We got up at 4.30am. Yes, that's right, 4.30 in the morning. We showered, packed the last few bits and checked out. Our guest house had made us 2 baguettes with Laughing Cow cheese on it and the taxi driver was waiting for us outside: we had a 14 seater booked for just the 2 of us. We could have joined the Swiss girl and her boyfirned, but check in time closed 30 minuutes before departure and we weren't going to get there in time.

The journey took 35minutes and we were dropped off at departures. We checked in and made a note of our bag weight: Edd's was 5kg's lighter, mine was 3 kg's heavier. We went in search of a restaurant that served coffee and bumped into the Swiss girl with her boyfriend. They joined us at the coffee shop and we ate our guest house baguettes while we waited to board. We left them at the coffee shop as they were taking a later flight.

We went through security and boarded the plane at 6.30am, as we were due to leave at 7.10am. 7.10am came and went. So did 7.20am, 7.30am, 7.40am and at 7.50am we finally took off. Apparently there were technical issues and then issues with paperwork. Technically issues we could deal with, crack on. Paper work, however, was a bit annoying.

The flight was quick and I felt like we landed straight after we took off (it was an hour journey). We grabbed our bags and headed to the carousel where the Swiss girls bags were going to be off loaded. Because we were so delayed, we arrived 10 minutes before they did and didn't wait long for them to walk through to the carousel area. They got their things and we headed for the exit, in search of a taxi into town.

Edd found a cheaper taxi than the one situated right outside the door - 100 000 Dong cheaper to be exact. We crossed the road and got in the cheaper taxi, dumping some of our bags in the boot - it was a bit small for 4 back packs. The journey took just over half an hour and he dropped us off near the road we needed where all the backpackers and cheaper hotels were situated, in District 1. We paid him and then he said we needed to pay him 10 000Dong for his 'ticket.' I was unsure what he was talking about, but then Edd clarified that he meant it was the ticket to get in and out of the airport parking. He refused to pay and the driver got aggressive. We were used to this by now, so Edd took his sunglasses off and towered over him, explaining categorically that we would not be paying for his 'ticket.' We had a book that warned of these types of things, we were seasoned, not stupid.

The 4 of us crossed the crazy city road and walked down an alley, enquiring at a number of hostels and hotels. A lady in a matching 2 piece outfit attempted to get us to follow her into guest houses, but they were completely out of our budget. She then told us to follow her and took us into a back alley. None of us were entirely sure what to expect, and were amused at her attempting to barter with local people to get them to let us stay in their homes. We all refused unanimously and walked back the way we came, crossing the road in search of reasonably priced accommodation.

After much deliberation, we left the swiss girl at a hostel as she decided to book into a dorm for the night, her Aussie boyfriend was leaving for Bangkok and she didn't want to pay for a single supplement room.

Edd and I checked into a hotel that we'd found (that was cheaper than the hostel?!) and dumped our stuff. We all went in search of lunch and then parted ways, he and I going back to our hotel to sleep and the Swiss girl and her boyfriend leaving to meet up with one of her friends also on holiday in Ho Chi Minh City.

We got up after 3pm and I sat and blogged while Edd read up on things to do in the city. We'd decided to only stay there for 2 nights and needed to work out a POA (plan of action).

We met up with the Swiss girl for dinner and discussed what we all wanted to do the next day. We settled for a bus to the Cu Chi tunnels and the War Museum. We booked our bus tickets after dinner and then went to bed. It had been a long day and although we'd had an afternoon nap, we were still tired.