Ken sets off the security check alarm because of his
titanium hip. He gets patted down. I make it through okay, even though I
apparently have a lethal weapon in my carry-on luggage.
On the plane, we have a window and aisle seat, with the
middle seat empty. Since this is a 14
and a half hour flight, this is a good thing.
Food is great, and there are many movie choices, so the flight is
tolerable.
The layover in Dubai between flights is supposed to be an hour and a half. Since our departure was delayed by an hour, we are given the opportunity to sprint through the sprawling Dubai airport at 8 AM Dubai time. I’m not sure how large the Dubai airport is, but I’m reasonably sure we ran through the whole thing, with a brief break in the middle to ride a train.
We are required to go through security screening in Dubai. Ken sets off the security check alarm because of his titanium hip. He is subjected to a tickling by the agent. I make it through okay, even though I apparently have a lethal weapon in my carry-on luggage.
We make it to the connecting flight, which is filled to
capacity. We had booked a window and
aisle seat in hopes nobody would take the middle one. When we get on the plane, there is a woman in
the aisle seat. She moves to the window
seat, so we have the middle and aisle.
This is a seven and a half hour flight, and it is a bit cramped. Again, the Emirates food is great.
Prior to our trip, we had obtained a letter allowing us to
get a visa upon arrival in Vietnam, meaning we didn’t have one in advance. Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat (formerly known
as Tan Son Nhut) airport in Ho Chi Minh City about 7:30 PM local time, we find
several long lines labeled ‘All Passports.’
All of the lines are staffed with uniformed, unsmiling immigration
officers, so we choose a line that appears to be moving.
When we get to the immigration officer, we present our passports
and letter, only to be told we have to go to another area for the visa on
arrival process. That line is rather
long, filled with many unhappy people.
While waiting in line, we learn there is another form to be
completed. There are no forms in sight,
but luckily for us, another person waiting has two extra of these forms.
We hurriedly complete the form while waiting in line. Since both of us fail to enter our names on
the form, with no repercussions, we conclude the whole purpose for this
exercise is to present a paper with something on it. When we reach the front of the line, I hand
over my passport, the visa letter, and the important form. Ken hands over his papers immediately after. We are told to have a seat and wait. There are no seats. So we stand and wait.
While waiting, I decide to try out my cell phone to call the
guide who is to meet us and take us to the hotel. After several failed attempts, I approach a
counter where there are two airport officials from whom I ask help. One of the officials is able to complete the
call on her phone, and I explain to our guide we are going through the
immigration process.
After about half an hour waiting in the ‘visa on arrival’ area,
my name is called, and I retrieve my passport.
Even though Ken handed over his passport immediately after I did, his is
not forthcoming. In the meantime, the
‘All Passport’ lines, which we know we will need to revisit, are now empty, but
other flights arrive and the lines begin to fill up.
After about another 45 minutes of waiting, Ken’s name is
called. He picks up his passport, and we
head to one of the ‘All Passport’ lines.
By now, the second wave of arrivals has passed through, and there are
only a few people in each line. We make
it through this process with relative speed.
After collecting our luggage (the last two bags from our
flight), we go outside the arrival area, searching for our guide. There are seemingly thousands of guides
waiting for guests. We spot the board
with our names, introduce ourselves, and head for Liberty Central Hotel.
We arrive at the hotel and get checked into our room. By now it is about 10 PM local time. We both sleep well our first night back in Saigon.
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