Flying back to Toronto. The End.
Well, not too much to say. Waiting at the Saigon airport was a little boring, but the time passed, and the flight was smooth and easy. The first flight (of three) to Taipei was easy going. and the second long flight of eleven plus hours to San Francisco also went well, and I had the row to myself, so was able to sleep a little and watch some TV, and that flight seemed to pass more quickly than the flight out from Canada at the beginning of the trip.
The final leg to Toronto, which was about 5 hours, seemed like a breeze compared to the length of the flight from Taipei to SFO.
Laurence picked me up at the airport, feeling somewhat better, but still having some difficulties, and we we headed back to his place, then went out for something to eat. Our meal here cost perhaps seven or eight times what a comparable meal would cost in Vietnam. I was struck by how shocked a Vietnamese visitor to North America or Europe would be at the cost of things here. At the airport, a drink costing perhaps 80 cents or less in Vietnam was $7, and a sandwich (and not a big one) was $15.
Then we visited Barbara, one of Laurence’s two sisters, who literally lives five minutes away (walking, that is), and visited a little, and then to bed. Long day. Mind you, I started out on Tuesday morning, and here, perhaps 30 hours later, it was still Tuesday (you lose a day heading out, and gain that day back on the return, thanks to the enormous time zone difference).
This is the end of the trip. Tomorrow, I drive back home, and life resumes as normal. Bah!