Getting to Hanoi

  Hanoi, Vietnam
Tuesday, March 4, 2008

I made it to the San Francisco International Airport (SFO). I started in Santa Cruz with a ride from the house to the Metro Center then a I hr ride on the HY 17 bus to San Jose Diridron Station where I catch the CalTrain for the 1hr ride to Millbrae, then a 5min BART ride north and change of train and another 5 min to SFO. Checkin starts for the 12:15 AM 13 hr flight to Taipei at 8:15 PM.

China Air Jumbo at SFO

As I wait I notice a young Asian man with 2 elders in their wheel chairs. Later in the checking line he is right behind me so I ask him where he is going.
"Laos.", he responds.
"Do you have family there?", I continue.
"Oh, yes. I have grand parents, aunts, uncles, and others Vientien. I haven't been there in 30 years. There will be a great celebration. These are my parents." he says with a smile.
"Where do you live in the U.S.?", I ask.
"Eureka." he responds.
"Pardon?" I say.
"Eureka!" he repeats.
My eyes widen as I look at him, "I live in Arcata."
We both burst out laughing, It's such a small world!!
Today I arrived in Hanoi and begin to adapt to the changes I see. But first a map to get you started. Here's a photo I took of the plane's monitor:

Flight Path

The plane also had a camera in the nose so that we could see forward especially during takeoff and landing. Neat!

As I made my way from the airport I could see that the area had changed since my lat trip in 2002. The smog is still there but in addition there are more cars and trucks on the road. The route is now built with industrial zones with the likes of Sony, Panasonic, Canon etc. closer to Hanoi the suburbs are growing with large expensive homes and highrises. The new buildings appear like ghosts out of the smog.