Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Vietiane, Laos

Airports.  In three days I have been in 5 airports, a couple of them multiple times.  Today wasn’t so bad, yet another day spent in transit going from one place to another.  I had to transit through Phnom Penh, Cambodia.  I wasn’t the only transit passenger laughing at the absurdity of that one.

We landed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia we had to get off the plane and they loaded us all into a bus and took us to the terminal. Those of us that were to go on to Vientiane were give a transit pass and shown up the stairs to the departure lounges. I had time to walk to the other end of the terminal, if you have not been here the terminal is not really all that big, walk down the stairs to my departure lounge. I had time to listen to one song, yes that is right one song on my ipod and it was time to board the plane.

So out we all went onto the bus that took us to the plane, the plane that half of us had just gotten off moments before and sitting in the very same seats that we had all just gotten out of. You gotta love this part of the world!

Arriving in Vietiane was great. It is a tiny little airport but since there was only about 20 of us arriving, and no other planes it all worked like clock work. We were bundled off the plane, no bus, no please follow the line to the terminal, no guides just get off the plane and walk to the terminal. I have never seen that kind of trust before, at least not at an international airport. The ‘que’ inside for customs took all of 2 minutes to get through!

The hotel I’m staying at, Settha Palace, is great. Wooden floorboards, four poster beds, pool with a poolside bar, free cocktail in the lobby bar…. very nice… I’m not sure I’m going to want to leave!

So there I was sitting down in the lobby bar drinking margaritas, writing in my diary, listening to music… it is very pleasant.

As for Vientiane, I’ll find out tomorrow!

Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

Today has been a typical travel day. The only exception to that was that was that a friend came to the airport to have breakfast and see me off.

Then it was that time. The time to walk through those doors that led to customs and the departure lounges. Somehow for me that is one of the best bits. It means I’m really going.

The flight was uneventful as far as flights go. The good thing was having two seats to myself so I could stretch out. Passing through the airport as a transit passenger was strange. Giving ones passport to a stranger and being handed a small piece of paper in return is some what disconcerting.

I must say that it is an advantage once out of the airport. It is the first time I haven’t been mobbed as soon as I stepped foot outside the airport.

I think Ho Chi Minh is growing on me as a city, or maybe it was just great to be out in the world again. Maybe a bit of both.

The traffic here is it’s usual seething mass of motorbikes, push-bikes, Tuk Tuk’s, trucks and buses going every which way with a chaotic sort of order. I was astounded when we stopped at a traffic light and saw that they were red. I mean we actually stopped for a red light! I thought, ‘wow things do change.’ Then the inevitable happened. The horns started and the bikes, motorbikes, tuk tuk’s, buses and trucks all started edging forward until we were all moving again. The light was still red.

Some how it was a relief. Somethings just do not change, and I’m not sure they should.

Canberra to Melbourne

So it begins.

Sometimes with travel it starts with the familiar.

I was lying in bed waiting for my alarm to go off. Then it hit me. I rolled out of bed quickly checking the time. 0700 hours by my watch. 0600 hours by my mobile. I’d forgotten to set the time on my phone to daylight savings time. Amy alarm was set in my phone.

It is just as well I tend to allow plenty of time to get to the airport including things going wrong!

Still it did not really hit me until I was picking up my bags from the lounge room. I am finally going travelling.

Today the journey begins.

I picked up my cash and travellers cheques at the airport. Travellers cheques, it is an age since I’ve resorted to travelling with travellers cheques. I much prefer using my credit card and ATM’s. Still there are parts of the world that that is not really a viable option due to the distinct lack of ATM’s and Lao’s is apparently one of them.

You see it is the signature that gets me into trouble. The first few cheques are fine, the signature still looks like mine so matching the signature on encashment is not really a problem. By the time one gets to the end of signing my signature has mutated to a line with a few bumps in it. Matching that at the other end can be problematic.

So there I was sitting near the window at the airport signing my cheques, wondering how I was going to match the squiggle my signature had mutated to when the boarding call came.

I can worry about matching the squiggle when the time comes. For now I’m off to Melbourne.

The first, small, step begins.

So I only have a few days to go, well 5 days to go…. I am pretending that that is a few.

Most things are done, airfare, insurance, ‘nice’ nights accommodation booked.  I only have to get the travellers cheques and cash…. then pack….. then leave.

I just looked at the countdown again…

It is still 5 days, oh well. 

Maybe that should be, It’s only 5 days!!!!!

Ok I’m not sure if this is going to work yet.  I guess I will not know until I post it but at least the image uploaded this time.  Still right now it just looks like a rather meaningless string to me.  Even if it does work I still basically have a problem.  While I can make the photo’s suitable for publishing on the web on my home computer I have no idea how I’m going to manage when overseas.

It must be possible though because I have seen other travel journals with images uploaded on them and from what I can work out most of them are using internet cafes while travelling.

Oh the image is one of the pictures I took while in Cambodia in 2003, in Angkor.

I still haven’t had much luck putting the random image box on my home page.  I just can not seem to get it to work, it is very frustrating.  I hate it when there are instructions but whoever wrote them has written them as if you already know what you are doing, which in this case is not correct!

I’m wondering if this one is smaller in size, I hope so because the other one was huge.  Still at least it works.

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