October 2008 Newsletter

 

Count Down – 5 Months to go

 

Saigon Reunion 2009

 

 

Wow … less than five (5) months to go! It seems like only a few days ago that I became a nag! Well, I will try and live up to that for now and the next five months. It is time to fish or cut bait boys & girls. It takes some time to get your passport and visa, your airline and hotel reservations, your planned tours and sightseeing events, and your excitement in gear to go back to Vietnam. So, up from the couch. It is time to decide, get your act together to make the trip of your lifetime. To that end, I have a few new items of interest and information that can help you in your planning. Most, if not all, are available on the website  www.saigonkids.com (as an aside, if any of you had forgotten your password and had an error when requesting it via the login page, I apologize … I did fix it and it now works). Now, here are some tid-bits for this month:

 

(1)               Cathay Pacific Airlines (www.cathayusa.com/offers/aapinsider/home.asp) has offered for this year (2008) an All Asia Pass where you can travel to four (4) Asian countries of your choice as a package for a duration of 21 days total that uses Hong Kong as the hub. Meaning that if you purchased a round trip ticket to Saigon (SFO/HKG/SGN, LAX/HKG/SGN or NY/HKG/SGN), you could travel to four other Asian countries such as Philippines, Cambodia, China (other), etc. without any additional charges. The fare is $1,499.00 round-trip (actually, with all the airport fees and fuel surcharges, it comes close to $1,900.00). The thing to note here are, however, two points: (a) the hub is Hong Kong, meaning that you have to go to Hong Kong as a jumping point from Saigon to your next destination for every country you want to add (up to four) to your travel plans. The second (b) is that it is for this year and they have not yet decided that it will be offered for 2009. In all likelihood it will be, but you may want to wait another month to check with their reservation desk. This information was first offered up by Eddy Pay (a Brentonian classmate) who had just come back from Manila (he found out too late to use it himself) and we checked it and it is a valid offer. One additional goody that we have not been able to confirm (we got passed around from agent to agent) is that this offer is also refundable for seniors! Stay tuned … if I get additional updates, I will post it on the website. I have already made my reservations via Philippine Airlines and the total cost from Orlando to LAX/MNL/SGN and return was $1,726.30 … is less than the Cathay Pacific, however, if there are those of you who would like to visit more than one other destination, it may be more economical. The link to the Cathay Pacific is listed above and provided in the tables.

 

(2)               With Sarah’s help, we have purchased limited number (24) Reunion 2009 hats/caps for those interested in purchasing them. There are also Polo shirts (ordered-I will post a picture of them on the website as soon as I receive them) in Royal Blue with the same logo in various sizes (S, M, L, XL, 2XL (they run a little larger than usual, so if you are borderline, choose the smaller size)). The hats go for $15.00 plus shipping and the shirts go for $27.00 plus shipping. If you are interested, please let me know and I will ship them to you and let you know the full cost (shipping) later. Check the website <Reunions> tab and follow links to Reunion 2009 (Saigon) and Hats & Polo Shirts.

 

(3)               I signed up for a Newsletter that provides updated information on hotels in Saigon (HCMC) and Vietnam proper. There are a lot of Bed & Breakfast and hotel ratings from recent travelers. The link is available through the website <Reunions> tab and follow links to Reunion 2009 (Saigon) and B&B Newsletter since it is an e-mail. I will update it as I get it weekly for your access.

 

(4)               Here is the Travel Roster updated. I hope to see the column “Going” increase and the remaining ones diminish. So, if your plans have changed, please let me know soonest. E-mail me at rmcdonal@sesi.com and put Saigon Reunion 2009 in the subject field. There is so much spam that I can’t keep up with e-mails if there are no subject fields or things that are not familiar to me. Thanks.

 

 

Travel Roster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated 10/17/2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too

 

 

 

Polo

 

 

Names

Going!

Planning

Thinking

Early

Maybe

Can't

Total

Shirts

Hat

Notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allen, Kathleen

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Arbuckle, Les

 

 

 

 

2

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Berven, Mary Lou

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Blackmore, Ruth

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Busa/Safrannek (Kandi/Tom)

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon - Confirmed

Bush, Charlotte

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Been there/Done that

Christensen, Paul

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon/Baguio

Dunn, Mike & Yen

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Emery, Dick & Kathy

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

www.Gate1travel.com

Johnson, Stephen

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Kotzebue, Dave

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Kent, Allen

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

1

1

Saigon

Kent, Christie

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

1

 

Saigon, Baguio PI

Landgraf, Susan & Gabriella

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

McDonald, Roy

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

Baguio PI, Saigon VN-Confirmed

McIntyre, Cathie

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Teaching Conflicts

Oakley-Melvin, Deborah

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Pei, Linda

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Porcher, Annie Herndon

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Porcher, Jacqueline B.

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Rogers, Sarah

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon - Confirmed

Rubira, Claude (Arcache)

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Can't - Date Conflicts

Schutt, Rickard

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Shahpazian, Bobbie

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Can't - Date Conflicts

Stann, Susie

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon, Dalat, Hue

Stoddard, Frank

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Hanoi/Saigon - Confirmed

Thomas, Bruce

 

 

 

 

2

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Turner, Richard

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Viroly, Michelle

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Yeager, Ken

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Economic factors

Zucker, Arlene

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Just got back - will go again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

17

11

3

2

4

0

37

3

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(5)               The following is a list of travel related links that can help you in your travel planning:

 

 

Travel & Accommodations

Website/Links

Used by

 

 

 

Air China

http://cnomy.com/?dn=airchina.com&pid=1POEL38TR

Barbara Bush Parker

Caravelle Hotel

http://www.caravellehotel.com/default.aspx

List

Cathay Pacific

http://www.cathayusa.com/offers/aapinsider/home.asp

Eddy Pay

Eva Airlines

http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/

Arlene Zucker Claiborne

HCMC (Saigon Hotels)

http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/saigon.htm?gclid=CKKupavh4pICFQksswodKAOAAA

List

Gate 1 Travel Agency

http://www.gate1travel.com/STW/STWProduct.aspx?SessID=858AC71F-6723-4ADD-B6AD-878961266021&productcode=VN-12DAFFVN&Theme=Gate1

Ted & Kathy Emery

Majestic Hotel

http://www.majesticsaigon.com.vn/

List

Maps/Books

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

Arlene Zucker Claiborne

Northwest Airlines

http://www.nwa.com/

Christy Kent

Rex Hotel

http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/rex/

List

Thai Airlines

http://thaiairlines.com/

Barbara Bush Parker

Travel Guide/Agency

http://www.saigon-tourist.com/en/travel/travel.htm

Barbara Bush Parker

United Airlines

http://www.united.com/

List

Visa Requirements

http://www.vietnamembassy.us/consular_services/visa_info/

Arlene Zucker Claiborne

 

 

 

 

(6)              The following is the Itinerary of confirmed travelers as of this Newsletter:

 

 

 

 

 

Itinerary 10/17/08

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dep.

Dep.

 

Flight

 

Arr.

Arr.

 

Flight

 

 

 

Date

Time

Airline

No.

Country/City

Date

Time

Airline

No.

Country/City

Hotel

Notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank & Charles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stoddard:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

23-Feb

8:15A

China Air

17

Honolulu (HNL)

23-Feb

1:00P

China Air

17

Tokyo (NRT)

TBD

 

23-Feb

2:15P

China Air

17

Tokyo (NRT)

23-Feb

5:20P

China Air

17

Taipei (TPE)

 

 

26-Feb

8:25A

China Air

791

Taipei (TPE)

26-Feb

10:35A

China Air

791

Hanoi (HAN)

 

Will Cyclo to Saigon

17-Mar

11:05A

China Air

782

Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

17-Mar

3:20A

China Air

782

Taipei (TPE)

 

 

17-Mar

4:30P

China Air

106

Taipei (TPE)

17-Mar

8:40P

China Air

106

Tokyo (NRT)

 

 

17-Mar

7:05P

China Air

18

Tokyo (NRT)

17-Mar

6:55A

China Air

18

Honolulu (HNL)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Roy McDonald:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1-Mar

1:20P

American

297

Orlando (MCO)

1-Mar

3:55P

American

297

Los Angeles (LAX)

TBD

 

1-Mar

7:30P

Philippine

113

Los Angeles (LAX)

3-Mar

2:25A

Philippine

113

Guam (GUM)

 

 

3-Mar

3:15A

Philippine

113

Guam (GUM)

3-Mar

4:50A

Philippine

113

Manila (MNL)

 

Travel to Baguio - TBD

9-Mar

12:45P

Philippine

597

Manila (MNL)

9-Mar

2:30P

Philippine

597

Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

 

 

18-Mar

3:30P

Philippine

598

Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

18-Mar

7:10P

Philippine

598

Manila (MNL)

 

 

18-Mar

8:30P

Philippine

112

Manila (MNL)

18-Mar

6:30P

Philippine

112

Los Angeles (LAX)

 

 

18-Mar

10:15P

Delta

1472

Los Angeles (LAX)

19-Mar

6:04A

Delta

1472

Orlando (MCO)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dick & Kathy Emery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Los Angeles (LAX)

 

 

 

 

Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

 

Trips to Saigon, Hanoi,

 

 

 

 

Ho Chi Minh (SGN)

 

 

 

 

Hanoi (HAN)

 

Da Nang, Hue, Hoi An,

 

 

 

 

Hanoi (HAN)

 

 

 

 

Los Angeles (LAX)

 

Halong Bay

 

 

 

 

See Gate 1 Agency link in Travel & Accommodations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sarah Bush Rogers

 

 

 

 

 

TBD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your Name Here:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

      Please visit the website www.saigonkids.com and under the <Newsletter> tab click on <October_2008> you will find this and previous newsletters as we count down to March 2009!

      If you would like to NOT receive this e-mail on a monthly basis until departure, please click on the following and send me your request to be off the list: rmcdonal@sesi.com

Happy Trails!

Roy