From Bangkok to Hanoi

It's Vietnamese New Years

Lake at Night

Communist Hammer and Sickle Flags

Playing Badminton on the Sidewalk

Hotel Pool at Night

Lobster Noodle Soup

Lobster and Pasta with Egg Noodles

Outdoor Dinning at the Metropole

I was excited about the prospect of flying the Air India 787 Dream Liner to Bangkok. We have never before flown on this new Boeing airplane. Once we checked in, Air India provided us with a host that escorted the two of us through all of the Passport Control and Security using expedited lanes. It was extremely efficient. The Dream Liner was a let down for me. I don’t know what I expected but it wasn’t that special. John Carpenter, who last reported in from Dallas on his way home from Mumbai, says there are different configurations of the plane. Air India, not surprisingly doesn’t have the deluxe version.

The Airport in Bangkok was jammed, swarming with passengers. The relatively new airport in Bangkok is a nightmare because the gates are in one long row. If you arrive at an end gate it is a major hike to pickup your luggage and navigate through customs. Unfortunately that is where our plane docked. We definitely got our exercise walking from the gate. Since we were staying overnight, we had to clear Thai Customs and Passport Control to exit. The lines were extremely long. Once again, we used the expedited fast track lanes and quickly exited the airport. I used to think the advantage of Business Class was lie-flat seats, but now I realize in addition to the better seats the expedited boarding and Passport Control lanes are a huge benefit in reducing stress.

The Airport Hotel was convenient for our needs. We had arranged a dinner at Nahm, a restaurant considered the #1 restaurant in Asia. After checking in we immediately grabbed a cab to travel to Central Bangkok to eat at Nahm.

The cab driver quickly convinced us to hire him for the return to the hotel after dinner. There is a freeway that goes almost all of the way from the airport to Central Bangkok. Luckily the freeway gods were with us and the trip was very fast.

I was surprised that when we exited the freeway and took to service streets, I recognized landmarks and where we were. After dinner when we arrived back at our hotel it was 11:30pm and I went for a late night massage at the Hotel Spa, Cathy went to bed.

In the morning, we checked out of the hotel then returned to the crowded airport. Thank god for Fast Track lanes. It has taken us 3 days to travel from Jaipur to Hanoi. Normally it should take 2 days, but Obama’s visit created real chaos. My head is swimming with my task of converting US Dollars to Vietnamese Dong.

It was hard enough with 32 Thai Baht’s to the dollar. In Vietnam they use Dong as there currency. At today’s conversion rate, 1 US Dollar is worth 21,322 Vietnamese Dongs. Good luck to make sure I don’t get screwed in transactions. Let’s see $ 100 US is equal to 2,132,200 Dongs. Wow I hope they have very large domination currency or I will need a wheel barrow of Dongs when we go shopping.

I was eligible for the draft during the Vietnamese War. I was lucky and was able to avoid the army service by staying in college. I well remember protesting against the war. I always considered Kissinger and Nixon war criminals for what they did. I still remember the fabled Domino principal: If Vietnam fell to the Communist all of Asia will would soon fall. We lost and Vietnam quickly went to war against China. So much for Communist solidarity. Vietnam then invaded Cambodia and defeated Pol Pot one of the worse dictators in History. Now your pajamas are probably made in Vietnam. I never, ever thought I would be visiting this country that so dominated my thoughts and action in my college years. Well here we are!

We are staying in Hanoi at the Metropole. This is an old beautiful hotel. The service is on the par with the Taj. Hanoi (at least the part that we have seen) can only be described as extremely charming. The city is big, over 7 million people. The city is immaculate; there is no trash anywhere. The streets are all in beautiful shape. Everyone drives slowly, no honking, it is the opposite of India. During the war the US did not bomb Hanoi proper. They just bombed the bridges leading to it. The old French Colonial architecture is everywhere. The hotel staff although Vietnamese, greet everyone in French. There is lots of money in Hanoi. All the expensive brand names are here. We went for a walk around the neighborhood to one of the many lakes in Hanoi. When you come to a broad boulevard to cross, you simply step out into the traffic. You are totally safe, motorcycles and cars simply slowly drive around you or wait for you to cross.

If only the Vietnamese food we eat in Los Angeles was a good as it is here. Dinner was excellent and it only cost 5,560,000 Dongs. Tomorrow we have a city tour.