Ben Thanh Market

Planning activities are now all in full swing for our trip. We have decided to stay in the backpack district our first night after arriving into HCMC so that we will be within walking distance to Ben Thanh Market. This market is so famous that there is even a Wikipedia entry about it (and we all know how I love me some Wiki!):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Thanh_Market

We should arrive after midnight to our hotel on Friday, March 26th (VN time). That is if all goes well through Japan (since Delta/Northwest have canx'd their NRT to HCMC routes and that JAL has filed bankruptcy). All of our flight arrangements are still a work in progress. That is also assuming that we don't get held hostage by a renegade "unlicensed" taxi driver... been there, done that... learned THAT lesson the hard way!

So anyways, that is the plan... we will try to sleep off some jet lag, but knowing we will be wide awake ready to go by about 4 am. We will spend the day (Saturday, March 26th) at the market buying the essentials for the rest of our trip (North Face backpacks, etc). Knowing how jet lag hits me, I would image I will be down for the count by 5 pm Saturday night. Sunday, March 27th we will meet up with all of the other Catalyst Foundation volunteers and head off to Rach Gia by bus. Then the working part of the trip comes in. Can't wait to meet some of the people that I know only via email. More details to come...