What day is it?

I am sitting on the floor of the bathroom in my hotel because it is VERY early in the morning and I am one confused traveler. Safely in Ho Chi Min City (formerly Saigon). Well, no one was lying to me when they said that was going to be a long trip. NYC to Tokyo ended up being 3 hours shorter than estimated flight time, and trust me, I was grateful to be off the plane 3 hours earlier. Although it wasn't all bad. I watched Shrek Forever After, Inception, and Despicable Me, and everyone was incredibly nice. My favorite part may have been the haagen dazs vanilla ice cream we got at about hour 10. They also gave me slippers, a face mask, and a tooth brush, which was sweet. I got excited on the second flight. I sat next to a boy from the UK who passed out awkwardly with his head on my shoulder and mouth wide open, but it was somewhat endearing. That wasn't what I was excited about- just for clarification. I was excited to be in Vietnam. Its early, I'm tired, give me a break. I have to say, I've never felt safer at 35,000 feet. Those planes were big.

When I got off the plane it was 10 am EST, 12 pm Tokyo time, and 10 pm Vietnam time. On Monday. What day is it today?

Kerry came to get me at the airport in Ho Chi Min and I don't know that I've ever been quite so happy to see someone. We took a crazy cab ride from the airport to district 1 (called Saigon) where we stayed the night. Everyone rides motor bikes and no one seems to care what anyone else is doing. Its hot and very noisy and feels like a real tropical city. People are helpful. I had a delicious dinner of curry with lemongrass and traditional Vietnamese roles. After dinner we took a (short) walk through Ho Chi Min to an ATM. There are a lot of backpackers here, it seems. A lot of Australians.

Today we are seeing a little bit of Ho Chi Min City before our 3:20 departure to Da Nang. Kerry gave me the rundown on the orphanage and there are 5 other volunteers there and many babies at the infant orphanage. I'm thrilled to get there.

I will write tonight (if I don't pass out) once I settle in at the volunteer house.

I can't believe I am actually here. Life long fun.