It is nearly impossible for my body to accept that it is sitting in an internet cafe in Saigon. The humid air is heavy on my skin.
We left New York smoothly, though the ticketing agent at JFK was hesitant to print our boarding passes due to our lack of itinerary or return ticket. Because of the one way ticket we were chosen for what she called "super duper security screening". Basically this meant that we skipped ahead of everyone waiting to pass security to go to a private line where our bags were merely scanned (not unpacked and dissected) while our bodies were given a brief and unobtrusive pat down. It took about two minutes. I have a new found adoration for JFK.
The flight to Tokyo was 14 hours. After three hours of examining various airport convenience store treats we were on to Saigon. A quiet boy waved a sign with my name on it as we exited the terminal and drove us silently through the still heavily trafficked streets to our dark hotel. Though we had been travelling for more than a day it was hard to drift to sleep and MTV pulsed in the background as I finally managed to fall.
We are leaving the city as soon as possible. I need tranquility and hopefully will find it in Da Lat, where we head tomorrow.