Jim’s recap

Our flight home was hours shorter than the west-bound flight, but much bumpier. It’s amazing that the cabin crew could pour water when I found it challenging to stay in my seat (it was the first time I’d ever seen the point in buckling up while in the air).

Getting clear of the San Francisco airport took all the time we’d saved in flight though. Lines were long and slow moving at customs. By the time we got to baggage pickup, the carousel was full, and no new bags were coming up. Only after the last passengers cleared customs and started taking their bags, did ours appear. That was a small inconveniece for us, but I wondered if Ron would get his bag in time to make a connecting flight to Seattle. (he did).

Laura was able to sleep pretty well on the flight, so she drove from the airport to Elk Grove, visited briefly, then took her dogs home to Redding and went to work the next day. Impressive stamina – I managed to nap in the car, and sleep about 16 hours of the next 24.

Although I wrecked my camera in my bicycle fall, the memory card was fine, so I have lots of pictures of my own to share with my wife, and even more & better ones that our guide took and burned to a cd for us.

I guess I should also mention that I’ve seen my local doctor, who was complimentary of her Vietnamese counterpart, and after getting more xrays, concurred with the non-surgical approach to recovery. The additional xrays showed some cracked ribs though, so she didn’t concur that riding my bike would be ok – I guess it’s going to be a while before I’m back on two wheels.