The last day before our departure turned into a blur of packing and getting ready. Finally, we left with a huge pile of luggage. It barely fit in the cab: the driver complained we should have really booked a van! We generally travel light, but those many adoption agency recommended gifts have sure added a few bags!
The flight was uneventful, the only exciting part being the health checkpoint on arrival, where they measured temperature of all passers-by, and where I was singled-out for a more thorough measurement with an old-fashioned thermometer and sent to the quarantine section. I knew I didn’t have any fever, but I was tired and jet-lagged, and so I reacted more to the surrounding temperature. When the doctor finally read my thermometer, he kept looking at it for a long time … clearly trying to make up his mind. Waiting felt like an eternity. Finally, he waved me through. I was so relieved!
We are in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). Tired and jet-lagged, we checked into the Spring Hotel, centrally located in the Dong Khoi area. The hotel was recommended by our agency; it’s clean and very comfortable, with free internet access, and very friendly staff. They all know about our boys, and keep asking “When are the boys coming?”
We have not had much energy for sightseeing yet, but took at least a small walk around the area. We saw the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Reunification Palace and the Hotel de Ville which now houses the People’s Committee. We finished with a wonderful meal at Lonely Planet’s pick Quan An Ngon. Yummy! For any tropical fruit juice lovers, try their fresh guava juice. It has almost grassy notes, but it is sooo refreshing.
