My Travels

My United Airlines flight was scheduled to leave Ho Chi Minh super early (read 5 am) and I could only arrive the night before from Bangkok. Unlike my earlier pass through, I was not hassled by customs. Last time both the passport control and baggage screening employees asked for some bribes. Given the timing and context, I gave them 100,000 dong ($5 US equivalent) and it seemed to make them happy. This time around I tried to look non-Vietnamese and spoke English only. Escaping the airport people did not save me from the people outside the airport. Being so used to having family picking me up at the airport, my one time coming through on my own led me to make a bad call to go with a driver to take me to Sheraton Ho Chi Minh hotel. No taxi fare should be more than 200,000 Dong into the city. Anyone saying that it should be more is pulling your leg.  Got to the Sheraton Saigon and hung out with some cousins during the night. Nice hotel, the room was fairly large and the shower had t...

It has been a few years since I have last been to Bangkok. Flew out on Thai Airways from Ho Chi Minh. I was surprised that the airline still served a full meal for such a short flight (less than 90 minutes). For this trip, I decided to use miles and was able to get a business class seat to Bangkok. The seat was nice enough even though it did creak when reclining. :p Landed late into Bangkok and was whisked to the Millennium Hilton Bangkok . I was only staying a night but did enjoy the hotel and its amenities. The Flow restaurant has a fabulous breakfast buffet and the river view is really nice. The rooms are a little small especially compared to my previous stay at the Sheraton across the way. For sightseeing purposes, the hotel is in a good spot between the old city and downtown. The next day checked into the Conrad Bangkok. The last time I stayed at this hotel I was only in the hotel for six hours as I had an early flight. This time I was able to spend more time at the property. The...

Heading to Vietnam for personal business for a couple of days. Flew United Airlines on this particular trip. This is my first trip post-merger and it is interesting to see the changes implemented. It was good to see that the United policy of free booze on international flights was still in effect so I did not need my drink coupons. On the way to Vietnam, I was given upgrades on the short segments which was unexpected but welcome. The segment from Hong Kong to Saigon was a change from the past. It appears that United is using Continental planes for Southeast Asia routes and this particular segment was a smaller plane. I did miss the bigger plane United used to use for this segment. I have found that the Continental equipment now being used is not as nice as the United counterparts. Also, the headphones are not as nice and it still uses the two prong adapter to use. I can only assume that it will all be consistent in the next few years. Landed into Ho Chi Minh without incident and was s...

A late night at work prompted me to stay near Disneyland. I checked into the Sheraton Garden Grove - Anaheim South Hotel . I haven't stayed in this area for a few years, last time because I was flooded out of my apartment and decided to stay near work. Spring break was definitely in full effect as I saw plenty of families in the hotel. One of these days I'll be motivated to see what the happiest place on Earth looks like nowadays. The hotel seemed like it went through a recent renovation. Rooms are pretty big, likely designed for families. The only drawback was the very slow internet speeds but I don't know if that is the norm or I was unlucky. On the bright side, I wasn't charged parking which is normally $12. The next morning, dropped by Cafe Tourane for beignets and coffee. Can't beat New Orleans but it was good enough and reasonably priced. Coffee was good too.