March 4 & 5 - Vienna to Vietnam
Wow, business class on China Airlines – it exceeded my expectations. The aircraft was a shining new Airbus 350, made of composite materials, and I had a huge single ‘seat’ next to the window. Well, it was more of a fauteuil with a large TV screen, and this you could turn into a bed. Yes, I have seen quite a few business classes, I guess what I liked here was that it was so brand new.
A350 Business Class on China Airlines
My seat
Soon after take-off we were bombarded with a 6-course menu, of course I could have said 'no' to each item, but I felt compelled to consume the delicious dishes. The rest of the journey was uneventful, a bit of stomach-ache from all the eating, then I was half-awake, half-asleep, I am not a good sleeper on planes. The entertainment system had plenty of choices of CDs, movies, TV shows - and it was the first time that I consulted my two guide books in detail to learn something about Vietnam and to plan at least the general direction of the trip.
Early next morning we reached Taipei on time and I did not yet have my boarding card for the flight leg to Hanoi. Reaching the information counter which was just opening, I was quite surprised to hear, "yes, Mr. Deri, here is your boarding card", they were apparently expecting me and handed over the already-prinred card. The lounge in Taipei served an excellent pork noodle soup, quite different from the Vietnamese Pho, it was delicious, too. Please keep it as a secret: I had not less than two servings.
Delicious pork noodle soup
Soon it was time to board the aircraft to Hanoi, a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 737, with spacious business class seats. Finally, I was strong (or weak, hehe) enough to resist the temptation to eat, as I slept most of the way.
About three hours later we were approaching Hanoi and I had very mixed feelings about the scenery. Towards the north, I spotted some very interesting mountains, which looked like ice-cream cups. The landscape in the vicinity of Hanoi looked very flat and seemed to be flooded with water. Oh, does it rain this much in Vietnam? Later, I learned that what I was looking at were rice-fields, which need to be covered with water.
Immigration was rather swift (have had lot worse experiences elsewhere), I paid USD 25 for a three-month single-entry visa, and after about 20 minutes, I was through immigration and collecting my luggage. My two bike bags arrived well, however, the huge bike box was a complete mess - it was crooked and opened up at the bottom. Luckily, the guy in Vienna wrapped the bike and its parts in plastic, so nothing was lost. A friendly flight attendant saw me struggling with the messed-up box, she helped me through customs and also found a small bus that would take me to my hotel, in the old part of the city, for a rather fair price of USD 25. At airports, exchanging money can yield an unfavorable rate, so I only bought $200 worth of Vietnamese Dongs, each denomination of which portrays Ho Chi Minh. Later it turned out that this was one of the best rates I would receive, with the least hassle. Considering Vietnam is a developing country, the entire experience of the arrival at the airport was pleasant and hassle-free - a nice start.