Dad likes to get to the airport well before the flight is due to board which I didn't mind this morning because that translated to extra time to browse in the Duty Free shop. I stocked up on make-up, perfume and vodka.
I always choose a couple of unread books to take on holiday from home but it's tradition when the three of us go on holiday to always buy a new one from the airport book shop as well. I bought Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James. The advice from the shop assistant who served me was to make sure no-one is looking over my shoulder and be warned that it may make me blush. As it turned out, it was a couple of scenes from the first episode of The Slap that I watched on my iPad on the plane that created this reaction. I was sitting in between mum and dad, they were laughing as I was holding my hands over the screen in case anyone could see. I didn't want to offend anyone.
We hadn't even taken off when I discovered that I left my flight socks and a pair of flats in the taxi. This triggered a bit of unwanted anxiety as due to a blood condition I have, Doctors have advised me to ensure that I wear these socks for the duration of any flight longer than 3 hours to prevent blood clots. Apart from this, the plane trip from Melbourne to Ho Chi Min City was easy. I enjoyed the food, the wine, watched the first two episodes of The Slap and started reading one of my books, Single White Female in Hanoi by Carolyn Shine. And I made sure I drank heaps of water and wine (I've heard wine helps with blood thinning and I'm sticking with it) and mum and I did some stretching and yoga exercises at the back of the plane. Mum has a rarer version of the blood condition that I have. I only have one of these genes so I'm lucky I don't have to inject needles into my stomach before and after flying like she does.
The flight time is exactly 8 hours and we watch the condensation from the humidity circulating inside the plane as we land in Ho Chi Min City.
The planes in Vietnam always park so far away from the airport terminal and like last year, we get straight onto a crowded bus to be driven to the terminal.
I am suddenly overwhelmed by the thought of what am I doing here again? It seems like only yesterday that we were here and of all the places in the world to choose from (especially the ones that are on my list and that I've never been to) but something magical has drawn me back to Vietnam.
We move from one queue to the next to get through customs and then walk into the chaos of the luggage collection area. It was a sea of people, trolleys and luggage. We waited until every bag was collected and all the people had cleared the area and Dad's bag never appeared. Dad reported to the Lost Baggage counter and then we quickly moved on to catch our connecting flight to Danang.
It was exactly a one hour flight from Ho Chi Min City to Danang and by the time we landed, we were desperate to get to the Resort, change out of our Winter clothes, get something to eat and go to bed. As we watched the crowd of people at the bottom of the escalator, I noticed a young man in a peach and beige colored uniform, smiling at us and holding a welcome sign with our names on it. From this point on, we were looked after like royalty by Tuy from Furama Resort, Danang. He found a trolley for our luggage, loaded the trolley and led us out to our own private airconditioned vehicle directly outside. As soon as we were seated, Tuy offered us a cold, cinnamon scented flannel to cool our faces down and we started our 15 minute journey from Danang Airport to Furama Resort. On arrival to the Resort which looked like the entrance to a palace, Tuy led us to some comfortable seating in the hotel lobby while we checked in and drank our complimentary dragon fruit juice welcome drinks, served in the dragon fruit shell (see today's photo).
After little sleep last night, a 4.45am start and a full day of traveling, this moment made it all worth it. We were shown to our rooms, they were beautifully furnished and decorated with a balcony overlooking the green, lush, tropical gardens of the Resort.
I enjoyed a steak baguette from the room service menu and started unpacking before falling asleep with all the lights still on, like a starfish on my luxurious king size bed. I was in heaven.