Day 24 October 19

At last, we saw Ho Chi Minh City with very little traffic.  The trick is to be on the road at 5:30 AM!

We left Vietnam as we had arrived, on a Japan Airline plane. Leaving through the Ho Chi Minh airport was easy.  Going through immigration, they did check our visas, even though everyone said they wouldn’t. The plane to Tokyo was really comfortable and again we had Japanese food, by choice.

It was a quick transit time in Tokyo, but the wheelchair attendant insisted we had time for the Lounge. He was right so we got a little quiet relaxation in.

The plane from Tokyo to Seattle was probably one of the most uncomfortable seats either of us has ever had. Even though it was business class, it was narrow and hard, and when fully flat, it was so narrow, there was nowhere to put your arms. The footrest stopped mid-calf which is terrible because of the possibility of getting clots. Do not take a 767-300 if possible unless it has been retrofitted. This plane was very obviously older equipment and didn’t even have the Japanese toilets the other JAL planes have. The service and the food were wonderful, and we still highly recommend JAL.

We got to Seattle and customs was a breeze with facial recognition and Global Entry. We finished in under five minutes, although the regular customs lines were long. We. were able to check into the Hilton at the airport before noon. Immediately we went to sleep and slept 5 hours. We ate down in the Hilton dining room, and then went back to sleep until 6 A.M. We were able to catch a 7:15 shuttle and made our 9 o’clock plane with little trouble.

Josh picked us up and after dropping him at home, we headed to the house. The dogs were thrilled to have us back and we were glad to be home. Since both of us had been sick for a few days (seems to be the norm for us at the end of a trip), we took covid tests and were both negative. Alan did three loads of washing and got the suitcases emptied. He seemed to have lots more energy than me, but by ten, we were zombies. Guess we have another couple of days of jet lag to get through.

This was an amazing trip and, hopefully, a memorable 75^th birthday for Alan. The people in Vietnam and Cambodia were some of the friendliest, kindest people we have ever met. The sights we saw were amazing, and the food outstanding. We are so glad we took this trip.  Our next adventure is a cruise around Hawaii which we will take next February.  Stay tuned for more of our adventures.

Now on to the next one!