Charged with finally climbing the Great Wall of China (see Being a Tourist – Home + Away), I found myself rather susceptible to further adventures.

Mekong Delta

Was catching up with colleagues in the Hong Kong office, when A piped up “Hey M and I are going to Vietnam this long weekend, why don’t you join us?” The plan was to meet in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), then tour the Mekong Delta, including a home stay on an island, spend another night in HCMC before flying out. Initially, I dismissed the notion as hadn’t been home for three weeks. However said, would think about it…

Growing up in Canada, we had friends who came from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Vietnamese ice coffee, Nem cuon, soups and sweet dishes were favourites and I always planned to go to Vietnam… someday…

On the flight back from Hong Kong, I thought, would it really be such a crazy idea to take advantage of the impromptu offer? What better chance to make a quick trip to Vietnam? By the time the plane landed in Mumbai, convinced myself to go if I could:

–          Get the ‘nod’ from our boss and reschedule a couple internal meetings
–          Find affordable flights
–          Obtain a visa

Hong Kong flight

My flight landed in Mumbai Tuesday morning… Remarkably, I did find reasonable fares, checked out the process to fast track visa on arrival through a 24 hour advance online application… connected with our boss who immediately approved the time off so I could join the mad cap trip!

Landing in Ho Chi Minh City

By Tuesday afternoon, had my ticket. By Wednesday, had my visa on arrival letter. By Thursday, I was back at Chhatrapati Shivaji Mumbai International Airport ready for yet another overnight flight! By Friday morning, was in Hong Kong. Treated myself to an airport hotel bed for a couple of hours cat nap, shower and massage (highly recommended). By Friday evening, was feasting out on the most glorious, over indulgent yet and inexpensive meal in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam!

More on our Vietnam trip in another post… However when was the last time you did something spur of the moment? Especially taking advantage of a generous impromptu offer of a travel adventure?