WE FEW, WE HAPPY FEW, WE BAND OF BIRDERS. In a little over three weeks bouncing over several thousand kilometers of Vietnam, we’ve seen more than 350 species of birds—over 200 Lifers for Dave and Noreen and 125 new species for us. We have shivered, sweated, endured leeches, helped each other up hills and muddy trails and this morning we boarded the bus for the last time—destination Noi Bai Airport, Hanoi. We hugged the Canadians goodbye at their airport hotel, they fly out in the morning. Lindy was heading to California from the international terminal while Andre and Quang were flying domestic to Saigon to meet with the next group. We fly domestic first 8:00 PM to Saigon and international at 1:20 AM Sunday to Korea. We were able to check our luggage all the way through—and it arrived!
Long, slow lines at Vietnam immigration
We snacked on the last of our Laughing Cow cheese sandwiches, Pringles and Coke Zero at the airport and had a reasonably good meal on the flight to Saigon. Being able to skip baggage claim made our arrival at Saigon almost pleasant. We walked to the international terminal and got in line for immigration—as usual the slow line. Not to worry, we had plenty of time to kill. After another fifteen minutes for security screening we negotiated the duty free shops and found a quiet place to read until our flight.
Freedom Bird, circa 1969 posted on Facebook by a Veteran friend
When we were in Vietnam in 2008 we left through the “back door” on a boat across the Mekong to Cambodia. The last time I flew out of Vietnam—July 24, 1969—was on a “Freedom Bird” back to the “World” after a 12-month tour in the Army. This morning’s flight was less festive. We didn’t expect the 787 to be crowded—how many people fly to Busan after all—but all 250 seats were taken. Earplugs firmly inserted, I fell asleep shortly after take-off while Connie watched a couple of movies. I’m still paying a price for the contorted position I must have slept in.
We don't know what's inside
Vietnam Airlines baggage allowance is two pieces each weighing 30 kg and most of our fellow passengers took full advantage. There were dozens upon dozens of giant cardboard boxes on the carousel in Busan—all ahead of our bags, I might add. When I asked the customs guy what they were bringing in he replied sheepishly, “We don’t know.” I suspect it’s clothing and sneakers which are much cheaper in Vietnam where they are manufactured.
A million Korean won doesn't go as far as it used to
Soft beds, Arban Hotel, Busan South Korea
While we still maintain millionaire status in South Korea—a buck gets you 1350 won—we only withdrew ₩ 200,000 from the ATM. Things are more expensive here than in Vietnam. Nearly all of our hotels are more than $100 a night and even a Whopper costs about the same as in the States. Hotel check-in time is 3:00 PM so we had a muffin and coffee at the airport and futzed around to kill time before getting a taxi. Luckily they had a room ready when we arrived just before noon. Lunch at Burger King—don’t knock it— after weeks of Vietnamese we’ll probably go to Subway for dinner!
