know what they are in for with santamonica along for the ride!

Looking forward to following along.

The survival will come into play as you try to cross the streets in Hanoi and HCMC. Have a great time.

He said he was flying through Beijing. That would put his most likely flight over the western edge of Hudson Bay right now. Too bad it's dark. He could see the polar bears waving at him.

This is not much of a trip report.

Hello everybody. We are in Singapore. We got to Beijing late so waited for midnight flight to Singapore and then on to Saigon. Beijing airport is a lonely place late at night with much passing through security, misdirection, rushing, waiting, goings hither and yon on little trains and finally getting tickets rewritten and finding the right gate and watching more bad movies in China Air. But now, soon we'll be boarding a plane to Saigon and life will begin again. Drew Barrymore is not a very good actress.

Were you in economy class?

We'very arrived! Despite being tired from the trip here, which was econony class and lasted longer than the Paris peace accords, we have already jumped in the hotel pool (hotel romana, conveniently located) had lunch with DS and one of his roommates, and crossed several streets.

The are many, many motor scooters here. A river of motor scooters. You feel like Moses crossing the street.

We stay in Saigon for three nights, then fly off to Luang Prabang in Laos for six nights, Hanoi for a night, An Bang Beach (near Hoi An) for four nights, then back to Saigon for a couple nights, then home.

The itinerary could have benefited from some tweaks here and there, but it is what it is.

Suggestions and a nap before dinner are welcome.

I don't believe Moses ever visited Vietnam. I suggest a bike ride.

You're brave -- crossing the streets when jet lagged. Our stratgey for street crossing was to attach ourselves to some VN women and follow in their jet stream so to speak.
Love Luang Prabang despite it being on the touristy side. Why Hanoi for just a night? Have a great time!

Alas! Just one day in Hanoi? We spent a week and had no trouble filling it.

Enjoy!

We are in Vietnam at themoment and are looking forward to reading about your experiences.

Good luck with the traffic! Her are a few pointers I sent to some friends joining us in Saigon next month,

1. The Vietnamese drive on the right, or the left, or on the sidewalk, wherever the mood and traffics may take them.
2. Walk with purpose as though you own the road and have not a care in the world And they will find there way around you
3. Look constantly around engaging the eyes of the drivers around you - always nice to see those who are attempting to kill you
4. Never hesitate or deviate from your chosen path or stop under any circumstances - it will cause chaos
5. Flashing of lights or sounding of horns means "I am coming through regardless of what you do"
6. If you see a bus or truck coming towards you run like hell - they will not stop.
7. It is ok to ride motorbikes on sidewalks and compulsory to parks bikes on them across so as to force pedestrians into the street
8. Texting and/or smoking whilst riding a motorbike is considered the norm and much safer than when walking as you might trip over a tourist

Enjoy your time in Vietnam.

"6. If you see a bus or truck coming towards you run like hell - they will not stop."

That's the one I learned in Beijing. I think they really would run over someone. At least in Canada there would be skid marks to measure as part of the investigation.

Great tips, crellston! I always looked upon crossing the streets as my adrenaline rush…a bit of excitment throughout the day.

Saigon is Thunderdome. And I'm Mad Max in a cab, watching hundreds of motor scooters, inches away, competing fiercely with us for advantage in a race to the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Rex Hotel, and the War Relics Museum. Scooter drivers are intensely focused but their passengers, little kids especially, will look over and smile at us in the cab.

Thunderdome with a smile.

Its been forty years since an NVA tank drove through the gates of what's now the Reunification Palace and ended the war. The five o'clock follies, US military press briefings at the Rex Hotel, had ended several years earlier. The War Relics Museum presents a sad history of the war, written by the winners.

We've been to two of the restaurants our good friends Brad and Angolie went to when they were here: Cuc gach quan and
Quan nong.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restauran...Minh_City.html

Quan Nuong http://tripadvisor.com/1813651?m=19907

Both places were fun, the first more refined, the second a lively rooftop diy barbecue. We took DS and his fellow English teacher roomies to the barbecue and then to a very good jazz bar. I bought the t-shirt.

Sax N Art Jazz Club http://tripadvisor.com/2435381?m=19907

This morning maybe we'll go on a city tour on the backs of scooters driven by lady tour guides wearing traditional Vietnamese dresses. I'm worried about how to hold on to my tour guide and DW is feeling a little queasy from our wild night last night so I'm not sure what we'll do.

Tomorrow we fly to Luang Prabang.

The ladies in dresses tour was sold out so ds#1 took ds#2 and me for rides on his scooter. I know you're thinking why travel half way around the world to ride a motel scooter but I must say it was a lot of fun.

Lamentably, DW has digestive issues typical of visitors to vietnam so she has been in the room all day except for a swim this morning.

The big event today was massages for the young adults and me at a reputable massage place, according to ds#1. It was a great massage. However, my sons reported solicitation of services not part of a normal therapeutic massage. Sadly, I was not solicited. Not that I would have accepted, but it would have been nice to have been asked. After all, I'm not dead yet.

Then ds#1 took me on a scooter all over saigon to look for an empty tennis court. We were able to play at courts next to the national palace. Maybe this was a fancy country club once. We had a barefoot ball boy who was better than us, I could tell, by the way he picked the ball up from the court (double bounce with the racquet). Expats, like ds#1, have barefoot ball boys who play tennis better than they do.

Then at dusk we rode the scooter back to the hotel. Terrifying and beautiful ride at night with the Mad Max crowd. Tonight we'll eat a simple meal in the room where DW is recovering nicely, although slowly.

That was our day half way around the world.

The ladies in dresses tour was sold out so ds#1 took ds#2 and me for rides on his scooter. I know you're thinking why travel half way around the world to ride a motel scooter but I must say it was a lot of fun.

Lamentably, DW has digestive issues typical of visitors to vietnam so she has been in the room all day except for a swim this morning.

The big event today was massages for the young adults and me at a reputable massage place, according to ds#1. It was a great massage. However, my sons reported solicitation of services not part of a normal therapeutic massage. Sadly, I was not solicited. Not that I would have accepted, but it would have been nice to have been asked. After all, I'm not dead yet.

Then ds#1 took me on a scooter all over saigon to look for an empty tennis court. We were able to play at courts next to the national palace. Maybe this was a fancy country club once. We had a barefoot ball boy who was better than us, I could tell, by the way he picked the ball up from the court (double bounce with the racquet). Expats, like ds#1, have barefoot ball boys who play tennis better than they do.

Then at dusk we rode the scooter back to the hotel. Terrifying and beautiful ride at night with the Mad Max crowd. Tonight we'll eat a simple meal in the room where DW is recovering nicely, although slowly.

That was our day half way around the world.