DAY 1 - TRAVEL,...lots of it!

from Music City,..to LAX,...to Seoul, Korea,...to Hanoi, Vietnam

Our adventure began with an early morning check-in at the American Airlines counter at BNA. Hordes of travelers were lined up and waiting to have their bags checked, passports scanned and patience tested. Los Angeles was their destination and people were hyped. So, we joined the line and made the best of the American mayhem. 

Korean Air

When I began looking at flights several months prior to our trip, Michelle advised me to search for 2 things -- 1. shortest travel time  2. flights on Korean Air,....and boy, am I glad she did!

After landing in LA we quickly realized we needed to find the International Concourse. After a long walk around LAX, concourse construction, adapted signage we landed in another world,...where very few fair-haired, blue-eyed people exist. The Korean Air ticket agent was very kind and helpful, advising us to get to the gate early because "it requires an hour of boarding".

After a leisurely lunch and a quiet respite of checking emails and social media, I left Graham to go check the status of boarding. (The dialect was difficult to understand via the loud speaker). I was surprised to find a busy and organized crew setting up for our boarding. We were flying on a big plane and this crew was prepared to get us onboard in an efficient manner.

The flight attendants were beautiful, poised and very accommodating. Each with flawless, porcelain-like skin, uniforms that fit like a glove and smiles that helped you feel at ease. 

As we boarded the plane, we realized why some people paid the extra money for an upgrade. The First Class seats were very impressive. And we didn't even see the Priority Class area!  

Our LONG flight was pretty uneventful, just lloonnngggg. We were grateful for the 'extras' Korean Air provides for their passengers. Soft blankets, bottled water, plenty of good food, personal video screens for watching movies/TV shows, listening to music, playing games, watching the flight progress or our landings and take-offs.  In spite of the perks, it was tough for either of us to sleep. We were both thankful to feel the wheels touch the ground in Seoul. 

After landing in Seoul the conversation between these weary travelers turned to food. Surely we could find something to eat during our hour and a half layover before leaving for Hanoi. But first came security/immigration. 

The officer inquired if I had an electronic device, I said "yes" and began searching through my backpack. No iPad. There we were in a busy security line in a foreign country and I've left my electronic device on another plane,...on the other side of the airport. PANIC. So, we hustled through security and began looking for our departure gate. Seoul has a BIG AIRPORT,..it was a long walk.  (At this point we've been awake for many hours, any distance would have been a long walk...)

We find our gate. I am in hopes there is a Korean Air official who can assist me. Of course there is no one in sight. So, I drop my backpack, give Graham instructions and take off in search of anyone who could help. Several hundred yards down the concourse, I discover a Korean Air employee. I told her of my plight in slow minimalist English. She points to my gate and smiles. (She is not comprehending...) I reformulated my sentence and asked again. She shook her head "no". Frustrated, I said thank you and turned to leave. Behind me stood a young Korean college student, he had overheard my attempts to communicate. He smiled, looked at her and translated. She immediately told me in broken english "upstairs transfer desk". I said "thank you" and took off down the concourse.

I hustled upstairs and found the 'transfer desk". I approached a handsome middle-aged gentlemen sitting at a desk.  He was dressed in a crisp Korean Air blazer looking like he was fresh off the pages of a SkyHigh magazine. He looked up from his work and smiled. I recounted my story of the misplaced iPad, giving him my flight and  seat numbers. He picked up the phone, spoke in calm Korean. Then looked up at me and said "I'll be right back" and calmly strolled down the concourse. About 8-10 minutes later he appeared with a sweet smile on his face, under his arm was my iPad. I almost hugged him. He just patted the iPad and handed it to me. I thanked him and took off down the escalator, ready to find food before boarding. 

Arriving at the gate, I exclaimed, "let's eat". Graham looking forlorn responded "We have to have Korean currency".  So much for the food, but at least we found the iPad!!

We landed in Hanoi around 10:00 p.m. We navigated our way through various checkpoints for VISA, passport and immigrations. Very *****After locating our luggage and crossing the security clearance, we stepped out into the humid, tropical mayhem of taxi's, minibuses and shuttles -- all wanting to help two travel-worn Westerners.  Soon we found our the smiling faces of our blonde-haired, fair complexioned family and traveled to our Hanoi home. After catching up and breaking open our "American snack box", we all headed to bed. Unfortunately sleep did not come quickly or easily...