The End of a Very Long Day

We have arrived to HCMC. And, yes, as you can tell by the title, we've had a REALLY long day. We left Charlotte on Wednesday. US Air was delayed and we took off about 1 1/2 hr delay. **Note to travelers, make sure you read your itinerary more carefully than we did about whether food is provided or if it's for purchase (our LAX flight was a for purchase).** The in-flight movie was "License to Wed" (cute, especially if you like Robin Williams or are a fan of the TV show, "The Office").

Fortunately, we had a long layover in LAX, so our stress levels didn't significantly increase (with the exception of the counter agent who said they couldn't "guarantee" the bags would arrive w/ us in HCMC...another leap of faith, eh?). Wendy was right, the international terminal at LAX is like a little city that never sleeps. We arrived to very long lines (but, I will say one thing...they were very effective because after our 10-15 minute walk...good to stretch the legs and walk after a cross country flight), it only took us about 30 minutes total to get through check-in and security (CLT should take a few pointers on that one =D ).

We arrived to the terminal at LAX and found ourselves having about a 3-hour wait (we thought). Thanks to Quantus, whose flight left later than expected, we had another delay in departure (this time, stress meter rose slightly but not terribly bad b/c we only had a 1-hour layover in Taipei). So, off we departed about an hour late.

I really like EVA Airlines. The attendants were very friendly and courteous and ensured the needs of their passengers were met. Each seat (even in economy) had an individual TV screen for viewing (headphones were included for each passenger). The food was very good & they had lots of choices for movies, TV shows, and music.

While on board, we met a really nice gentleman from Santa Barbara who was originally from Germany. He and his wife were experienced travelers and he shared fun stories. I also made a new friend in the seat behind me - a 5-years-old boy name Benjamin. As I returned from one of my stretches, Benjamin chatted with me (high energy little guy - lots of fun :) ). He was cute too - had lost his two front teeth and was grinning ear to ear.

I will say one thing, 14 hours is a long time to fly. I know I watched at least 3 or 4 movies (and I know Eric watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - twice).

So, we arrived about 1/2 hour late in Taipei and fortunately EVA delayed departure for the flight going to HCMC (well, there were quite a few of us on the plane transferring to that flight). We didn't have to run (but we walked really fast) to get to the terminal.

The flight from Taipei to HCMC was about 3 hours (more time to take in another film). In the spirit of The Lord of the Rings, we had "second breakfast" (Merry and Pip would be proud). We arrived to HCMC around 1015 am VN time (about 1115 pm on Thursday for those of you on the East Coast). **Note to those traveling to VN - bring a black or green pen to fill out your customs card** It took about 1/2 hour to process through customs, then another 1/2 hour to wait on luggage (**Another note, have something easy to see on your luggage tag - our tags are fluourescent colors**).

Our agency's rep picked us up at 1130 and off we were to the hotel. You know, words cannot do justice to describe riding in a vehicle through the streets of HCMC (the ride is definitely NOT for the feign of heart). There were quite a number of scooters, bicycles, and auto zipping around from all directions. Lanes were optional. Man, honestly, the ride was more thrill-seeking than any I've experienced at Carowinds - our local amusement park).

So, after a short rest this afternoon, we're feeling a bit jet lagged, tired, yet eager to continue the process. Tonight will be rest & tomorrow begins our next adventure - shopping in HCMC and going to the market w/ the other families.

To be continued...Let the pictures begin!