On my way to Vietnam


I'm in Changi International Airport in Singapore, with free broadband connections for laptops, so I thought I'd post my first Vietnam entry. I created a new category in the Zavelogue for all of my entries while in Vietnam. Maybe I'll ask Marion to send me emails about what's happening in Kerala while I'm away so I can post them.

Changi isn't quite as impressive as I had expected. I can certainly see why it is consistently ranked one of the top five airports in the world. The whole place has a surprisingly calm feeling for an airport, especially one of this size and with this many international passengers. It has a swimming pool, a transit hotel where you can rent a place to sleep by the hour, and plenty of shopping. I've gotten a few things done since I arrived at about 6:15 a.m. I used the post office to mail some documents to the solar contractor who will install solar panels on our house next summer. I wanted to get a haircut, but it's a high-end salon (not my style), and doesn't open for a while anyway. I explored the cactus garden, orchid garden, and koi pond (see pictures).

I also bought an international adapter since I left the only working one we had in Kerala. I also bought a Rough Guide to Vietnam. I usually like to to a lot of reading on a place before I visit, but I feel woefully underprepared for going to Vietnam. The closest thing I did to "preparation" was to finish reading a book called They Marched into Sunlight about simultaneous events happening in the American War in Vietnam (I've at least learned that in Vietnam they don't call it the Vietnam War) and in Madison, WIsconsin and Washington DC during October of 1967. I read it because the chapters on the anti-war movement focus on students at the University of Wisconsin who blocked Dow recruiters from doing interviews on campus. Dow was making napalm, which by 1967 had an awful reputation. I thought it might also talk about Dow's manufacturing of Agent Orange, but it did not.

I already miss my family terribly. Last night was very difficult. Claire is old enough to get what is going on, so it was difficult putting her to bed when she knew I wouldn't be there in the morning. It took so long that I missed out on time I had hoped to spend with Marion. This will be the longest I've been away from my family. It makes it more difficult that I left them in a foreign country. But Maude will be with them for a few more days, and I asked Rahul to look after them. The neighbors will check in on them as well, I'm sure. All should be fine.


Posted: Sat - January 7, 2006 at 04:56 PM          

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