Home Sweet Home......................

Getting back from Vietnam to San Francisco was a piece of cake...............actually it took so long one could eat an entire cake and then some!  The one hangup came in Shanghai where signage, and male airport personnel, refused to use English.  Thankfully a woman came to our rescue with directions AND suggested we check for our baggage.  Not necessary we said, our baggage was checked through to San Francisco.  She stressed that doesn't always work!  Despite time running out to make our final connection, we dashed through a rather dreary airport to baggage claim.  Sure enough, there were our bags gaily circling the carousel in hopes they were going to be unpacked again, in China........by someone other than Paula and me!  Grabbed them and then found we had to leave the terminal and re-enter which meant more arrival and departure forms to complete.  We made it to our gate just in time..........and from then on it was smooth sailing flying, lovely flat beds providing several hours in dreamland, good food and wine, the prized comforts of First Class 35,000 feet above the earth!

An island village near Saigon

From San Francisco to Raleigh it was much different.  The jet engine did eventually get its replacement starter and 3 hours later we took off.  I did get to Atlanta, however my original connecting flight was long gone and the next one took off with my reassigned seat empty..........missed that one also by 20 mins.  As it was the last flight of the day I spent the next 2 hours getting a seat on the first plane out next morning, standing in the late night chill in my tropical weight clothes for over 30 mins. praying the hotel shuttle would show up, and checking in to a somewhat tired and dreary hotel room chosen for me by Delta Airlines!  As it was 1:00 AM and I had to get back to the airport on the 5:00 AM shuttle, I passed on getting into bed where I would have probably slept through the entire day, and instead dozed in the chair for a couple of hours.

Ginger tea and snacks served in Vietnam

Now I'm home again, unpacked, laundry swishing and tumbling,  receiving welcoming hugs, and telling stories of another wonderful trip to anyone who will listen.

............and tomorrow will be a sleep-in morning, with no alarm clocks or Vietnamese roosters waking me at daybreak!