Saturday morning we woke up and checked out of our apartment and were picked up by a van to take us to the airport. It was interesting to notice all of the construction on our way to the airport. They are really turning the area into a resort with large hotels and big housing subdivisions.
We checked into our flight with no problems and followed along with the Jazz game on the spotty wi-fi while we waited to board. The flight to Ho Chi Minh was about an hour and it went quickly. Once we landed it took awhile to get our bags, and then we walked from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. Our flight wasn't until late in the evening - around 10:00 p.m. and it was only 12:30, so we found a luggage storage area at the airport and put our suitcases there for a few hours.
We walked out of the airport and had to dodge a million scooters as we crossed the street. We went first to a shopping mall and found a food court on the top floor. We had one last bowl of delicious Pho with fresh vegetables. After we had finished eating, we went out on the street and started walking. We walked past the hotel where we'd stayed our first night and kept walking. Within about half a mile we found a large park that was located between the two lanes of the road. We crossed over (a dangerous and exciting proposition without stop lights) and walked through the park in the shade. It was a beautiful and quiet oasis in the middle of the bustling city.
We stopped and bought some coconuts and other drinks and rested in the shade before heading back to the airport. We still had time at the airport before we flew out, so we lounged around in the air conditioned terminal waiting to check into our flight.
The flight back to Kazakhstan was uneventful. We had to wait for a few hours in Almaty for our outbound flight, but then made the last leg to Astana without any problems. We caught the bus home. As is our tradition, we arrived to a cold and stormy day in Astana after being in the tropics just the day before. Spring break always seems to end that way.
We had a wonderful time in Vietnam. We loved the pace of life, the way that things were clean and people were friendly. We were happy to have the experience.
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| Pho for lunch? Pho sho!!! |
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| Park picture with the family. |
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| Refreshment at the little cafe. |
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| Kids' table. |
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| The park was really beautiful. |
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| More view of the park with some city buildings in the background. |
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| Yulia and Spencer |
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| A ring of flags at the end of the park. |
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| The street heading back to the airport. |
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| Street vendor and the scooter patrol heading our way. |
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| Scooters were everywhere. |
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| Home. In the snow! |
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| Heading back into the University - The "Nauryz" or Spring holiday banners nicely contrast with the snow. |
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| Making our way through the university Atrium to our home. |
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