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Published: July 25th 2011
One of the best things about traveling to Vietnam is that we get to fly non-American airlines. For those of you who have not had the pleasure of such an experience, I am sincerely sorry. It is one of the (many) highlights of long plane travel. While I don’t pretend that sitting for hours and hours on end, trapped like so many chickens on a semi-truck headed to the slaughterhouse, is anything that could be classified as enjoyable, being fed several times and given a toothbrush, toothpaste, and “slippers” goes a long way toward creating a plane full of resigned passengers.
On this particular trip to Vietnam, we are flying Korean Airlines. Three years ago we used Asiana Airlines, which is a Korean-company (and thus conversations can be confusing: “I like Korean airlines,” which obviously means something different than “I like Korean Airlines”). Our experience with Asiana once on the plane was wonderful, but the transfers (at Seattle and Seoul) were…chaotic. Have you ever witnessed a heard of cats running for their lives? That’s what the queue for the plane looked like, and I must say that I don’t think the flight attendants had much experience herding cats. We chose to
go with Korean Air this time to see if it was a different experience. (Nah, who am I kidding? We went with Korean Air because that was the cheapest ticket!) At this point in our travels, we have noticed a few key differences: the queue with Korean Air was more organized and relatively quiet, the female flight attendants do not wear beautifully embroidered aprons (one of my favorite features of Asiana – so colorful!), Asiana offers more food more frequently, and Korean Air offers power outlets so that Matthew can charge and use his computer and iPod even during a 12-hour flight. Really, one can’t go wrong with either airline.
When we set out on a trip, sometimes I wonder if I should blog about the first day since usually the highlight is “We made it to the airport!” and “Now we’re at another airport!” This is especially true with international travels. Did we spend 24 hours doing something? Most certainly…but that “something” was usually sitting on a plane for hours and hours. Nevertheless, I decided to create a blog entry about Day One…or, perhaps, about the time leading up to our arrival in Saigon.
Matthew joked the other day
that he should take a picture of me and my “packing routine” – I decided to sew a couple skirts really quickly so that Thu and I would have more clothing options (or at least one more clothing option). We also (with the help of Thu, Micah, and Ben) made a huge amount of eggrolls (Saturday) and lasagna (Sunday) so that Ben would have plenty to eat while we’re gone. What a task! The to-do list was incredibly long, especially with time-consuming tasks like eggrolls added to it, but we were able to get most things done and feel good about the impending departure.
Mom arrived this morning (yesterday morning?) to pick us up and take us to the airport. It was at this point in my life that I thought (yet again) how useful it would be to have a van. Somehow we managed to get five adults, three large boxes, two gigantic suitcases, four carry-ons and four personal items into my itty-bitty Camry without it deciding to go on an immediate strike. Luck and prayer held it together as we drove toward the airport, hopped out, and began the Hurry Up & Wait Airport Tango.
The first leg
Will Wake for Food
We were just joking about needing a "will wake for food" when Thu discovered that Korean Air actually provides such a thing.of our journey was a breeze, especially when compared to what we knew was coming. We took a little Horizon hopper flight to Vancouver, B.C. and arrived at one of the most beautiful airports I’ve ever seen. Seriously! I am rather stingy with high praise for airports because I feel like we have such a beautiful one in Portland that it’s hard for anywhere else to compare. Vancouver, however, deserved recognition. I am not surprised – Vancouver, B.C., if probably one of the few cities other than Portland in which I could see myself living. Micah was impressed by the announcements that were in English and (what I assume was) Mandarin. We explained the multiculturalism in Vancouver, which Micah appreciated.
Our time in Vancouver was just long enough to grab a bite to eat and then head toward the longest leg of the journey: Vancouver to Seoul. Normally, we would all sleep on the plane, but for whatever reason none of us slept long at all, even though we had slept only four (or fewer) hours the night before. One of the benefits of this for me was that I was able to start and finish a new novel by
Philippa Gregory. And watch a movie. And eat bi bim bap (best airline food ever!). And fill out visa forms. And…well, you get the picture. By the time the plane landed in Seoul, we were all more than ready to be on the ground, even if only for a short time.
While in Seoul, we had two priorities: buy duty-free cigarettes for Thu’s uncles (who smoke and love American products but cannot buy them in Vietnam) and make a craft at the Korean Cultural Heritage Experience site in the airport. (We did this three years ago and it was so much fun!) Foreigners can go here to learn a traditional Korean craft and then try their hand at it. Today’s craft: paper stamping. So much fun! Basically, they use a wood carving, place thick paper over it and then stamp ink onto the top so that the impression from the design on the wood shows through. I made a tiger, as did Micah, and Thu and Matthew made a Lotus.
Now we are on our last leg and should arrive to Saigon in about three hours. I am so tired but given that we land around midnight and I want
Matthew crafts!
Fun times in Korea to adjust to the new time zone, I am trying to stay awake as long as possible. Tomorrow morning we head to Thu’s grandmother’s house and I need to be alert!
There is one thing that I don’t like – no, that I absolutely hate – about travel (of any kind!) is that I am away from my babies. Thankfully, they are in good hands with Ben, but still…I do not like leaving them. If only I could figure out a way to travel AND have my fur babies with me!
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Scot Headley
non-member comment
Fun!
Marie, Matthew and company: thanks for letting me follow along. Looks fun. Have a wonderful trip and keep up with the blogging. I look forward to seeing more as your days go by. Scot