We arrived last night without any glitches. . . no delayed flights (ala last time when Suzanne and the gate person in Detroit didn't see eye to eye), our bags arrived before we even got to the baggage carousel (truly amazing we've never, knock on wood, had any missing luggage in all of our adventures here), taxi to the hotel was waiting amongst the rock-star gathering (if you've never been here, it's worth coming at least once just to see the throng of people waiting outside the international arrival gate), and our check-in at 11:00 PM was smooooooth. Most important, for any of you that know my deal on flights - the streak lives on. :) This time it was relatively easy. . .
It's been about 6 years since I first came to Vietnam - and it's not the same place. Each time we come back, it's changed a little here and a little there, but this time it has changed the most, starting at the arrival gate. The old fiber glass chairs (the kind you see at an old Greyhound station), are all replaced with blue padded ones. The floors, instead of old dirt-weathered tiles, have been replaced with shiny clean tiles. The infrastructure now has silver contemporary pillars instead of the old yellow ones and the immigration agents have fancy stalls. And finally - the shops at the baggage claim area now don't sell the local hand carvings and gift cards. . . Burberry lotions and perfumes, Clinique creams, and those sorts of things are now in brightly lit shops. Kind of sad, but I'm sure it's created a lot of jobs, boosted their economy, and catered towards the western and foreign tourists. Even the taxi ride to the hotel wasn't quite the same. Our driver had about 50 honks, compared to the 50,000 that they normally made in the past. The honks are a little higher pitched here, and used more of a courtesy like "go ahead, you can take your motor bike coming head-on at us and cross in front of our large taxi", or "I'm on your left, so don't swerve" (which is common place). At least one thing stayed the same; they still have a few cyclos (pedaled bikes with a basket in front for the traveler to enjoy the view).
So, today (Saturday) we roamed our old streets to find tailors for someone (Suzanne). A lot of the shops have closed, moved, or we couldn't find them. It's very warm, high 80's, and humid, but a little overcast. They say a chance of rain almost every day we're in Ho Chi Minh City, but rain here is brief and almost refreshing. We're anxious to just get the girls, but we'll just have to "chill" for a couple of days. It's a good time to get reacquainted with the city. Jet-leg coming here is surprisingly hasn't ever been bad. Today we're going to start a quiz of the day - and feel free to participate by clicking on the survey, or by posting a comment with more detailed answers. . . We need your help and advice on some very important things that new parents should need to know. So, keep checking back and sharing your insights!
Good Morning from Vietnam! Pa'GI
It's been about 6 years since I first came to Vietnam - and it's not the same place. Each time we come back, it's changed a little here and a little there, but this time it has changed the most, starting at the arrival gate. The old fiber glass chairs (the kind you see at an old Greyhound station), are all replaced with blue padded ones. The floors, instead of old dirt-weathered tiles, have been replaced with shiny clean tiles. The infrastructure now has silver contemporary pillars instead of the old yellow ones and the immigration agents have fancy stalls. And finally - the shops at the baggage claim area now don't sell the local hand carvings and gift cards. . . Burberry lotions and perfumes, Clinique creams, and those sorts of things are now in brightly lit shops. Kind of sad, but I'm sure it's created a lot of jobs, boosted their economy, and catered towards the western and foreign tourists. Even the taxi ride to the hotel wasn't quite the same. Our driver had about 50 honks, compared to the 50,000 that they normally made in the past. The honks are a little higher pitched here, and used more of a courtesy like "go ahead, you can take your motor bike coming head-on at us and cross in front of our large taxi", or "I'm on your left, so don't swerve" (which is common place). At least one thing stayed the same; they still have a few cyclos (pedaled bikes with a basket in front for the traveler to enjoy the view).
So, today (Saturday) we roamed our old streets to find tailors for someone (Suzanne). A lot of the shops have closed, moved, or we couldn't find them. It's very warm, high 80's, and humid, but a little overcast. They say a chance of rain almost every day we're in Ho Chi Minh City, but rain here is brief and almost refreshing. We're anxious to just get the girls, but we'll just have to "chill" for a couple of days. It's a good time to get reacquainted with the city. Jet-leg coming here is surprisingly hasn't ever been bad. Today we're going to start a quiz of the day - and feel free to participate by clicking on the survey, or by posting a comment with more detailed answers. . . We need your help and advice on some very important things that new parents should need to know. So, keep checking back and sharing your insights!
Good Morning from Vietnam! Pa'GI
3 comments:
I'm not even sure if I'm responding correctly so I'm of no use in helping get this blog going. It looks like you're doing a great job on it, pictures and all. I'm glad you made it there safely. Good luck on your journey. We can't wait to see you come home with your little ones. Jessica :o)
Hey Adam and Suzanne,
Can't get you off my mind--and that's a good thing! Can't wait to hear about your first meeting with little Isabelle and Gabrielle. Hug them for Grandma J. I'm crying.
Love you, love you, love you.
Mom
Today Orson and I sang "happy birthday" to Izzy and Gabby. The song is fresh on his mind so we went wild with it. He has a little dance move too. And Orson pulled out our old Vietnam Lonely Planet book early this morning. (How do I italicize "early"?) I am telling you, the stars are aligned. Is the Mighty M.E. out there? Sister, what do you think? Anyway, when the tattered travel book flopped onto the floor, I thought, "Of course, another good omen."
But enough about us, for this is your blog. Your commentary about the so-called clinique improvements in Vietnam are fascinating. The government must wish to promote tourism, which is good news.
Do you think they are selling Clinique at Chau Doc when people get off the boat? Man, I hope not. But I am a selfish, selfish person.
Hours now. Merely hours. Did you two get in a nap? I, for one, have vowed not to cry anymore but to save my energy for raising cane with my nieces whenever, wherever. That's okay, right?
Can you feel our vibes from Mad City?
PMA Love OWN.
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