Saigon
The good news was that I got a door seat in the plane. It is good news for a 17 hours flight that takes a toll on you. Luckily the book I got from the library was pretty good and gave me already a pretty good insight in the history of the country seen by the Vietnamese and not by their colonizers. But still there were 17 hours, so I ate 3 times and I read also the Lonely Planet and I got in BKK at 5:50pm local time. The flight to Saigon was only 1 hour and 10 minutes and left a little delayed and when it wanted to land tried twice because first time may had some problems with the landing gear that apparently was almost disengaged but not completely. The captain apologized and we got to see twice the same view over the city. Long lines at immigration and customs. They checked everything. It is faster in the US even after 9/11. At customs they scanned all the luggage! I got a cab ride in town for $7, more than the regular price and when I got to the hotel where I booked my room they did not have any rooms available so one of the guys took me on a motorbike to another hotel. Probably they overcharged me, $18, but no big deal. There are lots of rooms in town so it is not necessary to book in advance. The place where all the foreigners stay, called Pham Ngu Lao, is similar with Khao San Road in BKK but larger with lots of glitzy cafes mostly catering for travelers. I got some brochures for the trips around here and I have to figure out in what order I will do them. I called in NY but nobody was home and neither in Bucharest. Tomorrow, I may take a tour in the city or go in a day tour to see some Vieth Minh tunnels and a temple for all religions.
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