Ok, so not technically in Vietnam yet. Alex, Van, and I are sitting in the Hong Kong airport waiting for our connecting flight to Saigon. We all seem to be in something of a coma after our 15-hour flight from Chicago. I'm doing a little better than I thought I would quite frankly (although for all my fretting about street food in Vietnam making me sick, the plane food upset my stomach more than anything...terrific). Despite the daze of time zones and stiff muscles, you can't help but think this place is cool. When the plane landed, we looked out the window to find mountains enveloped in fog. Atop one of the mountains was an enormous sculpture of Buddha, completely isolated (at least it appeared that way from our distance).
The airport itself is pretty much what I expected. Colorful advertisements on the walls, Gucci and Burberry outlets, and posh bars we didn't dare enter. It's all very modern and cosmopolitan. The only unexpected part is how empty it is. I thought Hong Kong was supposed to be bustling but there are relatively few people here for all the international flights coming in and out. There are other Americans here but we stick out like sore thumbs nonetheless. Me with my giant Duke bag, Alex and Van wearing Duke gear, we scream "American students." As we walk through the corridors side by side, I can hear Sean Connery in the back of my mind saying, "we must give these Americans a wide berth." There's a quiet humm to the place. Even the intercom announcements of flight information are quieter...but then so are we. It's rainy and dark clouds and fog nearly hide the mountains now. I wonder, is it the weather or are things always quieter and calmer here?
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