Our marathon of travel has ceased (for now) and we arrived here in CanTho at about 5p. It was quite a trip, beginning at midnight on Saturday, the 13th in San Francisco. We got all of our supplies checked-in and both Amy's and my suitcases passed muster ~ actually the agent was so busy trying to sort out all of the extra boxes, etc., we had, no one ever looked at the weights of our bags! Phew...
The 1st leg was 15 hours from SF to Taipei and I actually slept on/off for nearly 10+ hours! I was shocked, as I have only been able to sleep for 6-7 hours during past trips. Being tired pays off, I guess. It certainly wasn't as comfy as sleeping in my own bed (on my new, plush-y mattress), but I was thrilled I slept as long as I did. Not a bad way to make 15 hours pass by quickly.
We then made it to our connecting flight, making it through the transfer security station without any problems and this flight was quite empty, so we were all able to spread out a bit and relax on this 3-4 hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). There was a couple moments of major turbulence...but thankfully this passed quickly.
We then arrived to the brand new (and much improved) Tan Son Nhat airport (in HCMC)...which not only was new in all of its layout and structure, but also had air conditioning and no longer had that certain 'special' smell (read...special = bad) that was associated with the 'old' terminal. A good comparison would be the 'old' version of Midway airport in Chicago vs. the new version. So...Much...Better!
We moved through customs without a hitch, retrieved all of our boxes and suitcases, accounted for them all (thanks to Amy's organization skillz) and headed toward the final hurdle...getting through the x-ray machines/screening process just before you go outside the airport.
All was going well until a big bundle of crutches wrapped in cellophane started through the machine. This then immediately garnered the attention of the x-ray attendant and everything ground to an immediate halt!! A number of 'very official/very stern' looking security attendants began looking at all of the boxes we had and insisting that they inspect the boxes (which would have had to taken place tomorrow, as today is Sunday) and that we would not be able to take them with us. This then caused our 'docs in charge' to pull an 'official' letter from the hospital in CanTho, stating that these supplies are being used here in the country, etc. Well...a standstill (with a touch of a standoff) was what we had and remained our situation for some time.
So...Jeff and Bruce (the aforementioned 'docs in charge') went out of the airport to get Dr. Tan, an orthopedic surgeon from the hospital here in CanTho who was waiting for us, to see if he could assist with and explain the situation. After about 45 minutes, the officials requested to look in a box and so one was opened and happened to be one of the boxes Amy and I packed with therapy supplies for our work. After a little explaining as to what jigglers (vibrating teethers) and grabbers (non-vibrating teethers) were, they released all of the boxes to us and we proceeded to leave the airport area fairly quickly. Run...run...run...as fast as you can...
We then packed ourselves + suitcases into our travel bus for the drive through HCMC and on to CanTho. As per usual, we saw all manner of things being carried upon a cyclo and transported through the busy streets. We even saw my favorite site while here in Vietnam...family in transport on scooter. Notice the helmets...a new law apparently, but seemed mostly for adults, not the kiddos! Hmmm...seems like the kiddos could benefit from a helmet too?!?
Apparently, a new 'highway' was constructed which reportedly was to make our drive about 2 hours vs. the typical 4+. Well...it took us about 4+ hours with the highway drive included, which was a bit exhausting for the group. There is a lot of new construction and infrastructure changes here in the south as compared to 3 years ago and a big change is that now we cross 2 bridges in order to cross the Mekong River, rather than take the little ferry that we had taken in the past. I missed taking the ferry...it was a slow, old fashioned way to cross a river, but was kind of cool in its own right. The bridges are large in scale, but just not the same as the ferry experience.
So...it's time for me to close...time to sleep. We start at the general hospital tomorrow at 9a and apparently, they have also built a new hospital. So many upgrades...it boggles the mind! Is there air conditioning in our future while seeing patients? Details to follow...
Good night from the Mekong River, where boats are honking their horns and the nightclub across the street is playing super-loud, techno-funk music!!
xoxo
Stacy
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