I was pretty excited to fly into Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) this morning.
But I couldn't stop thinking about the men and women a generation ago that
were not flying in under the same circumstances. I cannot imagine what that
flight was like for them.
bucks later, everything was sorted out. I did sweat for just a minute. You can't imagine the people outside the airport. The pictures don't do it
justice. There weren't that many people inside the entire airport. Negotiating for the taxi was ridiculous. Every driver was bidding for my
business. And how am I supposed to know which one is reputable? I went with
the one with the nicest and most honest looking face. And I'm pretty sure
she ripped me off. And the ride to the hotel - my god - I've never seen so many motorcycles,
bicycles, and cars all piled into one street and going in so many different
different directions. At any given moment, I could have reached out of the
window and touched at least five people with very little effort. We went up and down twisting and turning little alleys. Then onto major
streets, and back into alleys. Ok. My tolerance level now is just a little
higher. And there's something in the air. Dust. Grit. Grime. It's all in my
eyes. Full disclosure: I just booked a car service to the airport in the morning.
It's worth whatever it costs. My first appointment will be here in 15 minutes - I can't tell you how
exciting it is to have students asking to meet with me. Three years ago, no
one knew about us or cared. And now they're writing to us. I like how this
is going!