I'm Back in Saigon!

Well, it's about 6 weeks shy of a year since my departure from here. I arrived just about 3 hours ago and checked into the same hotel I checked out of then! A bit surreal, to say the least. And the price is exactly the same. And I even got the same room but on a different floor if that makes any sense. Meaning each floor has the same room layout, so I'm exactly a few floors above where I was before.

I've already fallen right back into the Vietnam way of doing things. I skipped the taxis at the international terminal at the airport and walked about 100 yds to the domestic terminal. Prices fall in half just by doing that. A little traveler's tip I discovered. When we arrived at the hotel, the driver held up some airport toll ticket he had to pay and wanted to add it to my fare. It was 5000 VND, or less than 30 cents. I gave him a tip that covered it. It was well worth it because the ride in from the airport was more exhilirating than the last time I was on a roller coaster! I just don't understand why there aren't more traffic accidents in this place.

Then I went to a bank to get some VND from my US dollars. The doorman let me in and escorted me to the counter. On the way out he again opened the door and walked out with me and told about the place around the corner that offers a much better exchange rate. Yes, welcome back to Vietnam my friends!

Well, this is just a quick post to get things started again. More to come. More to come. I'll be here longer this time, at least 3 months, hopefully at least 6.