Today was a day of many adventures... so many in fact that it seems days long. This morning while the rest of the ladies went for their Thai massage, I went on an expedition in Bangkok. I hoped to pick up some video games for Brennan (my son back home) from the Panthip Plaza IT Center. I needed to buy mosquito spray for the next leg of our journey, and I needed to have passport photos taken. I think I mentioned before that for some strange reason the Cambodian e-visa site has been shut down and I was the only one from our group who had not printed out her visa. I figured that if I printed it out too soon I would just lose it so I thought I'd print it out just before we left but the email link wasn't usable since the site had been shut down. So when we get to the Cambodian border I'll have to present passport photos and apply for a visa at that point.
So I went off on my own in a taxi and was successful with my purchases at Panthip Plaza. One of the guys there pointed me to a market down the street that would have a camera store and a pharmacy. There was a lot of hand waving involved in our communication! Anyway, the camera store was a crazy experience when the guy took me up a back staircase into an attic like room where I was relieved to see a photo studio set up. It was at that point that I thought that I maybe should have told someone where I was going! From there I went to the pharmacy where I was able to purchase the brand of repellant suggested. Leaving the pharmacy I realized that I would need to cross a busy highway in order to get back to the side of the street where I should catch the taxi. A woman walking by must have noticed my uncertainty because she literally walked up, took me by the hand and said, "I will help you." She was definitely my guardian angel for the day. I also saw a food so strange that I had to share the picture with you. Anyone for a corn sundae from KFC???? Whats up with that??!!!
I got back to our hotel just in time to find the rest of my ladies having lunch so I joined them. They were still recovering from their massages from which the reviews included "It hurt.... It was great..... I didn't like being so naked....." Leanne especially seemed to find the whole laying under a towel thing not so comfortable.
Our trip to the airport was pretty uneventful but checking in was more of an adventure. We got behind two young couples who appeared to be moving all of their posessions on the flight with them in cardboard boxes. Even Air Asia has strict new baggage weight limits and this slowed down progress considerabley. We eventually got checked in and went to the gate. Air Asia has open seating so it is a bit of a feeding frenzy when it comes time to board the plane. I think we are all kind of glad that this is our last Air Asia flight.
Upon arrival in Saigon we were shocked by the changes at the airport, and as we drove along in the city itself. We were last here in 1991 and it was a fairly sleepy little city, still recovering from the war. Today it seemed like an absolute frenzy of activity. The traffic is absolutely amazing and while there is some order to it there doesn't seem to be much. We learned it is a city of 8 million people and 3 million motorcycles and scooters. Every traffic light looked like a huge group of people lined up to start a motorcycle race. We also learned that 37 people a day die in traffic accidents in Vietnam, most of who are involved in moto accidents. The city feels like a moving swarm of ants.
After about a 30 minute ride we arrived at the street where our hotel, the Elios, is located. The cab driver parked on the far right side of the street and the hotel was on the left. Fortunately a bell hop from the hotel came out to handle our bags which left us to do nothing but just get safely across the street on our own. Right. We stood watching the traffic until finally the bell hop either yelled "go" or "no" (we weren't sure) and we took off giggling running across the street. I'm not sure about the rest of the ladies but I've never experienced such an adrenaline rush crossing a street before in my life.
Waiting for us inside the lobby (and videotaping the hysterical women as we arrived) was Mike Konicek, dad to Leanne and hubby to Deb. He had arrived safely from Chicago last night and was glad to see us arrive, too. The Elios is a clean tourist class hotel, nothing fancy but certainly adequate.
At 7:30 Jason Superstar showed up as scheduled to give us a quick introduction to the city. Jason is a tourguide who comes well reccomended via the internet. He is not available to tour with us tomorrow but wanted to visit with us tonight and then have one of his colleagues drive us around tomorrow to do our touring. He was hysterical and we enjoyed spending the evening with him. We went to a great restaurant called "The Temple Club" and enjoyed some Vietnamese spring rolls, noodles, and soups. Very yummy. We had to wait nearly an hour for a table and everyone was a bit tired by the time we sat down but the food did much to revive us. After dinner he took us to Franny's Ice Cream where we had some of the best ice cream we have ever had in our lives.
On the way to and from the restaurant we passed a fairly large city park that Jason told us was "the kissing park." Young people come there (against their parents wishes) to spend their evenings kissing. Keep in mind that they are perched on top of motorcycles for this activity. The girls found this to be quite hysterical and wanted to go back later to take photos at the kissing park. We weren't sure that would be a good idea.
So far on this trip I think that the thing that has really struck me is what appears to be booming economies in Macau, Bangkok, and Saigon. There is construction everywhere. Shops are really promoting glitz and glamour. Everyone seems to be eating and shopping all the time. The explosion of fast food outlets is almost unbelievable. We find ourselves just walking around with our mouths hanging open, marveling at the changes. Sure, our towns back home have changed, too, since 1991, but not in the absolutely astounding ways that we have witnessed in Bangkok and Saigon. I'm looking forward to seeing any changes that have come to Cambodia since our last visit in 2005. I suspect that the wheels of change are moving far more slowly there. Still, I'm sure that there will be changes, and hopefully some of the changes we have been hearing about in the orphanages will be for the better for the sake of the children.
Tomorrow we have a day of sightseeing planned, with Jason's right hand driver taking care of us. Jason left us with a cell phone and told us to call him even if we just need to go to the bathroom so that he can tell the driver and make sure that we get what we need. So I think we'll be well cared for and hopefully we won't need to cross many streets.
Late tomorrow night Julie and Hilary arrive from Pittsburgh and then on Thursday morning we make our border crossing trek into Cambodia. We can't wait!
Hugs to all -
Lisa
So I went off on my own in a taxi and was successful with my purchases at Panthip Plaza. One of the guys there pointed me to a market down the street that would have a camera store and a pharmacy. There was a lot of hand waving involved in our communication! Anyway, the camera store was a crazy experience when the guy took me up a back staircase into an attic like room where I was relieved to see a photo studio set up. It was at that point that I thought that I maybe should have told someone where I was going! From there I went to the pharmacy where I was able to purchase the brand of repellant suggested. Leaving the pharmacy I realized that I would need to cross a busy highway in order to get back to the side of the street where I should catch the taxi. A woman walking by must have noticed my uncertainty because she literally walked up, took me by the hand and said, "I will help you." She was definitely my guardian angel for the day. I also saw a food so strange that I had to share the picture with you. Anyone for a corn sundae from KFC???? Whats up with that??!!!
I got back to our hotel just in time to find the rest of my ladies having lunch so I joined them. They were still recovering from their massages from which the reviews included "It hurt.... It was great..... I didn't like being so naked....." Leanne especially seemed to find the whole laying under a towel thing not so comfortable.
Our trip to the airport was pretty uneventful but checking in was more of an adventure. We got behind two young couples who appeared to be moving all of their posessions on the flight with them in cardboard boxes. Even Air Asia has strict new baggage weight limits and this slowed down progress considerabley. We eventually got checked in and went to the gate. Air Asia has open seating so it is a bit of a feeding frenzy when it comes time to board the plane. I think we are all kind of glad that this is our last Air Asia flight.
Upon arrival in Saigon we were shocked by the changes at the airport, and as we drove along in the city itself. We were last here in 1991 and it was a fairly sleepy little city, still recovering from the war. Today it seemed like an absolute frenzy of activity. The traffic is absolutely amazing and while there is some order to it there doesn't seem to be much. We learned it is a city of 8 million people and 3 million motorcycles and scooters. Every traffic light looked like a huge group of people lined up to start a motorcycle race. We also learned that 37 people a day die in traffic accidents in Vietnam, most of who are involved in moto accidents. The city feels like a moving swarm of ants.
After about a 30 minute ride we arrived at the street where our hotel, the Elios, is located. The cab driver parked on the far right side of the street and the hotel was on the left. Fortunately a bell hop from the hotel came out to handle our bags which left us to do nothing but just get safely across the street on our own. Right. We stood watching the traffic until finally the bell hop either yelled "go" or "no" (we weren't sure) and we took off giggling running across the street. I'm not sure about the rest of the ladies but I've never experienced such an adrenaline rush crossing a street before in my life.
Waiting for us inside the lobby (and videotaping the hysterical women as we arrived) was Mike Konicek, dad to Leanne and hubby to Deb. He had arrived safely from Chicago last night and was glad to see us arrive, too. The Elios is a clean tourist class hotel, nothing fancy but certainly adequate.
At 7:30 Jason Superstar showed up as scheduled to give us a quick introduction to the city. Jason is a tourguide who comes well reccomended via the internet. He is not available to tour with us tomorrow but wanted to visit with us tonight and then have one of his colleagues drive us around tomorrow to do our touring. He was hysterical and we enjoyed spending the evening with him. We went to a great restaurant called "The Temple Club" and enjoyed some Vietnamese spring rolls, noodles, and soups. Very yummy. We had to wait nearly an hour for a table and everyone was a bit tired by the time we sat down but the food did much to revive us. After dinner he took us to Franny's Ice Cream where we had some of the best ice cream we have ever had in our lives.
On the way to and from the restaurant we passed a fairly large city park that Jason told us was "the kissing park." Young people come there (against their parents wishes) to spend their evenings kissing. Keep in mind that they are perched on top of motorcycles for this activity. The girls found this to be quite hysterical and wanted to go back later to take photos at the kissing park. We weren't sure that would be a good idea.
So far on this trip I think that the thing that has really struck me is what appears to be booming economies in Macau, Bangkok, and Saigon. There is construction everywhere. Shops are really promoting glitz and glamour. Everyone seems to be eating and shopping all the time. The explosion of fast food outlets is almost unbelievable. We find ourselves just walking around with our mouths hanging open, marveling at the changes. Sure, our towns back home have changed, too, since 1991, but not in the absolutely astounding ways that we have witnessed in Bangkok and Saigon. I'm looking forward to seeing any changes that have come to Cambodia since our last visit in 2005. I suspect that the wheels of change are moving far more slowly there. Still, I'm sure that there will be changes, and hopefully some of the changes we have been hearing about in the orphanages will be for the better for the sake of the children.
Tomorrow we have a day of sightseeing planned, with Jason's right hand driver taking care of us. Jason left us with a cell phone and told us to call him even if we just need to go to the bathroom so that he can tell the driver and make sure that we get what we need. So I think we'll be well cared for and hopefully we won't need to cross many streets.
Late tomorrow night Julie and Hilary arrive from Pittsburgh and then on Thursday morning we make our border crossing trek into Cambodia. We can't wait!
Hugs to all -
Lisa
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