Day 1

Woke up on a cold winter morning to complete our final preparations before leaving for Vietnam. Still dark but everything goes smoothly and by 7:30am we've loaded the Honda and we're off to Tullamarine airport. Usual stuff. Long term parking. Bus to the airport and then a long wait as the check in line is massive.
Through security check. Through customs. Then grab some Dong from the exchange. Not a good rate as we find out in Ho Chi Minh City. First lesson. never change money at the airport.
Plane ride is just over 8 hours long. Air Vietnam as seriously bad entertainment. Movies are a bit old and look like they are really worn down VHS tapes. I just read a book. "In the garden of the Beasts" which I finish off over the time of the flight.
The seats go back way too far and the woman in front almost smashes my drink bottle at one stage when she leans all the way back in a quick motion. Puts me off leaning all the way back myself. Mel sits beside me listening to her own music while watching bad movies.
Arrive in Ho Chi Minh. Everyone here still calls it Saigon. Rain is bucketing down and slows down the transfer of our luggage.Much waiting once again but we finally get outside and our driver is waiting for us. Liz gets in front so she can see all and after half an hour we are at the Grand Hotel.Amazingly on our travel to the the hotel we had to weave our way around thousands of motorbikes which zipped in and out of traffic obeying no particular road rules as far as I could see.
Very impressive building at we're on the 13th floor looking out at the Bitexco Financial Tower which looks amazing. Like a giant CD tower with a tambourine stuck into it. The bed is massive. Almost the size of our room in Melbourne. Kids are in a room by themselves. Ruby opens the window which is not locked and peers out which scares the hell out of Liz and I. We're a long way up. Stern warning given.
We're getting a little hungry so we go for some normal food at a pizza place round the corner. Unfortunately poor Remi feels a bit sick and needs to throw up which he does in the toilets. A bit hard to clean up so we head off quickly and we have to meet a guy from the Travel agency who's going to give us $75 US. He thinks he's there to pick up money so now we have to follow that up. Bother.

But by now it may be early but we're all kind of tired. So we head of to sleep. I leave our blinds open so I can see the bright neon lights from the adjacent building.