From the Airport

For the first time I ordered a taxi via my building doorman.  To the airport.  The doorman asked me where I was going, so stupidly I presumed he had told the taxi driver.  

Bags duly thrown in, me in the back seat and I settled down to a pleasant air conditioned ride the to the airport.  After 5 minutes the driver asked where I was going.  Ridiculously I presumed the doorman told  him I was going to the airport, so I said, Dong Hoi, my destination airport.  

Now, I have been driving around the city for long enough to know where the airport is, or at least its general direction so I was surprised at the route we were taking.  Still I sat and thought how different the city looked from the back of a cab rather than the front of a bike.  Somehow far less dusty.  What an array of shops there were.  So much I had not noticed when concentrating on the relentless stream of traffic.

Surprised even more was I when we stopped.  ‘Here’ the driver announced.  A very strange airport.  But the street was Dong Hoa street.  A combination of my assumption and bad Vietnamese pronunciation.  You live and learn.  

Thankfully I had allowed plenty of time and we headed off, with much hilarity on both our parts to the airport.  

Then my faith in humanity was truly restored. 

Checked in with out mishap.  Ate the worst and most expensive Banh Mi.  Airport food is bad the world over it would seem.  Then through passports and security.  I was pulled in and asked to open my bag by a very pleasant lady.  Did I have a knife.  I didn’t think so.  We pulled everything out of my bag.   Opened my first aid, which generally lives in the bottom of my hiking back pack.  I had completely forgotten I have a tiny multi-blade knife which my mum gave me. It is old and has great sentimental value.  I must have looked horrified.  I certainly felt it and began apologising profusely but also explained the history of the knife.  Thankfully family is important in Vietnam and instead of throwing it in the vast vat of sharp forbidden objects I was ushered back through security to check in my back pack.  Being told along the way I could just carry my laptop through.

The check in line was by now snake like but no problem.  Story explained I was lead to the front of the queue, and then back to security.

So mum, I don’t know if you remember the knife, but it now has even more stories to tell.

Just hope both bags turn up in Dong Hoi.