itinerary

we'll be flying to Vietnam via United Airlines. we have reserved a baby bassinet for the flight, which apparently sits on the floor at our feet. ??? the only pic i can find is of one that hangs on the wall at the bulkhead, but we won't have this exact kind. something like it? the lady on the phone couldn't tell me.


our itinerary is short. because we will be traveling with an 11 month old baby! we decided to fly from place to place-- it is much cheaper than flying around the US, and it takes a MUCH shorter time than the bus or the train. although i will miss seeing the train in Vietnam, as it has been my favorite mode of transport while traveling in india in the past!

we fly in to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) initially. My friend Nikki said she or her husband will meet us at the airport with their driver. sounds fancy, doesn't it? can't wait to see what it's like. she said her driver costs $7 a day, but her kids want to slip him some extra cash.

we are staying at the hotel Indochine in the tourist area, close to everything! no pool. got good reviews on tripadvisor.com.

so there is tons of stuff to do in Ho Chi Minh City! all kinds of tourist stuff, american war museum, the cu chi tunnels...they call the "Vietnam War" the "American War". interesting huh? and apparently, they are better than most at not keeping grudges. that is good! i am not sure what we are going to do in HCMC, but we will do lots and have fun hanging with nikki and philip and kids and seeing how they are living as expats in HCMC!

perhaps jamie and philip will travel to the Mekong Delta? we shall see.

perhaps we can afford tickets to Siem Riep in Cambodia and we will go to Angkor Wat?






on the 15th we go to Phu Quoc where we stay at Mai Spa. Lovely! i feel a little guilty going to the beach, like i am supposed to be high brow and do all educational sorts of things. oh well, i love the beach in asia! so we are at the beach for a whole week, and we know we are lucky.






then we go to Hoi An, in the middle of the country. apparently this city has been relatively untouched by US carpet bombings in the late 60's-early 70's and has all ancient architecture. we'll stay here for 5 days,

in the old city at a place called the Nhi Nhi Hotel, which also got excellent reviews. Apparently they have really great staff. they are picking us up at the airport in DaNang, for free. Sweet! There is a pool, and we are bringing the swim diapers.

Then we go back to HCMC for 2 days, hang with nikki and philip some more, and then fly out to go back home! so not a very complicated trip. we expect to be warm, look at a different culture, eat some DELICIOUS food, spend some serious quality time with each other, talk to other foreigners, see some sights. take it easy and come back feeling ALIVE!